Visiting Cincinatti July 12-16

[Ohiogirl81]

Shoot, SWB, if there's one way to make friends with Cincinnati residents, it's to ask about their city. They'll go on and on and on and ...

Anywho, if you head into the Mt. Adams neighborhood -- Cincinnati's first redeveloped "hip" neighborhood way back in the late 70s/early 80s -- you'll be struck how much it looks like Pittsburgh. Lots of streets rising at 45 degree angles, that sort of thing. Wheeee!

You wanna know anything else, just holler.

[SteelCityRising]

Thank you all very, very much for your efforts, consideration, and dilligence in attempting to make my first ever visit to Ohio, let alone Cincinnati, a memorable success story! I have only skimmed over a few replies here, but I have the day off tomorrow to "prepare" for my Thursday departure, and part of that preparation will be to plan a "wish-list" of things I'd like my friends and I to see while in town.

Also, even though my friends joke about me as being the "Human GPS" due to the fact that I love studying maps and can get to just about anywhere from everywhere, I would love some local input on the route I should take from Scranton, PA.

Here's what I was planning on:

1.) U.S. Route 11 South to I-80 West @ Bloomsburg, PA
2.) I-80 West to I-76 West Near Youngstown, OH
3.) I-76 West to I-71 South to the North Cincinnati Suburbs.

Would it be wiser to take the I-270 loop around Columbus to avoid the inner-city traffic congestion, even though it appears to be out of the way? I have no trouble with driving in gridlock, as I've done so before in both Toronto and New York City, but I was just wondering if taking that big loop to the west side of town would truly make up for much time?

Thanks so much in advance for all of your continued help, everyone, and I look forward to visiting Cincinatti very soon! I just spoke yesterday to a co-worker who enjoyed his vacation in Cincinnati last year, so I'm hoping I'll have the same results!

-Paul

[Ohiogirl81]

Hey, SWB ...

1) I-80 through Pennsylvania sucks, but you know that. There's a lot of construction, but maybe getting on where you are will miss some of it.

2) There's a little bit of construction at I-80 north of Youngstown; I drove through there in early June. Not a huge deal, but pay close attention to the signs otherwise you'll find yourself off the freeway (not that I would know about that ... heh ).

3) I-71 south is as boring as dirt! Maybe just 'cause I drove it so frequently for so long. Lots of traffic, especially trucks, between Akron and Columbus; truck traffic tends to thin out south of Columbus.

3.5) Traffic on I-270 around C-bus is just as bad if not worse as on I-71, so don't bother going around.

A nifty shortycut I used to take -- and you might want to check maps, AAA, etc. on this one because there's been some changes/construction in the area since I traveled in regularly -- was to take I-71 into Columbus, then I-670 west just before you hit downtown, to Ohio 315 south, which becomes I-71 south.

Drive safely, and have a great time! Can't wait to hear about your trip.

[SteelCityRising]

Good morning, my fellow friends in the Buckeye State! We left Scranton at about 7:15 AM yesterday, and we arrived here at my best friend's boyfriend's family's home (I know...confusing!) around 5:45 PM, which includes stopping for an hour at an Applebee's near Wheeling, WV for lunch. As can be assumed from that Wheeling reference, I decided to alter our course last minute, and I think it worked out to our benefit after all. We took I-81 South from Scranton to the Carlisle area, where we picked up I-76 West (PA Turnpike) to I-70 West to Columbus. From there we took I-270 West to I-71 South to I-275 East to our destination, which was just off of the New Richmond exit. We're staying in a very well-kept, quiet, friendly-looking suburban neighborhood that I believe is called "Watch Creek."

Since my car broke down on Tuesday, I drove my mother's Subaru Forester in, and I was actually surprised at the fuel efficiency! Not only were our toll fees from the turnpike only $8.50, but I only had to fill her SUV's tank twice during that long mountainous drive from NEPA to SWOH. (Even though paying $3.20/gallon for regular unleaded about 20 miles east of Columbus made my wallet sting a bit!) We hit some intense rush-hour traffic, as we hit the Cincinatti area right around 5:15 PM, but it's nothing I couldn't handle, considering I've driven at rush-hour in both Toronto and Manhattan before.

Once my "sleeping beauty" friends wake up and shower (and hopefully once this yucky rain blows over), we're headed for a fun day downtown, where I hope to snap dozens of photos for a photo tour that I'll post Monday evening when I return to Scranton. I was told by my friend that downtown is a bit of a "letdown," as it's mostly just offices and some retail stores. However, he also mentioned something about an Underground Railroad Museum that sounds like it might be right up my alley as a history buff. We're also going to be crossing the "Purple People Bridge" (I just like saying that 'cuz I sound like a hippie! ). We're also planning on hitting up a double-header drive-in movie at a drive-in theater in Monroe Township, as well as some sort of festival or picnic to help benefit a school for the deaf.

One thing I've been impressed with thus far is just how friendly most of the drivers here are. As soon as I would put my blinker on, somebody would create an open spot for me to merge in with heavy traffic. People were also patient behind me as I crawled up windy Four Mile Road (obviously realizing an out-of-stater was probably "lost" on those endless suburban roads).

A question I do have though is "What's up with your license plates?" Why do seemingly half the people in your state have a front-mounted one in addition to their rear one while the other half only has the rear one? Is it just personal choice, or is the Ohio Highway Patrol just very lax in enforcing your state laws? I was just curious because it seems like PA and DE are the only two states in the region that don't require front-mounted license plates on vehicles (although I think that might soon be coming to PA to help raise revenue for the transportation department).

I look forward to a wonderful day today in Cincinnati! Thank you all for your help, as I'm pulling some ideas from your replies!

[Ohiogirl81]

Good morning ... It's Watch Hill, but I won't hold that against you.

I've never been to the Underground Railroad Museum, although I watched it go up. Downton has its charms, especially the riverfront parks. And the St. Rita's fest is awesome! Too bad the Reds are in NY this weekend.

As for the license plates, I lived in Ohio for 2 years before I got the front plate on my car. Oh, well! Sometimes cops are anal about it, but mostly as long as you've got it in your dash, no one seems to care. Weird, isn't it? You'll see that Kentucky doesn't require front plates, either (nor does Michigan). I kinda like front plates -- that way, you can read the numbers off the plate of the guy that's about to rear-end you!

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

I am not sure how culturally inclined you are, but a great festival is happening this weekend that you may want to try out. Good luck and Welcome to the QUEEN CITY/BUCKEYE STATE!

The Cincinnati Beacon - Welcome to the Cincinnati’s Hottest Summer Festival!

[SteelCityRising]

I just returned from the city and had a WONDERFUL time! Here's the link to photos of my vacation: Photos of My Trip to Cincinnati (June 12-16, 2007)