Run 52: East Price Hill

It’s been a long time.  Two months, exactly.  First, Donnie pulled his hamstring and we abandoned the East Price Hill Route one mile in.  Then I gave myself the stress reaction from which I’m just now recovering.  March to May:  Zola Budd turned seven.  Donnie turned thirty.  Our injuries healed.  The trees turned green.  And now here we are—back in East Price Hill.

 

The original route for this neighborhood was nearly eight miles.  Since I’m only back up to about four and a half miles, I drew up this modified route before we left the house:

 

This version had us starting and finishing at Mt. Echo Park.  The pavilion is stunning and the view from here is one of the best in the city.  

 

Three years ago, I received a ticket in this park for “failure to display a front license plate.”  Yesterday, I risked receiving another citation when I snuck into the men’s restroom before we started our run. The women’s room was being cleaned and I had Donnie posted as a lookout.  

We made our way up Elberon and turned right on West Eighth just past the “Creative Photography” studio.  On West Eighth, we passed Holy Family church and school and, just across the street, my favorite house in the neighborhood.  This house has always reminded me of Albuquerque near the University of New Mexico:

 

 

Here is Holy Family:

 

West Eighth Street leads to the newly-named Incline District.  At the approach, we passed this charming brick three-family with an urban-looking patio out back:

There is some serious recyling going on here!  Good for them!

And then the new Incline Village apartment building, which is next door to the 1960s Queen’s Tower, which has a mix of rental and for-sale units and a four-star restaurant on the ground floor:

 

Sandwiched between them is Olden View Park.  This is where the old Price Hill Incline landed on its summit from Lower Price Hill below. It’s also where Donnie scaled this cement wall and blocked out the good part of the skyline: 

Next, we ran down Price Avenue to Santa Maria’s Financial Opportunity Center, where I worked until last July:

Looking at this line-up of horrible photos makes me think that next time we should hire someone from the “Creative Photography Studio” to help us frame these shots. 

Although this one is pretty good:

 

Just past the Financial Opportunity Center is the beautifully-renovated Flats apartment building with its first-floor art gallery:

 

And here’s Bill, whose vision for the Incline District has made it a hip destination:

 

 

Across the street is the Corner Bloc coffeeshop, which has Tuesday night jazz, friendly baristas, and the best coffee in town (rivaled, in my opinion, only by Rose Street):

 

We turned up Hawthorne and got a glimpse of the UDF that I used to frequent when I worked in the neighborhood:

 Warsaw Avenue is lined with trees and historic buildings with cute store-fronts:

Past Kroger on McPherson, we passed this old church that hosts a food pantry.  I love the small, round windows:

 

We ran down to Enright, where we ventured into the EnrightRidge Urban Eco-Village.  This village-within-a-neighborhood is really admirable—like-minded neighbors using sustainable housing and gardening practices.

The building on the right hosts the Cincinnati Zen Center:

 

And in the middle of the eco-village is the sixteen-acre Imago Earth Center with its series of well-kept trails through dense woods:

 

Across the street from Imago is St. Joseph Cemetery:

 

Speaking of the cemetery, this would not be an honest retelling if I didn't admit that I was almost a goner twice on this run. First, a very mean dog rushed out from under a house and came within inches of my face. Fortunately for me (and my face), Donnie whipped out his Cesar Milan and shamed it into submission.  Just two minutes later, a car going approximately 90 miles per hour in a 35 zone turned right as we were crossing the street back into Mt. Echo Park.  Donnie saved me again by screaming “watch out!” and pulling me onto the sidewalk.   Whew.  My lawyer is a monster.

After all the excitement, I needed a cigarette.  Since I don’t smoke, I settled for a Starbucks bold blend.

YOLO.