Got tix and hotel reservations...now what?

[SirFelixCat]

I know we've had this in the past on other boards, but thought I'd get an active one going for the new season:thumbup:

What I'm looking for on here is:

1) Best places to stay in Cincy/Covington when in town to catch a weekend series.

2) Best places to eat or the DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE to eat for us out-of-towners (Montgomery Inn etc)

3) And, for long weekend trips, the best places to see/go. I'd love to take the trip to Sandusky and ride the Millenium Coaster, but, alas, it's too far for this trip ;)


Now, for the personal feedback that I want is all of the above and also, I got a room for Mrs. SCRF and myself, for $159 for 4 nights (the first Cubbie series)at the Holiday Inn on 800 W. 8th St....I'm thinking that I did fairly well (hotwire.com)...I was hoping ya'll could tell me if that was decent.


Thanks and hopefully we'll be able to archive this for everyone's future trips to Cincy this season...... Let'er rip folks!:beerme:

[TeamDunn]

How are you planning to get around and into town? I guess if you like to walk a lot you could...but if you plan to drive I would seriously consider taking taxi's to/from the game's or check with the hotel and see if they have a shuttle.

Downtown traffic stinks anyway...but with those games there will be lots of people downtown (out of towners)...not knowing where in the heck they are going. :thumbdn:

And I suggest you hit Campanello's and chow down! :)

Oh, and hit the Levee in Newport...they have killer places to eat and the Aquarium rocks! :) :thumbup: :thumbup:

[creek14]

Now what? You dare ask now what?

Now, my dear lad, you pick a bar where you can buy us all a drink. :evilgrin:

[Ringo]

Don't know if it's your cup of tea, but I always try to hit one of the riverboat casinos!

[SirFelixCat]

You got it creek. You tell me where, and the first rounds on me :D:beerme:

[creek14]

BTW, SC, when we spend the weekend in Cincinnati, I like the Embassy Suites just across the river in KY. If that is sold out (which is often the case), we'll stay at one of the downtown hotels like the Hyatt. All are within walking distance of the GAB.

Something else you might want to keep in mind. Last season at Applebee's (by Embassy Suites) Tracy Jones had a post game show on Saturdays. We went to two or three. There is usually at least one, if not more, players there. Kind of a fun time.

[writerdan33]

Eddo,

If you have time, a trip to the museum center is always nice. It's the old train station, where they still have active the original movie reel theatre that was there when it opened in the 1930s. The history of Cincinnati tour is well worth the ticket while you're there.

If you're looking for a cool sports bar, check out Crosley's in St. Bernard. It's off Exit 6 of I-75...go right. Then turn left at the traffic light on Vine Street. Go approx. 1 mile and Crosley's is in a plaza on your left. It's below ground, underneath a Skyline Chili (also a must visit...LOL). It has a boatload of old Reds material, including a scale model of Crosley Field under glass. Tell Kenny I said hello.

If you're going to spend time downtown, pay a few bucks and head to the top of Carew Tower, the tallest building in Cincy. They have an observation deck up there. The view is wonderful.

If you want to see a full size version of Crosley Field, head to Blue Ash and check it out for yourself. It's off I-71...I forget the exit...14 or 15, I think.

That's at least a start for you. Anyone else?



:thumbup:

[SirFelixCat]

Ok thanks everyone...but this is not exactly what I had in mind...I was hoping that quite a few ppl would chime in here with not only places to go, but places to eat, stay etc....let's get with it people!;)

[TeamCasey]

http://cincinnati.com/freetime/simplycincy/

[Mr Red]

SC,

I like to go and eat @ Willies in Covington before the game. You can park there for free and they will shuttle you over to the game and back. You can do a search for Willies Sports Cafe on the net and they have a website.

[SirFelixCat]

Thanks all....I was wondering...is the hotel that I feel I stole a room at ($33 a night IN DOWNTOWN), in a decent area or should I be worried?

It's the Holiday Inn at 800 w. 8th St. in downtown Cincy.

