4th Street Boutique has some great finds! Last week, they had their semi-annual backroom designer sale. I got a cashmere sweater for $20 with the original price tag of $300 still attached. And an Ann Taylor suede jacket for $30. Today I bought some red Aigner boots. Although the sale is officially over, all the leftover merchandise is still there. Cashmere sweaters, suede jackets, handbags from Coach, Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren. They just aren't all in one place anymore so you have to hunt for the hidden treasures. There are also some cute cashmere/silk blend knit tights in the back for $3. All the tights are size small.

Sushi!

I just found out about this. The Japan America Society's Young Professional group has a Sushi Club! Awesome. Looks like they meet at various sushi spots around town. I definitely want to check that out!

http://cinweekly.cincinnati.com/hype/front.aspx?id=1061

Don't Trash the 'Nati!

If only we could have this in Cincinnati! I am so sick of people letting their dogs poop in
my yard and not cleaning it up! I suppose they think they are doing the
right thing by not leaving it on the sidewalk. But I want to be able to
walk through MY yard without stepping in shit. It is a yard, not a
toilet. I don't empty my cats' litter box in your yard, please don't
leave your dog's crap in mine!

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/our-dog-feces-dream-is-finally-a-reality/#more-2976

Two words:
Okotoberfest Saturday!

Now, where did I put those ridiculous beer goggles...?

Today is Wednesday, September 17, 2008. The temperature is around 78 degrees. And the Macy's store in downtown Cincinnati has Christmas trees and decorations for sale.

Great article on Cleveland.com
about Cincinnati! I've never heard the term "Cincinnati caviar" to
refer to goetta, but I like it. I'm going to start using it.

And, as you probably know by now, VH-1's Top Twenty Video Countdown will be filming in and around Cincinnati for the show to air on September 13. I must set my DVR!

Market on the Square

Today was a perfect day for lunch on Fountain Square. I had visited the weekly Tuesday Market before but I had not stayed to have my lunch on the Square. I'm so glad that Ron and I decided to do it today. Especially since next week is the last week of Market on the Square for the year!!

Our first stop was Essencha Tea House where Shannon served up delicious Strawberry-Kiwi Iced Tea. Ron tried the bubble tea and was pleasantly surprised with the "soft on the outside and chewy on the inside" tapioca bubbles. I went to Taste of Belgium for a crepe. And, a sample of the waffles, naturally. I decided on a smoked salmon and onion crepe. At $7.50, it's not so cheap and a crepe does not look like much sitting on a plate. But, it was delicious and quite filling. I feel like my belly is bulging out another inch. I even left a few bites abandoned on my plate I was so stuffed! Ron had a good-sized hamburger, yet still agreed to try my crepe. Can you believe he had never tasted one? He was very impressed. I was shocked to then find out he had never tasted the Taste of Belgium waffles!! People, these waffles are a must-try!! They are almost always offered in bite-sized free samples. My only complaint about Taste of Belgium today is that Jean-Francois was not there :(

The weather was gorgeous, the food was excellent, the Square was lively, you could hardly ask for a better lunchtime in Cincinnati.

Speaking of Fountain Square, a co-worker and I had been discussing it earlier. Our conversation was prompted by a third person's comment that she had issues with some of the things they do on the Square. Jennifer and I were racking our brains trying to think of valid complaints with the way things are going on Fountain Square. I'm sure some events could be done differently or improved upon, but nothing specific comes to mind. Not every event there appeals to me, but I'm sure I am not their sole target market. I also hesitate to criticize the functioning of anything when I am certain I could not do a better job. So today, after lunch I was again striving to critique Fountain Square. Here is what I came up with:

1. Trash cans more centrally located. At least during the Tuesday market. We had to nearly walk off the Square to throw away our plates, and then I had to turn and go back to buy some fruit to take home with me.

2. More vendors. Though at the same time, considering the number of vendors that are there, there is a nice variety. Specialty iced teas, yummy greek burgers, crepes, waffles, more burgers, and sandwiches are just some of the lunch options. Then there are a few fruit and veggie stands and baked goods to take home. Also, this is the first year for Market on the Square and now that it has been a success, perhaps more vendors will be clamoring for space next year.

I also noticed a Channel 9 cameraman nonchalantly wandering the Square and occasionally filming. I hope he did not get a shot of me shoving crepe into my mouth...

OK, I shouldn't even bring this up but after our CU meeting tonight, we were at the Wine Cellar in Mt. Adams and a new guy joined the group and somehow brought up the issue, from last year, when the Ohio State football game was broadcast on Fountain Square instead of the UC football game that was on at the same time. Really?? And he complained, legitimately, about the Cincinnati habit of asking people where they went to high school. So, obsessing about where people went to high school is troublesome, but obsessing about which college football game is shown on the LCD board is not?? It's just a football game!! OK, I know it's much more than a football game.

