cincinnati imports

Pachinko = Success

2009-12-15T09:48:00.014-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out last night. It was so nice seeing those of you who frequent our events and those of you who were new! Here are a few pics I borrowed from Shannon. Thank you Cincinnati Women Bloggers for co-hosting and organizing.

awesome new-ish blog

2009-12-09T16:42:00.002-05:00

i just stumbled upon a really cool blog that i thought you guys would like. it's called cincinnati re-adventure, and it's about the adventures of a girl who has lived in cincinnati her whole life but is trying to rediscover it.

here is some info from her first post:

I am Erica Minton, and I am burnt-the-eff-out of Cincinnati.

Was. Was burnt-the-eff-out.

I'm 26 and I've lived here all of my life-- even college only took me as far as Miami University (<1hr away). I felt that I'd done it all, seen it all, eaten it all, met 'em all.

Of course that wasn't true. While I'm living in a suburb I've definitely outgrown, the moment I really tried to piece together a social life I was inundated with options and opportunities that I'd been blind to before.

So I'm re-adventuring Cincinnati. This is the blog where I'll share my rekindled love for the Queen City, Porkopolis, the home of the first baseball team and chili that ain't chili.

As they say, don't trash the 'Nati. ...At least not until you've given it a fair shake.

the writing is good and her adventures are interesting. i recommend that you check it out. and feel free to share in the comments your own cincinnati adventures that others might enjoy.

cincinnati imports/cincinnati women bloggers holiday happy hour

2009-12-01T15:52:00.002-05:00

it's time for our next event, just in time for the holidays! join us and our co-hosts cincinnati women bloggers for a night of fun and new friends at pachinko's on december 14:

Happy Holi-daze Happy Hour

Hosted by Cincinnati Women Bloggers & Cincinnati Imports

A holiday social (media) gathering

benefiting the Welcome House in Covington

Monday, December 14th

6:00-9:00 p.m.

Pachinko

424 W 6th St
Covington, KY 41011-1316

you must rsvp to this event! to do so, please click here and register for as many tickets as you like. it is free to get in, but we are requesting a $10 donation from each person to go to the welcome house in covington. in exchange for your donation, you will get drink tickets and snacks.

we hope to see you all there!

Guest Blog: Seven Ways to Remain in Cincinnati for 10+ Years

2009-11-01T11:25:00.001-05:00

My biggest goal when I moved to Cincinnati was to leave it as quickly as possible. That was in 1998.

I was so miserable living in Cincinnati that each time I drove into town—always on 71/75 North or 74 West—I cried at the sight of "Cincinnati" on the green signs.

Whenever I traveled to other cities or states, I'd apologize for being from Cincinnati, or say I was a rural Indiana girl. (Somehow that had more charm when people mistook me for a New Yorker.)

I blame this early behavior on 3 things:

1. When I brought an old flame to Cincinnati for a visit (of whom I was deeply enamored), he ripped the city to shreds as I showed him my favorite haunts.

2. I felt that Europe was superior to the United States, aka Continental superiority complex that afflicts recent college grads who tour Europe.

3. Native Cincinnatians' own self-loathing.

I couldn't put my finger on this third point until I started dating. Every native Cincinnatian I met, even though still living here, was desperate for the day when he'd leave.

Studies show that it's our relationships that contribute most to our happiness. (Read up on what makes us happy at the Brazen Careerist:
[http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/08/03/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-hint-your-sex-life-matters-more/])

Which leads me to my list of 7 ways to remain in Cincinnati for 10+ years:

*1. Be in a committed relationship with someone who can't leave Cincinnati. *A year after I arrived in the city, I was committed to someone working on a master's and then a PhD at UC. I stuck it out, thinking once he had finished school, we'd be free to leave.

*2. Find a job that's your passion.* When looking at your happiness, the two biggest factors are job AND relationships. If you go into work every morning for the paycheck alone, Cincinnati won't be enough to keep you here.

*3. Uncover the neighhorhood(s) you really connect with.* I first resided in Hyde Park/Oakley, like many newcomers. Then I spent a long time in Clifton due to the UC relationship. I did not like Clifton at all, and it only exacerbated my desire to leave.

In 2007, I moved to Northside, then later to Over the Rhine. I can't imagine leaving OTR for as long as I remain in Cincinnati. I treasure the weekend morning walk to Coffee Emporium, the Cincinnati skyline, the greasy napkins and chicken bones cradled curbside. I know the people, the establishments, and the best of the best. It contributes to a feeling of home.

