Columbia Tusculum

February 18th (President’s Day), 55 degrees, mostly sunny.

By this point in the process we have established that Cincinnati is beautiful. We know that the hills and the river and the homes and the parks are nothing less than breathtaking. What I didn’t realize until today is that all of these things converge in Columbia Tusculum.

Here is the thing about Columbia Tusculum: its residential streets are not easily accessible by a thoroughfare. The only thoroughfare—Columbia Parkway—is fast and furious and only a handful of brave souls have their address on the Parkway. Compare this to neighboring Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout where busy Observatory, Erie, Linwood, Delta, and Madison offer an intimate look into living room windows. This setback makes the streets of Columbia Tusculum feel private and a bit exclusive.

We started our run in Alms Park, which has a gorgeous pavilion:

And a view of the municipal airport, which is close to our apartment and is looped by a great hike/bike trail that we run around quite frequently:

Here Donnie is telling me that this is “Run 52” not “Photo 52” and we need to move it along:

At the entrance of the park, there are curving streets of mansions on enormous wooded lots. Many of these homes have views of the river and downtown:

Behind these trees is one of my favorite modern houses in Cincinnati:

And then there is St. Ursula Villa perched at the top of the hill:

Next we explored the “San Francisco” side of Columbia Tusculum with its narrow Victorian three-stories on steep hillside streets:

Donnie fit in a few hill sprints but for me, this was the point in the route where I had to take off an extra layer and reach down deep inside to make it to the top:

From there, we stopped briefly in the business district, which is home to one of our regular go-to restaurants, Allyn’s.   Allyn's has improved its veggie burger in recent years:

There is a strip mall with a Fitness Center and a Yoga studio:

And the Starbucks that I will occasionally stop at on my way Downtown (although my hair is usually fixed a little better):

And here is a picture of the Speedway where earlier today I was innocently trying to redeem my grocery store rewards card when a rangy guy in line behind me whispered “You are a beautiful woman… you are a beautiful woman” over my shoulder. Considering the setting, I did NOT take this as a compliment.

On the other side of Columbia Parkway is the “New Orleans” side of the neighborhood. Here the homes have a Cajun feel and let you know that they’ve withstood a flood or two:

The streets are lined with a handful of posh businesses:

We passed the Carnegie Center:

And two churches as old as God himself:

Here we realized that during the half hour or so we had spent in Columbia Tusculum the only other people we had seen were contractors coming in and out of their white vans. 

After leaving the historic district, we ran up Delta, pausing for the walk light in front of the renovated Lincoln School Professional Building:

From there, we ran up Golden Avenue to the Larz Anderson Park. There are no words for this view, so I'll let it speak for itself:

-Kayla

I am so excited to share our new Run 52 t-shirt design, created by the insanely talented Melissa Back!

Route #8: Columbia Tusculum

Admittedly we could run to Columbia Tusculum since it’s less than a half mile from our home. However, to maximize the time and miles we spend in the neighborhood, we will start this route by driving the short distance to Alms Park and parking on the circle drive. We’ll run through the hilly, windy roads and then down Stanley towards the dense, hillside residential neighborhood known for its Victorian “Painted Ladies.”

We’ll cut across Columbia Parkway to check out the neighborhood’s floodplain Historic District which includes Hamilton County’s oldest continuously occupied home (the Morris House at 3644 Eastern Avenue) as well as the Carnegie Center, which is a former Carnegie Library turned into an events venue and community space.

Once we have explored the low-lying Historic District, we’ll head back across Columbia Parkway towards Delta and then run up and down Golden Avenue, stopping to enjoy the view of the river from Anderson Park.

Simply due to its proximity to our home, we’ve spent quite a bit of time in Columbia Tusculum. We’ve had more than our share of mediocre meals at Allyn’s and three or four fabulous ones at Green Dog Café. I drive through this neighborhood every single day on my way to and from work and I feel like I know it pretty well: it has a yoga studio, a fitness center, a community garden, a Starbucks, and a place to use my Speedway Gas Rewards card. What more could you ask for?

And yet, I feel like I know Columbia Tusculum only by car: just driving through it on my way to somewhere else, or parking and heading directly into a restaurant. This will be my first experience with Columbia Tusculum on foot and I know this run will be a good indicator of the neighborhood’s livability.

See the full map with mile markers at my USA Track and Field Saved Route.


-Kayla

College Hill

26 degrees, Sunny. College Hill is not North College Hill. College Hill was not the subject of the reality show College Hill. And, although it was named after two of them, College Hill does not have a college. However, true to its name, College Hill is at the top of a giant hill. That didn’t surprise me. However, about thirty seconds into our run, Kayla was threatening to turn back. This was the longest hill we had faced so far.

