Run 52: West End

We were joined on our West End run by our friend Matt, who works at St. Vincent de Paul on Bank Street.  Matt is an amazing LONG distance runner who does most of his miles on trails.  Recently he coordinated a trail 50k and half-marathon at Red River Gorge.  Towards the end of our West End run he told us that the 50k was so challenging that none of the runners finished.  Luckily, the route that he planned for Run 52 was a bit easier!

The West End is just west of Downtown.  I have a memory of being nine or ten years old, going north on I-75 and looking at the West End from the passenger’s side window after a trip downtown.  I remember being intrigued by the narrow, historic buildings close to the highway.  I was riding with a friend and her dad and he obliged my interest by pulling off the highway so that we could take a closer look at the painted brick buildings.  Undoubtedly, this brief detour helped to shape my love for historic urban neighborhoods; in college, I would read Jane Jacobs and think back to the West End. 

We started our route from St.Vincent de Paul, where Matt showed us a brick-paved alley that offers access to a shortcut up to Dayton Street.  On the way, Matt explained that the Dayton Street Historic District was once home to wealthy industrialists who built their detached town houses just a short walk from the breweries and slaughter houses where they made their fortunes.

We stopped for a minute to look at the beautiful stone façade on the Hauck House, which was built in 1870 by brew baron John Hauck. 

Nearby, the industry that built Dayton Street’s “Millionaire’s Row” is still thriving.  We passed a pickle factory, the Sam Adams Brewery, and other warehouse-sized buildings used for packing, processing, and production: 

Matt said that he planned the Sam Adam’s Brewery to be our mid-route “water” stop, but unfortunately they weren’t giving out samples!

This is also where Matt stopped and mocked the way I pose for pictures by doing a curtsey.  Fortunately for him, we don't have any photographic evidence of this. 

Next, we ran through City West, which is a mixed-income development built to replace aging public housing.  City West includes some nice green space and is just a short jog from Downtown:

Leaving City West, we passed Ollie’s Trolley, which smelled good even to me.  (Worst. Vegetarian. Ever.) 

At the end of our run, we ran through the hip Brighton arts district, which is home to galleries that showcase work from some of the city’s best up and coming artists. 

Finally, since Donnie was on camera duty for most of this route there are hardly any pictures of him (whoops, sorry Donnie!).  Here is one to prove he was actually there!

 -K.

View the full route with mile markers here:  http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=531738

Run 52: Riverside

The fog had yet to burn off for the day as we drove along US 50 West into Riverside.  Riverside is a long, narrow West Side neighborhood that runs along the Ohio River between Sedamsville and Saylor Park.  Along this stretch 50 West is known as River Road.  The busy four-lane thoroughfare divides the neighborhood.  On the south side of the road, industry and railroad tracks hug the river.  On the north side of the road, houses creep up the hillside.   

 

 

We started our run from the Riverside Boat Launch.  The small park also has ball fields, a short walking path, and a carousel-inspired picnic shelter. 

A barge was passing by and we jogged down to the launch to get a closer look:

By the time we left the park, the sun was starting to burn through the fog and we could see the pretty autumn trees along the hillside.  This view is of the Delshire Preserve which is owned and managed by the Western Wildlife Corridor:

We crossed River Road to run on the sidewalk.  Many of the homes built on the hillside have river views:

We came across the Twin Sisters, which are identical houses built in the 1890s by a prominent Cincinnati judge.  The Digging Cincinnati History blog has a great article about the homes, and in reading it I learned that Judge Wright built them for two of his children, one of whom would go on to become the mayor of the Village of Riverside and later, a United States Supreme Court Justice!   

St. Vincent de Paul is also perched along the hillside overlooking the river.  St. Vincent de Paul, known for serving the poor, is Donnie’s favorite Catholic Saint and the namesake of his alma mater.  Donnie sweetly asked me if I wanted to pose with the statute, but I think he was secretly glad that I declined. 

 

Running with traffic along River Road was just a bit nerve-wracking and we were happy when we got to a part of the street that was set back from the main thoroughfare.  This little section of River Road runs parallel to highway but is separated from it by a grassy lawn.  Here, homeowners had their boats parked along the street—convenient for the short drive to the launch. 

At the end of the street, we found an old building that is home to the Tri-State Grain Inspection Service:

We also found a great community sign that detailed the history of the Riverside community.  We learned that Riverside was annexed by the City in 1896 for its industrial base:

 

There are residential streets like this one that run up the hill from River Road:

Further up on River Road is the Anderson Ferry, which will take pedestrians and cars across the river to Kentucky for a small fee.  When I worked on the West Side, I would often join my coworkers on Friday evenings at Drew’s on the River, which sits at Anderson Ferry and has a close-up view of the river and the ferry traffic.  We turned around at Maag Street so we didn’t make it all the way to the Ferry.  While on the drive to the boat launch, we did pass Jim & Jacks, another Riverside bar and restaurant:

When we returned to the boat launch, Donnie was feeling some remorse that he had skipped the TQL Urban Race and decided that the next best thing would be to hurdle over a barrier in the parking lot.  I begged him not to take the risk, but he scaled it easily:

 

View the full route with mile markers here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=529293


-K.