Covington Cathedral

I'm not Catholic, but (greater) Cincinnati sure is. Take a gander at "St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption," or simply "Covington Cathedral."






I can imagine spending every Sunday morning in a gorgeous church like this one. You could spend a lifetime where without taking in all the detail in this enormous cathedral.

The church was open for visitors on the Saturday afternoon when we were there. I recommend taking a visit if you're in the area, perhaps to visit Carnegie?

Covington Cathedral: http://www.covcathedral.com/
Our full photoset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrrrred/sets/72157625145456316/

Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center

You may be sick of me talking about the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center this week, but please take a minute to scroll through the photos of this gorgeous old building, especially if you haven't visited!

Even when we were planning on visiting, we didn't realize that there was a theater within the Carnegie. The museum staff explained that the building used to have political uses; the theater was an area where elections were held. Now they have concerts and theater performed on their intimate stage.

The Carnegie website says the building was also a public library at one time. I can picture it.




Overall, the building is a great blend of modern and historical-- the same thing I love about Over-the-Rhine and many other parts of Greater Cincinnati.




Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center: http://www.thecarnegie.com/

A Time To Celebreate features the works of Oliver Debikey, M. Katherine Hurley, M.P. Wiggins, Kathy Hamm (Katham), Alex Hibbitt, Maureen Holub and a special exhibition of vintage bicycles from the collection of Hugh Rosensweig.

Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center

Our visit to the Carnegie Center was so interesting that we decided to break it up into a series of posts. Hands down my favorite exhibit last weekend was the display of vintage bicycles. Part of their 'A Time to Celebrate' series included a exhibition of vintage bicycles from the collection of Hugh Rosensweig. The collection was quite beautiful and in amazing condition. A real treat for a bicycle junkie like myself. There's just something about the old bikes that all the new high tech stuff has lost. Probably why my own bike build has taken a turn towards the older styles.

Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center: http://www.thecarnegie.com/

A Time To Celebreate features the works of Oliver Debikey, M. Katherine Hurley, M.P. Wiggins, Kathy Hamm (Katham), Alex Hibbitt, Maureen Holub and a special exhibition of vintage bicycles from the collection of Hugh Rosensweig.

Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center

Let me show you a great example of what I had hoped to achieve with this blog!


I had heard of an art gallery that was featuring an exhibition of vintage bicycles, so my boyfriend, my brother and I clambered into the car and headed to Covington to the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center. None of us had ever visited, or heard much about this gallery.


We found a dozen different reasons to love the Carnegie, and I'm already counting the days until they shuffle the galleries and we can visit again. In this post, I want to share a few shots from the main gallery of the center (mostly the glassware; it was my favorite); tomorrow Dan will show off the vintage bicycle exhibit, and on Friday I'll post a few more shots of the gorgeous old building itself.



The Carnegie embodies my re-adventure: discovering new things about a city I was somehow bored of. (I say "somehow" because I can hardly imagine being bored these days!) If I didn't make a little effort to get my finger back on the pulse of the arts in Greater Cincinnati, I would never have stumbled across this beautiful arts center.


Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center: http://www.thecarnegie.com/

A Time To Celebreate features the works of Oliver Debikey, M. Katherine Hurley, M.P. Wiggins, Kathy Hamm (Katham), Alex Hibbitt, Maureen Holub and a special exhibition of vintage bicycles from the collection of Hugh Rosensweig.

Flying Pig #12: Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center

Another piggie with a nameplate! We're batting a thousand over here.


Meet "Swine Art." We met him at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center on a recent gallery visit; in the next couple of days we'll share some photos of the exhibitions we discovered at this gorgeous museum in Covington.




I went a little nuts with the photos. It was a gorgeous day and the pig was as blue as the sky.

Anchor Grill

Remember me? :)


Soon we'll post some updates about OTR life and making our new condo into a home, but today I'm going to share a bit about Anchor Grill. My boss suggested we hit it up for lunch one day, considering how much I looooove greasy spoons.


Look at how greasy this spoon is! Ahh, I love it. Delicious options like meatloaf and chicken & dumplings (my choice this time around). This is the kind of thing I'd eat every day if I had the chance.


The decor is almost *beyond* kitsch, it's so bedecked with lighthouses and anchors and... boat things. The most surreal part was when anyone would choose a song on the jukebox, a bunch of lights would turn on and animatronic characters would start to sing along, no matter the song.

I love and recommend the Anchor Grill. It's a 24hr establishment, and cash-only. Also: awesome.

Chalk

Dan has worked in the same building for like a hundred years and there are still twenty thousand restaurants in walking distance that he hasn't visited.

Hi, I'm Erica, and when I'm not grossly exaggerating I'm freeing my boyfriend's mind and taste buds.



Chalk is within spitting distance of Dan's workplace, so when I had an afternoon off I whisked the boy away to check out Chalk. It's long been on my wishlist, and I knew we could afford a lunch option much easier than dinner.

