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Arts & Entertainment News

Live Jazz & Wine Tasting on Fountain Square – 5/7

Fountain Square will play host to a wine tasting and sampling event with dozens of wines from around the world Friday, May 7 – making it the place to end the work week.

Event organizers state that knowledgeable staff will be on hand Cork ‘N Bottle to help guests explore the wine selection and learn about each wine they taste. There will also be food available for purchase and live jazz by the Faux Frenchman (5pm to 8pm) and the Chris Comer Trio (8pm to 11pm) filling Fountain Square with music.

The wine tasting will start at 5pm and last until 11pm. Admission is free, but those wanting to engage in the wine tasting will have to purchase wine tickets that can be exchanged for small tastings or full glasses. For those not interested in the wine, then the music and calm spring night should be enough to get you out and out on Fountain Square for the evening.

Fountain Square Wine Tasting photograph by PicNewbie.

Categories
News Transportation

Cincinnati hosts EACC high-speed rail conference

The 2010 Urban and Regional Public Transportation Conference, held May 5 at The Westin Hotel and sponsored by the European-American Chamber of Commerce, featured presentations by over a dozen industry experts including a keynote speech by John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“America’s rail infrastructure is in shambles”, said Porcari, whose department is shifting policy away from a decades-old process that considered road or rail projects individually but could not easily approve multi-modal projects.

In working to rebuild “the squandered investments of our grandparents”, Porcari described a profound turnaround in federal transportation policy from one that encouraged sprawl to one that will promote walkable smart growth. He promised that America’s new generation of passenger trains will not be assembled here from components manufactured overseas, but rather be “100% American” in order to “capture every piece of the high speed rail value chain”.

Although the announced policy changes portend an increased opportunity for federal assistance for local rail transit projects, Porcari stressed that in the short term those places with their “act together” will be first to benefit from these changes.

Speaking on the matter of the $400 3C’s grant, Matt Dietrich, Executive Director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, remarked that early in the planning of the 3C’s line, Amtrak offered to sell Ohio a variety of retired and surplus locomotives and passenger cars for $10-$15 million. But after grants were awarded to projects in other regions, that equipment has been directed elsewhere, and Ohio has now budgeted $175 million – almost half of the 3C’s grant – for new passenger trains.

The constricted budget means grant funds are presently unavailable for construction of a track connection to Cincinnati Union Terminal. A permanent suburban station is planned for Sharonville and a temporary terminal station is planned for Cincinnati in Bond Hill.

Cleveland’s station will be located on that city’s lakefront, with a convenient connection to its Waterfront light rail line. Both Dayton and Columbus will have stations located in their respective downtowns.

Dietrich also discussed plans for a station at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, possibly within walking distance of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The base is the state’s largest single-site employer and the museum is, aside from King’s Island and Cedar Point, the state’s most popular tourist attraction.

The conference also featured speakers from France, Spain, Germany, and England, each of whom discussed not only the technical aspects of their high speed trains, but also how their networks are funded and administered.

Tom Stables, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development for First Group, discussed how England awards franchises to approximately a dozen different companies who for periods of seven to ten years operate the county’s various commuter and intercity train lines.

Juergen Wilder, representing industry giant Siemens, described how a ticketing and revenue sharing agreement was achieved with Lufthansa after a high speed rail line extended to Frankfurt’s airport drew significant patronage away from the airline. In the face of competition from passenger rail, Wilder suggested that American carriers might seek similar arrangements or even bid to operate the country’s envisioned high speed rail lines.

Herve Le Caignec, representing SNCF, the company that operates the French TGV network, discussed attempts at private-public partnerships in the construction of new TGV lines. He also offered evidence of the TGV’s staggering success – every day trains seating 750 to 1,100 passengers leave the French capital bound for Lyon and Marseilles every five minutes and do not just sell out individually, but all trains – more than 300 of them — often sell out each weekend as Parisians escape their drizzle and migrate en masse to the Mediterranean coast.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Dogfish beer tasting at Morton’s – 5/7

Morton’s Steakhouse is hosting a “Hoppy Hour” beer tasting this Friday, May 7 at 6pm. The tasting will feature a variety of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery beers which is one of the fastest growing breweries in the country.

According to event organizers, guests will be able to sample four different Dogfish brews that will be paired with selected cheeses and accompanied by Morton’s Petite Filet Mignon sandwiches, Tuna Tartare Canapés, Smoked Salmon Wedges and Lamb Chops with Brie. There will also be a beer specialists on hand that will give a short presentation on each beer being sampled.

The four Dogfish brews being sampled include their Midas Touch, Raison (Belgian Ale), 90 Minute IPA and Palo (Brown Ale). The 90 Minute IPA is one of Dogfish’s most popular selections and has been identified as the “Best IPA in America” by Esquire Magazine. The four beer selection will offer a variety of tastes and styles though ranging from the simplicity of the Midas Touch to the complexity of flavors found in the Palo and Raison.

Tickets for the Hoppy Hour this Friday at Morton’s (map) cost $45 which includes your beer samplings, food, tax and gratuity. Tickets can be purchased now by calling (513) 621-3111. Nearby on- and off-street parking is available along with valet service. Metro bus service is available (plan your trip) along with free bicycle parking on surrounding streets and on Fountain Square.

Dogfish Sampling photo by Bubli.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

UrbanCincy Visual Showcase Wrap Up

Allister Sears, Jake Mecklenborg and Jeremy Mosher gathered various pieces of their video and photography work highlighting Cincinnati’s unique cityscape this past Friday, April 30 at the first-ever UrbanCincy Visual Showcase. The temporary exhibit drew around 100 or so people throughout the Final Friday Gallery Hop, and guests were treated to the work of these local artists.

Outside of the exhibit, Cafe de Wheels fed the masses along Vine Street. The buzz throughout Over-the-Rhine was palpable. If you were not able to make it out this past Friday, enjoy these photos from the event courtesy of 5chw4r7z. UrbanCincy would also like to thank Urban Sites for allowing us to use the commercial space along Vine Street for the gallery exhibit.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Seasonal market returns to Fountain Square May 4th

The third annual Market on the Square returns to Cincinnati’s central gathering point this Tuesday, May 4th. The seasonal market attracts hundreds of shoppers and visitors to Fountain Square every Tuesday afternoon through the summer months.

The Fountain Square Management Group has announced that this year’s Strauss & Troy Market on the Square will include 20 different vendors and has been extended four weeks running from Tuesday, May 4 through Tuesday, September 28 between 11am and 2pm. This year’s vendors will be selling produce, bakery goods, ready-to-eat foods, flowers/plants, jewelry and some other select items.

Fountain Square (map) is easily accessible by bike, Metro bus service (plan your trip) and automobile with daily parking available directly underneath the square in the Fountain Square Parking Garage.

Market on the Square photo by Thadd Fiala.