around town: kid-friendly Cincinnati

I used to write occasional "around town" posts of our adventures (and eats!) around Cincinnati, which I've certainly been missing after moving away a year ago. But our recent family mini-vacation there gave me the opportunity to bring back this series, this time with a kid-friendly twist, since all of our outings were geared that way (fun, but meant no dining at Boca...).

Some fun Cincinnati things to do with kids in tow:

Reds game: we actually picked that particular weekend to visit Cincinnati because the Cubs were in town - so we really called it "going to a Cubs game", but either way, fun. This stadium is good for bringing kids because there's plenty of room to roam behind the stands (including a kids play zone, actually), and you can get tickets that aren't too expensive. Also you can bring in your own snacks! Hendrik's attention didn't last terribly long - good thing I had some stickers in my purse as well...

Cincinnati Zoo: despite the recent uproar over that kid falling into the gorilla enclosure debacle, this is a great zoo. Gorgeous flowers in the spring, great Christmas light displays in the winter, and year-round good animal sightings plus a train (major hit with the toddlers).We especially like how up close you can get to the giraffes.

Children's Museum: so much to do for a range of ages - there's a baby area that we visited with Hendrik before we moved, but it was even more fun to come back at this age, so he could do all. the. things: mini town (including grocery store, vet's office, diner, auto shop, etc.), train tables, ball fun zone, pretend forest climbing area, construction zone with crane. A little pricey maybe, but you can spend a long time there.

Greater's: pretty much my favorite ice cream ever, so you know I had to make a trip while we were in town - and since it was a special vacation weekend, we decided ice cream would be acceptable for lunch. Hendrik's mind = blown.

Eli's BBQ: a great option for dining out with kids, as it's an outdoor picnic table, BYOB kind of place. And the BBQ is awesome. We met up with a whole bunch of friends there, and the kids could run around and play while we waited for the food (and while we spent a long time catching up after).

Besides a trip to Ikea (to buy the play kitchen, but also plenty for kids to do/eat around there!) and brunch at Green Dog Cafe, this is what we managed to cram into our weekend, but there are lots of other things for families too: a bunch of great parks (especially Washington Square Park in the summer), Newport Aquarium, King's Island amusement park, Ozo Play Cafe, King Arthur's Toy Store in Oakley, and more.

All of these fun family activities got me ready to hunt down the great ones in our current town... so far we've visited the big apple orchard and done the downtown fall festival. What fun things do you do with kids in your town?

around town lately: Cincinnati last hurrahs

I still have to remind myself sometimes, much as I like our new place and am having fun exploring our new neighborhood, that oh, actually I'm not going back to Cincinnati. Which is a little sad, so it's a good thing we lived it up in our last couple of weeks there. Thanks to Peter's parents watching Hendrik, we got to have a kid-free staycation just before the move and were all over town having fun - here's a look at our Cincinnati last hurrahs:

Senate: we finally tried Senate for the first time. Peter had pooh-poohed the idea for years because he just couldn't imagine that he'd be all that excited by a hot dog as the main menu item. And he was happily proved wrong, because we most definitely got excited about this Korean-inspired dog with kimchi, braised bbq, and pickled cucumbers. And then we were sad because we wanted to try one of everything else (like the Lindsay Lohan dog with, goat cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, arugula, balsamic and "tons of drama"), but this was just a quick appetizer stop. Definitely try Senate if you're in Cincinnati and haven't yet!

Boca: I know I have raved about our favorite Cincinnati restaurant way too many times already, but my latest birthday dinner there was probably our most fun yet. We sat at the counter overlooking the kitchen and just geeked out. We loved watching the chefs at work and getting to chat with a few of them when they had a little down time. As always, the food was crazy good - I always get the cod or the branzino, but I love how every time it feels like a whole new thing. The summer menu version of branzino with quinoa "succotash", pickled shallot, and lobster vindaloo sauce was my favorite yet. And I thought the Boca candy bar for dessert on our last visit was about the best thing ever, until we experienced the "Araguani Chocolate: Seven Compositions": short dough, hazelnut feuilletine, crémeux, imperial mousse, warm ganache, gelato, wafer. On top of all of that, the service was amazing as usual. I had mentioned it was our last visit before the move, and in addition to bringing us little tasting portions on the house (which may have been because our entrees were taking so long, but we didn't mind in the least!), they gave us two pints of Graeter's ice cream as we left, to take a little taste of Cincinnati with us for our move.

