Run 52: The Heights

It’s hard to do The Heights justice. In part because there is so much ground to cover (the Heights encompasses all of UC’s campus and a little bit beyond), and in part because within this vast area there are many sites to see.  The University of Cincinnati was recently named the 6th most beautiful campus in the United States.

Over the last six years I’ve probably spent more time in the Heights than any other neighborhood. The reason for this is my penchant for degrees.

Starting with the degree theme we began from the law school, where I’m getting ready for my last year of school--ever (I swear). What a better way to start a run from the law school than posing with my main Justice, Willie Howard.
 

Kayla warmed up with a pilates pose. I abstained, fearing irreparable harm.

 

As a building, the law school leaves a lot to be desired. I'm at least a fan of the exterior, which for some reason reminds of A Clockwork Orange. Unfortunately, the ironic redemption ends on the outside as once you enter the building there is not much to celebrate until you find the exit.

From the law school we took the back alleys between the school of education and CCM. These alleys are a crucial part of my campus existence as they are a handy shortcut from the bus stop and the rec center.

Eventually the back alley leads to Nippert Stadium where we stopped for a few pictures. With the turf torn out of the field, Nippert didn’t have its usual appeal, but Kayla was excited about the wrought iron gates. In all of our years in Cincinnati, we've never made it to a Bearcat football game--maybe this will be the year? 

(Kayla is editing this post and would like to say that this will not be the year.  In fact, I've said time and time again that the only time you'll catch me at a live football game is if my daughter is one of the players).

 

After Kayla escaped the gates on her own recognizance, our next  stop was McMicken Hall--home to the English Department. This is where I earned my first Bearcat degree. Like the law school building, McMicken is outdated, but not in a "never-had-an update" kind of way; McMicken's exterior is truly classic.

McMicken also has a great vantage point, as it sits at the end of the Main Street Corridor, looking over the student center and a nice grassy quad.

From McMicken we headed to the edge of The Heights where we came across Probasco Street. This is surely a tribute to Kayla’s ancestor and one-time Cincinnati dignitary, Henry Probasco.

Continuing to explore off campus, we headed to Burnett Woods, which we had circled on our Clifton run, but did not enter.  While the architecture on campus is great, the woods are a welcome respite from so much concrete and glass.

Kayla enjoyed discovering the pond, where we spotted several fisherpeople.

Outside the woods we headed back to campus. At the corner of Jefferson and MLK a newly rehabbed dorm looms over UC's eastern border. It’s great that this tower got an update as it is one of the most prominent sites from the road.

Of all the great buildings on campus, the Engineering Resource Center (ERC) is probably my favorite. Apparently “students” on campus refer to it as the “cash register.” I’ve never heard this, but nonethless I appreciate the building's apparent functionality. The three steam stacks on the roof must be useful for something, and the lecture hall is a catalyst for the exchange of great ideas. In that hall I've seen literary giants such as Denis Johnson and Lee K. Abbott.

 

In front of the ERC there is a large commons that at its best feels like an inspiring green space, and at its worse feels like an overbearing panopticon that makes you wonder who might be looking down on you from above.

 

Note the old and the new towers above. 

Of course what kind of running blog would we be if we didn't stop by the University of Cincinnati track? Gettler Stadium is right up there as one of my favorites anywhere. I like how it's integrated into the campus with the music school just around the corner and the Calhoun business district up the hill.

When we arrived Kayla challenged me to a race: could I run two laps before she could finish one? Of course not. She was victorious and we were both out of breath on a 90+ degree day.

We toured the rest of the sports campus, which is pretty unbelievable in terms of sheer scale. From the Marge Schott baseball stadium to 5/3 arena to the recently constructed Sheakely field which is topped with a bubble for most of the year.

From the sports campus, we made our way out onto Jefferson and then turned down Calhoun Street. This area has been the site of significant development. On the Clifton Heights side of the Calhoun developers are putting the finishing touches on apartment buildings that feature lots of ground floor commercial space. The new parking in this area will be a relief as well.

In the past, when we didn't have air conditioning, Kayla and I would go to the Panera to escape the heat. In hindsight, it's easier to just have air conditioning.

Run 52: Hartwell

Grandma and granddaughter donning church dresses load the van with boxes for Sunday school; a jogger makes her way through the business district; a fast food worker sprints to the bus with his umbrella tucked away; caution tape surrounds a restaurant and news vans park out front.
 

This is Hartwell, described here as the "Gate to Cincinnati":

 

After driving up 75 and dealing with a little bit of traffic, we parked at Kroger and got ready to run, but not before one last photo in front of the Wendy's where Kayla had once dined. Ah the memories!

As soon as we crossed Vine Street and left the business district, we began to discover that Hartwell has real character. Meandering along Parkway Ave we found a tree lined street with ornate Victorian homes and nicely kept lawns.  

 
Uniquely configured, Parkway Ave. forms an oval and in its center is a sort of “faith island,” which is home to several churches.The Methodist Church was designed by famed Cincinnati architect--Music Hall and City Hall--Samuel Hannaford.

Further evidence that Parkway Ave. is a focal point can be found on the Hartwell neighborhood sign which depicts the Parkway oval.

We followed took Woodbine off of Parkway and explored several more residential blocks, which offered a wider variety of designs and materials, including a white stucco.

This vacant lot was a rare sight and the natural grass even made for a nice photo op. Note Kayla's excellent form, which suggests that her days of injury are behind her.

Railroad tracks split Hartwell in half, but it isn't readily apparent if there is a "right side" of the tracks. Rather the neighborhood is pretty uniform.

Along Compton, almost in Wyoming, we came upon the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor covenant, which had a lot to offer.

Here we found: grassy hills, a graveyard filled with simple markers, and a path lined with stone representations of the stations of the cross.

There was even a bit of religious humor:

Our last stop at FSP was a stone labyrinth.

From the Centennial Barn we retraced our steps along Compton and came out to the main business district on Vine Street. When I was studying the business district in preparation for our run, I was struck by the great array of restaurants within a small area. There was: Frisch's, Empress Chili, Dragon City, Lee's Famous Chicken, and Cosmic Pizza.

Then in a bizarre twist of events, just a few minutes after I told Kayla about the great food in Hartwell, I saw Cosmic Pizza on the evening news. Its parking lot was draped in yellow caution tape. The owner had been shot and killed in a Saturday evening robbery gone wrong. The assailant was on the loose.

I wondered out loud if we should go through with the run.  Although we hadn't spent much time in Hartwell this murder seemed so contrary to the quiet neighborhood that I had been reading about in preparation for our run.

And so we decided to run. We ran because we believed that Hartwell was the sum of its great sites and not a single tragic event. We ran because this project is about discovering this city as it really is, not based on what we hear on the news.

See the full route with mile markers here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=517802