ST. PATRICK'S DAY ROUNDUP

Looking for some weekday ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? One of my personal favorites is celebrating the Cincinnati way by going to Skyline Chili and ordering a green four way. All day long, the spaghetti is dyed green! Same great taste, festive in holiday color.

Starting at 11:30am on Monday, Fountain Square kicks off it's all-day Celtic celebration with live music and traditional Irish food from Cheeky Meat Pies for both lunch an dinner. Of course, green beer will be available as well.

Music Line Up:
11:30AM: Blue Rock Boys
5:00PM: Roving Rogues
6:30PM: Dulahan

Vietnamese restaurant Quan Hapa transformed into O'Hapas for St. Patrick's weekend.

For some Northern Kentucky fun, head over to Molly Malone's in Covington, where the party spills out of the bar and into the street. Irish dancers perform alongside The Emerald Society Police & Fire Pipes & Drums as Celtic music is cranked out all day long. Irish pub food will be served, and yes, there will be green beer here too.

Interested in a historical experience? The Irish Heritage Center located in the East End hosts family-friendly festivities including performances by Silver Arm, Ceol Mhor, Dark Moll, Celtic Font with Mick McEvilley and Mai Hernon, Clark & Jones, Lauren Holt and Donny Rolfes, Green Key, Erickson Academy of Irish Dance and the McGing Irish Dancers. The event starts at 1:30PM. at 3905 Eastern Avenue and includes a St. Patrick's Day Mass at 3:00PM.

How will you be celebrating this St. Patrick's Day?

SUMMER'S FINAL HOURS

As the last hours of summer passed with the setting sun last weekend, I was reminded of a classic episode from The Simpsons, where Bart realizes he only has a few days left to complete his Summer To Do list. While CincyWhimsy has had no shortage of seasonal fun, the most was made enjoying our final days of summer.

Bought stylish neighborhood bag from Emily Lyn Designs at City Flea

Urban architecture bike ride through the West End

Battled Allie at Rhinegeist and joined the ranks of
American Gladiators: Storm & Turbo

Nighttime tour of the Cincinnati Streetcar construction

Watched fog cover the basin from City View Tavern

Last Creamy Whip of the season at Putz's

Ordered a cherry dipped frozen banana

Scenic drive through Mt. Airy Forest

Discovered an all-accessible tree house

Saw a rainbow in a Westwood car wash

Visited President William Henry Harrison's tomb

Discovered an old C&O caboose in someone's yard

Sightseeing with Allison, who was visiting from Atlanta

Watched this sunset bring summer to a close

DIXIE TERMINAL BUILDING

From a distance, a non-descript office tower lines the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets among the many skyrises in the Financial District. Currently the home of Great American Insurance, this building was once epicenter of transit in Cincinnati.

Erected in 1921, Dixie Terminal was used for streetcar service until the 1950s. Streetcars arriving from Northern Kentucky crossed the Roebling Bridge and took elevated ramps over Third Street into the southern terminal. Passengers would arrive and depart through the grandiose north building. Over 100,000 passengers on Northern Kentucky’s Green Line streetcar were transported daily. A $3.5 million project, the facility was hailed as the "Gateway to the South." After the City of Cincinnati stopped streetcar service, Dixie Terminal was used as a bus terminal through 1998.

Dixie Terminal in the 1940s via CincinnatiViews.net

Streetcar entrance ramps into the southern terminal via CincinnatiViews.net

Streetcar ramps over Third Street in the 1920s via CincinnatiViews.net

Ten stories housed railroad ticket agencies, administrative offices of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, Cincinnati Stock Exchange, and retail shops. Marble floors and wainscotting accent the interior, while the vibrant vaulted ceiling depicts children riding on the backs of animals. The entryway catches the eye from the street, with gold framing and Rookwood Tile archway.

Free and accessible to the public, the next time you're downtown, take a peek inside Dixie Terminal. Pause for a moment to remember the hustle and bustle that once passed through the halls during a time when rail was a key component to transportation in the Queen City.

