Cincinnati Opera: Otello

Some days, I'm the luckiest girl alive.


I scored these tickets through my Enjoy the Arts subscription. I've had nothing but praise for this program; I earned my subscription price back with my first purchase, so tickets to Otello were essentially free.

"Would you like to see Toy Story 3 tonight? Or maybe go to the mother-flippin' opera?"


And the breathtaking Music Hall is now-- literally?-- in my backyard. We walked; it took maybe three minutes. Goodbye, anxiety over parking! Farewell, leaving an hour ahead of the event! Hello, an almost-too-short walk from my new home! (Also ran into our neighbor there. Hi John!)


I'd been to a few touring productions of operas in college-- tons of great acts come through Miami and students can get a great discount-- but I don't believe I'd ever been to the Cincinnati Opera. I grew up listening to my mom talk about the great arts in Cincinnati, including our much-lauded ballet and opera, but this was my first chance to partake.

I wasn't aware that the opera offers an educational preamble an hour before the show; I devoured that, and I'm so glad they open that to ticket-holders!

The show itself, I really liked. I learned in the preamble that our Otello was sick-- he's used to singing in Italy, and had an allergic reaction to our... wait for it... extreme air conditioning. That was a bit distracting, what with the coughing and snot-wiping he tried to hide during his performance. (Maybe not everyone could tell? Hello, fifth row!) However, I'd be an idiot not to tell you that his voice was astounding, and that's what we were really all there for, wasn't it?

Our Otello wasn't what I would have expected. Otello is a dashing war general with a passionate love life, yes? But Dan and I agreed that the Otello standing before us was more of the stereotypical "Italian opera singer" type... a rotund, red-faced Pavarotti, where I expected... hm, not sure. Not a white guy, that's for sure. (Moor of Venice?) I tried, but I also couldn't really pick up on the love connection between Otello and Dezzi. There was no spark there, especially not one worth stabbin' over.

But at the end of the day we're there to hear some world-famous arias, right? Isn't that why we see Verdi's version over the local high school's rendition? The singing did not disappoint, allergies and all. I'm not sure I could have asked for a better Cincinnati Opera initiation-- and if I weren't going to be out of town, I'd absolutely hit up La Boheme.


Cincinnati Opera: http://www.cincinnatiopera.com/

Newport Helicopter Tours

Usually we blog about things we've done or are doing - this time it's about something we'd like to do. In the last couple weeks I've been watching these helicopter tours depart and arrive from their new landing pad near the Newport Levee.

From their website:

Stratus Helicopters is NOW OPEN at our new tour location in Newport, KY on Riverboat Row just west of BB Riverboats and directly across the river from the Great American Ballpark where the Cincinnati Red's play. Hours of operation will be Thursday thru Sunday 10am to 10pm (weather permitting) unless there is a schedule Red's home game and then no flights will be permitted for 1 hour before till 1 hour after the ball game due to FAA Regulations. Walk ups are welcome and are first-come-first-serve. Reservations may only be made for tours longer than 6 minutes. Tours starting at just $25 per person!

Sounds pretty good to me - has anyone taken these tours? I'm curious how long of a ride you get for $25 as their tours that depart from Lunken start at $70 for a six minute tour and go up from there quite quickly.

We're a bit tied up with visitors and vacations the next few weeks, but we plan on taking one of these tours sometime soon and will post when we do (hopefully with some really cool photos). If you've been please leave us a comment and let us know how it was!

City of Cincinnati on Flickr

In case you haven't seen this yet, the City of Cincinnati Economic Development Division is on Flickr and it's a pretty interesting photo stream of follow. They've been quite active lately and are posting photos of the various projects going on around the city, especially the banks which is moving along at a blistering pace lately.

Here are a few photos I found of particular interest - in case you haven't seen the changes south of second street in the past couple weeks, mainly the parking lot west of Paul Brown Stadium is now being removed, along with the temporary Race St extension. Work on the re-alignment of Mehring Way  is also underway in prep for the new riverfront park. Check out their entire stream, lots of great photos there.







link: Cincinnati Economic Development Division on Flickr

A Few New Shots of Our Neighborhood

These shots were taken at May's Final Friday, but this is the kind of visual feast we're treated to every day. :)

The Art on Our Walls

Not only was our recent move a huge shift in location, but it was also Dan and my first time living together. Such a huge transition! It would have been easy for me to just move into Dan's place in Clifton, but it would have been *his* place. When we moved, we wanted to go somewhere neutral, where we could start a new kind of life together.

