Run 52: Walnut Hills

At the beginning of our Walnut Hills run I decided that instead of following our usual routine of launching right into the run, we should try a little warm-up. We opted for skipping in the middle of the street.

Once we were all warmed up, we headed straight up a hilly path to Eden Park's Presidential Grove.

Presidential Grove got its start in 1882 when an oak was planted to honor George Washington.

Here’s a shot of Kayla posing with that very oak: (she and George share a birthday):  

I posed with Ronald Reagan’s Sycamore (me and Ronnie share a love of mac and cheese):

The only thing that I would change about the Presidential Grove is its size. I wish there was more to explore. The land that is developed is a great getaway from the city below.

Heading down from the Grove, we got some great views of Krohn Conservatory:

I’ve probably run by this place over 1,000 times, yet, I'm sorry to say I’ve never set foot inside. Apparently, Kayla hasn’t either. That trend didn't change on this run, as we looped around past the front entrance.

The trek from downtown through Eden Park is a staple for any Cincinnati runner. Especially a runner who is looking to take on the Flying Pig marathon. The Pig--notably, unfortunately, mercilessly, uncompromisingly--takes runners up a steady incline from downtown.

On our trip around the overlook we stopped to take a few scenic shots, which, even on a cloudy day, really show off Cincinnati’s tremendous beauty. Where else can you get a view like that?

We also came across this statue of Lupa Romana (The Wolf of Rome), who was credited with nursing the founders of Rome (Romulus and Remus) to good health.

With the great views behind us, we left the overlook and headed to Park Street to explore the Walnut Hills that lies beyond Eden Park.

A large part of the neighborhood is made up of a mix of Victorian homes and more modern condo complexes:

The Verona, just around the corner from McMillan, combines the old and new:

At the corner of Gilbert and Taft, we came to the corner bell tower, which is what remains of the Walnut Hills Presbyterian Church, designed by the prolific Samuel Hannaford.

Further along Gilbert, we came to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, which is where the author wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Hitting MLK, we did a U-turn and headed back down Gilbert toward downtown. This is the exact course that the Flying Pig Half Marathon follows. That's significant because as we were headed down Gilbert Kayla told me she is planning to run the half this year.

On the descent, we passed the Greenwich, a arts landmark that features some of the best jazz performers around as well as spoken word performers and the occasional independent film.

 

Continuing down Gilbert, I had planned a little detour onto Florence street, which was at one time Cincinnati's Little Italy.

The Florence Avenue that we discovered has transformed over the years into a light industrial district.

Overall, we enjoyed the gradual winding downhill that led us to the border of Walnut Hills and Mt. Auburn. We also passed this piece of Cincinnati history--the Cable House, which is now an office building that once served as a storage site for parts to the cable cars that ran from downtown to Walnut Hills.

Once we reached the bottom of Florence, our run wasn't finished. Just around the corner was Gilbert. Quickly, our gradual downhill stroll transformed into an intense uphill climb (there was good reason for those cable cars). In the midst of this climbing, I managed to snap a "relfie" (running selfie):

At the height of her hypoxia, Kayla broke some big news. She's going to run the Flying Pig half marathon!

Picture her going down this hill in May

About a quarter of the way up Gilbert, we reached our final destination. The historic Gilbert-Sinton district. At one corner of the district is Andy's Mediterranean Grill, where Kayla and I once enjoyed a Valentine's Day dinner complete with belly dancers. 

The rest of the district features Victorian housing with much of it in the form of condos and townhouses. This row of townhouses along Gilbert had us longing to live so close to Downtown.

On our way home, we passed this couple on a tandem bike, which led Kayla to ask what I thought of taking on "Tandem 52" next year.

.

After a flashback to our last, and only, tandem bike ride around Mackinac Island over the summer of 2006, I came up with my quick and unequivocal response to Kayla's idea: Absolutely not!

See our whole route here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=531313

Run 52: Mt. Adams

If John Adams hadn't shown up to Cincinnati with a big idea about an Observatory on top of Mt. Ida, then Mount Adams would be called Mt. Ida, and old Ida wouldn't be staring down from the side of a wall with her face in a tree.

How do I know all this, you ask: well that’s because on our Mt. Adams run we were accompanied by longtime Mount Adamsite/historian, Liz Gottmer, who hand-charted our course and then led us around for what would be one of our most informative runs of the entire project.

Here’s our whole crew:

But who’s that other guy? That’s our other guest-runner, Javan, King of the HIll, Lapp, who didn’t bring much Mt. Adams knowledge, but is well-known in his hometown of Asheville North Carolina for traversing the mountain side faster than anybody around. This was also Javan’s last run in Cincinnati for a while as he was returning to his native North Carolina to take the bar.

Liz’s course started at Immaculata Church which serves as the end of a daunting yearly pilgrimage for worshipers who trek up an intense set of stairs to express their faith.  

Immaculate is a good word to describe the rest of Mt. Adams as the quaint streets are lined with unique house after unique house. It really is unlike any other neighborhood that we have run.

Hilly is the other word I would use to describe Mt. Adams.  Looking through our pictures, it's hard to find one where we aren't either heading up or down an incline.  On an unrelated note, it’s also hard to find a picture where Kayla is actually running with the group.

I wasn’t kidding....

Mt. Adams also has some incredible views, and to make things even better, we were running on a beautiful day.

We spent a good amount of time winding around the Mt. Adams business district. Sunday afternoon was the perfect time for this, as, once the sun sets on the weekend, the party buses start flooding the brick streets, leaving little room for curious runners. Our favorite spot in Mt. Adams is the Blind Lemon where we like to finish the night with an Irish coffee and listen to the acoustic set. Kayla usually requests Kenny Loggins' Danny's Song, not to be confused with the Celtic classic Danny Boy, not to be confused with Chumbawamba's I Get Knocked Down. Crowley's (pictured below) is the oldest bar in the city dating back to the late 19th century.

Once we headed down the hill into Eden Park, Kayla got a little nervous as this is disputed territory and it is unclear where Mt. Adams ends and Walnut Hills begins (One neighborhood at a time, alphabetical order!). There is a Mt. Adams sign at the foot of the hill, suggesting that the neighborhood is staking its claim to the bucolic surroundings, which include an ornate aqueduct and Eden Park's iconic gazebo which was where Cincinnati gangster George Remus's mistress was murdered, which in turn inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's depiction of Daisy's demise in the Great Gatsby, which later inspired the Great Gatsby soundtrack.

In the midst of all this beauty and history,there were a couple of strange moments. First, Javan found comfort in an abandoned garage on the hillside.

Then Kayla had a Brittany Spears moment at the swanky bus stop when she sat down on the floor for a photo-op. (Is it more sanitary if it's art deco?)

At the very end of our run, a terrier mix named Rosie rushed from Liz's house and right into Kayla's lap with the intention of getting to know this running woman who was hanging out in her driveway. It didn't take long for Kayla to make a new best friend--proof that, despite Kayla's wariness on many of our runs, not all unfamiliar dogs are to be avoided.

-Donnie