STREETCAR MAINTENANCE FACILITY DEMOLITION

On August 26, crews began work on demolishing two abandoned buildings at Race and Henry Streets, located a block north of Findlay Market. The site, which is adjacent to Rhinegeist Brewery, will be transformed into a hub for maintenance and operations for the Cincinnati Streetcar.

A former meat packing plant was the first to be razed. The building dated back to 1875 and had a storied history including manufacturing horse saddles and printer rollers during the city's earlier days. Before its acquisition by the City of Cincinnati, the vacant building was recently a sign of blight, attracting vandals, squatters, and drug usage to the premises. The first of the two buildings to be removed, the meat packing plant at 1917 Race Street was leveled within three days of starting demolition.

The former meat packing building (left) and orange cinderblock building (middle)
will be demolished to build the Cincinnati Streetcar Maintenance and Operations Facility (MOF).

Panorama of Race Street prior to demolition of the two buildings.

 

Demolition of the meat packing building began on August 26, 2013.

Progress within 48 hours.

 

Week 2: Demolition begins on the orange cinderblock building.

According to construction contractor  Messer/Prus/Delta Railroad (MPD), demolition is expected to last six weeks, with the majority of the time dedicated to tearing down the larger, sturdier industrial building located behind 1917 Race. Little history is known about this orange cinderblock building, which was erected in the 1960s and contains a vast subbasement that was used as a parking garage. The demolition project marks the most visible sign of progress on the Cincinnati Streetcar to date.

Rendering of the new Streetcar MOF via City of Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Streetcar Maintenance and Operations Facility (Streetcar MOF) is slated for completion in March 2015. It will feature a 12,500 square-foot facility with staff offices, two tracks and room for expansion as the system grows. Currently, the city has purchased five vehicles for the streetcar project, but the maintenance facility will be able to accommodate twelve. The first streetcar line from The Banks to Findlay Market will be open for passenger service in Spring 2016.   

RAILWAY MUSEUM OF GREATER CINCINNATI

Fifteen minutes south of Cincinnati in Latonia, Kentucky, a group of rail enthusiasts have been acquiring vintage railcars since 1975. The collection began while privately-owned passenger cars were still allowed to be run on Amtrak trains. When regulations tightened during the late 1980s, the rail enthusiasts needed a new outlet for their vehicles. The goal of the organization changed from excursions to preservation of equipment that belonged to the seven railroads that passed through Cincinnati, thus creating The Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati.

Currently, the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati maintains over 80 units of railroad equipment and acquires several new pieces each year to their home in the Latonia Rail Yard. Visitors are welcome to explore the museum on a self-guided tour every Saturday. Maps and descriptions of the railcars are highlighted in a pamphlet available at the welcome booth.

 

Chesapeake & Ohio 40-foot box car built in 1930 to transport finished automobiles

The museum displays several classic, well-known vehicles, as well as rarities that will impress rail experts. Most of the collection stems from the 1930s-1950s, while other railcars date back to as early as 1908. Some vehicles are designated as "climb aboard," which welcomes guests to walk through a passenger car, or sit in the engineer's seat in a locomotive.

Look inside the locomotive's engine

Multi-directional locomotives designated the front end of their vehicle with the letter F.

Climb aboard the locomotive.

Favorites included the Pennsylvania Railroad Post Office car, which in addition to transporting mail, had a slot for locals to drop letters mounted on the exterior. Pullman passenger cars have always been a sleek symbol of the Art Deco era. Chesapeake & Ohio trains are also fun to spot, as their branding included the face of a cat in the C&O logo, representing their slogan: "Sleep like a kitten on the C&O."

Post Office Railcar

 

Old luggage cart in front of the Pullmans

Can you spot the Chesapeake & Ohio car?

The napping kitten logo of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway

Prepare to spend a few hours browsing the vast collection of trains at the Railway Museum, and be sure to wear sturdy sneakers as you are walking around uneven terrain on an old railroad line. Though the tour is independently guided, museum volunteers are on site and will gladly answer any questions. You may even catch a glimpse of a CSX train traveling past the museum en route to Louisville on the old Lousiville & Nashville tracks. And yes, they will blow the horn!

CSX passes by as seen from the engineer's seat of the locomotive

Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati is open every Saturday from 10:00am - 4:00pm.