About ¾ of the way up the hill we turned into the Twin Towers senior living community. I have to admit, I was hesitant to do too much uninvited exploring after our misadventure at the Summit mental health facility.

Thankfully, our visit to the Twin Towers was uneventful. Beyond the main building, we arrived at a condo development that featured single story ranches that reminded us of some of the communities we have seen in Naples. Of course, here it was about 50 degrees colder.

Leaving the Twin Towers, we powered our way to the intersection of Hamilton and Belmont. This is where we found Grace Episcopal Church with its giant red door.

Kayla suggested a quick detour down Pasadena, where she stopped in front of a forgettable two story home. Just when I suspected she was trying to take a break, Kayla explained this was home to the College Hill Post Office in the late 1880's. The building’s anonymity led me to wonder if this week’s news might lead to a similar fate for all post offices. I hope not.

Kayla discovered that the College Hill Rec Center is a runner friendly pit stop. On her way out she struck this lovely pose.

Much of College Hill is residential, so rather than trying to ineptly describe the homes with my limited architectural vocabulary (one-story, two-story), I've posted a bunch of pictures. So put on your favorite home song--option #1 or option #2--and check these out.

Kayla pointed out that number 3 is a funeral home, but I say it still counts. We emerged on Hamilton Ave. in College Hill’s business district. The words on the base of this sign read “neighborly” and “diverse.” After our run, I couldn’t disagree with either description.

The business district features an ArtWorks mural. I was puzzled by this one. It’s entitled “A Perfect Day in College Hill” and features random objects.

We continued along the business district until we were retracing our steps down the hill. Now, the uphill battle that we had fought earlier was a relaxing downhill leading us back to the car. Kayla even managed to leave me in the dust.

Route #7: College Hill

We’ll start this Saturday's run at Bethlehem Temple Learning Center on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Rockford Place. We’ll run up Hamilton and pass LaBoiteaux Woods on the left (there is going to be an Underground Railroad trail tour at LaBoiteaux on Sunday and I would love to go if I can get my chores done!).

From there we’ll veer off onto Ridge Drive to look at the Twin Towers Retirement Community, which was built in 1908 as the Methodist Home for the Aged.

On Belmont, we need to take a quick detour on Pasadena on our right to check out the Old College Hill Post Office, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite extensive research (20 minutes on Google) I could not determine why this structure is on the National Register. I did see that it was sold to a private owner in July of last year for the whooping sum of $4000.

Once we’re back on Belmont we’ll pass Aiken College and Career High School and then the College Hill Town Hall, which is a Samuel Hannford building and also listed on the National Register.

Belmont is also the location of Laurel Court, a Gilded Age mansion, built by Peter G. Thompson in 1907. Thompson was the founder of Champion Paper Company, of Hamilton, Ohio. The Champion Paper Company was a looming figure from my childhood—an immense factory on the river. The layoffs that hit the company in the 1990s marked my first personal awareness of a changing economy. Every once in a while I’ll have a dream of being lost in an industrial maze and I know that the images my unconscious draws from have their roots in the Champion Factory on North B Street.

(Hamilton's Champion Paper Factory)

On our tour, we’ll also spend lots of time on Hamilton Avenue and North Bend, which are the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares. Not having spent much time in College Hill, this will be a good chance to see what businesses and restaurants might draw us back.

For a clickable map with mile markers, visit my saved route on USA Track and Field.


-Kayla

Clifton

February 2, 2013. 30 degrees, light snow falling, three inches on the ground.

Everything about our Clifton run today was beautiful: the homes, the trees, the shops, the snow. We started out on the edge of Burnet Woods, which was blocked with barricades—perhaps in an attempt to deter the sled riders?

First, we ran through the residential blocks behind the business district: big, unique homes on perfect-sized lots.

We ran up Middleton, which is a wide thoroughfare with little traffic. The sidewalks were a bit treacherous (and I was feeling a bit hesitant after last week’s fall) so we ran in the street.

Middleton took us to Lafayette, and from there we veered off onto North Cliff. We stopped at the Probasco mansion, where I felt the pangs of my distant relative’s lost fortune:

Back on Lafayette, we took a detour onto Windings, which is a new subdivision of cookie-cutter duplexes leading to a hundred-year old castle that has been converted into condominiums. The juxtaposition of old and new is striking and we would have taken a photo if not for the “No Trespassing, Residents Only” signs. We didn’t want to press our luck.

