Nice Evening in Cincy (Cincinnati, Dayton: 2014, lofts, loans)

[Cincy Rider]

After a rough day at work and battling lenders and realtors (VA loans, gotta love 'em). I decided to spend the evening aboard the Superglide and just ride.

Took off outta Compton Groves (heard there was a shooting in the Groves this morning), and headed through my serene route up Daly and through Winton Woods. 'I should have looked at houses in Greenhills' I thought to myself, as I was passing the bottom of Carini or Ligorio (can't remember which), folks were walking on the trails and down the street to cross the park road to the trails or around the lake.

I grew up in Greenhills on Hadley Road, pleasant, tranquil, boring Greenhills, lol.

I scooted up the Park Road to Sharon, bore a right and headed down Northland. This used to be my ritual, head out to Borders in Tri-County, drink a coffee, browse books and magazines. Borders closed a while back and I was getting hungry. Instead of heading into Tri-County, I headed south on Rt 4, Springfield Pike. I knew I had to eat at Century Inn.

Ate out on the deck, had the filet and some excellent as usual iced tea. (under $20!) ...I couldn't help but think the diners were all from Glendale, they just had an air of reserved cool class about them. Not an ounce of snobbishness or pretension. The older couple next to me looked they just came off of a yacht in the Bahamas but they could converse about anything. My Mom lives in Glendale so when we get together it's usually at the Inn. Note: The Century Inn was built in 1806!

Headed down Springfield Pike through Woodlawn briefly, then Wyoming. Noticed that there was a sign pointing to the Village Green, didn't take it, just imagined it would have to be nice. Wyoming, like Glendale, has homes that are just incredibly beautiful, it would take several days to see them all, it seems. Both neighborhoods ooze wealth and an understated pride, in a contented way. Like they're not striving, they just ARE.

Kept going down Vine through Hartwell and Carthage (sorry--not sure where these end/begin) through Elmwood Place, keeping straight past the St. Bernard Soap Co., where it smells nice, like fresh soap perfume as you pass the factory.

Hooked up with Spring Grove passing by Northside, heading into Camp Washington. This is where I couldn't believe what I saw: younger professional-type people riding bikes and walking their dogs down Spring Grove in the industrial sections. I'm thinking they were from Machine Flats or one of the other converted warehouse-to-lofts buildings that pepper the few streets to the east of Spring Grove.

I turned left at Marshall, headed up Colerain, noting a lot of fresh rehabs and some colorful painting of the old facades. Lots of neat buildings and clean frontage unlike CW's past rep. Rode up Colerain past Valley Park where lots of kids were playing baseball and a few "techies" in a hackey sack circle.

Turned south on Spring Grove under the viaduct that used to take me to my first house, a 3000 sq.ft. brownstone built in 1875 on Queen City in South Fairmount. I read that the WH viaduct is getting replaced around 2014, FWIW.

Turned east down Bank to drive through the West End, trying to see if I could spot the site to be used for the controversial City-Link complex. Saw dozens of kids on the ball fields on the north side of bank. Man that is a great sight to behold, lots of parents cheering, might of been little league games but I couldn't make out any uniforms. They were playing in the shadows of Over The Rhine directly to the east, and only a couple of blocks to the north and west where there was a shoot-out on the street just a few hours earlier.

I turned down Linn, passing that tree-lined beatiful section of homes on Dayton Street, took a right down Findlay to a property I wanted to see again as a potential project. Neighborhood looked especially rough at this time of evening, and got some menacing glares from a throng near Baymiller.

Headed back up S.G. to Hopple to Westwood-Northern to west on Montana into the heart of Westwood to look at this wonderful architecture that I've been proclaiming from my soap-box.

Slow cruising on a motorcycle really lets you see things...in ten minutes I partook in enough gorgous homes to fill one of those 25-lb cofee table books. I had never been down Urwiler east of Harrison, some incredible homes leading to McFarlan. Also Craig and Cheviot Avenues should be added to the must-see streets in Westwood.

