Happy Mother's Day = 1st Reds Game of the Season

For Mothers Day, my mom (aka the Pegster) took herself to the Reds game. (Don't worry, my sister and I got her some nice gifts too). She of course invited along her two favorite daughters, and I enjoyed my first game of the season! It was my first time walking from Mt. Adams and I was pleasantly surprised it only took me about 20 minutes to get there. I have to confess that I did hitch a ride back though, it's a lot of stairs up!!!


Everyone got a free Reds scarf! I thought this would be enough to get us on the jumbo tron, alas it did not work.




If you are working in the new building, is it a given that you will be watching the 1pm games from your office?


Home Run to put us ahead of the Cubbies!


Props to Jay Bruce. We had a little girl sitting behind us with a baseball glove, so before the 8th inning began we all started to cheer for Bruce as he was warming up. Enough cheering (for him tossing a ball back and forth) got him to turn around and we all pointed to the little girl. Realizing our scheme, he pointed back to her and tossed her the ball! Although she didn't catch it, the fan behind her was kind enough to make sure she got it.

All and all, great game! Anyone going to the weekend games against the Cards? With a 5 game winning streak, I think it's going to be a packed weekend at GABP!

If I was the President of Mt. Adams...

On my run today I saw that a new pizza shop is opening up in Mt. Adams. I am not knocking it, but I am not sure if that is exactly the type of business the neighborhood needs right now. But hey, any business is good business I guess. Awhile back I read the Mt. Adams Strategic Plan and it basically calls out that while there is a thriving bar/food district, the retail space on the Hill is empty. This got my roommates and I talking. If we could open up any business in Mt. Adams, what would it be?

• Used Book Store: It would occupy the former consignment shop by Mt. Adams Bar and Grill. It would have live music and a coffee shop. It may even sell specialized tea. Oh yeah, it would have those sweet old school library ladders too! 
• Yoga/Dance Studio: As if walking up these hills weren't exercise enough, we thought it would be fun to have a place to take classes. We didn't want your generic gym, but something unique and fun. Maybe we could take a Ballroom Dancing, or Tap, or cool Yoga Class. Definitely a way to stay active and meet people!
• Pottery Store: How perfect would it be if it was right by Rookwood Pottery? A place where you can make your own pottery and decorate it. It could offer classes and sell merchandise.
• Cobbler: There are already 2 Dry Cleaning services, who is here to take care of my shoes? 
• Park+Vine like store: A cool retail store that sells unique Cincinnati items. It could range from t shirts, to prints and photos, to wine. Which reminds me, if anyone could tell me where I could buy an 'I Love Cincinnati' Bumper Sticker, that would be great. I see them everywhere!
• What stores would you open up?

The location where I would open my used book store. (Photo taken back in February)


The new pizza shop will be right next to Teak.(on the right)

You're not a true Cincinnati blogger until...

...you review Terry's Turf Club!

I.Love.Terry's.Turf.Club.

Enough said. Enjoy the pictures

Longworths Burger Sundays

It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm walking home from Immaculata and who do I run into? Karen and our friend Steph, heading up to Longworth's to enjoy their $2 Burger Sunday! So I turn around and start walking back up the Hill.



For me the burger is all about the bun and these were toasted and wonderful. 

The deal is $2 basic burger and 50 cents for each topping. I was pretty impressed with the burger, it was juicy, tasty, and served exactly how I ordered. On Diane's newly created Burger Scale of Goodness, I'd give it a 6.5, this combines both the tastiness of the burger and the added satisfaction of paying only $3.50.

We split an order of fries, which I believe is key when ordering at restaurants. You usually get the same amount per person (or more) when ordering a side dish of fries between a group.


Large fry order! So many!


I thought I would go 'artsy' and capture the yellow in the cheese. It really doesn't do much for the burger. Believe me, this was good!


Karen and her burger!


Steph and her burger!

I recommend Longworth's Burger Sunday, but only if you can get a seat on the patio. The inside is still recovering from a long night of drinking, avoid dining in! 

Tap 'N Go: On the Rise

I had a friend in town and decided to take him out to Mt. Adams. Unfortunately, Crowley's was packed wall to wall. Although I consider myself a relatively patient person, I can only handle being shoved so many times.

So we decided to wander over to Tap 'N Go. I believe they opened up August of 2009. I had stopped by in it's first opening weeks and was severely disappointed with its identity crisis. Mark was really excited to drink British beers, but we were in for a rude awakening when they only had Miller and Hudy on tap. What?! No wonder the place was empty.

Fast forward 7 months later. We see a sign at Tap 'N Go for $2.50 Miller High Life's, it's 1:30 AM.. we're game! We step into the bar and are pleasantly surprised that they have added to their draft beer selection as well as bottled beer.  Mark (a beer connoisseur) still stated they lacked a lot of the British 'Essential' Beers, so to our surprise, the bartender handed us a napkin and asked us to write them down. She said she would pass our recommendations onto the owner. Now I haven't been back to see if any of our selections have been added, but I'll keep you posted!! 

A great part about Tap 'N Go is their porch area. It's spacious and cozy at the same time. While it could use some character (Christmas lights, a nice fire pit, accent furniture) it is still an outside area to enjoy the summer months. So our group was able to sit and watch everyone in Crowley sweat their pants off!

  Enjoying the porch with our High Lifes.

Sadly, every time I pass Tap 'N Go, it's not very crowded. I encourage more people to support this bar. It's improving (and still has room to go), and is a nice change of pace from your typical 'bump and grind' Mt. Adams Bars.

Outside of Tap N Go

Cadillac Ranch=The Wal-Mart of Bars

I am not a fan of Cadillac Ranch downtown. I think it is generic, has boring food (which taste like it was bought in the frozen food section of Kroger), and a lack of drink specials. The worst part is it's prime location, and I'll always think.. what could have been? But don't take my word for it.. GetinMahBelly pretty much summed it up for all of us...

http://getinmahbelly.blogspot.com/2010/05/and-worst-restaurant-in-cincinnati.html

Rick Steves and Crepes (in Cincinnati, not France)

Rick Steves spoke at the Cincinnati Library on Saturday. It wasn't too publicized, so I thought it would be me, several others and Rick having a nice chat about Europe. Turned out to be me, several hundred others, and Rick chatting it up about Europe. I couldn't believe how many people showed up, all ages! I think the library stated it was one of their biggest attendances ever!







Rick has so many great resources for Americans traveling to Europe, whether is be his books, podcasts, or website. He definitely inspires me to travel, and travel adventurously!

After the speech was over, we stopped by It's Just Crepes. I had been wanting to go here for awhile and was excited that we had run into the location. I ordered the Southwest Crepe. It was gooey, spicy, and messy! While my roommates had gotten some dessert Crepes, that were just as tasty.



I would recommend It's Just Crepes, as an alternative to Chipotle, as there are many varieties. I also would advise eating the crepe the way they give it to you, not 'pizza style'. I learned the hard way...