For me, a big part of the cohabiting transition has been art. Dan already had his favorite artwork framed, and we knew where it would hang in our new home. But since we knew we'd be moving, I'd been on the hunt for a piece of art that would represent me.


While strolling through Mica 12/v one day, I saw a print by VisuaLingual and it was love at first sight. Not only is it a gorgeous print set on vintage wallpaper, but it's a beautiful linguistic feat: a poem done entirely in anagrams for "Over-the-Rhine." It was everything I could ask for in a piece of artwork: a tribute to my new home, a quirky bit of style, a sweet piece of poetry... and a chance to support a local artist that I adore.


The Over-the-Rhine anagram print (still available through VisuaLingual's Etsy store, by the way) hangs in our kitchen area, between two windows that show off our view of the city.

Dan has a new piece of artwork as well. When Shepard Fairey visited for the inaugural kickoff of his Contemporary Art Center exhibition, he did a limited edition, signed print made specifically for (and of) the CAC. We weren't able to be there that night, so Dan was crestfallen that he wouldn't be able to nab one of the prints. But never question the awesomeness of the social network: I covertly asked our friend @5chw4r7z to pick up a copy of the print, and he generously did so. (Good thing, too, as the print sold out within hours.)


The print now hangs proudly in the little nook where you first walk into our home. It's impossible not to see it. It too is perfect for the space: the image is of a piece of Cincinnati's heritage, it acts as a timestamp for when we moved downtown, and the iconic, bold reds and blacks that Fairey is known for help it stand out against the exposed brick in our flat.


There is more art hanging in our new home... could it really be "home" without it? But these are the pieces that Dan and I bought together, and they're new to our home and our life together. I've already started to forget what this place looked like without them.

VisuaLingual's Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/visualingual
My anagram print: http://www.etsy.com/listing/35343641/over-the-rhine-cincinnati-anagram-print
Shepard Fairey's CAC exhibition: http://contemporaryartscenter.org/ShepardFairey
Shepard Fairey's print: http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/RiseAbove

DAAP Works 2010

Dan and I both follow diligent DAAP student @jenlkessler on Twitter. She's been posting about wrapping up her degree and about the DAAP Works show displaying all of the senior projects, so Dan and I decided to pop by the UC campus to check it all out.

A few shots of Ms. Kessler's work, for a children's library called "Nook:"


And a hodgepodge of other shots from DAAP Works 2010:





Mm, here comes a personal favorite. :)

I'm so glad we decided to pop over to DAAP! Dan was already familiar with the department, as he has a design degree from Miami and had spent a lot of time with friends at UC. But it's all new to me-- that's a bit of a trend on this blog, eh?

Traipsing through the halls of DAAP was such a reward for my screen-tired eyes. I loved perusing the projects by students of interior design, architecture, urban planning, fashion, etc. I only wish I could make the Fashion Show now!

DAAP website: http://daap.uc.edu/
DAAP Works website: http://daap.uc.edu/daapworks/
UrbanCincy article on DAAP Works 2010: http://www.urbancincy.com/2010/06/daap-works-2010-to-showcase-worlds-best-design-projects/

CSC: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged!)

I don't want to spend a lot of time writing about places that I've already been... but it's difficult, with a theater such as the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Every time you visit for a new show, it's an entirely different experience. Plus, as one of the actors pointed out, the audience is the best PR engine for them. I'd hate to not pass on word about a great show happening in Cincinnati.

And so: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged!). A gaggle of girlfriends invited me out to see this on Friday night, and even though I've seen the show a hundred times (errr, I have the DVD), I was pumped to see it live for the first time. (And, of course, to visit CSC again.)

The script is hysterical. If you've already seen it, see it again. If you haven't seen it, please for the love of all that is holy, make it happen. The cast of this show is boisterous, energetic and hilarious.

At dinner before the show, one of my friends (an Abridged! virgin) was asking if she'd be able to understand the show as someone not-so-much into Shakespeare. The answer is yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The entire show is sort of written around the idea of introducing you to Shakespeare, and putting the bard's plays into more modern (and more side-splitting) contexts. So if you'd considered skipping the show because you aren't an English scholar, don't worry your pretty little head.

June 4th, 2010 to June 27th, 2010
Showtimes: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Prices: Adults $26, Seniors $22, Students $20*

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: http://www.cincyshakes.com/
Abridged! info page: http://www.cincyshakes.com/season-fifteen-wrap-party-cakes-ale.html