James Geyer put together this interesting video of downtown Cincinnati. Not sure what to think of the music choice, but the imagery is visually pleasing and generally fun. The video highlights several prominent locations throughout Cincinnati’s center city while also showcasing a bit of the lifestyle found there.
Fountain Square will serve as THE spot to catch all of your World Cup action as the United States enters with one of its most promising teams in recent memory. The United States will take on the third-ranked team in the world, and long-time rival, England on Saturday, June 12 from 1:30pm to 5pm in Rustenburg, South Africa.
The United States team finished first in the 2010 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) World Cup Qualifier just ahead of Mexico. The United States/England rivalry is especially interesting as the 1950 England vs. United States game was one of the most shocking upsets in soccer history. The U.S. defeated England in Brazil 1-0 thanks to a stunning header in the 37th Minute. Since that time the game has been called the “Miracle on Grass” and has caused much controversy and tension between the two squads.
The Fountain Square Management Group states that Coca-Cola products and adult beverages will be available for purchase while you watch the game on Fountain Square’s giant video board.
Fountain Square will continue to be the central gathering space for soccer fans throughout the World Cup as the management group has stated that all FIFA games will be shown unless there is a conflict with an event on the Square or a Reds baseball game.
The World Cup will conclude on Sunday, July 11, and to celebrate Fountain Square will be hosting a foosball tournament before and after the championship World Cup game. There will also be live music from 7pm to 9pm, international foods, import and domestic beer and other special features.
Those interested in participating in the double-elimination, two-player per side foosball tournament are encouraged to pre-register online, but organizers note that walk-up registration will be available on July 11th from 11am to 11:30am. Team registration costs $5 and the tournament champion will win $250 with smaller prizes being awarded throughout the tournament. Competitors must be 18 years of age or older.
Nearly 1,000 bicyclists will take to the streets on Sunday, June 13 to raise money for local breast cancer research conducted at the University of Cincinnati’s Barrett Cancer Institute as part of the 4th Annual Ride Cincinnati event. The bicycle ride ranges from 8.2 miles to 62.8 miles depending on the ability and desire of the participants.
Yeatman’s Cove at Sawyer Point, on Cincinnati’s central riverfront, serves as the starting point for all of the courses. From there bicyclists will cross the Ohio River on the Purple People Bridge, ride throughout Northern Kentucky and return to Sawyer Point for the finish and celebration. The first group will depart at 6:30am on the 62.8-mile ride, while the last group is scheduled to leave at 9am on the 8.2-mile ride.
Ride Cincinnati has successfully raised more than $500,000 for breast cancer research in its first three years. This year, event organizers hope to increase the size of the event and the total money raised. So far, more than $204,000 has been raised, with 981 participants. Online registration is currently closed, but late registration is still open at several locations throughout the city and even on the day of the event. A full list of the late registration locations is available online, and donations are being accepted through Wednesday, June 30.
The post-ride celebration will take place at Sawyer Point (map) from 9:30am to 1pm for registered riders and their families.
Since UrbanCincy first covered the news of Cincinnati’s first food truck (Cafe de Wheels) in December, Senor Roy’s Taco Patrol has started operations and been wildly popular. Meanwhile, Taco Azul is poised to start its authentic Mexican food truck operations later this summer, and Gold Star Chili has announced the formal creation of their ‘Chilimobile’ that will serve Cincinnati-style chili throughout downtown and at other special events. The early success of these mobile food mavens should not come as a surprise given the popularity of food trucks nationally.
Policy makers at City Hall are now catching on and looking to help address the issues currently facing mobile food trucks as it relates to where they can and can not set up operations. Cincinnati City Council member Laure Quinlivan has proposed three city-owned “mobile food vendor” locations in downtown Cincinnati that would provide available spaces for these food trucks on downtown Cincinnati’s crowded streets.
“I want to increase the vitality of our street life and spread activity from Fountain Square to other parts of downtown,” Quinlivan stated in a press release sent to UrbanCincy. “I think giving mobile food vendors a few key areas to do business will help accomplish that. This is also an avenue for talented chefs to start a small business.”
The ability for aspiring chefs to take their product to the street allows them to avoid the costly overhead of an actual location where they are paying utilities and a lease for 24 hours of operation. At the same time, the small business owners are unable to move about to find their best customer base. Customers, on the other hand, love the laid back approach and flexibility of food trucks to be where the action is.
Since December, Cafe de Wheels has been found in downtown Cincinnati for the lunch crowd, Over-the-Rhine for Final Friday and other events, Northside for the after-hours crowd, and at special gatherings like WatchThis and other parties. Senor Roys, meanwhile, can pretty much be found everywhere and anywhere – you need to keep a close watch to their Twitter account to stay up-to-speed. And when Taco Azul starts its operations you can expect a more steady location pattern for lunch and special events.
The problem thus far has not been too much oversight by City Hall on the topic of mobile food trucks, but rather, the lack of any real discussion whatsoever. This has left food truck operators to fend for themselves with vague public policy and inconsistent agreements with private property owners.
Quinlivan’s proposed pilot program has been reviewed by City administrators from six different City departments, and will be discussed at City Council’s Quality of Life Committee meeting Tuesday, June 8 at 12pm at City Hall (map). Quinlivan has the hopes to pass the legislation before City Council goes on summer recess. Free bicycle parking is available, and City Hall is served by Metro bus service (plan your trip).
Cafe de Wheels’ owner Thomas Acito is scheduled to speak at the committee meeting on behalf of the Cincinnati Food Truck Alliance.
Stay up-to-date on all of Cincinnati’s mobile food operations by following UrbanCincy’s comprehensive Twitter list.
As part of Cincinnati’s commitment to improving the city’s bicycling community, the City has installed a new mounted bicycle rack inside of the Fountain Square Parking Garage in downtown Cincinnati. The bicycle rack is the first of what will be a wave of new bicycle parking facilities inside existing City-owned garages.
In February, Cincinnati’s Planning Commission approved a bicycle parking ordinance that will require all new or expanded parking garages to provide bicycle parking. The ordinance would specifically require that one bicycle parking space be provided for every 20 motor vehicle spaces. The ratio is comparable to those found in other cities like Portland, New York City, Charlotte, San Francisco, Kansas City and Denver which have all recently implemented similar ordinances.
The Fountain Square Parking Garage currently holds 635 parking spaces for automobiles which would mean should it be constructed today, the garage would be required to provide 24 bicycle parking spaces due to the 24-space cap included in the new ordinance for large parking garages. The new bicycle parking ordinance is the first of its kind in the region and is intended to tackle the problem of a lack of secured, covered bicycle parking spaces in Cincinnati’s center city.
The new rack inside the Fountain Square Parking Garage holds 12 bicycles, cost approximately $1,400 and was paid for through the City’s existing Bicycle Transportation Program. Officials from the City’s Department of Transportation & Engineering say that preliminary discussions are underway to incorporate more of these racks in other City-owned garages, but that public feedback would be helpful as officials determine where to locate them next.
Please share your thoughts on where the City should install these bicycle racks next in the comment section below, by filling out a form on the City’s website, or by calling (513) 591-6000.
View City-Owned Parking Garages in a larger map