Over the Rhine and Washington Park

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Over-the-Rhine, is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was there a few days ago taking photos and after researching the web, discovered that it is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States.It also contains the largest collection of Italianate architecture in the United States. According to Wikipedia, “its architectural significance has been compared to the French Quarter in New Orleans, the historic districts of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina, and Greenwich Village in New York City.” I didn’t take a ton of photos of the architecture because I was mainly on the hunt for Street Art…which I posted about yesterday.

Up until about six years ago, Over-the-Rhine used to be one of the most dangerous and poorest places in the United States. But, with a heavy police presence and redevelopment, it is now one of the most promising in the nation!

Over-the-Rhine was included in the 2008 book, Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear.

I like being able to see the windows at the back of this empty space through the front windows…

Red on Red!

This is Music Hall from two different perspectives…

Taken from within Washington Park…which is across from Music Hall.

I was glad it was an overcast day. The colors seemed to pop more!

The following photo is not considered Over the Rhine (just Downtown), but I like that the buildings have vines growing on them…

It’s nice to learn about places…especially when they’re in your own backyard!

Tower Ghost Sign in Over-the-Rhine (visualingual.wordpress.com)
Survey: Views on downtown, OTR improve (wcpo.com)
New brewrey to open in Over-the-Rhine (wcpo.com)
Taste of Belgium (sparklesense.wordpress.com)
Survey: Downtown & Over The Rhine Much Safer Than Before (thebuzzcincy.com)
Cincinnati streetcar project delayed again (wlwt.com)

Cincinnati Street Art

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Cincinnati Street Art is amazing! Having viewed Street Art in quite a few Cities recently, I realize that our City is very artistic. I now have a drop down category on my blog entitled “Tourist in my City” because I … Continue reading →

There’s more to Fort Myers, Florida than Beaches

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Travel Spirit

If you’re like me…when you think of certain places like Fort Myers, Florida…you think “Beaches”! After walking around Downtown Fort Myers and their “River District”, I discovered a new layer of personality! Within a few blocks, they’ve packed in Restaurants, Bars, cool architecture, and much more!

I dropped my husband off at the airport yesterday to fly back to Cincinnati. Tonight, I pick my girlfriend “Sherry” up from the airport and she’ll stay for 5 days. We want to go out dancing, so I researched some of the options and one of them was the Red Rock Saloon.

Being that it was a Thursday afternoon…there were only two people inside. They have some great happy hour specials and live music!

I love this wall inside the bar…

The Cigar Bar is well known in town…

Not only do I love reflection shots…barbershops have made the list!

I “heart” Architecture…

The River District is just off of the water…

I keep forgetting it’s almost December!

Cool shop/deli…

I LOVE the colors in Florida!

Even the Administration Building is interesting!!

If you ever visit Fort Myers, I recommend you visit the River District!!

26th Annual American Sand Sculpting Championship at Fort Myers Beach (chiefwritingwolf.com)
Fort Myers Vacations (orbitz.com)
The Helios Realty Group Launches New Comprehensive SouthwestFloridaLifestyle.Com Website (naplesnews.com)
Fort Myers Wedding Photo Redo from Hunter Ryan Photo (stylemepretty.com)

Clearwater, Florida with Zully

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Travel Spirit

One of the many fun aspects of blogging is to get to meet–in person–fellow bloggers that you’ve known through their blogs! I was anxious to meet Zully (rhymes with Julie) from the Spiritual World Traveler, so I left my VRBO condo in the Panhandle of Florida two days early and drove the 7 hours to Zully’s condo, where I would be staying for a few days, before continuing my trip down to the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area. We talked late into the night and I slept great in her extra bedroom (loved the down comforter)! She has frequent guests. I can see why–she’s so friendly and makes everyone feel so welcome! The following day we went exploring.

First, we stopped at one of her favorite restaurants, The Ohana Cafe, and had an early lunch (since we skipped breakfast). They offer fresh, delicious organic–vegetarian food and the staff and owner are so friendly! I had a veggie burger.

This is the lovely Zully. It was a bit chilly so she had a colorful scarf wrapped around her…

Next, we drove downtown, parked and began walking. Although Zully has lived here for over two years, she is still exploring the area and this was a new experience for her also. We passed by this cute miniature park that was built by the committee, Citizens for a better Clearwater“, in working towards bettering downtown Clearwater.

The Street Art in Downtown Clearwater is beautiful!

We passed by this cute outdoor Cafe…

I love palm trees and office buildings. An odd combo…

More Street Art…

The Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church is beautiful…

Our final destination for the day…Clearwater Beach! Zully informed me that the busy season for the Tampa area beaches is beginning now. It was picture perfect with the beautiful white sand!

