Cincinnati Flying Pig–Friday

After a long drive, Ted and I found our hotel in Cincinnati, OH, within one mile of the starting line for the Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday May 5th. It was a beautiful day that demanded we quickly unpack and set to the streets for some perusing the greater downtown Cincinnati.

First impression: This city was so clean! Not a cup, not a piece of paper, not a pile of dirt in sight. No rush-rush big city atmosphere. There was a laid back feeling in the air.

We walked to Fountain Square. Checked out the big screen seen in the far left background.

Then we made our way towards the river where Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar & Grill” caught our attention along with our first pig spotting

There was Apple Ale on tap which I had to try

It tasted more like a sweet soda than a beer. Good but a taste was enough.

Moving on to the Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner

and enjoying a tasting of the featured brews

I liked the White Ale (2nd from left) which was slightly hoppy with hints of orange and coriander. Ted liked the last beer on the right which tasted more like a commercial beer. We did not like the IPA nor the one pulled out in the middle. They were both very bitter and strong. The Kolsch (on the very left) was too light and had no taste. The Specialty Dark was smooth, not heavy, but bold and chocolaty.

As for our meal, we made up for the “road food” we endured during our drive to Cincinnati. We enjoyed the vegetable pizza, large garden salads, I had lobster-shrimp tacos, Ted had turkey meatloaf. The price was terrific compared to what our usual dinner bill comes to, $57.00 for all the above. In a big city? We thought that was pretty good.

After all that food, we needed to walk but didn’t get very far before something caught our eye.

Why not? We were in no rush.

Ava (the horse) was a seasoned professional, trotting around the city. In 25 minutes we had enjoyed a scenic tour.

We were going to take the left overs back to the room then head out again to see more of Cincinnati but the long drive took it’s toll and there was always tomorrow. We called it a night and enjoyed the fireworks display from our room.