Today I drove to Cincinnati, went through it, and kept right on going across the Ohio River into Newport, Kentucky. I checked into a hotel, then walked across the Central Bridge into downtown Cincy. One of the first things I noticed upon entering Cincinnati was that the WWE was in town. A fleet of large trucks with large decorated trailers were parked by the waterfront.
John Cena’s trailer.
I walked down Broadway Street, then turned left on 5th Street. I was very impressed by the symmetrical building(s) with the garden in front of it.
Building(s) and gardens in downtown Cincinnati.
I had lunch-dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery. I ordered tomato bruschetta and cod fish and chips with a Summer Honey Ale and a Red Ale (and I had a taster’s glass of Belgian White Ale). The meal was very good. I particularly enjoyed the Summer Honey Ale. After eating I sat at a table in the grove section of Fountain Square, which is directly in front of Rock Bottom Brewery. A band called Ten Foot Big was playing on the P&G Music Stage. I listened to them and watched people feeding the birds while I tried to will my food to digest so I could have dessert. In the picture below the stage is to the right of the fountain. On the left front edge of the fountain you can see crossed legs and a photographer walking towards them. The legs belonged to a model, who was lounging all over the fountain and being photographed. She was attracting just as much attention as the band.
The grove in Fountain Square.
There were also pigs in the square. I liked the camouflaged pig.
A pig.
I had Graeter’s Ice Cream for dessert. Coconut Chip. I must say that I rate it above the Coconut Chip produced by The PSU Creamery.
Graeter’s Coconut Chip ice cream.
The Chaquita Building.
As I was walking back toward the Ohio River I saw the Chaquita Building. This was of interest to me because I just read a book about the banana and the banana industry last week (Banana: Fate of the fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel). Chaquita plays a large role in banana sales in the U.S. You probably already know that if you notice the stickers on bananas. When I was inside Great American Ballpark I saw a large Chaquita billboard on the outfield wall. Two people sitting behind me noticed it as well. One of them asked the other about the size and competition of the banana industry. It took all my willpower to refrain from turning around and dropping a wealth of banana knowledge on them.
I bought a ticket at an automated ticket machine (ATM) at the ballpark. It was the first time I have used one, and I thought it was a good design. It made the ticket purchase quick and easy–and it did not charge me excessive fees. I got a field box ticket in Section 111, Row E, Seat 10. When I got to my seat I was very surprised how close to the field I was. I was three rows from the left field ball boy.
In the concourse framework I spotted one of my favorite ballpark cuisine quotes:
A quote on the Great American Ballpark concourse.
I enjoy watching the grounds crew get the field ready before a game. The left field foul line was applied with chalk poured from a coffee can into a stencil. Pretty cool.
The grounds crew prepares the left field foul line.
Mascots frolicked on the field before the game. But Mr. Red seemed to be afraid of me–he stayed on the other side of the park. Gapper was friendlier.
Gapper poses with a fan.
I had a good view as the visiting Padres went through pregame warm-ups.
Pregame warm-ups for the San Diego Padres.
I was very happy to see Scott Rolen play again.
Scott Rolen!
Scott is one of my favorite players of all time, and I wish he was still in Philadelphia.
Scott Rolen at the plate.
It ended up being an ugly game for the Reds. They scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, yet gave up 5 in the 2nd inning. It got worse from there. Dusty Baker made many pitching changes.
Dusty Baker walking to the mound; a common occurrence on this night.
When a Reds pitcher struck out a batter the PNC Power Stacks released three spurts of flames. It was pretty cool.
The flames.
All baseball games now seem to require a mascot race. Instead of stuffing an intern into a costume, the Reds use animation. I think the real thing is better.
Who needs a real race? Uh, I’d like one, please.
So the game ended as a loss for the Reds. I really wish I would have gotten to see Aroldis Chapman pitch, but that didn’t happen. After the last out was recorded I slowly left the ballpark. The WWE event was just ending at a neighboring building, so I walked back to my hotel in a sea of wrestling fans.
Great American Ballpark after the game viewed from across the Ohio River.
It was a very enjoyable half day in Cincy.
I strongly prefer the ice cream at the Penn State Creamery to Graeter’s.
The contents supplementing the Graeter’s ice cream impressed me. I think the chocolate and coconut (particularly the chocolate) of their Coconut Chip flavor is far better than that of the The Creamery. When it comes to the actual ice cream part i still give the edge to The Creamery. My feeling is that The Creamery makes excellent ice cream but struggles to flavor it or complement it well.