Thanks,
Eddie



Also, anyone else going to be around for the April 4-6 Cubs series? And is Bw3's still THE place for wings? And lastly, where's the best place to dance/have a good time?

[Chip R]

Eddie, that hotel should be OK. The town rolls the sidewalks up at night so it's pretty peaceful. As far as dancing is concerned, the Waterfront is supposedly a good plave for that across the river. I've only eaten there, but I know they do have an area that you can dance. I went there for New Years Eve one year but just had dinner.

[cincinnati chili]

SC: Since the people who still live in the city aren't helping ;) , I thought I'd throw in my two cents:

I can't help you with hotels, but can help with the other categories. It seems like you can certainly get a better deal somewhere. But that may be a good deal in terms of nice hotels in downtown:

2) Best places to eat or the DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE to eat for us out-of-towners (Montgomery Inn etc)...

Skyline Chili - absolutely do not miss. Get a 3 way and a cheese coney (or a 4 way and a coney if you like onions)

If you're looking for fine dining, I recommend the Celestial. I was just there for New Years' and it was tremendous. great food, spectacular view of the city. You're probably going to spend $25-30 per person before alcohol and dessert. But it's nice.

I agree about eating at the waterfront in Covington one night. Not sure which places are the best to eat anymore, but it's nice to be on the river on a warm night.

Also, if you're into ice cream, hit Greater's before you leave town.

3) And, for long weekend trips, the best places to see/go. I'd love to take the trip to Sandusky and ride the Millenium Coaster, but, alas, it's too far for this trip

Dude. You don't need to trek up to Sandusky. Kings Island is where it's at. 30 minutes North of downtown. Lots of great roller coasters, if you're into that. Better layout than Cedar Point IMHO.

If there's a good exhibit at the Union Terminal (train station converted into Museum), check it out. Neat old building. Lots of Cincinnati history there. There's also an omnimax theater.

If you're up for a 1 1/2 hour drive, I recommend Kentucky horse park (if you like horses).

One thing I've never seen is the replica of Crosley Field in Blue Ash. Maybe some of the zoners can recommend if that's worth checking out.

[SirFelixCat]

Now were rolling. Thanks fellas and let's keep this going for not only me, but other 'Zoners making the trip to our baseball mecca ;)

[SandyD]

Originally posted by cincinnati chili
.Also, if you're into ice cream, hit Greater's before you leave town.


Speaking as an out of towner, if you're into ice cream, you may want to hit Graeter's soon after you get there, because you may want to hit it again before you leave.


If there's a good exhibit at the Union Terminal (train station converted into Museum), check it out. Neat old building. Lots of Cincinnati history there. There's also an omnimax theater.

Isn't Cincinnati in Motion a permanent exhibit? That's a great exhibit. Model showing the growth of the city. Modes of transportation, communication, fashion, architecture all change as the city grows. And the model of Crosley in the exhibit is great too. The thing is, you want to allow the better part of a day for it if you go. Only you can decide if you want to do that on a short trip.

Same goes for the replica of Crosley in Blue Ash. It's nice to see and everything, but may not be worth the time on a short trip.

Just some thoughts from an out of towner. Others may disagree.

[remdog]

Chile:

Nice suggestion re: the Celestial. I lived in 'Highland Towers' while in Cincinnati and spent many an afternoon, evening, and more, in the Celestial Bar/Restaurant. Last time I was there, they had remodeled and I didn't particularlly care for what they designed but the views of the city were still sublime.

It used to be that you could sit in the bar at night and overlook Riverfront Stadium. When the Reds hit a home run the fireworks would go off and everyone would cheer! (This was before ESPN :D )

Anyway, great suggestion chileman.

BTW, you don't know how hungry you make me everytime I see your avitar! :lol: I was in San Jose, CA a couple of weeks ago and I made several 'pilgramages' to the 'Flying Pig Pub' (which is run by a former Cincinnati resident and big Reds fan) for their (pretty close to authentic) version of 'Cincinnati Chile'. Still miss that stuff at 3:00 AM sometimes. :lol:

Rem

BTW, for my money, when I lived in Cincinnati, the best ribs in town were at Walt's Hitching Post. Of course, that's been some years ago so........