Lafayette leads to Mt. Storm park, which has a phenomenal view of the Mill Creek Valley and a gazebo called “The Temple of Love.” Unfortunately, this was as close as we could get:

Lafayette winds down to Ludlow on a narrow road through the woods. The lack of sidewalks made me feel a bit uncomfortable and I was unnerved to learn that Donnie includes this stretch on his regular runs through Clifton. Too dangerous!

Next, we had the daunting task of running up Ludlow. Look, we live in Mt. Lookout—hills on a run are unavoidable. But this. Was like. None other.

I briefly considered admitting defeat and WALKING to the top, but the gorgeous homes offered a bit of a distraction from the pain:

And we stopped for just a moment to admire the cemetery under fresh snow:

And for me to check my email (and catch my breath):

I pulled it together and made it up the hill to the business district. Obligatory photo ops in front of a few old favorites:

For the record, I've never been to J. Gumbo's, I was trying to get a shot of Skyline.

On Clifton Avenue, we ran into Suzy, Luna, and Bruno.

Suzy had originally planned to run the Clifton route with us but said that her shins hurt from last night’s dinner/dance party.

(Recapping said dance party.)

After chatting with Suzy, we ran up to the Clifton Cultural Arts Center and the Fairview German Language School. I imagine someday I might be camping out overnight to make sure little Cash Leroy Warner gets a spot here. Here is some foreshadowing:

Next we ran by the Unitarian Universalist church that Donnie and I attended for five weeks last winter. The space is breathtaking and we might have continued to go if not for the flu-season hand-holding.

I didn’t realize it until today, but the architecture of the Unitarian church echoes the Church of the Annunciation just around the corner:

And close by is the Islamic mosque:

Clifton has been my favorite run to date. When we first moved to Cincinnati in 2007 we had considered renting the second floor of this little house off Ludlow:

Now I know that if we ever do move to Clifton (it’s on the short list) the running routes are as picturesque as the housing options.

Before I sign off, I want to point out that turquoise running top I’m wearing in these photos is brand new and was a birthday gift from Don and Janet!

Yes, the box that it came in did say very clearly, “Do not open until birthday.” And no, I haven’t had my birthday yet. When Janet texted Donnie to ask if I had opened it anyway, Donnie replied, “Do you know Kay Kay?”

-Kay Kay

Route #6: Clifton

View Run 52: Clifton in a larger map

Kayla and I have spent a lot of time in Clifton. Clifton is where Kayla, as a highschooler, came to see the Rocky Horror picture show on the weekends. Clifton is where I came as a highschooler to see if I wanted to go to UC (little did I know it was only a matter of time). And, now that we’ve been here a few years, Clifton is where we go to see movies, eat Indian food, and go for a run.

So what’s left to see in a neighborhood that we know so well? Well, we’re going to start from Burnet Woods, which is an expansive park that borders the University of Cincinnati. Truthfully, we don’t come to Burnet Woods often enough. Considering its size and beauty, it will make for a great starting/finishing line.

From Burnet Woods we’ll head down Clifton and turn onto Terrace. This will be some familiar territory: Clifton is often on our short list of places to move.

We’ll cross Ludlow and head up Middleton Ave the gateway to Clifton’s mansion district. Somewhere along Middleton--I can’t remember where--we will see my favorite home in the city, a beige Mid Century Modern.

The highlight of our run will be Oakwood. Oakwood is the Probasco family mansion. Who are the Probasco’s you ask? Well, Henry Probasco was Kayla’s distant relative, who was a successful inventor (he also donated the fountain in Fountain Square to honor of his friend Tyler Davidson). After asking to inspect the deed, we will linger in front of Oakwood for a while before going on our way.

Lafayette will lead us into Mt. Storm Park which is another awesome Cincinnati park.

An interesting stop enroute to the park will be the condo complex at the end of Windings Lane. Neff’s Castle has been everything from a Pork Baron’s home to a parochial school to a SWAT team training ground.

We’ll eventually come out onto Ludlow and run by some of our favorite places: (1) Esquire Theater, (2) Graeter’s, and (3) Ambar. Ludlow has some real spirit, which makes it a great street to run down at any time of the day. We will also pass the sight for the new Gaslight Grocery, which is going to replace the longstanding, but recently defunct, IGA.

Finally, I’ve included a loop that includes: Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Islamic Association of Cincinnati, Fairview German Language School, and St. John’s Unitarian Church. From there we will climb Clifton (because every Clifton run must end up a massive hill) and return to Burnet Woods.