So, what happened is that about a month before the game some Ohio State alumni requested that the Ohio State game be shown on the Square. Bill and the Fountain Square management agreed. Bill is more of a music person than a sports person and so no one realized, until game day, that UC was playing football at the same time. But, true to his word - CRAZY, I KNOW - Bill honored the request to show the Ohio State game. OH MY GOD!! So, after the fact, word leaked out that the Ohio State game was shown instead of the UC game and people went nuts. There is not word on how many of these UC fans went to Fountain Square or actually even considered going to Fountain Square to watch the game. Apparently that is not important. What's important is that UC be shown on the LCD board, even if no one is there to watch it, rather than Ohio State when 100 or so people showed up to watch that game.

I am a very pro-Cincinnati person. But these kinds of things really make it hard at times.

The funniest thing about it was my friend Edward's reaction. He said he sent an email to Bill along the lines of: people will want to see the Bengals on the LCD board...so I guess you'll have to start showing Court TV!

Ah ha ha ha ha.

WE'RE NUMBER 10.

Cincinnati is number 10 on Forbes' list of America's hardest-drinking cities.
http://consumerist.com/5035396/americas-15-hardest-drinking-cities

This is just utterly ridiculous.

What a beautiful day! It makes me want to go for a bike ride, which I haven't done in years! Now, if only I had a working bike and someone to ride with...

This is cool. Plenty Magazine has named our Cincinnati Zoo as one of
America's eco-tourism hotspots. I love our Zoo's conservation and
education programs and am so proud and excited to have it all right here
in the middle of Cincinnati. It amazes me, when I'm at the Zoo, that I
am, literally, right in the middle of an urban area. The botanical
gardens manage to make visitors forget that they are still smack in the
middle of the city. I'm ten minutes from home, but it feels far, far
away.

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link
attachments:

Shortcut to:
http://www.plentymag.com/features/2008/07/city_guide_for_local_travel.ph
p

Oh, I have really neglected my blog lately. Not that I don't have much to say, I just don't seem to have the time and energy to say it. That, and I get easily distracted by things such as Facebook. Anyway, just this little ETA e-newsletter got me thinking, again, about how much great stuff there is to do in Cincinnati. The headline says: Summertime...and livin' the arts is easy! It's certainly easily accessible. But not easy to find time and finances to live it all! Yet, it is quite affordable. $17 for the opera anyone? Of course, if you try to do it all, it will really add up, but it's comforting to know it's there.

Last weekend, I saw "Jerry Spring: The Opera" at the New Stage Collective. I had free passes (Yay!) from CincyUpdate. It was my first time in the small theater and I really liked it. The show, however, is an opera, which means there is operatic singing in it. At times, I have trouble understanding the lyrics in opera. Nonetheless, there are some young performers with quite impressive voices in this production. It's worth seeing.

There is music on Fountain Square nearly every night of the week. This Sunday, for Smooth Sunday, Tom Hodge's brother is playing and he is very good. Check it out if you still have the energy after Second Sunday on Main.

I hadn't planned on seeing "What's the Point" at the Know Theatre, but it sounds really good. I have some passes for the Know and I was planning on saving them for "A Very Merry Unauthorized Scientology Christmas Pageant." Know tickets are usually only $22 and can be less if you bring enough friends.

The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra does free concerts at Devou Park. You can bring food and drinks (hope for nice weather) and have a great concert. last year I went to one where the symphony played Beethoven's 5th (I think) and runners tried to complete a 5k before the music stopped. Two musicians from the symphony did it too. They got up from their seats, ran the 5k, and returned to their instruments before it was over.

If symphony isn't your thing, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company offers free Shakespeare in the park.

This ETA newsletter lists several places to take dance lessons. I took Salsa during one of the ballet tech sessions a few months ago. It was fun! We had a good teacher and a small class. I need to make time to do that again. Right now, I'm finishing up a pottery class at Funke Fired Arts. It's really cool, even though there is homework. And, just like in real school, I put off the homework until the last minute. It is inspiring, and a little intimidating, to walk around the huge studio space and look at other artists' work. Great stuff. Next, I want to try the wheel. Or the tile backsplash. So much to choose from!

One of these Mondays, I will go to the CAC for 44. Lunchtime music. The food from Salt of the Earth always sounds so yummy too!