*4. Travel often.* My job takes me to diverse places to speak and network. I also enjoy traveling around the world (see one of my daring excursion tales here: [http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2008/11/29/OnBeingOneOf100000PeopleStrandedInThailand.aspx]).

The more I wander away from home, the more I appreciate what Cincinnati has to offer, its cost of living, and its relaxed pace of life.

*5. Enjoy the arts.* I'm currently a Business on Board student, a Fine Arts Fund program that trains and places business people on arts boards. While I already knew that Cincinnati has a vibrant arts scene that far surpasses cities of similar size, I've learned additional statistics that make me proud to say I live here. (Did you know that Cincinnati ranks No. 1 in its number of community theatres in the United States?)

*6. Embrace the loving familiarity of staying put.* Indiana writer Scott Russell Sanders wrote about this phenomenon poetically in his book /Staying Put/. I can get nearly anywhere in greater Cincinnati without a map. I can detour with confidence. I know the exact location of new stores and restaurants because they're taking the place of old establishments I used to frequent. I understand the significance of annual events and what they'll be like (and if they're worth attending). I have deep relationships with the people here. I breathe with the City.

Then I travel to relieve boredom and remind me what I love about home.

*7. Realize others can take pleasure in being miserable no matter where they are. *You know who these people are. And if they drain your energy, it's time to find a new circle of friends. And Cincinnati Imports is here to help.

Jane Friedman is the publisher and editorial director of Writer's Digest (a division of F+W Media). She has a blog about authorship and the future of publishing at There Are No Rules [http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules], and you can find her lifestream at JaneFriedman.com [http://www.janefriedman.com]

thank you to the 5chw4r7z's - another successful event

2009-10-12T11:37:00.005-04:00

Thanks to everyone for coming out on Friday night! We saw both familiar and new faces and it was great that some of you who have been trying to come to our events finally made it out! Also, a big shout of to the 5chw4r7's for hosting and throwing an excellent bash on the tweetdeck! Check out some pics: http://5chw4r7z.blogspot.com/2009/10/cincinnati-imports-hosted-by-5chw4r7z.html

Cincinnati Splash Dance Surprise

2009-10-01T14:23:00.005-04:00

Has everyone seen this video? You might even recognize a few Cincinnati Imports if you look closely.

http://www.fineartsfund.org/blog/2009/09/surprise-splash-dance-video.html

Update: 5chw4r7z's deck party extravaganza

2009-09-30T20:55:00.001-04:00

Thanks to those of you who have RSVPed for 5chw4r7z's deck party, Friday October 9th. We look forward to seeing you all there. We have had such a great response but unfortunately, we are now capped out for the party and are no longer accepting RSVPs. For those of you who RSVPed on the facebook page but did not send an email to the Cincinnati Imports email address (cincinnatiimports@gmail.com), please contact us asap to determine space.

I hope 5chw4r7z knows what he has gotten himself into :)

rain rain go away - REDS GAME IS AT YOUR DISCRETION

2009-09-20T12:01:00.003-04:00

For those of you who signed up to go to the REDS game this afternoon, it looks like the game is still going on. However, I am sure many of you do not feel like sitting in wet seats for the entirety of the game. Liz and I will likely not be there because neither one of us wants to sit in the rain. We just wanted to give you the update so you are aware. If you decide to go, have a great time!

UPDATE: if you go to the game and have not picked up your tickets yet, they will be at the will call window.

upcoming event: open house at the 5chw4r7z condo

2009-09-16T20:36:00.004-04:00

yes that's right, fellow cincinnati imports bob (aka 5chw4r7z) and erin marie (aka don't call me mrs.) have very generously offered to host our october event at their amazing condo downtown. you will need to rsvp for this event to get the exact location. for obvious reasons, they don't want their home address published on the blog and facebook page.

as if their amazing offer of hosting were not enough, bob was also able to somehow hook us up with a free keg from christian moerlein! so no need to worry about bringing drinks, unless you want something besides beer (or if you just want to give a gift to our very kind hosts).

here is a photo taken from their awesome deck to get you all fired up about going to their place

here are the details:

date: friday, october 9
time: 7 - 11 pm
location: the 5chw4r7z condo
to rsvp: please email us at cincinnatiimports@gmail.com with your name and the number of people coming with you, and we will give you the address.

hope to see you there!

