Cincinnati, OH: September 22nd, 2013 - Schladming Flashbacks

Woke up relatively early on a Sunday morning, and with no prior commitments for that day, I decided I should go on another adventure.

For these spur-of-the-moment day trips, I usually consult Google Earth to figure out what interesting place is the closest and most reasonable drive.  At an hour and a half, Cincinnati, Ohio won that contest.  I'm running out of nearby places to explore.

It's only September!

I then did something I never do - I actually planned out what I wanted to see.  Wikivoyage is incredibly helpful on that front.  Suggestions on things to see, things to do, places to eat, places to sleep - all categorized by your budget.  History.  Weather.  Public transportation routes.  Everything you could want to know.  As long as it's a place people ever go.

I was gonna stop here and make a joke about how it's less helpful for places like Tajikistan, but that entry is actually pretty solid.  No really, go check out Tajikistan.  It's even got a cover photo.

I picked out three or four things I wanted to see and thought I could cover in an afternoon, then set sail.  As I crossed the Ohio river into the city, traffic got congested and pedestrians proliferated.  What was going on?

I approached a main intersection and found blocked off, and I could see beyond it tents, booths, and trucks set up for the sizable crowd gathered around them.  I had come into town during some damn festival.  Great.  Traffic is going to be unbearable, people are going to crowd the attractions, and parking is going to be jacked up for the "Special Event".

I found a parking deck on the edge of the city charging half of what all the other lots were charging and set off on foot toward the city center.  As I approached the festival area, I noticed some clearly intoxicated people staggering away.  This piqued my curiosity.  I took a picture as soon as I reached the outer edge:

Thought that was a cool building in the background as well.

I began to see silly hats with feathers in them, and I could hear music in the distance being sung in a language that clearly wasn't English.

Then I saw the band:

 Lederhosen!

 Wait a minute.  I know what this is.  I've seen this before!

I'd stumbled into the middle of a German heritage and/or beer festival, taking over downtown Cincinnati for the weekend.  Having read the Wikivoyage page, I sort of figured out why it was happening.

According to the Wiki, Cincinnati was settled largely by German immigrants.  To quote:
     "These German immigrants built a culture based on beer gardens, beer brewing, dance and music halls giving Cincinnati a very distinct and vibrant local culture."
So, there you have it.  And the festival felt very authentic.  For a moment I thought I was having some sort of flashback PTSD episode of the Lange Nacht:

  ...except, during the day.  And in a big city.  With people who speak English as their first language.

There was also this, a dead giveaway that I was still in America:

Dangerous, rickety fair rides.  A staple of food festivals nation wide.

Since I had a long drive back, I declined to partake of the beer - at first.  But I figured, how often do I accidentally find myself in the middle of a German beer festival?  Well, the answer is "twice, since July" but you know what I mean.

I partook of a traditional German brew:

...it was at least the "Oktoberfest" flavor.  And Sam Adams was at least trying to be as authentic as possible:

Can't decide if these people are more interested in the band or the football game.  Just kidding, I know EXACTLY which one they were more interested in.

Passed this oom-pah band singing a familiar tune:

Shot of one end of the festival from up on high:

I decided to head out at that point, and try to make my way south towards the river, to a bridge I'd picked out from the Wiki article to walk across.  I was also on the lookout for the "Skywalk", a raised, covered walkway that is apparently a great way to see the city.  After about five blocks, I realized I was heading north, and had to turn around and retrace my steps.

This building was neat:

Colorful.

 Two people hit me up for money.  One was purporting to be a charity, the other was a white guy trying to commiserate with me about being racially persecuted.  I didn't buy it.  I also passed a guy playing his drumset on a street corner.  He stopped abruptly and shouted a joke before continuing to play.  I didn't hear all of it, but it was something like:

     "Two cab drivers walk into a bath house...what did Obama say when...'Hope and Change!'"

I'm sure it was hilarious.

A statue:

 Finally found an entrance to the skywalk:

But it was closed.

I guess they figured no one would want to tour the city, on a weekend, during a major tourist-drawing festival.

As I approached the river toward the south end of the city, the air gradually got...LOUD.

 FOOTBAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Found the bridge:

That's not Cincinnati, by the way.  That's a picture of downtown Covington, KY.  You cross the bridge, and you're in another state!

The bridge has excellent accommodations for foot traffic, so off I went.

That's the Ohio river, the same one the Louisville sits on.  If I jumped in and let the current carry me, eventually I'd be home!  Might also die along the way.  It's pretty far.

Crossed over into Kentucky, snuck into a hotel to use the restroom, then crossed back.

By that time, the football game had ended, and the deluge of fans were now flooding my way:

They continue all the way into the distance on the other side.  You can kind of see 'em.

The now-empty stadium.

Based on the jovial nature of the people in orange and the pronounced scowls of the people in green, I'm guessing that Orange won.  Hooray!

Fought my way through the crowd back to the city.  There was a park I'd flagged on the Wiki page that I wanted to see, but my time was short, and I still had to make it back to the car on the other side of town.  I decided against including the park, which was unfortunate, but turned out t be a good thing - with the football crowd trying to leave town at the same time, I sat in traffic for a good 30 minutes before I was able to make it out of the city.

I'll have to come back, I suppose, and see all the stuff I missed.  Maybe I'll get to the park.  Maybe the Skywalk will be open.  Maybe I'll go to the top of some of the skyscrapers.  Hopefully.  We'll see.

Parting shot: