1.17.11 – National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

I'm still running a bit behind, but I'm trying to get back on pace with the blog. It seemed very appropriate to attend the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Martin Luther King Day. The fact that it was also free made it that much more enticing in the current economic times. Of course this did cause the Center to be almost too full for my taste, but it is a good sign that the community knows what's happening and actually comes out for such events. It was also good to see so many kids learning about past events that don't involve celebrities.

The building itself is quite dramatic and reminded me a great deal of contemporary art museums I visited in Denmark -- which reminded me of ships.

I do have to admit the highlight for me was stopping at the Center's cafe, which is run by Taste of Belgium (what can I say, I'm addicted to sweets). If you're outside the area you probably have not heard of them, but if you are in the Cincinnati area and don't -- you are missing out! Their waffles can be found at local coffee shops (and at their kiosk at Findlay Market), but eating them freshly baked, while looking at the Roebling Suspension Bridge, was quite a treat (you will notice there is no footage of the waffles because they were too good to wait even the few minutes to film). Even if you don't visit the Center, I'd recommend you stopping at the cafe (no Center admission needed), but why not go to both.

1.13.11 – York Street Cafe, Newport, KY

I'm still running behind on posts, but getting a little better. Actually this footage was used for another purpose, but I felt it was fun enough to post here too.

York Street Cafe is an eclectic restaurant with great food (and desserts) in Northern Kentucky. What I like most is the visual overload of the room. I never feel I've seen everything and if you look close at some items, you'll even see price tags. If only I could take the lights home with me.

1.2.11 – Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio

Somehow not doing the movie a day has made me a bit lazy. This footage was actually shot on January 2, 2011, yet I’m just now getting it up. I can’t blame the weather for my laziness, as I have had some snow days, but I managed to find other things to do. I must do better.

This film was taken on the rooftop of the Carew Tower in downtown Cincinnati -- now Cincinnati's second tallest building. I’d always meant to go up, but had never been. After getting through the two elevators, short few final flights, and a less than with it clerk, we made it up for an incredible view of both Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. It was really cold and windy, so my footage is somewhat limited. Mostly I was surprised that there wasn’t a fence around the edges like the Empire State Building. It made me quite nervous to get too close. I may be short, but I could have easily leaned out and plummeted to my death (or had my camera drop, which would have been almost as bad). I’m not encouraging such behavior, but it was shocking. Still, even with the lack of safety, the view was very much worth the $2.