We Love Cincinnati Bumper Stickers!!!!

2009-09-09T12:16:00.005-04:00

Is it just me or have you seen a bazillion We love Cincinnati bumper stickers lately? Well, I did a little research today and discovered that "the "We Love Cincinnati" bumper stickers started as a grassroots effort from Crossroads Community Church in Oakley." They printed 20,000 stickers and distributed them to church members and local businesses to hand out. The church also has a website where people can post what they love most about Cincinnati......

Regardless of religious/spiritual belief, I think it is great that someone is leading the effort to shed positive light on the city. So Cincinnati Imports, what do you love most about Cincinnati? Tell us!!!!

are you new to cincinnati imports?

2009-09-03T23:09:00.003-04:00

if so, first of all welcome. we are a very low key, totally grassroots group meant to connect people of all ages/backgrounds/races/ethnicities/lifestyles/etc. in the area who want to meet new people. originally we started with the purpose of helping people who are not from here meet each other, but there are so many locals who have been interested in our group too. that is awesome, we welcome everyone to our blog, facebook group, and events.

if you want to find out a little more about us, check out the links on the right side of the blog under the section titled "what we are all about." the section below that lists our next event where you can come and meet us and lots of other fun new people.

if you have any ideas for this blog or any events, or if you are interested in contributing (possibly as an organizer or a guest blogger), please feel free to let us know at cincinnatiimports@gmail.com. thanks for checking us out and we hope to meet you soon!

reminder: you must buy tickets for the 9/20 reds game by 9/4

2009-08-31T10:43:00.002-04:00

just a reminder to anyone who is planning to go to the reds game on september 20: you must buy your tickets for this event by september 4 (this coming friday).

to buy your tickets:

You can use Paypal. Please pay $9 for each ticket you wish to purchase to Amy Cribbs at:

acribbs@zslaw.com

using the "Send Money" tab of Paypal. If you have trouble, let Amy know by email and she will send you a direct invoice. She will have your tickets at the Blogger Will Call near the kiosks at Great American.

more info can be found on the evite, or if you have questions just let one of us know. you can email us at cincinnatiimports@gmail.com. see you on sept 20!

Main Strasse Delivers for the Cincinnati Imports

2009-08-29T21:25:00.016-04:00

We hope you had a great time meeting approximately 70 people at the Covington Pub Crawl last night. There were many old and new faces and it was great meeting all of you! Here are some pics from last night....

Don't forget the Covington Pub Crawl TONIGHT!

2009-08-28T09:11:00.006-04:00

Just a friendly reminder that our next event is tonight in Covington. We have a wonderful line-up of bars for the pub crawl. We hope to see everyone there. Please join us at anypoint during the pub crawl. Times that we will be at each location are listed below.

Bar 1: Fat Shannon's Pub and Coffee House (A)
Location: 641 Main St. - Covington
Time: 7:00 pm
Drink specials: $1.75 domestics and $3.00 UV flavored vodka shots

Bar 2: Strasse Haus (B)
Location: 630 Main St. - Covington
Time: 8:00 pm
Drink specials: $1.50 domestics and $2.00 wells

Bar 3: Cock and Bull English Pub (C)
Location: 601 Main St. – Covington
Time: 9:00 pm
Drink specials: $2.00 domestics/$2.00 wells

Bar 4: Pachinko (D)
Location: 424 West 6th Street - Covington
Time: 10:00 pm
Drink specials: $2.00 domestic drafts and $3.00 Washington Apples/Red-Headed sluts

Check out the event details here: http://cincinnatiimports.blogspot.com/2009/08/covington-pub-crawl-august-28-2009-at.html

fun event this weekend (besides the pub crawl)

2009-08-27T12:31:00.006-04:00

in case friday's covington pub crawl is not enough fun for you this weekend, be sure to also check out the emery jam which is being held on saturday. this is a fundraiser for the give back beyond cincinnati trip to guatemala, and it is a great cause.

the emery is a little known local theater that give back has helped to restore, and they have a great lineup of music for the event (500 Miles to Memphis with The Sundresses, Kristen Key, and Eclipse). this will also for sure be a fun way to meet new people. tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

Cincinnati is Oktoberfest-obsessed

2009-08-27T09:22:00.006-04:00

Photo from Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati courtesy of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

If you're new to town, you might not realize that (a) the first Oktoberfest around here starts in August and (b) there's at least one Oktoberfest every weekend through early October and only one that's actually in October. (The reason? People think October is too cold here. Never mind that September can be disgustingly hot!) Heck, I've lived here for almost six years and I didn't even know that until I started looking into it for this article I wrote for today's Enquirer.