We walked along Pier 60, where every night you’ll find live music, street performers, and festivities!

We took a stroll where the touristy shops were. This Hooters bicycle of course, would have huge tires!

This “Jaws” boat was cool!

We drove back home and I made a trip to the grocery for fresh produce for salads, berries for homemade smoothies, and eggs and freshly baked bread for breakfast! Next on the agenda is exploring some of the small towns in the area!

2013 Hooters Calender now on sale (clearwater.wtsp.com)
Zully’s Petals (spiritualworldtravelerblog.com)
Itinerary for USA Road Trip (travelspirit333.wordpress.com)
Guest Post! (300dayjourney.wordpress.com)
Clearwater Vacations (orbitz.com)

It just keeps gettin’ better!

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Travel Spirit

It’s so much fun to find new ways of looking at things. I saw a spine…so I got down to take a photo!

These amazing homes are on a beach called Alys Beach. They’re right next to Seacrest and Rosemary Beaches, within walking distance.

I would call this palatial!

Wow!

Wow….again!

It seems the more photographs I take, interesting scenes pop out. Almost like I was blind before and now I can see!

He waved at me!!

Someone’s home…

This is one good reason not to have a place right on the beach! You can take photos of the people in front of you! Tomorrow is another full day…see you then!

Savannah in a Day

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Travel Spirit

I left Alexa’s (my Couchsurfing host) at 7am to drive the 2 1/2 hours from Charleston, S.C. to Savannah, Georgia. I parked at the Visitors’ Center (it’s free for the first hour and only $1 for each additional hour), spoke with a very nice lady about Savannah and started walking on my self-guided tour. Before arriving, I was wondering how it would compare to Charleston. Both are walking cities…if you don’t mind walking for a few hours.

This is the first photo I took at the Savannah College of Art and Design. They own over 80 buildings in Savannah!

I walked about a mile down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. to the Savannah River and turned right. There are restaurants and shops lining the River and it extends about 10 blocks.

The weather started out in the 50’s and cloudy, but warmed up to the 60’s with some sun. You can see the river in this shot…

This is the WWII Monument, “A World Apart“, symbolizing a world divided by war.

The steel globe is overlaid with bronze oceans and copper continents. The pathway lists the 527 Chatham County residents killed during the war.

This is the Waving Girl Monument…

I couldn’t resist asking if I could take a photo of the barbershop…(they looked at me oddly)!

A puddle of water…:)

Savannah has a variety of types of architecture. In comparison to Charleston, the City seemed a bit run down, but still beautiful! Historic Downtown Savannah has 22 beautiful squares with a statue or fountain and benches for sitting.

The Cathedral of St. John is massive and spectacular! I’m not posting a photo because it’s difficult to take a photo to do it justice! There are quite a few Churches in Savannah, but I’ll just post this one…

The Oak trees with the Spanish Moss hanging down are beautiful and are everywhere!

This stairwell caught my eye…

I drove to the home of my Couchsurfing host–Sonya, her husband Graham, and 16 yr. old son–Val. Sonya is from Bulgaria and full of life! We spent a couple of hours looking at her photos from Bulgaria and Belgium. She was in the Bulgarian Army for 17 years and has only been in Savannah for two months. Her husband is still in the Army and is leaving for Afghanistan after Thanksgiving. I was in the Army years ago…so we all have something is common!

She made Chicken and stuffing for dinner. Tomorrow Sonya and I are going to Tybee Island and she made a reservation for all of us to go on a carriage ride in Downtown Savannah in the evening!

See you then!

Howdy from Old Savannah! (lawprofessors.typepad.com)
A tale of two cities: Savannah and Charleston (nj.com)
Savannah again ranks among top travel destinations (savannahnow.com)
SCLC Holds Emergency Meeting to Address Concerns about Ongoing Violence in Savannah (wsav.com)

I Love Charleston

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Travel Spirit

This morning I left Alexa’s home early…about 6:30am and headed to Starbucks, where I savored a Tall Caramel Brule, while checking my e-mails and preparing a blog post. I turned around and asked a man seated behind me a question about Charleston and we talked for a few minutes. He was originally from Cincinnati. The odd thing was that the day before, while sitting in traffic, with my window down, a man next to me in a vehicle asked if I was from Cincinnati. He could tell from my plates. Anyway…he said he used to live in West Chester (a suburb of Cincinnati) and moved to Charleston four years ago for work. I asked if he liked it here and he said yes, especially the weather, but he missed Cincinnati sometimes. What’s that saying…”It’s a small world”.

