Run 52: Millvale

Mill: A building equipped with machinery for grinding grain into flour.

Vale: A valley, often coursed by a stream.
 

Millvale is a small West Side community, the Millcreek and its industry to the east of the neighborhood and a pretty hill with a forest of trees to the west. 

We started our route by meeting up with Emily at the corner of Beekman and the Hopple Street Viaduct.  This was the third time we drove to a Run 52 in the pouring rain (East End, Hartwell).  Each time, we’ve been lucky that the rain has stopped just as we got out of the car to start the route.  I actually really like running in the rain (it’s like running and swimming at the same time!) but for the sake of my camera phone I was grateful for the drier conditions. Here was our lineup of runners:

The Running Pro:

The Yoga Pro:

The Squirt:

(Maybe it’s just the angle at which a taller person took this photo, or maybe it’s my giant hat, but I appear very short here. Shorter than I actually am. Right?)

Much of the neighborhood is made of up Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority townhouses, but there are also single family homes and businesses along Beekman Avenue.  First, we ran down Beekman past the factories and warehouses that line the Millcreek:

We made a loop through the housing development, with its colorful homes and green lawns. The back row of townhouses backs up to the woods, which must provide a pleasant view.

The townhomes are conveniently adjacent to Ethel M. Taylor Academy and the Millvale Recreation Center.  

The Rec Center, housed in a cool modernist building, has an impressive collection of murals, a big swimming pool, and a patio garden:   

Doesn’t this dog on the chain-link fence art look like our Zola Budd?

 

At the end of our run, we ran back and forth across the Hopple Street Viaduct, which overlooks the Millcreek, its factories, and its busy rail yard:

We also got this shot of one of the hundreds of billboards trying to lure Ohioans to vacation in Northern Michigan.  Here are Donnie and I saying, “Been there, done that, Billboard!”:

For proof, see photo above re: Zola Budd.

Three last points.  First, Millvale is not to be confused with rural Millville, where I sold ice cream out of a window at the tender age of fourteen. The ice cream shop was across the street from a store that sold hard candies and cowboy hats.  Not sure why that detail is relevant or interesting, but there you have it.

Second, it was quite chilly for late July.  Although admittedly, maybe it was not quite cold enough to warrant the windbreakers and sweatshirts we were wearing. 

Most importantly, Millvale marks the half-way point of the Run 52 challenge.  Twenty-six down, twenty-six to go!  

-K.

Run 52: Madisonville

We ran Madisonville on the hottest day of the year at the hottest point of the day in the hottest part of the neighborhood--a shadeless but scenic bike path that traces the western edge of the neighborhood. It was so hot we decided to take a "before" picture so we could compare how we looked at the finish.

The Murray bike path connects East Hyde Park and Mariemont. The trial is also notable for its prime spot on the Flying Pig course: it awaits runners just a few miles after the half marathon mark, when a series of rolling hills are a worst case scenario.

From the bike path we cut east on Settle before turning quickly onto Bramble. A little ways down the street, we headed off-road and made a circuit around Bramble Park.

Did I mention it was hot? So hot we had to save time by taking pictures of ourselves taking pictures.

Whetsel might be considered Madisonville's main residential artery with blocks of single family homes leading to the heart of Madisonville's business district which, fittingly, stretches along, Madison. From a runner’s perspective Whetsel is a nice, wide and flat residential street without much traffic. 

 

 

As we arrived in the business district we passed a string of sites that suggest Madisonville is in the midst of a green renaissance. First, we saw Greens Neighborhoods Market. Then, just next door we saw the Madisonville Weed and Seed. Finally, on the corner of Madison and Whetsel we saw a community garden that our friend Sam Dunlap helped develop over the years with students from the Lighthouse Community School.

In the business district-proper, we passed a retro ice cream shop and hotdog stand, lots of great looking storefronts, and a few churches. All of these places demonstrated that Madisonville is a livable neighborhood where some great amenities are just around the corner.

 

 

From the business district we connected with Erie, which gave us some shady relief over the final miles. Erie has a familiar East Side vibe.

 

We wrapped up our run right where we began: on the Murray bike trail.  

After than we jumped in the car, cranked up the AC, and made it home in time for one awfully sweaty after-shot.
 

 

See our entire route here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=520063


-Donnie

Run 52: Lower Price Hill

Lower Price Hill, just two miles west of downtown, is a community with strong Appalachian roots.  Generations of migrants from Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia came to Lower Price Hill to work in its factories and raise their families in the tight-knit community.  Workers lived in two-and three-story brick walk-ups, always within walking distance of their jobs. The Ohio River to the south and the steep hill to the west created a valley of sorts, which the older generation says made the neighborhood reminiscent of the hills and hollers they had left back home. Today, Lower Price Hill is the last Cincinnati neighborhood to still put on an annual “Mini Appalachian Festival” with a weekend of bluegrass, traditional food, and storytelling contests.