I'm sharing the story not to shamelessly self-promote myself, but to give an example of how sometimes it takes a (relative) newcomer to recognize the things that make Cincinnati cool and unique. As far as I could find, no other city really comes close to having that many Oktoberfests. There are even at least three at churches, complete with beer and gambling, which never fails to amuse me. The first Oktoberfest here is the Germania Society Oktoberfest this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so you can check that out after you go to our happy hour Friday night. And if anyone is feeling really ambitious and wants to check out all the Oktoberfests and guest blog about it, please let us know!

Covington Pub Crawl: August 28, 2009 at 7:00pm

2009-08-25T11:34:00.018-04:00

Are you ready for our second pub crawl event? Our last pub crawl on the Westside was a tremendous success and we hope to see you all this Friday at the Covington pub crawl. Liz, Lauren and I have hooked you up with an excellent set of pubs/bars in this area. All the bars have decks or patios, so here's hoping to good weather on Friday. Details are below:

Bar 1: Fat Shannon's Pub and Coffee House (A)
Location: 641 Main St. - Covington
Time: 7:00 pm
Drink specials: $1.75 domestics and $3.00 UV flavored vodka shots

Bar 2: Strasse Haus (B)
Location: 630 Main St. - Covington
Time: 8:00 pm
Drink specials: $1.50 domestics and $2.00 wells

Bar 3: Cock and Bull English Pub (C)
Location: 601 Main St. – Covington
Time: 9:00 pm
Drink specials: $2.00 domestics/$2.00 wells

Bar 4: Pachinko (D)
Location: 424 West 6^th Street - Covington
Time: 10:00 pm
Drink specials: $2.00 domestic drafts and $3.00 Washington Apples/Red-Headed sluts

Directions to Main Strasse (Covington) from I-71/I-75:

1. Take I-71/I-75 South towards Kentucky
2. Take the 5TH STREET exit, EXIT 192, toward COVINGTON/NEWPORT (0.1 miles)
3. Take the KY-8 ramp toward COVINGTON (0.1 miles)
4. Stay STRAIGHT to go onto W 5TH ST/KY-8 E. (0.2 miles)
5. Turn RIGHT onto MAIN ST/US-127/US-25/US-42. (0.1 miles)

Parking: You should park anywhere along West 6th St or Main St. There is also a parking lot behind Pachinko if you get there early enough.

We look forward to seeing you there! Join us at any point in the pub crawl....

more garrison keillor love

2009-08-19T10:47:00.007-04:00

i mentioned before that on a prairie home companion, garrison keillor had done a really funny monologue on cincinnati when the show came to riverbend back in june. well i just found out that there was also a poem that he wrote about cincinnati on the show. here it is (copied from here):

Cincinnati poem

We're in Cincinnati and it's good to be here
In a city of pork and a city of beer.
Old beer signs everywhere you walk:
“Good Old” Brucks, Brenner's XL Pilsener, John Hauck
Barbarossa, King Gambrinus, or Crown.
You eat you some Pork hocks with leeks and garlic cloves, you need beer to wash it down.
Similarly, to go along with a pint of beer, you need more than a pretzel
You need Pork Meatloaf with brown gravy and spaetzle.
A big pork sandwich and something to drink,
Geisbauer, Bierbrauer, Linck.
Nothing chintzy
Here in Cincy.
Like it or not, Cincinnati was not vegetarian.
It went for pork shanks with bread dumplings and a pitcher of Bavarian.
No lemonade, no cranberry juice, no apple cider,
But a big mug of Weber's, Lackman, Jackson, Mohawk, Gerke, Burger, or Foss-Schneider.
And all of the pig was used, even the snout
To make Bierwurst, Mettwurst, Bratwurst, piled high with sauerkraut.