Elm and Iron: this new home decor/furniture shop in Over-the-Rhine is so fun to walk through because there's so much to look at. The displays are all gorgeous, and I just loved the mix of vintage and vintage-inspired items. Once we're a little more settled with our new house decor, I'd love to get back there and pick out a couple of unique items - wouldn't that be a great way to bring a little of Cincinnati to our new place? (A little longer lasting than the pints of Graeter's, anyway.)

21c Museum Hotel: when this hotel opened mid-way through our time in Cincinnati, I was kind of disappointed because a "museum hotel" sounded so cool, but why would I ever stay in it, when I own a house in the city? But then Peter's graduation event downtown, after which we always go out with the other residents until really late, seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a room. We hung out at the Metropole bar with everyone to celebrate and then went upstairs and crashed into bed. In the morning we got to sleep in (thanks, grandparents!) and then appreciate the cool modern room, the art gallery in the reception area and main floor, and breakfast at Metropole. Great hotel if you're looking for somewhere cool to stay in Cincinnati.

La Petite Pierre: when we first moved to the area, this little French bistro just a short walk from our house was rarely open since the owners were mostly focused on catering. In more recent months they've started opening for dinner and lunch more often, but it's not exactly the place to bring a toddler, and we just hadn't gotten around to trying it, great as the menu looked, on our date nights - except for our excellent at-home date nights with their "fill the pot" takeout (highly recommend). In our last hurrah kid-free weekend we finally had the chance to walk over for brunch and it was SO good. Roasted apple french toast made from seared challah with roasted apples and caramel creme anglaise...need I say more? Cincinnati people, add this to your brunch list - it's an adorable little place with delicious food (and mimosas!); also, tthey take reservations, but it really wasn't that busy at all, which is such a treat compared to the usual brunch wait!

King's Island: just north of Cincinnati is King's Island amusement park, which to be honest hadn't really occurred to me to visit, not having been to an amusement park for like 13 years, but when we had a whole kid-free week, we decided to be crazy kids ourselves and spend a day there. And we seriously had so much fun. We've been dating/married for almost half our lives by now, and riding roller coasters is something we've never done together before. Peter got to see a whole other side of me and my coaster expertise (such as my advice that riding in the front car is way more fun - he totally agreed). Going on a Monday was a great idea as there were hardly any lines - at the beginning of the day we went on the biggest coasters, The Beast and Diamondback, 3x in a row and 4x in a row, respectively, and we basically just walked right back on. I have to admit that did make me feel my age though as I could hardly walk in a straight line after that...

Revolution: I loved the idea of this restaurant and all its dishes made from rotisserie chicken, especially the "chitas" (chicken pitas) but we weren't blown away (should have stayed at Senate for more hot dogs!). I had the George Washington, an open-face pita with chicken, arugula, feta, cucumber, tomato, & tzatziki. All great ingredients, but the pita bread was rather disappointing and I left most of it behind. Peter had the mashed potato bowl with chicken, gravy, scallions, & bacon, which was good but nothing special. A little off the beaten path in Over-the-Rhine, though, it was refreshingly not crowded, the service was good, and it was fairly inexpensive- trying a salad version of my pita would be worth it, which the waitress recommended to me after the meal.

Hyde Park Blast and Madeira Criterium: my friends have talked up the Blast for years, but I was always away on my summer work trip during it, so I wasn't able to check it out until our very last weekend in Cincinnati, but I'm glad we did, because we really did have a blast. I ran the 4-mile race in the morning (though slowly-ish, since I'm injured again, boo), which was a fun - though hilly! - course, and then we came back later in the day to watch the main event: the cycling races. We had a friend in one of the amateur races, which was fun, but then we really had a great time watching the elite race at night. These guys do the 1-mile loop around Hyde Park for about an hour and a half, and you wouldn't believe how fast they go. Like enough to make a major breeze every time they go by you. The next day, our own area of town (Madeira) has a 5k run in the morning followed by cycling, so we ran in the morning, had our lovely brunch at La Petite Pierre, and then walked over to see some more races. Lots of fun.

moving week: Jamie's Cincinnati apartment

As with most of my Cincinnati blog buddies, I have no recollection of how I first came across Jamie's blog, but also as with the rest, as soon as I spotted she was from the area, I had to follow - and not just for her amazing recommendations of places to go/things to see around the city. She also has a major cool factor: artsy photos, excellent thrift finds/tips (and an online second-hand shop!), and even a stint working for the City Flea. And most fun of all for me in reading her blog, she has the coolest apartment - enjoy this tour, along with some really great thrifting/collecting tips for decorating on a budget!

