May 2nd, 2008

A First-Timer’s Visit To Jungle Jim’s

Found via Soapbox Cincinnati, Steve Stephens from the Columbus Dispatch writes about some of the most unique grocery stores in Ohio, including a trip to Jungle Jim’s International Market. The brief but very entertaining review I think is just barely adequate enough to give a true sense of scale of Jungle Jim’s to someone who’s never been.

It’s hard to overemphasize the vastness of Jungle Jim’s, or the seemingly unlimited variety of foodstuffs available inside. Take one standard big-box grocery, add every corner market from here to Taipei, stir in a half-dozen specialty gourmet food stores and a generous helping of wine shops, and top with a walk-in humidor and state liquor store and you’ve pretty much served up Jungle Jim’s. The story covers more than 6 acres.

This is my favorite line:

You remember that one bottle of wine I found, after a year of search, at West Point Market? Jungle Jim’s had three cases, stacked up as if they were out-of-date Twinkies.

Previous coverage of Jungle Jim’s International Food Market.

April 24th, 2008

20-cent Payphones In Over-The-Rhine

Visualingual remarks:

One of my favorite Over-the-Rhine anomalies — the 20 cent payphone! There are several of these north of Liberty St. [this one is on Elm]. There’s probably a mundane explanation, but all I can think is, when was this installed? I remember payphones costing a quarter back in the mid-80s. Now, if you can even find one, it’s usually 50 cents. But 20 cents?!? The mind wobbles…

I’ve thought about the decline of pay phones over the years. Now, whenever I see someone using a payphone, I can’t help but think it’s because they’re discussing something illegal and don’t want to be traced, a la The Sopranos. But in this case, it’s just a good deal!

via Visualingual

visualingual.wordpress.com

April 22nd, 2008

Cloven Hoof Theatre Presents: The Hellblinki Sextet

May 3, 2008
10:00 pm

One night only, the Hellblinki Sextet from North Carolina will perform music of distinction with dazzling performances by Cincinnati’s own Barnyard Burlesque. Presented by Cloven Hoof Theatre.

The show takes place in the Mockbee building (formerly SS Nova) on Central Pkwy. on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 10pm - 1am.  If you haven’t seen a Barnyard Burlesque show yet, this might be a good opportunity.

More event information on Facebook and MySpace.

The Hellblinki Sextet

April 10th, 2008

The Cincinnati Rollergirls

I’ve been meaning to write about these ladies for a long time. I’ve been trying to make it to a match for even longer. Maybe this, their 3rd season, will hold the first match I get to see.

Proud members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the Cincinnati Rollergirls are Cincinnati’s all-female, amateur, flat-track roller derby team. Their home turf is the Cincinnati Gardens.

Cincinnati Rollergirls vs. Naptown Rollergirls via Jason Bechtel on Flickr Cincinnati Rollergirls vs. Naptown Rollergirls via Jason Bechtel on Flickr Cincinnati Rollergirls vs. Naptown Rollergirls via Jason Bechtel on Flickr

The schedule says their next home games are Saturday, April 12, and Saturday, April 17.

Get the inside scoop about the team at the Roller Derby Diva blog.

April 6th, 2008

2008 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Is Just Around The Corner

May 28, 2008toJune 7, 2008

cincyfringe.com

This year’s Fringe Festival kicks off on Wednesday, May 28, 2008. See the website for details.

April 6th, 2008

The Queen City Zapatistas: The Guerilla Marching Band

The Queen City Zapatistas are a Cincinnati area marching band that is equally capable of playing parades, dances, weddings, funerals, parties, serenades, the front lobby of your office building, baseball and football games etc… We play a high octane mix of Dixieland, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Klezmer, New Orleans style funeral marches, 2nd line arrangements of symphonic material, religious music, anthems, vintage soul, and marches by John Philip Sousa. We are not affiliated with the mexican political party. We don’t venerate Frank Zappa or our trumpet player who happens to share his last name. We take ourselves very seriously.

I saw these guys marching in the Opening Day parade with Dante’s Gypsy Circus (they’re in the back at the far right of the picture, behind the gypsies).  All I can say is: love the uniforms.

Dante’s Gypsy Circus

April 6th, 2008

Dante’s Gypsy Circus

I first saw the fire-breathing antics of Dante’s Gypsy Circus at the Northside Rock & Roll Carnival and 4th of July Parade and Festival at Hoffner Park last year (where I also saw the Pickled Brothers sideshow and pigged out on gyros - that was a fun night). I saw them again recently marching in the Opening Day parade with the Queen City Zapatistas.

Dante’s Gypsy Circus

You can find their schedule on their website - they’ll be performing at Scorched Nuts in June. In the mean time, here is a video from their YouTube channel.

April 4th, 2008

Scorched Nuts 2008

June 19, 2008toJune 22, 2008

The second installation (and I use that word intentionally) of the Scorched Nuts festival is from June 19-22 2008. It is the Ohio version of the famous Burning Man festival held out in the Nevada desert.

More on the Scorched Nuts website.

scorchednuts.org

April 4th, 2008

Dance Party Fridays

If you’re ever awake at 5:45 am on Fridays, watching the Channel 12 traffic report - and if you’re like me, you aren’t - then you may have already seen this.

If it’s Friday, and there are no major accidents, the 5:45 am traffic report on Fridays is Dance Party Friday.

Spotted in this eyar’s CityBeat Best of Cincinnati issue under Best Fender-Bender in Funkytown, it’s always nice to see people in the public eye who have a sense of humor. There’s plenty more Dance Party Friday videos on their YouTube channel.

March 25th, 2008

It’s Everybody’s Treehouse

Forever Young Treehouses promotes the construction of universally accessible treehouses across the country. While accessible treehouses provide a memorable experience for everyone, we focus on treehouse construction for children and young adults with special needs who are routinely confronted with barriers to fun and play in their daily lives. An accessible treehouse removes these obstacles, bringing people of all abilities together and closer to nature.

In April 2007, a wheelchair-accessible project called Everybody’s Treehouse opened in Mount Airy Forest. Partnerships between the Cincinnati Parks Board, Home Depot, The Cincinnati Rotary, The Marvin Lewis Foundation as well as Drees Construction and the Cincinnati Homebuilder’s Association made the house possible. Not only is the treehouse ADA-compliant, it is very unique and very, very cool.

treehouses.org treehouses.org