Beers with distinguished names like Butcher & Weidmann and Windisch-Muhlhauser
To give a sense of dignity to the drunken carouser
City of suds and city of swine,
Some greasy goetta sausage and a glass of Christian Moerlein,
Or Little Kings cream ale

Beer by the bottle, the barrel, the hogshead, and the pail,
Golden brown glasses of beer with nice big heads
And Hudepohl-Schoenling, Cincinnati's finest, hu-dey “Hu dey think gonna beat them Reds”
It was the national capital of beer.
In 1890, they produced a million barrels a year.
Old breweries along McMicken Avenue on the hill north of Liberty Street,
Making beer out of water, yeast, sugar, plenty of hops, and wheat.
Oh in Cincinnati there was lots to do:
You had a Hudy and a Pork cordon bleu.
Cincinnati was a regular culinary riot.
How sad to be on a diet.
What a terrible loss.
To miss out on the roast pork loin with beer sauce.
And it is politically incorrect
And you may object
To my saying so, but I suspect
Something joyful and boisterous and profane
Was lost when we decided to abstain.
A man sitting down to pork braised, roasted, fried, boiled, battered, with a glass upraised,
A man who is a little fried himself and his eyes are glazed.
That may have been the night he became your daddy
Here in Cincinnati.

i just get a total kick out of his perceptions of cincinnati. he thinks this place is ridiculous and obsessed with pork and beer and kind of backwards, but he loves it. that is pretty much how i feel about it too.

places to meet people: give back cincinnati

2009-08-18T20:22:00.005-04:00

i can't remember if avani or i have posted about give back cincinnati before, but i just wanted to give it a shout out as an awesome way to meet people. if you have not heard of it, it is an organization focused on providing volunteer opportunities, mostly to the "young professional" demographic (sorry to put that in quotes but you guys know how i feel about that phrase) but there are plenty of people both older and younger than that age group who participate as well.

i was just talking to a friend the other day who was asking whether give back was a good way to meet people. i realized that i don't think we have actually talked about it on here before and so we totally need to. if you are interested in meeting people while doing volunteer projects, give back is definitely for you.

every event is set up so that you can just sign up, do the event, go to an after party or bar (if you want), and then you are on your way. you are not required to make a long term commitment to anything, although you can go to as many events as you like. most things are free or pretty cheap which is also awesome. everyone is really nice and friendly and you will definitely make new friends.

coming up in the next couple weeks there are two really cool events. this saturday is the give back challenge which is a scavenger hunt where you will go around the city with a team looking for clues and doing trivia (i think). i am not sure what the prize is, but who cares? then next saturday there is the emery jam, a fundraiser at the emery theater, which give back has been working to restore for the past several years. that event is to raise money for the trip to guatemala this fall.

that brings up another great thing about give back... they do volunteer trips every year through give back beyond cincinnati, which are another great way to get to know people. avani and i went on the trip to new orleans this year and it was awesome and we did some really good work and met a lot of great people. and let me tell you after you spend a week sweating your ass off and barely sleeping, you get to know people pretty well. give back also does an international trip every year. you do have to pay for these trips, but it is totally worth your money and your time because you are having a lot of fun, connecting with lots of new awesome people, and doing something that you can feel good about.

looking for something to do on the weekends?

2009-08-07T17:17:00.006-04:00

i just wanted to give a quick shout out to the (somewhat) new enjoy your weekend feature that maya has been doing over on buycincy. it's a short roundup of some of the highlights of things going on in cincinnati each weekend, and she posts them every thursday. i really like her selection of things because a) it's not too long (i get confused and distracted looking at the pages upon pages of choices on other websites) and b) it's well chosen.

this is a great weekend to be living in cincinnati because there are so many options for fun things to do, including the cincy blues fest, second sunday on main, cincinnati guerrilla queer bar, the western and southern financial group women's open, taste of colerain (thanks to donald for the tip on that one), the fiery furnaces (and some other bands i have never heard of) on fountain square, and glier's goettafest. and if you don't mind a little drive, head up to the ohio state fair in columbus for all the fried buckeyes, carnies, and animal husbandry you can handle (added bonus: you can check out the cincinnati rollergirls in action there on saturday). oh and for the shoppers out there, the new cincinnati premium outlet mall is having its grand opening this weekend too.

i am really excited because i have a couple friends in town visiting and there is so much to do. i hope everyone has fun this weekend! if you can't find something to do, then that is your own damn fault.

guest blogger... from a northern kentucky native

2009-08-02T12:46:00.003-04:00

When Claire invited me to Cincinnati imports, I didn’t think twice about attending, and now I’m so glad I did. Cincinnati Imports has allowed me to meet many new people, and several of whom I would now call good friends. I can’t believe the number of fun, interesting, and genuinely friendly people I have met recently through this group.

