Got tix and hotel reservations...now what?

[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 )

Anyway, great suggestion chileman.

BTW, you don't know how hungry you make me everytime I see your avitar! 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.

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......

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

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, 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 a try.
It ain't fancy, but you won't have to eat for the rest of the day.

6)
Findlay Market 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
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
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 .
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 .
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


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