[cincinnati chili]

Glad I can make you hungry remdog. As long as I'm having some effect, somewhere.

[Boss-Hog]

rem,

As much as I love the Montgomery Inn's ribs, I'll have to admit that Walt's ribs are right up there...

[remdog]

Ack!, you two guys are making me regret the 10 pounds I just dropped......:lol:

Rem

[Redsfaithful]

I'm going to have to check out this Walt's Hitching Post if its got ribs as good as Montgomery Inn's. Where is it located?

[919191]

The Rib Pit is gone from downtown, but did it move? I loved that old, dark place. If they moved elsewhere, please clue me in!

[Roy Tucker]

Originally posted by SC Reds Fans
Thanks all....I was wondering...is the hotel that I feel I stole a room at ($33 a night IN DOWNTOWN), in a decent area or should I be worried?

It's the Holiday Inn at 800 w. 8th St. in downtown Cincy.

Thanks,
Eddie

Also, anyone else going to be around for the April 4-6 Cubs series? And is Bw3's still THE place for wings? And lastly, where's the best place to dance/have a good time?

Don't worry, the Holiday Inn you're at is fine. It's just over I-75 on the west side amongst some light industry. I can see it right now from my office window.

You want to visit the King's Island web site (www.pki.com) before you make plans, I'm not sure when it opens.

Some other ideas (I'm a 'burbs guy working downtown and haven't experienced downtown nightlife for a while). Google searches for these places ought to yield more info...

Aronoff Center - Broadway-type shows.
Music Hall - Cincinnati Symphony and other classical music.
Taft Theatre - various rock and other shows
Bogarts in Clifton - great rock music club.
Union Terminal Museum Center - highly recommend it if you like museums, has an IMAX too.
Newport on the Levee/Riverboat Row - lots of restaraunts and bars.
Main St./Over the Rhine - lots of clubs and bars. I haven't been over there much so I can't comment. I've heard mixed things.
Arnolds - great bar, recommend it.
Rookwood Pavilion - lots of trendy shops, great shopping.
Krohn Conservatory - nice place for flowers, etc. I think the Butterfly show is going on through April, I recommend that.
Mt. Adams - more bars and restaraunts, great views.

Edit - And I'd pass on the Crosley Field replica in Blue Ash. It's kinda neat, but after 5-10 minutes, you've seen everything there is to see.

[remdog]

Redsfaithful:

I used to take I-75 into Kentucky and take the Kyles Lane exit (IIRC) to the bottom of the hill (I think that would be heading East off the interstate). Kyles Lane intersescts with another road at the bottom of the hill (I don't remember the name of the road but it's a 'T' intersection) and Walt's is on the right. Their smokehouse was in the parking lot so it's easy to spot.

They used to have a house tomato/garlic salad dressing that looked like runny ketchup and, though it may sound gross, was one of those things that kind of grew on ya' (like Cincinnati style chili). They served it with a hot loaf of salt crusted rye bread and they actually went well together.

The owner (at the time) was an ex-jockey named Terry Melton. The rumor always was that he won the place in a poker game and that they still had high stakes games in a backroom there. The physical layout of the place made that easy to imagine that and, if it's still the same, you'll understand when you see it----the restaurant was apparently expanded bit by bit and it's easy to think that there's a 'secret backroom' somewhere.

Enjoy!

Rem

[Brutus_the_Red]

Depending on what weekend you're in cincinnati, you could always make the 45 minute trip up to dayton and visit the brand new Schuster Performing Arts Center (that place is AMAZING), Riverscape, Dayton Art Institute (the regular gallery is free)Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and Fifth Third Field ;)

As for cincinnati food, along with Montgomery Inn and Skyline, I'm a big fan of Burbank's. Their bbq pulled pork is heavenly!