it's always flattering and a little crazy when ladies reach out to me about my apartment and how i style it. admittedly, i have no idea what i'm doing when it comes to decorating this place and i don't have the means to do everything maybe some people would like. but what i've learned after living on my own for 6 years is that even someone on a very strict budget can have a living space worth looking at. my lady friend Anne invited me over to her little corner of the internet to share some photos of my apartment, a few of my do's and don't for decorating, and how to make a space look great and still afford to pay your rent on time (priorities, ya know) so here's a quick look at my obnoxiously bright, nonsense apartment that somehow works for me! 

my biggest DO when it comes to decorating is: Do splurge on things you're going to keep for a while. generally speaking this will be bigger pieces like couches, dining tables and entertainment centers. this couch was the most expensive thing in my apartment at $2000 but it seemed like a couch was a good place to spend the money. also, it is one of maybe 5 things in my living room that weren't found in thrift stores, flea markets, my neighbor's garbage cans or craigslist.  i figured i would sit on it everyday, it's extremely neutral in color so it will match whatever i put around it and it's going to be living with me for a while. plus, i love this couch, as all of the cushion covers come off and can be thrown in my washer and dryer. and being that the whole thing is white, a cap full of bleach in the wash load makes for an even brighter couch. i mean, if a smoker that spills everything is telling you she owns a white couch, it's probably something you should look into.  plus, sectionals are great since i've moved this things around 37 different ways over the years. so, spend your money where you'll be seeing it for a while. don't waste it on your throw pillows.

along this wall where my fireplace now sits i use to have this dresser. my cousin found it at a thrift store for $3 and it's obviously the best thrift find to date. i've since moved it to my bedroom but the point is, look for furniture everywhere. people get rid of things all the time and while maybe someone didn't feel like loving that perfect mid century modern peg leg dresser anymore, all i could think was COME TO MAMA! while loading it up in my truck last year. That being said, one of my biggest DON'TS when decorating: DON'T waste your time in the retail stores. I'm watching so many of my friends start decorating their first homes and I wish they would let me do the work for them. I loathe Pottery Barns and West Elms because they mass produce items that are meant to look one of a kind. While I find trunks at flea markets for $40, Crate and Barrel is selling them for $800. and it's the same one your neighbor probably owns, too. be original, people. don't be afraid to flea. 

anytime i venture out of my own apartment into someone else's, which is rare (i'm practically a hermit) i like to look around at how they decorate their space. one time, a few years ago i locked myself out of my apartment and my neighbor upstairs let me come up and sit on his couch while i waited for my roommate to get home. i had never been in his apartment before and was sooo stoked to learn that the guy had good taste. lots of fun artwork on the wall and cool books and plenty of things to catch your eye. most anyone that comes to my apartment says the same thing. it's hard to run out of weird stuff to look at. i've never had a minimalistic approach on decorate and probably never will. 

this old dresser is such an eye sore. it's bright yellow and old and was given to me when i moved in here but it gets the job done as a wet bar. i keep a few bottles of liquor out here and a few silly books, like the history of whiskey and one book entitled "it's just a plant" that teaches kids about how pot is your friend. obviously, i don't have kids because i find the book to be hilarious. the point is: be weird! people love weird! like how i keep my perfume bottle next to my hendricks gin. whatevs.

a fireplace was something i always wanted in this apartment, but i look around at my high ceilings and exposed brick and i consider myself lucky and try not to complain. one of my bar regulars at work gave me this mantel in exchange for patching some holes in a few pairs of his jeans (no. seriously.) and it was the best trade ever. i love a good fireplace mantel and this one came out of an old barn somewhere. i find white and cream candles at the thrift store every time i go and just keep filing it. i stack 50 cent books and filled a basket with thrifted blankets. all together i would say that mantel cost about $40 to decorate. Well, i take that back. i did buy my "nuns in bumper cars" print RETAIL years ago because… i mean… it's nuns in bumper cars. how am i going to NOT have a print in my apartment of nuns playing bumper cars? money well spent. 

above my mantel is a $5 brochure unfolded that shows all of the haunted locations in ohio. i love when people come over and they just stare at it for a few minutes. it's neat. plus, we're in Cincinnati, the lowest left corner, so it's fun to see places around us. i also keep my sage stick, a few copper pots and a squirrel skull in a glass globe on my mantel. because i'm a grown up and i can do whatever i want! 