---

From: Enjoy the Arts [mailto:info@etastart.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:23 AM
To: Averbeck Linda R
Subject: Hip Tips | Last Chance Opera Event | 07.08

hip tips indulge (for less) July 8 , 2008 Summertime...and livin' the arts is easy! Cuz' there's just so much to do and ETA is there to help you do it... Reservations held open...A few tickets remain for our Opera Member Event! Second Sundays on Main this week... We have a couple of passes to give away for the Know... Get outside and parkside and continue to party-artsy, on either side of the river! Check out CSO, KSO, and Shakespeare... Art - just do it! Check out classes available in dance and visual arts... Keep your summer lively and imaginative! Go do some art and culture this week....

features music theatre visual literary dance special features top

Member Event :: ETA Night at the Opera Florencia en el Amazonas Enjoy the Arts, START, and Passport members are invited to Cincinnati Opera's first-ever mainstage opera in Spanish! After receiving much acclaim in Houston, Seattle, and Los Angeles, Mexican composer Daniel Catan's Florencia en el Amazonas with its lush, romantic music and stunning sets will make its first voyage east to Cincinnati's stage. Inspired by the "magic realism" work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the opera tells the story of Florencia Grimaldi, a famous European diva, who takes a steamboat journey down the Amazon River, returning home to give a concert and search for the man whose love gave her a voice. The earlier you reserve, the better your choice of seating locations - call now! $17 per person for performance. RSVP to 513-621-4700 with credit card. (If calling after hours, leave a message and reservations will be fulfilled in the order received.) Tickets will not be available after NOON on Wednesday, July 9. Have questions? E-mail events@etastart.com Bring as many friends as you like. Where Music Hall When July 10 Contact 513.621.4700 3CDC: Support ETA on Fountain Square PNC Summer Music Series on Fountain Square No matter what your style of music, you'll find it live on Fountain Square this summer! The weekly lineup (Tuesday-Saturday) features something for everyone, but Fridays are when you can support ETA by buying your liquid refreshment from our team of volunteers (tip big - tips benefit ETA). "Indie Summer" Friday, 7-10 pm Formerly "Rock the Square", this is a perfect way to start the weekend! Three local bands play alternative rock every Friday night through the summer. For a complete lineup of bands, please visit www.myfountainsquare.com Volunteers needed! Are you 21 or over? ETA still needs volunteer beverage sellers for Friday nights during the summer. Have fun, hear some great music, and support ETA! Call Kristin at 513.621.4700 for more information and available shifts. Second Sundays on Main Join us in July for Global Groove! Enjoy our fourth season at the hip, eclectic neighborhood event on Main Street between 13th and Liberty, including: Plenty of free parking available. Unique Shopping Samba Parade Plein Air Competition Tarot Card Readings Kids Activity Zone Free Yoga Class CityBeat & WNKU Stage featuring: Faux Frenchmen, VoiceWorks, Mohenjo Daro, ZUMBA!, and Baoku Moses and the Image Afro-Beat Band Celebrity Chef Jono Fries of Nada/Boca at Enjoy the Arts Christian Moerlein Beer Garden Art Talk Series Street Artisans Visit Secondsundayonmain.org for details and more information. Don't miss a second! Where North Main Street When Sunday,July 13, Noon - 5 p.m. Contact Secondsundayonmain.org Admission. Free and open to the public. Know Theatre of Cincinnati What's the Point?! Based on the popular 1950s and 1960s revue styles which were known for commenting on popular trends and on society in general. The story is told through a series of musical vignettes that playfully tease cell phone addicts, modern parenting, the lack of datable straight men in New York City and more.The cabaret features more than 20 hilarious numbers including 'E.Harmony-Dot-Com', 'Straight Guy in a Gay Show', and 'My Moment' (The American Idol Song)." Where Know Theatre of Cincinnati When July 18 - August 12 Contact 513.333.KNOW SPECIAL OFFER: ETA has a set of 2 free passes to give away to a lucky Hip Tips reader. Passes are good for either July 21 or 22. To enter, email info@etastart.com with the subject "GIVE-AWAY". Admission. Standard member discounts; Passport members receive up to two tickets at $5 off.

