Looking for a great area to live? The City of Southgate is located just five minutes south from…read moreDowntown Cincinnati. It boasts that small town feel with the conveniences of living close to the city. Most of the houses in Southgate were built during the 1950s, and it is easy to find some still equipped with vintage appliances and pastel colored tile bathrooms. The houses are close together, but in a way that boasts the "Wonder Years" sort of charm. Kids ride bicycles down the street. Neighbors talk to each other and are eager to lend a hand. Little girls still wear mismatched socks and camp tee shirts, rather than looking like Miley Cyrus. You can even find city council rolling up their sleeves and partaking in community projects. Having attended many of their city council meetings, the city itself is one of the best governed in Northern Kentucky. Councilmembers genuinely care about the upkeep of the city and love being involved with the community. Southgate has Memorial Day parades, dinners with the Fire Department, and a well-organized community yard sale that benefits charity, plus many other activities throughout the year. Home to the Southgate Community Center, the city utilizes this gorgeous building for cookouts, including National Night Out, which honors the city's first responders. The event allows citizens to look inside emergency vehicles and see tools used by the professionals. Southgate is also known as a National Arbor City, for its continuous work in planting new trees in public areas. Whether a resident or a visitor, Southgate is a great place to be!

Just a few blocks from my AirBnB- I managed to get over there twice during my stay. First time, was…read moreabout 30 minutes before close- but I got my Babushka's perogies! I also snagged an apple crumb mini pie, cookies and found a chocolate shop with marvelous St Patrick's Truffles! The public art surrounding the market is vibrant and playful. When I returned on my last day, my first stop was for coffee and I enjoyed (even though it was bitterly cold) the outdoor market. The flower shop was delightful and I found myself in several shops buying various items like an apron, teas, honey and more! I even snagged quiche at a small bakery. I am so happy I made time to explore and I highly recommend. Locals must love all the meat markets, delis, produce and eateries!

Love the market. Great food, shopping, people watching & great gathering spot with friends. Would…read morehave given it a 5 but their music (not the entertainment) is WAY TOO LOUD!!! Almost impossible to have a conversation.

The crème de la crème of suburbs, Fort Thomas is the real life Stepford: exquisite houses,…read moreperfectly manicured lawns, friendly neighbors, and joggers out exercising every hour of the day. While the sound of "suburbs" may make some cringe, this city is safe, quiet, and just a five minute drive from Downtown. What you'll find here: - Low home insurance rates, as the city has a paid fire department - Frequent visibility of police patrol - St. Elizabeth Hospital - The city's branch of the Campbell County Public Library - Fort Thomas Schools, offering some of the best education and extracurriculars in the area - Well-paved sidewalks that connect all over town. It's a very walkable community, but most of the city is residential. - A handful of local eateries: sandwich shops, coffee, fancy restaurants, and even a candy shop. - A town center filled with white-collar local businesses, from dance studios, wedding planners, lawyers and more. - The Fort Thomas Museum, focusing on the city's Civil War history. - City architecture is uniform, reflecting a cobblestone look of the 1800s. You won't find obtrusive corporate signs here. - Grand, luxurious mansions, 1800s homes, and upscale apartments. - Gated properties and nuclear families Downsides: - Fort Thomas Schools tacks on an additional fee to utility bills, regardless if you have kids in the school system. - Gas stations are taxed heavily for being in Fort Thomas, causing prices to be at least 10 cents higher than at the Kroger gas station down the street in Newport City Limits.

The living mural located in downtown Covington Kentucky is created by the artist group called "the…read moreLondon police". The mural is massive and features a dog with a space helmet and stick looking people with numbers counting up to 15. Kinds reminds me of the old highlights magazine games I would play as a child. While I'm not sure exactly what is happening in this mural or the meaning of it I do enjoy it. It's massive and fun. Also it is right across the street from another cool mural that features the plant from the movie little shop of horrors saying "feed me more". So a pretty cool area to check out for public art lovers.

