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The first full day of the conference started with a gathering in the
arcade connecting the
Netherland Plaza Hotel and the
Carew
Tower. The Netherland Plaza is the conference host hotel.
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We next embarked on another vertical tour although this time it was up
nearly 600 feet to the 49th floor observation deck of the Carew Tower.
Kevin Patrick had planned today's tour and once atop the tower shared lots
of great information about the area's geology and history. Among things
seen from the lofty deck are Fountain Square, Roebling Bridge, and Paul
Brown Stadium.
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Back at ground level we took a look inside the beautiful
Dixie Terminal then strolled around the block as Kevin
pointed out buildings of interest.
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Buses picked us up at the hotel and carried us to
Washington Park
to meet up with historian Anne Delano Steinart. The park is directly
across the street from Music Hall which is about to reopen after a year and a
half long renovation. Anne filled us in on the park, the hall, and the
neighborhood in general. Some of us walked with her to
Findlay Market
while some made the move on the buses. We were on our own for lunch and
the market provided plenty of choices.
Following lunch, we hooked up with another local guide for a walk through
the area north of Findlay Market. Some workmen along the way tipped us off
to a nearby oddity so we veered a little off course to check out a three
level brick privy. The development of structural steel and the elevator
are usually credited with the birth of the skyscraper but I'm thinking
that indoor plumbing had something to do with it, too. Back on course, we
looked over the Jackson Brewery lagering cellars. These were dug into the
hillside so we were able to enter from street level without the need for a
ladder or stairs.
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Back at Findlay Market, we reboarded our buses and headed over the Ohio
River to Kentucky. Several points of interest were pointed out along the
way but I didn't even try taking pictures since 1) photos from buses
hardly ever work out and 2) I live twenty miles from the river.
I had never even heard of this 1958 diner in Alexandria, Kentucky, but
several of the out of town attendees were fairly familiar with it. It has
appeared in a couple of movies including 2014's "Carol". The diner was
actually closed during the filming but has since reopened with new owners
and a slightly Christian tone. The Spare-Time
name and neon will remain but it is now
Spare-Time's
Belly & Soul. The coconut cream pie was excellent.
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Back in Ohio, we stopped at
Lunken Airport on the east side of Cincinnati. Once
the area's primary airport, it has been superseded by Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport. Kevin organized and snapped several
impromptu group photos throughout the conference. Right after he captured
a group in front of the oldest standing control tower in the United
States, someone talked him into joining to group and that's when I grabbed
that last picture.
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Terry's Turf Club would have been a great place for
this group to eat but there's just no way to get eighty some people in
there. We made it a photo stop, and I, having been here several times with
plenty of photos, just took a couple of pictures of people taking
pictures.
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Terry's was sort of an appetizer for lots more signs and our dinner at the
American Sign
Museum. BBQ and goetta sliders were served along with chili-cheese
dogs. Museum founder Tod Swormstedt spoke to us after dinner then gave us
a tour. The Dusing Brothers sign came from an Elsmere, Kentucky, business
that closed just months ago after 89 years.
I didn't take many pictures of the actual exhibits on this visit. I did
grab a shot of the outside signs that I rarely see lit since I'm normally
here during daylight. The dark letters in "motel" show that even a museum
can have difficulty keeping all the neon working all the time.
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On the walk to my car, I could not resist a shot of the fountain that
gives Fountain Square its name. It's looking pretty good at 146 years old.
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