When I first moved to Cincinnati, I eagerly took a job as a community organizer in Lower Price Hill.  I worked there for four and a half years, getting to know the people well.  When we pulled up in front of my old office on State Avenue, I was happy to see several familiar faces, including Guy, who sweetly filled me in on the news I had missed and then snapped this photo:

Look, we had company!  Donnie and I were thrilled when Emily and Alex agreed to join us for this run.  It gave me the chance to play tour guide and share a place that has been like a second home.

We started off by heading south on State Avenue.  You’ll notice in these photos that Donnie and I are wearing our “State Avenue Running Club” shirts, which were designed by a friend who used to work with me in Lower Price Hill.  We were training for a 5k together and would do our practice runs along State Avenue, hence the name. 

The housing and neighorhood layout in Lower Price Hill remind me of the Jane Jacobs ideal: homes close to each other and close to the street, perfect for keeping an eye on playing children and getting to know your neighbors. There are corner markets and jobs within walking distance.

The pride of Lower Price Hill is Oyler Community Learning Center, a pre-k through 12 grade school that was profiled this year on APM’s Marketplace in a feature called “One School, One Year.”  Oyler has received national recognition for its implementation of the Community Learning Center Model, which brings community services like dental and eye clinics inside the school walls. The school recently underwent an extensive renovation that beautifully preserved the building’s original architectural details: 

We also passed the Urban Appalachian Council and next door, this pretty garden. The Urban Appalachian Council is an advocacy organization that works to improve the quality of life in the community.

The garden by UAC is one of two community gardens that we passed on this route.  The other was across from the Lower Price Hill Community School on St. Michael’s Street and was constructed as part of a Public Allies Team Service Project.  Looks like the neighbor has offered their runoff water for plants!

After running through the residential section of the neighborhood, we ran halfway across the new 8^th Street Viaduct and back.  The viaduct was replaced in 2009 and connects the Price Hills to Queensgate and Downtown.  Mostly we included this little out-and-back for the view, but found that the viaduct is actually a very pleasant place to run—the sidewalk is sectioned off safely from the street traffic. 

This is the view from the viaduct facing south.  The water flowing under this plant is the Mill Creek and the hills behind are Kentucky.

Next, we ran under the viaduct, past the Police Academy, towards Evans Softball Field.  Running under the viaduct offered a different perspective:

This part of the route took us through the industrial portion of the neighborhood, past the plants and factories where many generations of Lower Price Hill residents have made their livelihood.  Some have closed, but others are still in operation. 

One of my favorite photos from our Lower Price Hill route was taken looking up the hill towards East Price Hill, from the site where Queen City Barrel once stood.  When I look at it a week later, I see it as a symbol for the world’s industrial future: the opportunity for healthy and environmentally friendly technologies, training programs for workers, and safe jobs that pay a living wage.  Inspiring things that I wish I had realized in the moment!

Emerging from the blocks of factories, we headed up North State a little ways, past the Kroger plant.  This part of the run wasn’t on our original route, but we were feeling good and wanted to add on a little bit.  Parts of North State have nice views of downtown and the Museum Center.  Check out this fence created out of repurposed doors and shutters:

At one point a dog barking at us from a porch slowed us to walk, which gave Emily the opportunity to pass along some horrible advice from a former cross country coach about how to fend off attacking dogs.  I won’t repeat this nugget of wisdom in its entirety, but it involves removing your shirt, wrapping the shirt around your arm, and letting the dog bite you while you implement an offensive move with the other hand.

(Donnie and Alex react strongly to Emily’s advice)

Okay.  I can’t really see Emily doing this.  Or anyone really.  But I’ll keep this move up my sleeve in the event of a worst case scenario. (Also, can you tell that I’ve become consumed by a fear of unfamiliar dogs?  I may need some professional help to get over this.)

How do I transition away from this topic?  How about I just say, "Moving on!"?

Coming back into the heart of Lower Price Hill from North state, we passed the beautifully restored West End Bank Building, home to National Marketshare Group, Inc.  Look at these perfect Corinthian columns:

This wrapped up our Lower Price Hill run, which was one of my favorites (I know, I’ve said that before). Having friends join us was great, and we really want to encourage more people help us finish out the remaining runs.  If you want to tag along--or have us tag along while you take us on a run through your neighborhood--leave a comment or send us an email.

And as a freebie, here is a shot of the four of us the evening before our Lower Price Hill run, so you can see what we look like when we’re not wearing dirty running clothes (okay, maybe it was just D's running clothes that were dirty) and sweating profusely (okay, maybe it was just me who was sweating profusely). 

For the record, I don’t know who the two dudes in the background are, but I did overhear them on the phone telling their friends to come to the Metropole because “some of the classiest people in Cincinnati” were there that night.  Ha!  I’m 88% sure they weren’t talking about us. Unless they saw Donnie valet the LeBaron, in which case they most certainly were. 


-K. 


(J/K, we didn't valet the LeBaron, we left it in an alley with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition.)

(J/K, we drove the Subaru).