[Caveman Techie]

As far as good food goes. Nicholson's on Walnut street across from the Arnoff is awesome. If you go there get the Fish and Chips it's kind of their specialty. Plus that have quite a few imported Beers.

[SunDeck]

I'll just give my top ten favorite places to eat and drink.



1)
First a plug for my favorite haunt- Arnold's. It's on E. Eight street, on the other side of downtown from where you are at the Holiday Inn. It's an OLD bar- quaint, eclectic, and owned by a friend of mine. They have outdoor dining, great music (but not so loud that you can't hear) and good food.
Info about Arnold's (http://www.citybeat.com/2000-03-30/diner.shtml)

2)
Zip's on Mount Lookout Square. Best hamburgers in town in a cool part of the city.

3)
Skyline- Clifton.
Everyone says go to Skyline, but you have to go to this one, up near UC, in the "gaslight" district. Have a threeway, then stroll over to Graeters for about 1500 calories of the best damned ice cream you'll ever taste.

4)
Or try Aglamesis (http://www.aglamesis.com/), the other great ice cream parlor in town. It's every bit as good as Graeters, IMO.

5)
For a real Cincinnati Breakfast, take a cab up the hill to Price Hill Chili. Give the goetta (http://www.goetta.com/) a try.
It ain't fancy, but you won't have to eat for the rest of the day.

6)
Findlay Market (http://www.findlaymarket.org/default.htm) is in Over the Rhine, north of downtown. Go there and look for Mr. Pig. He has a barbecue stand on the south side of the market. Caution: Findlay Market is an oasis of culture in a rough neighborhood.

7)
Scalea's (http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/102502_scaleas.html)
This place is actually named for a family from "Little Italy" in Cincinnati, a neighborhood named Fairmount that is really no longer Italian at all. The Scalea family owned a store there and used to sell authentic breads, and you could get a meal cooked for you there by the owner's wife. Andyway, the family isn't involved with the restaurant, but the food is out of this world.


8)
Barrelhouse Brewery (http://www.barrelhouse.com/)
Great beer, lots of fun to hang out there. Feels a lot like an old fashioned beer hall to me.

9)
Hap's Irish Pub (http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/profile/8159803/) .
No frills, no fake irish accents. If you hear one at Hap's, it's the real deal. Lot's of non-Irish there, now, but the feel of the place is blue collar.

10)
Dewey's Pizza (http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/042800_deweys.html) .
WOW. This some of the best 'za you can find anywhere. It's California style. They also have a good beer selection.


Have fun.

[remdog]

Great call on Arnold's, Sundeck and Roy. One of my top 5 fav's when I lived in Cincinnati. An Aarnold's poster (with Jim Tarbell with a beard and hair) adorns my dining room. :)

Rem

[cincinnati chili]

Originally posted by SunDeck

3)
Skyline- Clifton.
Everyone says go to Skyline, but you have to go to this one, up near UC, in the "gaslight" district. Have a threeway, then stroll over to Graeters for about 1500 calories of the best damned ice cream you'll ever taste.

I agree 1000% with this. For better or for worse, this is the 'hood that produced yours truly. Ludlow rules. You can then walk over to Burnett Woods and feed the ducks.

[SunDeck]

Originally posted by cincinnati chili
I agree 1000% with this. For better or for worse, this is the 'hood that produced yours truly. Ludlow rules. You can then walk over to Burnett Woods and feed the ducks.

Most of my friends from college grew up going to Clifton School, dodging Johnny K. and "Dr." Melzner, and sneaking into the Esquire (was it called that back then?). I always envied the life they had.

[SirFelixCat]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas folks...if anyone else wants to chime in, please do so...I think I'm going to gain 15lbs on a 4 day weekend trip, from the sounds of it :D


I'm hoping we might be able to archive this bad boy in a few more days for others to use as a reference when they travel to see our beloved Reds :beerme:

[cincinnati chili]

Originally posted by SunDeck
Most of my friends from college grew up going to Clifton School, dodging Johnny K. and "Dr." Melzner, and sneaking into the Esquire (was it called that back then?). I always envied the life they had.

http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/06/08/theater.jpg

It was called the Esquire for as long as I can remember, probably forever. But it was closed down for several years - roughly 1983-1990 - and they were going to tear it down before a successful 'save the Esquire' campaign. When I was a small boy, it was a second-run movie theater. For example, it showed Star Wars about a year after Star Wars came out. With the advent of HBO and pay cable, second-run theaters became obsolete.