Have faith, imports…there are domestics like us that are ready and willing to expand our social circles and dispel those stereotypes of exclusivity away from at least some of our native population. And I realize those stereotypes exist for a reason-I myself can’t stand the “high school” question so often discussed while out on the town. Who cares?! I’m with you on this one, guys.

As a native of Alexandria, KY I have also felt oddly disconnected from “Cincinnati” life, although just a hop and skip across the river we were doing pretty much the same thing. I was raised on Glier’s goetta on Sunday mornings, and consider it a rich part of my local and German heritage. The first job I held (and one of my favorites, I might add) was in an Empress Chili parlor. My childhood summers were filled with catholic festivals and trips to Kings Island. I even saw Pete Rose hit his record breaking hit as a tiny tot in person.

But the point is, despite my inherent Cincinnati-ness, I still felt like somewhat of an outcast in this tri-state bubble. Cincinnatians didn’t seem to want to claim me (“you are NOT from Cincinnati, you’re from NKY!”), and I couldn’t quite relate to the farm culture of early Alexandria (“Oh my God, they’re going to roast that pig on a stick?!”).

As I lay here in bed at 2:30 a.m., I have quite a flurry of nervous but excited butterflies in my stomach that are keeping me from sleep. I will be signing the papers to close on my first home, right here in Covington, KY tomorrow morning. At first, it felt like an uncertain commitment. It felt like I was getting engaged to someone I knew I wasn’t meant for. Or that I was submitting to an old ball and chain, and now all the potential for out-of-town living possibilities were over. I was essentially going to be married to this place for life, and no more fun for me. How predictable, right? Girl grows up in NKY, goes to school in KY, gets a job in the same school district she was educated in, and now settles down in NKY.

But now I see it differently. I am glad to be here, making new friends, participating in new organizations, and exploring new parts of this area that I never knew. I spent my childhood and young adulthood fantasizing about ways to get away from Cincinnati, but right now there’s no place else I’d rather be. We’ve got a good thing going here, and I’m proud to say this is what I call home.

(do you like these guest posts? do you want to write one? email us at cincinnatiimports@gmail.com)

hofbrauhaus recap + save the date

2009-07-22T23:14:00.009-04:00

last night was awesome! we had a great time at the hofbrauhaus and there were a lot of new faces which was great, and also a number of people who had been out with us before. it was so fun seeing everyone and luckily the weather was perfect. avani counted 60 people at around 7:30 and about 15-20 more people showed up after that so it was an excellent turnout. here are some photos:

as promised, metromix also showed up and took some pictures... here's a link if you want to check those out.

i'm not sure if the hofbrauhaus staff reads this blog (ha), but thanks to all our servers for being so accomodating of our group and doing like 90 billion separate checks.

haven't had enough cincinnati imports? well mark your calendars... we are planning a covington pub crawl on friday, august 28. details and locations are still being finalized but we'll let you know the plan in the next few weeks.

don't drink and/or tired of all these events at bars? well then we will see you at the reds game on sunday, september 20! we are co-hosting this event with cincinnati women bloggers and new media cincy. here's how to buy your tickets:

Please pay $9 for each ticket you wish to purchase to:

acribbs@zslaw.com

using the "Send Money" tab of Paypal. If you have trouble, let me know and I'll send you a direct invoice. I will have your tickets at the Blogger Will Call near the kiosks at Great American.

and stay tuned for details on a really fun event we'll be doing in october... details are still a secret!

(all photos courtesy of ashish)

happy hour at the hofbrauhaus on july 21

2009-07-13T18:31:00.004-04:00

hey everyone, just a reminder that our next event will be a happy hour at hofbrauhaus in newport on tuesday, july 21 from 6-9 pm. we have reserved space on the patio so assuming it is nice outside, that is where we will be. if it is raining, look for us inside.

location: hofbrauhaus is located across the street from newport on the levee, at the corner of 3rd and saratoga streets in newport. from cincinnati, take 71 or 75 south to 471 south. go across the bridge and get off at the first exit in KY. follow it around and turn left at the first light, then another left at the light after that. at your third light, you will be facing hofbrauhaus. if you are coming from the south... ummm... google maps it? i don't want to get you guys lost.