I really have no words to describe this event... and if you know me, that's no easy feat…read more It's been described as a pop up fancy dinner. Part flash mob. Part picnic. Part fancy revelry. And when it all comes together, absolutely breathtaking! It's a semi exclusive event. Word of mouth and friends of friends basically. You and your friends meet up with a smaller group of about 50 people. Then these groups meet up with 5 more groups and you're transported to the secret location for that year. That's when 1100 people this year spilled out of buses or from various downtown points and set up tables in long rows. Then proceeded to their picnic spread. There is an option to purchase baskets made by places like Orchids and Eat Well Celebrations. From what i saw they were huge! Had plenty to feed 2 and then pass some around. These will cost you though, anywhere from $60-$100. You will be lucky to get into the event itself. It's premise is friends coming together, Therefore it's a friends of friends type gathering. Those that went this year, will be given a spot next year, and they can invite one other couple. Then if there is room, it will go to a wait list. The thing that seems to stop people is the fact that you do have to pay $24 a person, plus a one time $5 membership fee, to allow you to attend the events in the future. The fee goes towards venue rental, security, entertainment, and most importantly, the liquor license that allows us to consume wine and Champagne in a public area. The most difficult yet kind of fun part, is finding everything you'll need. You're to bring a small square table (under 32x32 inches) 2 white chairs, a table cloth, nice place settings, glasses, a table setting/decorations, and a picnic basket with your dinner in it, as well as your drinks for the evening. You also are to dress all in white. They do have really nice contests though. They have a best table one, and a most elegant/creatively dresses group (of 2-4 couples); both offer a dinner for 6 cooked by chefs, such as Jean Robert of JR's Table. And then there is the most elegantly/creatively dressed couple; this prize is a trip with airfare to Antigua! This year being in Lytle park was gorgeous! Queen City tower, and the Taft museum flanking us, lights in the trees, darn near everyone with candles. You arrive in a huge group and get set up quickly. at about 7:15 napkins are waved and you start on your 3 courses. Or whatever else you've prepared. I used this as an excuse to have a little fun and indulge myself. I saw meat and cheese and fruit trays, dips and spreads and salads. Then you move on to your main course and lastly dessert. Everyone was friendly, and I saw most tables sharing with their neighbors, who most hadn't met before this evening. It was a great time, and you could take your time and just enjoy it. Then at around 9 Sparklers were lit by everyone and balloons were released. For whatever reason, this was one of the highlights of the evening. I cant put into words how beautiful it was at that moment. Then it was time to party. Champagne flowed freely, the dj was playing awesome music on the make shift dance floor and Framester was taking awesome photo booth shots! It was just so much fun, half the people didn't want to leave at 11. But sadly it was time to go as magically and quickly as we arrived. I already can't wait til next year!

Great event in Cincinnati, Ohio! Diner en Blanc was started…read morein Paris as a pop-up picnic for some friends and 25 years later has expanded all over the world. Cincinnati first experienced Diner en Blanc in 2012 and the fun of the event is its held at a secret location, no one knows the location until you arrive on the site. 2012 it was held at Lytle Park Downtown by the Taft Museum of art, a magical evening of 1,000 people in white, 2013 1,700 people enjoyed another wonderful evening in white at Washington Park and this year 2014 2,000 people took over Fountain Square for the night. Diner en Blanc everyone comes dressed in white, you bring all of your picnic supplies, table, chairs, food and drink and have a ball for an amazing evening in September in Cincinnati!

You have to check this out. It was so much fun to do and it's free! We had a good time checking out…read morethe interactive exhibits. We learned a lot. I did not know so much talent came out of Ohio. And it's located right on the river front so the views are beautiful. I also love that it's outdoors, anyone can attend.

I visited this walk of fame while in Cincinnati and it was a really cool experience…read more The walk of fame is completely outside but across from a huge park. All of the scenery was beautiful. The exhibition was very informative. Music was playing throughout the walk and you can even make fun little recordings of yourself as a souvenir. I do recommend this spot.