Now the theater is more of a first-run art house. I was hoping that the theater's website would have a history section, but it doesn't
http://www.esquiretheatre.com/

However, there's a small historical timeline on this link. You might have heard about the controversy over its management company cutting a scene out of a movie and not telling the customers - which was in breech of its contract with the studio.

http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/06/08/loc_esquire_theaters.html

However, I don't think that's affected attendance. My dad - a UC professor - recently moved back to Clifton, and he says that attendance appears to be good.

[Red in Chicago]

i stayed at that holiday inn several years ago. it was only for one night. nothing fancy, but not totally gross either. it served it's purpose, after all, you really only need the room to sleep and shower in. the major drawback for me, was that it is a little more out of the way, than most of the other downtown hotels. anyway, just wanted to let you know that i had stayed there once before, but as i mentioned, it was several years ago. good luck.

[TeamBoone]

I haven't read everything in this thread, so if I repeat... sorry.

Can't speak for hotel prices. Before I moved here, my company paid the bills. I have never stayed in a local hotel on my own. I would think, however, that $33 a night is quite a steal.

I will focus on food and entertainment:

- any place in Mt Adams. lots of bars and restaurants, all within walking distance of each other. also Eden Park with the art museum, a conservatory, and a theater (Playhouse in the Park).

- the Main St entertainment district (Main between Central Pkwy and Liberty). again, lots of bars, clubs, and restaurants... my personal favorite for eats is the Main Street Brewery, which is a micro brewery/eatery.

- the Back Stage theater district (Walnut between 5th and 8th streets) has many eateries.

- Fountain Square also has a micro brewery (Rock Bottom) and the 5th & Vine Bar (located at street level of the Westin... the Reds Dugout Shop is also in the Westin... right across from the bar).

- If you don't want to drive all the way to Montgomery for ribs, try the Boathouse (same owners as Montgomery Inn), which is right on the river just past Sawyer Point (your hotel can give you directions).

- Not too far is The Presinct (an old police station turned into THE place for monster steaks) and Arnolds is right down the street from it (someone mentioned Arnolds earlier).

- Kentucky on the river. The Waterfront, Covington Landing, B&B Riverboats, Mike Fink's (floating restaurant), Riverboat Row in Newport, and Newport on the Levee (entertainment complex).

There are a ton of other places but these are all in or near downtown. Plus, of course, there are other good restaurants and clubs scattered around downtown.... the Havanna Martini Club, Red Fish, the Phoenix, etc. Take a walk around and you'll see several. Other than the Main Street entertainment district, I'd suggest you don't walk any further north than 10th Street.

Oh, and lest I forget... don't miss Koch's Sporting Goods on 4th street (pronounced Cook's). Most out-of-towners also don't realize there is a mall downtown (Tower Mall), across Vine street from the Westin Hotel.

I could give you more, but I gotta go watch '24'. Have a great trip.

[SunDeck]

Originally posted by TeamBoone
Oh, and lest I forget... don't miss Koch's Sporting Goods on 4th street (pronounced Cook's). Most out-of-towners also don't realize there is a mall downtown (Tower Mall), across Vine street from the Westin Hotel.



Good call on Koch's- possibly the only sporting goods store ever to have been called upon to supply a uni for a MLB team. Remeber Calvin Pickering? The Stowes didn't have any pants that could fit him in the clubhouse, so Ric walked up to Koch's and bought a pair of softball pants for him.

[Boss-Hog]

The Presinct is easily the best place to get a steak in Cincininati...any of Jeff Ruby's restaurants are worth checking out.