The past few times we’ve been to Northside, it has been to
eat tacos. My personal favorite is Django, but there is also Tacocracy, and
Barrio.
And Taco Bell. But I
wouldn’t drive all the way to Northside for that.
This morning’s trip to Northside was a bit healthier. We started our run from the Comet, where we
listen to bluegrass on Sunday evenings about once year. I would like to go more
often, but my Sunday evenings are typically reserved for an episode of Tia and
Tamera, a square of dark chocolate, and a half-glass of red wine.
So we ran down Hamilton, past some of the beautiful old
buildings. This first house always reminds me
of a place I saw once in Tucson, Arizona:
Look at the carvings on this old Cincinnati Bell
building. Anyone know what this building
is today?
In the business strip on Hamilton we ran past a few of our
other favorite Northside destinations, including vegetarian-friendly Melt, the Northside Tavern,
and Take the Cake.
Cincinnati Magazine
featured Picnic and Pantry in their story on the best neighborhood shops, but I
have yet to visit.
I love this little sunburst storefront between the carryout
and an appliance store:
Next, Donnie took a quick loop around the Jacob Hoffner Park
before we turned down Blue Rock to get a close up of the American Can Factory,
which is an old factory repurposed into modern and energy-efficient loft
apartments.
From there, we hopped onto the peaceful Millcreek GreenwayTrail, which picks runs along the Millcreek and ends at Salway Park, across from
Spring Grove Cemetery.
This trail is amazing—flat and scenic, sunny, just wide
enough. A nod to industry on one side
and nature on the other. It sort of
reminded me of the Monon in Indianapolis.
If I lived in Northside this would definitely be on my daily route. We did our Northside run on Labor Day morning
and lots of runners, bikers, and dog walkers were out enjoying their day off.
One of my favorite sites on the trail was seeing where Captain
Tom parks all of his ice cream trucks. A
few summers ago, I would constantly hear “Do Your Ears Hang Low” tinkling from
his trucks. All. Day. Long. I would hear it from my office window all day
at work and then I would come home and hear it all evening. I eventually wrote him an email asking him to
turn it down or find another song.
Starting an email with “Dear Captain Tom” was not one of my
finest moments, but it was making me insane.
Leaving the trail, we looped around on Spring Grove Avenue,
past the old Liberty Tire building and the Northside sign nearby:
Nearby, is the amazing organization Visionaries + Voices,
which houses studio and exhibition space for artists with disabilities:
Before heading back to the Comet, we made a loop around the
residential blocks at Chase, Pitts, and Pullan.
These blocks have some of my favorite qualities in a residential
neighborhood: colorful houses on narrow lots close to the street, big ash trees
growing between the street and the sidewalk, people walking holding cups of
coffee. Subarus in the driveways.
There is so much to like about Northside. It is known for being progressive, creative,
and diverse; for having active and engaged residents; and for its successful
small businesses. It's known for its Fourth of July parade, its tacos, and its bluegrass music on Sunday nights. And for being a really great place to run.
-K.
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