Digital Artist Stacey Catanzaro creates unique pieces of Cincinnati blended with the styles of…read moregreat artists. My eye caught her print of the Queen City's skyline and Roebling Bridge painted in the style of Van Gogh's "Starry Night." It is a gorgeous spin on a classic, plus something wonderfully local. She also has works featuring Findlay Market, Great American Ball Park, and other Cincinnati icons. Portraits of Stacey's work are somewhat pricey, ranging to upwards of several hundred dollars. She does offer smaller sized postcards for $3.00 or $5.00, if you're looking to share a print with someone back home. Stacey Cat can be found at local pop-up markets and her weekend booth at Findlay Market.

No, no, no... it's not cannibalism of football players. Taste of the NFL is an annual event that…read moretakes place in hometown football stadiums across the country as a fundraiser for homelessness and hunger. The Cincinnati Bengals' Taste benefits one of my favorite charities: Freestore Foodbank. The event features 45 of the city's finest chefs and restaurants serving one or two delectable samples at each booth. The entire Bengals team and Ben-Gal Cheerleaders are in attendance at the event for guests to snap photos with and get autographs. There is also a gigantic silent auction, a live auction of event packages going for $2,000+, and of course, an open bar. There was more than enough food samples here to fill me up. Everything looked incredible; I wish I had room for more! Some of my favorites included: - Burnell's Restaurant: White bean hummus, shamander mutabal, and crispy flat bread. - Cincinnati Cooks! Catering: Cubano chicken, greens, bacon with fried cornbread. Spicy chicken cutlet on a sweet Hawaiian bun with paprika sauce. Key lime pie. - Sugar Cupcakery: Sweet corn cupcake with raspberry frosting. - Second Course: Seared shrimp & steak with lemon, cilantro and garlic. Gazpacho shots. - J. P. Chocolatier: Chocolate bacon truffle. - La Petite Pierre: Lobster ravioli with a saffron tomato sauce. - Aramark: Roasted garlic Dijon lamb with orange pepper risotto. - Jean Robert's Table: Spicy chicken confit salad with Mediterranean couscous. - Eat Well: Devils food whoopie pie. Pretty much everything was delicious. The only thing I didn't like was the martini from SkinnyGirl. The drink tasted watered down because they put ice in the mix to keep it cool. Bartending Basics 101: NEVER put ice in a martini! Price per person: $150.00 (Keep in mind, this is a fundraising event for charity. Every $150.00 provides 600 meals to those in need. And you definitely get your monies worth in unlimited fine food and free alcohol.)

I've had the pleasure of attending this event for the past 3 years in a row as a former Freestore…read moreFoodbank (FSFB) employee and loyal volunteer to the organization. Let me tell you this event does not disappoint. This event is one of the FSFB's most popular fundraisers for Cincy area foodies and football fanatics alike. The event is a great opportunity to get those Bengals autographs you've always wanted and the opportunity to eat and drink yourself into a food coma. At almost $200 for a ticket, you better believe that some of Cincy's best restaurants are showcasing what they've got. There are restaurants that I've seen represented every year, like my personal favorites Tom + Chee and Holtmans and of course Cincinnati classic Jeff Rubys. There are always new showings (or new to me showings) too. Some of the standouts to me this year: Taste of Belgium- They had a pulled pork and mango chutney topped waffle. Hello delicious. Alfio's Buon Cibo- The ravioli was spot on Nashville Hot- This was a new to me restaurant. It wasn't fancy or extravagent, just a tasty waffle with some tasty hot chicken. Jag's- I've sampled their food previous years and it's always tasty. Loved their creative smores dessert this year. Holtmans- You redeemed yourself from last year by not running out of donuts and from the previous years I've attended by providing FULL SIZED donuts (instead of donut holes) to us Tom + Chee- You'll have to wait in line for their delicious sandwiches but the owner is down to earth and keeps you entertained while you wait for your fresh and delicious DONUT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH There were a bazillion other tasty bites but these are the ones I remember as standouts. PRO TIP if you come to this event- to make the most out of your ticket, definitely definitely have a "sharing buddy." This way you can try one of everything without having to toss half your tasting plate. Word of advice for the restaurants- While I love the larger portions this year, I felt like a lot of my bites got wasted because I only wanted a taste with over 20-30 other bites I needed to taste. It just seemed a bit silly to be wasting food at an event where the benefiting charity was a hunger relief organization. Can't wait to volunteer next year and all the years to come!