If you aren't laughing or having a good time, you're doing it wrong!…read more Wow! I never thought I'd find myself running around sans shirt in Yelp pasties http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/5wmxXfDLfT0_Ub16QwJtrA?select=VczvidtpSZjxcnEw1J13OQ in 40 degree weather for a good cause (Freestore Foodbank), but I'm so glad I did. *BTW, going topless is rather crazy and totally optional. Ditto Stacey and Nathan's tips. Overall, my advice is to just have fun and don't take it too seriously. There are of course people that treat this like the Olympics, and the prizes are decent (money$$$), but I'd rather just enjoy my time with friends. Whoever had the silly string really got that stuff everywhere. I saw it at so many points along the route, you must have had a dozen cans of it. *Very special thanks to the team that let us look at their map (ours might have been stolen??, curses sabotagers, ha ha!), we'd still be wandering around without you. There were some very creative and hilarious teams. It's amazing what people can come up with! I really liked the Forrest Gump team. And if you guys are reading this, that team that gave you $%&# about not being tethered, blah blah blah, well they can go (fill in the blank). Oh, and thanks for the chocolate :) So, next year, rustle up 4 other friends and a shopping cart, and have an amazing time. You only live once...

Cinciditarod is an annual scavenger hunt race that benefits the Freestore Foodbank. Held the first…read moreweekend in March during Bockfest, teams consist of five players pulling a (legally acquired) shopping cart. It's a reverse dog sled race, and the players must stay tethered to the cart at all times. Teams come up with a theme, wear costumes, and decorate their cart. I was on team Material Girls, which featured five genres of Madonnas through the ages. While there is an award for fastest time, most people participate in the race because its fun, not because they're marathon runners. Heck, my team ran for five blocks before we got winded and decided to walk the rest of the journey. Along the 5 mile route, teams trek from Fountain Square to as far north as Findlay Market, as far south as Covington, and up the grueling steep Liberty Hill. Armed with a map and cunning, teams must perform tasks at check points along the way: - Purchase a $25.00 bag of groceries from Kroger on Vine Street. - Deliver bag of groceries to Freestore Foodbank - Perform a musical skit - Eat a sack of pretzels and drink a gallon of generic Sunny Delight - Complete a trivia sheet about Cincinnati history - Run an obstacle course - Get your picture taken by event officials While all this is going on, other teams may be trying to booby-trap your team by spraying silly string, glitter, or duct taping your cart. "Who would do such a thing!?!" you ask. Teams like mine, who sabotaged 16 carts this year. Mwahaha! Our team finished just under two hours, and while we did not win any awards (nor were we trying to) we all had an amazing time. Tips: - Bring plenty of water in your cart - Bring a knife or scissors to cut yourself free from any duct tape sabotage - Wear layers and bring a coat. You can throw in in the cart when once you're running and warm. It's early March. It's cold outside. You'll need a coat. Suggestions: - Instead of the eating contest consisting of junk food, perhaps we could have a healthy alternative? I'm intolerant of processed foods (like Generic Sunny D) and in previous years people have vomited from eating junk (Cheetos, nutty buddy bars, liters of soda, Hawaiian Punch). How about some veg? COST: Registration Fee: $45.00 ($9.00 per team member) Grocery donation from Kroger: $25.00 ($5.00 per team member)

Nice dog park. Enjoyed lunch with friends and family under one of the covered areas. The little…read moreones loved watching the dogs run in the gated area plus loved playing on the playground. Plenty of parking and great location right off the interstate.

I can not say enough go things about this well maintained and HUGE dog park that my pup loves. This…read morepark is in the back of a park that is filled with soccer fields, football practices and the cutest playground for kids. It is a huge, open space that has an old run down water tower in the center that has been painted by Cincinnati Art Works. The mural features a lot of bright colors and of course, pups. There is a water area for drinks, benches for you to sit while your pup plays and plenty of trash cans and doggie bags for easy clean-up. This is a dog park you have to pay to have membership too, which personally I love, that way you know all the dogs are up to date on shots, flea medicine, vaccines and (hopefully) tend to not be aggressive. That being said they are still dogs. To purchase the membership you must go to Julifs Park in Anderson to get membership before you can even check it out because it is locked and gated. And for good reason, members are very good about not giving out the passcode to even not only their dogs but all dogs in the dog park safe. If you live in Anderson, you also get a discount to this park so if you're looking for some social interaction for your doggo - head to Kellogg Dog Park!

The second sporting event I attended this weekend was the Deveroes Summer League at Woodward High…read moreSchool. Each summer, the majority of Cincinnati, Xavier, Miami, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton's basketball players play in the league, as well as other current local players and sometimes past "legends." Current NBA stars David West, Jason Maxiell, James Posey and Kenyon Martin have all played in the league, so it is a great chance to see the future of the UC and Xavier programs first hand, among other things. As a die-hard Bearcat fan, I look forward to this event each summer as a way of seeing the top returning players up close, but even more so the new guys. The biggest draw for most fans is probably that opportunity to see the incoming recruits for the first time. The actual coaches aren't allowed per NCAA rules, essentially negating any defense that may be have been played. Get ready for plenty of dunks and exciting fast-break plays though. The Woodward gym is maybe two or three years old, so it's great place to watch the games, even when the top guys aren't on the court. The players walk and sit among the fans when not out playing on the court, so it is a great opportunity for young fans to score an autograph, or for the older crowd to chat among their favorite players. The quality of basketball is nothing like what you'll see during the real college basketball season, but for a $3 donation, it's more than worth it. The league will run through July 26.

Spent some time here as a spectator for our church's softball team. Nice little area!…read more The fields themselves look good but not really any bleacher space for the fans. For sure plan on bringing a picnic blanket or foldable chairs! Between games we went on a little walk and found tons of parking, a kids play area and a very big boat ramp/parking. Everything is mostly clean and has a small view of the Ohio River. Nothing amazing going on here but I have no problem going back to watch a game with or without my family! Side note: the walking trail from Otto and Lunken connect through here as well.

I had never visited Schmidt ballfields before but I get the impression that it's been at least a…read morepublic boat ramp for a long time in cincinnati. The reason I ventured here was for the new paved trails. Schmidt is now the furthest west completed point on the east side of the ohio river trail connection. You can run east all the way to lunkin airport through the Congress trailhead and past the future site of the Carrel Street Station. The trail is very wide and smooth with ample room for multiple bikers and pedestrians. I would say that when the Ohio is very high, much of this section of trail is under water. I've not used the ballfields or the boat ramp but they both look functional and both were in use by many people on a tuesday afternoon.

We played a tourney here month or so ago and enjoyed very much. Concessions are great too but not…read morewhy I'm posting. We heard MLB All-Star/Red George Foster gave one on one batting instruction at the indoor facility there and decided to try him out. Personally I was thinking this might be more of a paid meet and greet thing but my 10yo knew about him and really wanted to go. I'll say he is one of the nicest people I've met and this was full-on instruction! Yeah he'll share a story or two if you want but clearly he has serious baseball knowledge and wants to teach it. He moves at a rapid pace and my boy was even cramping a bit lol. This is a real asset to our youth baseball community I think most are not aware of and hoping more parents will give him a try. We'll be back for sure.

Stop in if you're at the complex for a tournament or just in the area. The bar is open as long as…read morethe ball is flying. The prices are really good for a ballpark and the food is fast and cheap. There are a lot of American beers on tap: the usual suspects such as Bud light, Miller lite and Coors light.