I ordered the bison burger and Dan had chicken something-or-other. (See? Not a food blog.) I think we were both fairly surprised by how much we liked our lunch. Frankly, I've been a little hesitant since my misfires with Greenup and Lavomatic and a handful of other places I was supposed to love at one point.

But yes, I really enjoyed Chalk. There were familiar options (uh, burger and fries) done in a gourmet way. (To me, gourmet = I couldn't make it at home. Not a very high bar.) We were even able to spend the sunny day out on Chalk's sweet little back patio-- although walking through the restaurant, I'd like to go back and sit inside some time. Love the way the entire place feels.

Chalk's website: http://chalkfoodwine.com/

Chez Nora

I expected this blog to shake up my social life a bit, but it has also done wonders for lunch routine. I've been hunting down excuses to visit new-to-me locales around downtown Cincinnati like nobody's business.

My coworker Jeff and I go to lunch fairly often, and we had an afternoon with enough time to take a quick drive across the bridge to Covington. I'd done Riverside, I'd done Cock 'n' Bull, but I'd never gotten to step into Chez Nora.


I had one of the lunch specials, the broccoli and spinach quiche. *Mm.* The first thing I said to Jeff made him look at me like I had two heads: "It doesn't taste microwaved." Almost every quiche I've ever had has *clearly* been taken out of a freezer and nuked for a minute or so. This one, not so much. Cheesy with perfect crust. Très bien.


Jeff, however, had a different lunch special: the "BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf." Uhhhh. Despite how much I loved my quiche, I ended up seriously wishing I'd had the meatloaf. He cut me off a piece: awesome. It was served as a sandwich and definitely worth the $7.

I expected our meal to be pricey, but we got out for under $20 for the two of us. (Ordering lunch specials helped.) I've heard I need to visit this place at night and maybe check out the rooftop deck, but I can at least say that it's a great lunch option in close proximity to Cincinnati.

Le site de Chez Nora: http://www.cheznora.com/

Riverside Korean

Am I boring? Because I like everything?


It's not true. I just don't tend to blog about the things I dislike. I don't consider this blog a complete review-- my "re-adventure" is about (re)discovering the beautiful gems in this city. Riverside Korean is definitely one of those gems for me.


It's also one of those places that I will never, ever order anything different. The bi bim bap is my regular-- HOT, in the stone bowl that will burn your hand if you touch it. This is my comfort food on the rare work day that I can make it across the river to Mainstrasse.


It's a small little restaurant, and if you're not the type who's comfortable sitting on the floor, you might want to call ahead to reserve a booth.

Riverside Korean's website: http://www.riversidekoreanrestaurant.com/

Greenup Café

I've been begging Dan to take me back to Greenup since we first started dating. I fell in love with the place about a year ago (maybe more!) when I first visited with some coworkers. But tucked over in Covington as it is, it's not the most convenient place for us to swing by.

However, we had a perfect opportunity a few weeks ago... on the day that Dan and I put a bid on our condo, I needed to take him back to Covington to finish his work day. We had time to grab lunch together, so I just started shouting "Greenup! Greenup! Greenup!" until he acquiesced.

I was let down, though. The building itself is still the kitschy, pretty café that I fell in love with, but the menu didn't match up for me. I suppose I was hoping to find something light and delicious like the avocado croissant that I'd ordered way back when, but nothing really fit the bill. I ended up with a grilled cheese and tomato soup... no classing-up, no really unique twist, and some greens on the side. The soup was different from your traditional tomato soup, but not enough to save my lackluster choice.

Dan ordered breakfast and can't remember much about it. That should say something, I suppose.

I am not the most adventurous eater, but when I go somewhere like Greenup I hope to slightly widen my horizons. Yes, maybe I should have ordered something with an obscure meat or unfamiliar cheese or foreign pronunciation... but I didn't, and I don't think my experience was interesting enough to chant "Greenup!" in Dan's ear again any time soon.

Cock & Bull English Pub

The bad/good news: one of my coworkers is leaving the agency. (Bad for me. Great news for Chad, and I wish him well in all his future endeavors!)

The good/good news: I got to experience Cock & Bull (Covington/Mainstrasse) for the first time.

The mixed emotion news: we were seated outside when it's overcast, rainy and 60° out. Brr.

I had a cider, fish & chips and a side of their chili. The first two I'd highly recommend-- the fish & chips are what they're known for-- and the chili was good if nothing special. (If you're eating outside in autumn... yeah, go ahead and order the chili.)

I really liked our view as well-- Mainstrasse is such a unique little neighborhood. The fountain (pictured) was right next to our table, and we were tucked back in a quiet, more residential area. Plus the leaves were starting to fall, which will win my heart every single time.

Cock & Bull's website (Covington location): http://www.theenglishpub.com/covington.php