my newspaper clipping hangs proudly by my bathroom door and shows my dad, at 20 years young, working with my grandpa at our family's automotive shop. it's dating at the top from 1984! he was and still is a stud and i'm proud to keep this thing safe and sound hanging in my home. there's another DO for ya: personal touches, like family photographs or memorabilia will go a long way. finding other people's history at thrift stores is amazing but having some of your own is such a treat, too. 

plants. i can't say enough about having a few houseplants around. a girlfriend of mine came over a few months back and told me in the nicest way possible that my home needed some plant life and oh my god was she right. i'm obsessed now. i buy them cheap and find the pots and bowls at thrift shops. seeing green just makes me feel better and having them all clumped up together by my front windows and on my trunk looks good to me. invest in plants that are forgiving. snake plants are a fan favorite right now, as they need to be watered only weekly, they're cheap and tall and gorgeous. cacti and succulents are also great for my fellow black thumbs out there. keep it fun and interesting with weird bowls and baskets to keep your plants in. 

my "dining room" (is it a room if there are no walls?) leaves much to be desired. i long for a big, fantastic reclaimed wood dining table but haven't found THEE one, yet. she's out there. i just know it. DON'T number 2: DON'T rush. please don't be that girl that goes to ikea and grabs the first $200 dining room tables she's sees…. BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID. why am i yelling? sorry. i get carried away. i haaate this dining room table but considering it's covered in paint stains and scratches, maybe it's best for right now. save your money and invest in those big pieces that you will love forever. 

DO: trust craigslist. i have always had a love for oriental, persian, expensive as hell RUGS. but with a small budget and two insane pets and a habit for walking around my house in my shoes, i don't trust myself to not ruin one. i head straight to craigslist in times like these. when i have $100 max to spend but i know there's a 10 foot by 8 foot beauty out there that i can snag up real quick. this rug isn't perfect by any means and probably not what i would pick if i had thousands to spare, but it's beautiful and once it's covered with my awful ikea table and my fabulous Herman Miller chairs, it doesn't look half bad. 

Oh, there's something, too. DO show off your collections. I collect chairs. vintage, weird, crazy chairs. hell, i like chairs more than i like any of the people that sit in them. but there are 6 chairs at my dining room table- all different from each other and all fun and all wound up in my house by some weird way or another. 

more of my plants, because they're my most healthy relationship to date and they're purrrrdy! also, that trunk? thats' the $40 one i was telling you about. eat your heart out, restoration hardware! that thing was from a craiglist purchase 7 years ago and holds all of my christmas decorations. 

my mock eames chair was a christmas gift to myself years ago (because i was a good girl, obviously) and the sheep skin throw was a lucky craigslist find purchased off of some poor girl that didn't know what she was giving up. the records all come from thrift stores and i won't pay more than $2 for 1. that big gold thing up there was a gift from my step mom and it's so my style, it's not even funny. completely made out of plaster, it shows all of the astrological signs. go, stepmom, go! 

so there's a little look at the living room of my apartment. and here's a recap: i'm broke. i don't have expendable cash to spend on lamp fixtures and end tables. but what i do have is an eye to find fun, one of a kind pieces on the shelves of thrift stores and flea markets that look good. use your brain when it comes to decorating your space. don't let a retail store in the mall tell you how to make your home look good. don't be lazy. do be weird. find things that make you tilt your head one way in confusion and think to yourself "would that look cool in my house?" because your guests would probably tell you YES!

thanks again, Anne! and good luck with your new home adventures! 

moving week: Lauren's Cincinnati apartment

I met Lauren through her blog a few years ago, which happily led to some real-life meetups over glasses of wine with a fun and super stylish lady. While she (unfortunately) isn't blogging right now, you absolutely should check out her archives of great style advice, and luckily we can also keep up with her gorgeous home and personal style, along with fun Cincinnati activities, on Instagram. Lauren also posts the most positive and encouraging messages that show her lovely spirit, so she's one of my favorite people to follow. My request to Lauren to share her apartment was mostly selfish as I was absolutely dying to see the rest of it after a few great sneak peeks on her Instagram, but it's going to benefit all of you too - it is gorgeous. Enjoy this tour of an amazing Cincinnati home!

