We started this route from Hyde Park Square, which is a nearly perfect mixed-use business district with a coffee shop, clothing and specialty stores, and plenty of cafes and restaurants. The buildings have a Parisian feel—three and four stories tall, balconies, awnings, and storefronts that spill out into wide sidewalks.
Look at all of those runners!
Hyde Park Square hosts a farmer’s market every Sunday. On the Thursday we were there, the square was
gearing up for the Hyde Park Blast. A block away is our primary care doctor’s office and the Hyde Park
branch of the public library:
A few short blocks from Hyde Park Square is Withrow University High School, an impressive public high school that is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. We run on
Withrow’s track pretty regularly, and this evening there were lots of other
runners with the same idea:
Leaving the track, we stopped at the “Big Pig Little Free Library” book share that a family has constructed in their yard on the corner
of Burch and Observatory. This is where
(for better or worse) I picked up my first Twilight
book last fall. When we took this
picture I noticed there were lots of good options on hand, including two of my
favorites: Prep and Hotel Honolulu.
One of the best things about running in Hyde Park—besides the track, the cute stores, and the free books—is the interesting architecture. Each home is exceptional:
But what I really love about Hyde Park is how seamlessly the single family houses and the apartment buildings fit together into the fabric of the neighborhood blocks. I also love how the lot sizes are irregular—some of the lots are tight like in a traditional neighborhood design, others are sprawling. Some of the houses are close to the sidewalk while others sit way back, behind bright green lawns. This is visually interesting and, most importantly, remains interesting run after run after run.
We also passed Carl's Deli and--just two blocks away--Maggie and Jennie’s old apartment building
where over the years we watched many, many episodes of The
Bachelor.
And then we happened upon preparations for a weeknight jazz concert at Knox Presbyterian:
We ran up to the Cincinnati Observatory, which is an actual observatory and was my former polling place. In addition to being an inspiring place to cast a ballot, the Observatory also offers a front row seat to the Ault Park fireworks on the Fourth of July.
At the Observatory, we discovered a public
staircase/sidewalk that leads to East Hyde Park.
This was convenient because by this time, Donnie was grumbling that he wanted some Chipotle.
When I took this picture, he was mumbling
something about a steak burrito and needing to eat red meat exactly 48 hours before his upcoming race. Come to think about it, he was actually pretty
grumpy during the entire run.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
Anyway. In East Hyde Park, we ran past the whimsical “Mushroom House”
on the corner of Tarpis and Erie.
We also made the obligatory stops in front of the Coffee Emporium, and a nonprofit whose mission I can really embrace, Girls on the Run:
So that was the end of our Run 52: Hyde Park. But
conveniently, Donnie ran the evening Hyde Park Blast on the Saturday after our run. This is a fun event to watch because the runners make four laps around an area that includes Hyde Park Square, which means that spectators can assess each runner's place several times.
After the 5k, the elite cyclists lined up for their event. Watching the cyclists take the tight turns at high speeds is not for the faint of heart.
Each year, the Hyde Park Blast makes me love Cincinnati in a gushy, full-hearted way. The term "sense of place" is perhaps overused, but in this case it truly applies.
View the full Run 52: Hyde Park route with mile markers here:
Each year, the Hyde Park Blast makes me love Cincinnati in a gushy, full-hearted way. The term "sense of place" is perhaps overused, but in this case it truly applies.
View the full Run 52: Hyde Park route with mile markers here:
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