Cincinnati!

We're a bit overdue in updates... I suppose Shannon and I decided to take the 4th of July holiday weekend from the blog?  Happy Birthday America!

Last Monday we drove from Memphis to Cincinnati.  I (Scott) grew up in Cincinnati so this was a pretty big homecoming for me as I hadn't been there in 3(ish?) years.  A lot of our family time is at Sandy Pond in New York (where we are now) so Cincinnati hadn't been a priority with our working schedules.

First, we met Shannon's friend Abby and went out for some BBQ and then a game of bocce in Washington Park.

 

I learned a lot about Cincinnati in the brief 24 hours we were there.

Living in the burbs when I grew up up probably meant I didn't see the "hip" parts of Cincinnati (sorry Mom and Dad).  And (surprisingly) there are some hip parts of Cincinnati.  I also should have known, but was surprised to see that Cincinnati is changing rapidly.  We ate at a place with a live DJ, saw an adult kickball league in Washington Park downtown (which has revitalized itself substantially since the 2001 riots), and saw a handful of taco trucks.  Seeing Cincinnati through an "adult" lens definitely made it look a lot different... and better than I expected.  

Here's a picture of the fountains at Washington Park, these folks are having good ol' fashioned fun.  This wasn't a part of town you'd really want to hang out in 10-15 years ago.

 

On Tuesday we headed to Kings Island to continue reliving my childhood.  Kings Island is a fully blown roller coaster stuffed amusement park that's only about 20 minutes away from my house.  I remember a lot of really good times going with my Dad at night (after the tourists left).

 

Kings Island has changed a bit too with a handful of new rides including this year's called Banshee.  We rode it... and it was fantastic.  It's the longest inverted roller coaster in the world.  We're not really sure how that's measured... but ok!

 

It was a hot day and so we also enjoyed a few water rides including once called Whitewater Canyon.  On the exit trail you could pay a quarter to shoot water at people riding the ride below you.  It's the simple joys in life.... and I was a little surprised at how happy and vicious Shannon was soaking the thrill-seekers below.

 

We rode a lot of of other Kings Island classics like the Beast, Vortex, Top Gun, etc.  Good times and we left with the usual hot, sticky, and tired feeling you get at amusement parks.

I dragged Shannon to Penn Station a local sub chain for dinner with Aunt Linda, and my cousins Amy and Jeff.   Penn Station is sort of like Quiznos... we're not talking about fancy.  But I miss it and it was fantastic.  And it hadn't changed at all.  

Cincinnati and Kings Island, you can change, but not you Penn Station, not you.