Rode home through the Cheviot through the Business/Bar district, up Wahington, east on Homelawn, up Cheviot Rd through Monfort Heights and White Oak, past the 1950's brick-box six-family where I was born, up to Galbraith, through Groesbeck and NCH to Mount Healthy, back to tha wonderful Compton Groves.

A nice evening in Cincinnati, going to tune in to the Redlegs game.

[kjbrill]

Cincy Rider... A great post. Always good to see someone who appreciaties the more positive in their surroundings. This great City needs more people like you who find the best in everything. Others may expound on neighborhood rejuvination, etc., but there is usually some economic reason involved. Truely refreshing to find someone just saying Great City - get out there and enjoy it.

[Cincy Rider]

Thanks, kjbrill. All one needs to do is step outside their house (comfort zone), open their eyes and minds, and have the ability to accept and embrace the positive changes that are slowly happening throughout the city. There's a vibe happening. People are out and about in the marginal areas been that have been long written off. I sense that even in my little story of the ball fields in the West End, that people of this city aren't going to be afraid anymore. Cincinnati is an incredible city and it's time to take it back.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

Kept going down Vine through Hartwell and Carthage (sorry--not sure where these end/begin) through Elmwood Place, keeping straight past the St. Bernard Soap Co., where it smells nice, like fresh soap perfume as you pass the factory.

The "singing bridge" on Vine St is gone. But its dull generic concrete replacement still marks the Hartwell/Carthage boundary, south of the RR overpass and ahead of the fairgrounds. As for whether the entire creek falls within Carthage or Hartwell, or is divided evenly, I'll leave that to the neighborhood historians. Now that watershed restoration is underway, a neighborhood might want to claim it as theirs!
When the St Bernard Soap Co was part of P & G, the area claimed by the plant was known as Ivorydale for obvious reasons.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

I turned down Linn, passing that tree-lined beatiful section of homes on Dayton Street, took a right down Findlay to a property I wanted to see again as a potential project. Neighborhood looked especially rough at this time of evening, and got some menacing glares from a throng near Baymiller.

Not too many non-police types are seen thereabouts astride a Harley with saddlebags! Those and Crown Vic's are immediate causes for suspicion in the 'hood. LOL

[Wilson513]

The Singing Bridge over the Ohio River sang a bad tune for bikers. Maybe a Superglide wouldn't wobble around on that steel grid, but my rice bikes would give you heart failure going across it expecially in the rain.

[Cincy Rider]

^ +1

I haven't been over any singing bridges yet on the Glide, but it does feel more planted in ridges and grooves on the road due it's heft and lower center of gravity, imo. But when those grated steel decks get wet, it really blows. The fear is irrational because the only change is the reduced traction, which can be mitigated by being smooth on the throttle and brakes and using an ultra-relaxed grip thus reducing any jerky steering inputs. LOL, that does make it sound scary.

[WhereForARt]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

I turned down Linn, passing that tree-lined beatiful section of homes on Dayton Street

I love this street - every so often I will cruise through here, and imagine buying one of them and fixing it up. Or just moving into the Hauck Mansion!

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

^ +1

I haven't been over any singing bridges yet on the Glide, but it does feel more planted in ridges and grooves on the road due it's heft and lower center of gravity, imo. But when those grated steel decks get wet, it really blows. The fear is irrational because the only change is the reduced traction, which can be mitigated by being smooth on the throttle and brakes and using an ultra-relaxed grip thus reducing any jerky steering inputs. LOL, that does make it sound scary.

Actually, the longitudinal ridges in the steel bridge grabbed on to the tire grooves and would throw the bike left or right. Pretty dramatically. I think you could find a lot of anecdotes.

[Cincy Rider]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

Actually, the longitudinal ridges in the steel bridge grabbed on to the tire grooves and would throw the bike left or right. Pretty dramatically. I think you could find a lot of anecdotes.

Just sayin'...it feels a lot worse than it is.