My boyfriend, Michael, and I moved into our downtown Cincinnati apartment about 6 months ago. Prior to us moving in together, I was living in a more suburban Cincinnati neighborhood (Hyde Park for locals), and Michael was living in a small neighborhood, Mt. Adams, which is closer to the city but still more of a neighborhood feel than downtown. We had been spending most of our free time downtown, so when the time came to move in together, we knew we wanted to look for a place in the city. After looking, half-heartedly, for a month or so, I stumbled upon a Craigslist ad with great descriptions of an apartment that was equally charming and updated. Without seeing pictures, we jumped at the chance to view the apartment right away and signed a lease the next morning. We love living in the central business district - we can walk to Reds games, we can walk to Washington Park and all of the best Over-the-Rhine restaurants, or hop on a red bike to go just about anywhere else in the city. It's also a little more calm and quiet in our corner of the city, which is perfect for those low key Friday nights when you want to go to bed at 9:30 PM.

Our building was built in 1891 and we love this apartment mostly for its historical details. Specifically, the original hardwood floors, and a 20 foot long brick wall that meets you when you walk into our front door. We also have incredibly high ceilings, original wood doors and window frames (though we could do without the old windows themselves). We felt that the apartment had a lot of character on its own, so we wanted to decorate in a manner that complemented the space. We both like a functional, yet clean decorating style, and so we carried that throughout the space.

Our landlord is awesome and let us pick out all of the paint colors for the apartment. Knowing we had a huge opportunity to make this apartment our own, we thought carefully about our choices, but knew we wanted to leave the office a bright white. We have a good mix of wood tones, patterns and colors throughout the room, so white felt best in order to not compete with everything else already going on in the room. We wanted the room to be a place where Michael could work and I could hang out while he was working, so the couch and desk combination works well for us.

We have a few unique items on display in the office, especially our favorite vintage orange Crosley radio. The namesake of the radio, Powel Crosley, Jr., was a very prominent figure in Cincinnati. One of his many claims to fame was creating affordable radios and creating the world's largest radio manufacturer in the 40's. Michael is a big Cincinnati history buff, so we wanted to have a piece of Cincinnati history for our home.

The biggest design challenge we faced when decorating the apartment was the 20+ foot long brick wall that connects the entry, office, and bedroom end of the apartment with the living room and kitchen. When we looked at the apartment, we both knew that if we ended up moving in, we'd make it an art gallery with unique and varying prints and photographs. We debated how to hang all of our art, with no real conclusions made, and then finally at 10 PM on the first Friday we lived in our apartment, we just went for it. Minimal measuring and forethought, but it turned out fantastic and we feel the art represents the two of us and our tastes both separately and together.

As far as good old George is concerned, we thought it was equally humorous and interesting to hang his photo as the capstone of the brick gallery, so we went with it.

The living room is an open, airy room with great light and huge windows. We decided against curtains after trying a few things out and hating all of it. The windows are too beautiful to hide. We went with the large sectional from Ikea, but had mid-century modern legs made by an Etsy seller in order to get a more custom look. I love the ornate fireplace, and played off the yellow in the tile by using a rug with yellow (as well as cream, blue and grey) tones. The space is a great place for lounging and I love that it is open to the kitchen.

Our kitchen is nothing to write home about, but one nice feature is that it flows right into the living room, which is good for entertaining. Funny story - the previous tenants beat the heck out of the stainless steel fridge and it looked awful when we moved in. Luckily, Michael knew we could sand and refinish the front of the fridge, and after an afternoon of work, we made it look as good as new.

Our bedroom is where we really took the risk with the paint. I bought the Michelle Armas abstract canvas when I was living in my previous apartment, and luckily Michael really liked it too, so we decided to use it as the basis for our bedroom design. Since the canvas is predominately dark, specifically navy, we decided on navy for our wall color. Navy also looks super sharp against the white trim of our windows and baseboards, and the bedroom is a good place to try out a dark color. Since the room gets so much light, it still feels bright during the day, but gets cave-like at night, which is perfect. The dresser is a refurb job by me, and it is my most treasured piece in the entire apartment. Love is not a word that adequately describes how I feel about it, especially when you factor in the original price of only $50 at Salvation Army and how it looks today.

Isn't their place gorgeous?! Such a beautiful canvas to work with, but Lauren and Michael made it even lovelier place with all their decor choices and personal details. And while I loved my area of town, I can't help but be super jealous of her ideal downtown location.