music music theatre visual literary dance special features top Cincinnati Opera Florencia en el Amazonas Twenty years is a long time, she thought. A lifetime, really. And honestly, it had all happened just like he said it would. The elegant parties, lavish costumes, and autograph-seeking fans...they faded into memory as she returned to her home and his embrace. So, there, under the moonlit sky on a small steamboat churning down the vast Amazon River, she imagined how it would be. The curtain would open. The crowd would applaud. She would sing, and her voice would soar to him. Where Music Hall When July 10 & July 12 Contact 513.241.2742 Discounts. Standard member discounts; Passport members receive up to two tickets at 50% off. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Music of Billy Joel and More Are you ready for summer? The CSO & Pops have some great reasons to go spread out on the lawn at Riverbend Music Center and usher in the change of seasons, and your friends in CSOEncore will be there enjoying the fun along with you. Due to the enormous popularity of the PICNIC event last summer, the tradition will be continued for this performance. Bring a small dish, dessert, or just a bag of chips to share with friends on the lawn, and enjoy a great evening of food and music! A bottle of red, a bottle of white, perhaps a bottle of rose instead... Join the Pops for a night of classic hits. Guest Pianist Michael Cavanaugh will take you down memory lane as he plays the hits of Billy Joel, Elton John, the Who and more. Michael was handpicked by Billy Joel to play his music in the hit Broadway musical Movin' Out . Come see the next best thing to the legends themselves. Where Riverbend Music Center When July 12 Contact 513.381.3300 Discounts. Standard member discounts, see voucher for use; Passport members receive up to two tickets at 25% off. Kentucky Symphony Orchestra Walking on Sunshine 50 years of one-hit wonders playing through the park as you relax on grass. Don't miss the chance to hear some of your favorite songs! Where Creekside at Boone Woods Park, Burlington (7/11) and Devou Park Amphitheater, Covington (7/12) When July 11 & 12 Contact 859.431.6216 Admission. Free and open to the public. ballet tech cincinnati Jazz Jam Sessions ballet tech cincinnati hosts monthly Jazz Jam Sessions on the third Sunday of each month from 6-9 p.m. The Jam Sessions are open to the public, and offer a unique opportunity for jazz musicians of all ages and skill levels. Musicians can participate as performers or simply observe skilled jazz musicians in action, and audience members can enjoy great jazz music from a variety of performers in a relaxed atmosphere. The Jazz Jam Sessions will be a great venue for jazz music in a no smoking/no alcohol venue that is comfortable for performers and audience members of all ages and offers professional artists, college and high school musicians a venue to perform together. The House Band will provide keyboard, drum set, amplifiers, mikes and a rhythm section for sit in musicians. Admission is only $5 and soft drinks, juices and snacks will be available for purchase. Where ballet tech cincinnati When July 20 Contact 513.841.2822 Discounts. All Levels of membership receive 2-for-1 tickets at the door.

theatre music theatre visual literary dance special features top Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Shakespeare in the Park Let the natural majesty of your park provide the backdrop for an evening of classic theatre! Each performance will transform your local park into an imaginative wonderland that captivates and delights audiences of all ages with the beautiful language of Shakespeare. So, pack a picnic and bring your appetite for great professional theatre as CSC comes to a park in your neighborhood! Where Various Parks When Through September 20 Contact 513.381.3300 Admission. Free and open to the public. Shadowbox Cabaret Best of Shadowbox Not looking forward to another summer season of reruns and reality TV? Then escape that living room and head to The Sketch Comedy and Rock 'n' Roll Club, as Shadowbox revives the funniest moments and hottest music of the year in Best of Shadowbox 2008! This presentation is for mature audiences only. Where Shadowbox Cabaret When Through September 6 Contact 859.957.7625 Discounts.Standard member discounts; Passport members receive up to two tickets at $5 off. New Stage Collective Jerry Springer: The Opera NSC is thrilled to present the regional premiere of the sensational, award-winning musical Jerry Springer: The Opera - a fascinating mix of the highest form of art and the lowest form of culture - opera and daytime television. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Jerry Springer: The Opera presents a series of unusual characters that each are desperate for their "Jerry Springer moment." In Act 1, we attend a particularly dramatic taping of Springer's show. In Act 2, we find Jerry hosting in a very different place as he is forced to experience the worst day of his life, and his guests take the level of debate to operatic heights. Click link to see an interview about the production at CET Connect. Content Advisory: Potentially Offensive Themes and Extensive Language - Ages 17 and up. Where New Stage Collective When Through August 3 Contact 513.621.3700 Discounts. ETA/START: up to two student-priced tickets, day of show; Passport $3 off week of show. All levels: see League of Cincinnati Theatres voucher for use. Jersey Productions West Side Story Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, West Side Story, set in Manhattan in the 1950s, chronicles the war between two teenage gangs - the "local" Jets, led by wisecracking Riff, and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by the suave and intense Bernardo. Tensions explode when Bernardo's sister Maria falls for Tony, Riff's best friend, and past leader of the Jets. Known as Broadway's first musical tragedy, West Side Story has one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including such standards as Somewhere, Tonight, I Feel Pretty and Maria; and contains 12 dynamic production numbers. Where Aronoff Center, Jarson-Kaplan Theater When July 18 - 26 Contact 513.621.2787 Discounts. ETA/START: $3 off, day of show; Passport $3 off week of show. All levels: see League of Cincinnati Theatres voucher for use.