parking: you can park for free in the lot next door or, if it is full, you can park either in the garage underneath newport on the levee (it is only $2 during the week) or for free on the street if you get a spot without a meter (the meters end at 12 am). there are some spots with no meter over on 5th street, but check signs because some areas require a parking sticker.

specials: unfortunately hofbrauhaus refused to give us any special deals for our group. boo. however, we can still take advantage of their regular happy hour specials (which is some kind of a discount on their beer, i can't remember what). they also have a full menu for anyone who is hungry.

for new people: we don't have a sign or anything, so just look for the group wearing name tags. everyone is always super friendly and will introduce themselves to you right away. we are looking forward to meeting you (and seeing the people we have met before)!

the new york times <3 cincinnati

2009-07-17T10:57:00.002-04:00

if you haven't already, check out this awesome new york times article about all the cool things to do during a weekend in cincinnati. from the article:

WITH the quiet momentum of a work in progress, Cincinnati is finding an artsy swagger, infused with a casual combination of Midwest and Southern charm. The city center, for decades rich with cultural and performing arts venues, now offers a renovated Fountain Square area and a gleaming new baseball stadium with views of the Ohio River. Efforts to transcend the damage from several days of race riots in 2001, which nearly decimated the city’s Over-the-Rhine district, are slowly progressing. Transformations are taking place in surrounding areas — as well as across the river in the neighboring Kentucky cities of Newport and Covington — with their cool music venues, funky shopping outlets and smart culinary options.

yay for cincinnati appreciation! also, good job nytimes... it seems like they really took the time to get to know and appreciate our city.

guest blogger... Cincinnati: The Natives Talk 1

2009-07-15T11:56:00.005-04:00

today we have a post from a cincinnati imports member who is actually from the cincinnati area.

"My friend Avani told me about Cincinnati Imports and I was thrilled. I finally had the chance to meet people in this area who, quite frankly, were not “Cincinnatians.” Before the locals get up in arms, I should explain that I actually grew up in this area, in a small town out in BFE, about 20 minutes south of here.

Yes I do enjoy skyline from time to time and have been known to play a few games of corn hole, however, I never really felt like I fit in here when I was growing up. It is nice to see that it might not be entirely attributable to the customary teenage garbage that most of us encounter.

Early on I couldn’t relate to people who lived here. Some of them had never left the tri-state area and I traveled frequently overseas to see my dad. This is not to say that because they hadn’t traveled that I felt I was above them. Quite the contrary, I only wanted to be like them, born and raised in the same small town where everyone knew at least a dozen people with my last name.

This was not the case for me as I moved to this area from California. People in my neighborhood and community thought that my family was weird, my mother in particular, who was Berkley educated, very liberal, and boisterously opinionated. Needless to say I was mortified when she would show up sans make-up in off brand clothing attempting to talk politics with the other cheerleader moms. Why couldn’t she just shut up and talk about the carpool?

However, as much as my mother hated living here and felt out of place, I could hardly convince myself that I was any different. By the time I was 15, like every other adolescent girl, I decided that I hated my mother. I hated her for moving me to this stifling, conservative, bible thumping area and I was bound and determined to get the hell out of here.

So 10 years later-I am finally getting my wish. I am approximately three weeks away from moving 8 hours away to Athens, Ga to attend graduate school. The irony of it all is that I find myself oddly sad to be leaving this place that not long ago I so hated. Living here as an adult has been pretty cool. I met a lot of interesting people and I discovered places to go in the area that I had never been to as a kid or teen growing up here.

It’s been helpful associating with people who are actually interested in meeting new people and not just hanging out with the same incestuous group weekend after weekend going to the same places and doing the same old shit. Despite its inadequacies (and there are plenty) I learned that Cincinnati is really not all that bad and can actually be rewarding, especially when you surround yourself with good people. I am even planning my wedding which is going to be here in Cincinnati, something I never thought I would want to do.

Most recently it hit me that my opinion of this city had really changed to a more positive one. I was flying in from Boston and instead of dreading arriving in good old CVG, I felt a sort of comfort upon seeing a huge tacky gold star chili billboard welcoming me home.

Oh and I really do love my mother."

(do you like these guest posts? do you want to write one? email us at cincinnatiimports@gmail.com)