In the 1930s, the great age of American railways was coming to an end, as with the end of World War Two, automobile dominance would become ascendant, never to look back. While most major American cities already had their monumental rail stations constructed by this point, a couple stragglers made it in under the wire,…
The Ohio Statehouse is a beautiful building. The crown jewel of downtown Columbus - itself a reasonably pretty place, although mostly empty on the day of my visit - it gleams white behind carefully planted flowers and trees. Its rotunda, built without a full dome, is iconic atop the columned facade. Inside, the building is…
Not too many of America’s national parks occupy a place like this, just outside of a major metropolitan area. But here, just a half hour from downtown Cleveland, and - in some places - mere feet off of interstate freeways, sits an oasis easily reachable by day trippers. Hiking, bird watching, and one of the…
Last year, I learned and wrote about William Henry Harrison, the shortest-serving US President, from his memorial outside of Cincinnati. (Click here to read that piece.) So when planning my trip to Cleveland this year, it came as a pleasant surprise to me that America’s second shortest-serving President, James Garfield, had his memorial there, along…
I make two trips a year (if possible) to the Cincinnati area to see my father and his wife. Normally, those are fairly quick three-day turnarounds, where I might have a chance to see something in the Queen City, but not always. This year, for my spring trip to visit him, I’m making a “thing”…
Sometimes, my readers and editors accuse me - rightly so - of being a bit too concise in my writing. With few exceptions, I prefer my articles to be “bite-sized,” going no more than 1600 or so words. I figure that if I can’t articulate an idea in a decent manner in that amount of…
Editor’s note: Sam Spector captures his take on a place I’ve written about a lot: Cincinnati. My father has lived outside Cincinnati for years, so I am in the area frequently. For a full guide on the city, click here for the Ultimate Guide to Cincinnati. And for more of Sam’s writing, click here to…
It is, without a doubt, one of the weirdest local variations on a classic I’ve ever tried. A slightly sweet chili (no beans) served on top of spaghetti with a mound of cheese the size of your fist, the classic three-way is the default method of eating Cincinnati chili. It is one of those foods…
When I was a child, I had a book of humorous poems about the American Presidents. From Washington to Reagan (wow that dates me), the book had an entry for each, some discussing aspects of their terms and others just talking about them as people. In writing this article, I searched my childhood bedroom for…
Cincinnati. Queen City. Once a hugely important river port and cultural hub of the Midwest, it has since faded mostly to obscurity. Nationally unimportant, it is, in a word, pleasant. Cincinnati isn't at the top of many tourist lists, and perhaps it shouldn't be, but a few days here can provide for a truly delightful…