Route #6: Clifton

View Run 52: Clifton in a larger map

Kayla and I have spent a lot of time in Clifton. Clifton is where Kayla, as a highschooler, came to see the Rocky Horror picture show on the weekends. Clifton is where I came as a highschooler to see if I wanted to go to UC (little did I know it was only a matter of time). And, now that we’ve been here a few years, Clifton is where we go to see movies, eat Indian food, and go for a run.

So what’s left to see in a neighborhood that we know so well? Well, we’re going to start from Burnet Woods, which is an expansive park that borders the University of Cincinnati. Truthfully, we don’t come to Burnet Woods often enough. Considering its size and beauty, it will make for a great starting/finishing line.

From Burnet Woods we’ll head down Clifton and turn onto Terrace. This will be some familiar territory: Clifton is often on our short list of places to move.

We’ll cross Ludlow and head up Middleton Ave the gateway to Clifton’s mansion district. Somewhere along Middleton--I can’t remember where--we will see my favorite home in the city, a beige Mid Century Modern.

The highlight of our run will be Oakwood. Oakwood is the Probasco family mansion. Who are the Probasco’s you ask? Well, Henry Probasco was Kayla’s distant relative, who was a successful inventor (he also donated the fountain in Fountain Square to honor of his friend Tyler Davidson). After asking to inspect the deed, we will linger in front of Oakwood for a while before going on our way.

Lafayette will lead us into Mt. Storm Park which is another awesome Cincinnati park.

An interesting stop enroute to the park will be the condo complex at the end of Windings Lane. Neff’s Castle has been everything from a Pork Baron’s home to a parochial school to a SWAT team training ground.

We’ll eventually come out onto Ludlow and run by some of our favorite places: (1) Esquire Theater, (2) Graeter’s, and (3) Ambar. Ludlow has some real spirit, which makes it a great street to run down at any time of the day. We will also pass the sight for the new Gaslight Grocery, which is going to replace the longstanding, but recently defunct, IGA.

Finally, I’ve included a loop that includes: Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Islamic Association of Cincinnati, Fairview German Language School, and St. John’s Unitarian Church. From there we will climb Clifton (because every Clifton run must end up a massive hill) and return to Burnet Woods.