dance music theatre visual literary dance special features top Learn to move with grace... Summer Dance Classes Dance performances may be taking the summer off, but it's the perfect time to try a dance class for yourself. Peruse our partners for summer classes for all ages. Where ballet tech cincinnati Ballet Theatre Midwest Cincinnati Ballet Contemporary Dance Theater University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (Prep Department) When Various Contact See links Discounts. ETA/START - see Ballet Theatre Midwest voucher for use. If your packet did not include a voucher, contact us at 513-621-4700 to be issued one. visual music theatre visual literary dance special features top Contemporary Arts Center 44 44 is the Contemporary Arts Center's new creative arts series at the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art. Artists of every discipline and genre - poets, musicians, dancers, playwrights, actors, performers, filmmakers - are invited to demonstrate their craft every Monday in the Center's Kaplan Hall Lobby. 44 celebrates all forms of art and all stages of artistic practice. From dramatic readings to rehearsals to full-scale performances, 44 provides a dual experience - to artists seeking new audiences and venues, and to the downtown community seeking creative interaction. Performing next: Mandy Gaines, Jazz vocalist for the Blue Wisp, will help you relax and take the edge off with her soulful sound. Where Contemporary Arts Center When July 14, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Contact 513.345.2941 Discounts. Free and open to the public. Lunch available. Taft Museum of Art Views from the Uffizi: Painting the Italian Landscape Tranquil, stormy, or epic, landscape painting can take on many moods. A selection of 40 landscape paintings from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, surveys the evolution of landscape painting in Italy over three centuries, from the Renaissance through the 18th century. Included are works by such great painters as Botticelli, Guercino, Poussin, Claude Lorrain, and Canaletto. Altogether, the landscapes painted in Italy formed the basis of the European landscape tradition, as seen in the Taft Museum of Art's own collection. Where Taft Museum When Through October 12 Contact 513.241.0343 Discounts. See voucher for use. Cincinnati Museum Center Freedom's Sisters A thought provoking new collaboration between SITES and Cincinnati Museum Center. Dynamic and profoundly moving, Freedom's Sisters examines a group of extraordinary women, from key historical figures to contemporary leaders, who shaped much of the spirit and substance of civil rights in America. The exhibition's high-impact presentational approach will convey far-reaching educational messages through an introductory video, interactive exhibits (including a photo booth), and striking text and graphic panels. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund, Freedom's Sisters is complemented by educational and community outreach components to facilitate engagement with local audiences. Where Cincinnati Museum Center When Through September Contact 513.287.7000 Discounts. Voucher use only; admission to the exhibit included in museum admission. Cincinnati Art Museum Artist File Join Bree Lehman as she profiles artist Edward Hopper, leading American Realist. You'll take a closer look at the life of an artist who was intensely private and used his solitude to inspire his art. Where Cincinnati Art Museum When July 9 Contact 513.721.ARTS Admission. The museum is free and open to the public. Reservations for program not required. Drake Planetarium and Science Center Laser Magic With Laser Magic, the planetarium becomes an ever-changing universe of brilliantly colored astronomical imagery and animations. The laser shows incorporate classical-style 2D animation, computer-generated 3D animation, and abstract geometrics. The laser visual display, colors and choreography are an expression of the music, leaving the audience enthralled with an experience that reaches new heights. Where Drake Planetarium and Science Center When July 10-August 10 (Thurs-Sun) Contact 513.396.5578 Discounts. All levels of membership receive up to two tickets at $6 per ticket, when purchasing in advance. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Americans Who Tell the Truth A remarkable non-partisan collection of portraits of Americans past and present is intended to remind people of the dignity, courage and importance of some of America's truth tellers and to create dialogue that will help each of us figure out which truths we value most as citizens in a democracy. Where The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center When Through August 31 Contact 513.333.7500 Discounts. $2 off entry for all levels of membership. FUNKe Fired Arts Funke Functionals: Make functional pottery on Saturday mornings! Learn to create one-of-a-kind clay art to use in your home. Kid-parent friendly (All Ages 7-95) Kids under 7 need chaperone. Where FUNKe Fired Arts When Through August 16 Contact 513.871.2529 Discounts. 10% off one introductory class session for members. Sign up with a friend and get 20% off!