My next stop was the Isle of Palms beach…so I could take photos of the sunrise. It was less than 10 minutes away, but I had to rush to make it. I pulled into a public parking lot and ran through a condo complex to the beach. There was a gate and a code was required. The sun was beginning to rise as I scanned from side to side, wondering how to get to the beach. I entertained the thought of climbing over the gate, or going through the dunes and jumping a fence, but my common sense took over. I ran back the way I came and saw a sign that said “Public Access to beach”! I ran down the path just in time for this…

After taking two photos, my SD card said “Full”! Frantically I began looking through the photos from my trip to Africa back in May/June and deleted some of them. (They’re already loaded onto my computer, but I like to have a backup). Then I was able to take a few more. Here’s one of them…

Driving across a bridge I had to stop to take a photo…

I parked along the Waterfront and started walking…

There were people scattered around the Downtown area painting…

A cool cat must live here…

The devil’s in the detail…

I think everyone loves cobblestones!

I enjoy stark–contrasting–colorful photos!

I’ve never taken a photo quite like this…I like it!

After walking for a few hours…I made my way back to the car and took a final parting shot…

It was lunch time so I drove to a recommended restaurant named “Taco Boy” and sat outside sipping a margarita and eating fish tacos! I had driven across the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge coming from Downtown Charleston going to Mt. Pleasant (where Alexa lives) and wanted to take a photo…so I found a spot and used my zoom lens.

And this photo…

Later that evening, Alexa and I went out to eat at a restaurant called “Rita’s” at Folly Beach. I had Shrimp and Flounder with Grits…yum yum! Then…we went to a Couchsurfing event at someone’s house. It was mostly 20 somethings. Someone even called me “Mam”! There was a fire pit out back and we stayed for about an hour.

Join me for my last day in Charleston tomorrow before driving to Savannah!

Charleston, South Carolina is No. 4 on TripAdvisor’s Top Ten Food and Wine Destinations and on the Rise for Food Lovers (prweb.com)
Charleston has No. 2 downtown in U.S. (charlestoncitypaper.com)
Torn between a rural, suburban or urban campus setting? Consider College of Charleston (myiesolutions.wordpress.com)

Charleston at first glance

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Travel Spirit

I arrived in Charleston from Asheville, N.C. shortly after noon on November 2nd and stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up maps and information. Finding a reasonably priced place to park can be a challenge. Luckily, Alexa, the Couchsurfing girl I’m staying with told me about free parking at the Battery, located right on the waterfront. I began walking from there and was so excited to begin exploring all of the beautiful architecture and landscaping!

Here are some of the treasures I found…

Paths are so intriguing…you never know where they’ll lead…similar to life!

I absolutely LOVE all of the pink hues in Charleston…

This photo is interesting to me because it’s a building with dead vines, a lit lamp, a reflection in the window and in the background to the left…a tree!

The gray, white, and black make a nice combo…

There were lots of large homes to take photos of…but more often than not…I was drawn to other buildings…

The Crape (or Crepe) Myrtle tree is found everywhere in Charleston. They remind me of camouflage!

If you haven’t figured it out yet…I really like vines growing on buildings!

I love this outdoor lamp!

As I was walking along, a man in a suit saw my camera and commented that there was a lot to photograph in Charleston. I agreed with him and asked if he was in real estate. He said no, I’m an Attorney, but please don’t hold it against me. He sounded just like Forest Gump. When I showed him my walking tour and my next stop, he said he could walk with me part of the way, to show me where it was. Like they say, people in the South are extra friendly!

I believe this first church is St. Philip’s Church…it had a nice cemetery! Charleston is known as the “Holy City” because there are so many churches. I’m told by Alexa that there are no buildings in Historic Downtown Charleston that are taller than the church spires, by City ordinance!

I had a self-guided walking tour map with me, but mainly referred to it for directions. I’m not a big history buff, so for me it was more about taking photographs.

Alexa wasn’t getting home from her 2nd job as a dance instructor until 9pm, but I headed to her place to go through my photos, eat some soup for an early dinner and rest. The combination of driving, walking a lot, and sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings contributed to me feeling tired!

I’ll be taking another long hike through the streets of Charleston tomorrow…see you then!

Itinerary for USA Road Trip (travelspirit333.wordpress.com)
Day 2 – Charleston, SC (ppazucha.wordpress.com)
When Do Flowers Bloom in Charleston, SC? (proflowers.com)
Charleston has No. 2 downtown in U.S. (charlestoncitypaper.com)

Historic Grove Park Inn

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Travel Spirit

Karen…the lady I was Couchsurfing with…recommended visiting the Grove Park Inn. I’m glad I did! It reminds me of one that I saw at Glacier National Park in Montana.