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)

CUPA organizes league play ultimate frisbee for players in the Cincinnati area and provides…read moreinformation about various pick-up game locations across the city. I have played in their summer leagues for 4 years now, and I have always had an amazing time. They offer summer league play at both the recreational and the experienced level, so you feel welcome no matter if you are a newbie or a seasoned veteran. The rec league games are always a lot of fun, and competitiveness varies from team to team. The experienced league is usually pretty competitive and has some ridiculously good players in it. They also offer two 8-week winter leagues, played indoors on SportsTurf, and a youth summer league. All of the leagues have tournaments at the end of the season. Summer league games are once a week, for 2 hours, 6:30-8:30 PM, at Francis Recreacres (off Reed Hartman by I-275) either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. The season is 9 games long + tournament, and cost varies as follows (with a t-shirt provided for each player): $80 for both leagues - did not recruit a new player $75 for both leagues - recruited a new player in either league $70 for both leagues - recruited one or more players in both leagues $70 for both leagues - first time player in Cincinnati Summer League $60 for both leagues - YUC players $40 for one league - have played in Cincinnati Summer League before, did not recruit a new player $35 for one league - recruited a new player in either league $35 for one league - first time player in Cincinnati Summer League $30 for one league - YUC players Winter league costs $65-75 per person (due to field rental costs), and covers ~12 hours of play time (12x1 hour games). Pick-up games are listed with some contact information. Tons of fun and a great way to make new friends who usually love to hang out/go out after the games!

CUPA is seriously the best. I've played in a number of their leagues, and they are all a ton of…read morefun, with great people and organizers to boot. Spring and Fall Leagues are generally played at Lockland HS, on turf. They run two 1-hour games in one night, weekly. Winter league is played on an indoor soccer stadium, again on turf. I haven't played in that one, but I've heard it's a ton of fun. It does tend to be more expensive thanks to facility rental though. If you're new to Ultimate and want to get started with the best group of people out there, do summer league. Generally runs June-early August, there are dozens of teams of 10-20 people (per team) that play a two hour game on Wednesday nights, weekly. It's played at Francis Recreacres near Sharonville. Summer league is meant for beginners, it's a teaching league with a mix of new and experienced players. Spirit prizes are generally given after each game, and there's a lot of fun to be had. Well organized, with plenty of notification for weather delayed/cancelled games. Registration includes a t-shirt and entrance into the tournament, where breakfast and a grill out bookend the season. Everyone is seriously, the nicest, and there is much fun to be had by all.

Ziegler Park is an urban area that isn't nearly as aesthetically notable as some of the other areas…read moreof Cincinnati. Instead it offers a pool, a playground, and some other amenities. There is a parking garage of note as well, and it's a good place to stop and fill up a water bottle and cool down during the summer.

This is a great pool to visit if you want to get some relief from the heat. I have visited on…read moremultiple occasions- both with children I babysit and with friends. This past Sunday it was very busy and it was difficult to even get two chairs together. We snagged one when we arrived then got into the pool. We had to wait until later in the afternoon to get a second chair, but we didn't necessarily mind because we were in the water. I wouldn't necessarily consider this a relaxing place to come- it has a very lively and busy atmosphere. If you are fine with this vibe then definitely come check it out!

Not to be confused with the Oatly Playground upon which NO DAIRY CAN BE CONSUMED. If you think I'm…read morewrong, prove it. I dairy you to surprise me. This is a cool playground in the Northeast part of Cincinnati and it's usually pretty busy and popular - and the only problem is that traffic nearby can be pretty treacherous.

Not for the recreation center itself, but a review for the connecting park and surrounding areas…read more The playground itself is newer. It is a structure with things for ages 2-12. During our visit the majority of the equipment was in good working order. Parts of the playground were flooded due to recent rains. There were still plenty of areas to play on. Some spinning thing kept my middle child entertained while the older one was part of the clean up. We came to do a trash clean up, and boy did we have our work cut out for us. We cleaned what we could, but had to leave due to poor weather. Masks, cigarette butts, and beer bottles/cans were the items we found the most of. There was plenty of other trash too. Most of it was along the paved paths, and the edges of the playground.

Price for 65 year olds is high considering most are on social security/ fixed income didn't…read morerealize how high it has gotten

Evanston Recreation center is convenient and well-equipped for fitness, fun and safe! Staff is…read morealways there to serve your interests!

Great for some laid back pickleball in these colder weather days. Day pass is $5 i think $25 for…read morethe year

The CRC is one of the best keep secrets in Cincinnati if you're looking for a basic, affordable…read moreplace to get in a workout. I have a fitness membership-it's $25 for a CRC membership (for the YEAR!) which gets you into the center for open gyms and classes (Zumba, Yoga, Aerobics) and it's an extra $70/year (or $20/quarter) to use the fitness room. It doesn't get much better. The staff are friendly and will give you free reign of the place to walk around and check things out before you commit. It is a pretty basic place-two treadmills, three ellipticals, free weights, and a full assortment of weight machines. The cardio equipment works fine, but has been around awhile. The crowd is very diverse and friendly, and often rather scarce, but in the winter time and can get a bit crowded. They do also have a bathroom with a shower room and lockers. I've never used them, but wouldn't be afraid to. The hours are reasonable at 6:30-9 during the week-I can get in before or after work, but Saturdays could be better (9-noon). Parking is off-street and plentiful.

Two years ago today, in this picture I had been on crutches for six months and was on my second…read moremajor surgery of the year. This one was to fix what was to be two sets of broken bones in my pelvis from the first surgery that went array, and turned out to be three. I had two plates and 8 screws in my hip and pelvis. When I met DJ, I'd been on crutches 11 months and still in so much pain I couldn't sleep at night. I was staring down a third surgery to take out the metal in my body to see if it would help. Going from being an "athlete" in terms of work out standards of to immobile messed me up. DJ, swindled me into thinking he could fix me and avoid the third surgery at QCKB. I wasn't getting sleep and was in constant pain. I started in November, 2021 at Queen City Kettlebell. He worked with me closely... but I had to do the work. He encouraged me to push through. I cried for at least the first month in the gym. So much so that I was going to make a t shirt that said "DJ didn't make me cry, I'm just a whiney b.". I kept coming back. Kept pushing myself and letting DJ push me. The people who work out there are so welcoming and very supportive, which makes the environment somewhere you don't mind crying if it comes up out. Five months later, I went to San Diego on a work trip. I was able to walk and hike over 15,000 steps a day after working out and had zero pain. Eight months later, I rode 22 miles on my road bike after walking 5 miles early that morning. I'm not back to where I was YET, but I'm MILES from where I was after months of unsuccessful physical therapy before meeting DJ and starting at Queen City Kettlebell. Also, Emma is fantastic and very kind and knowledgeable. Thank you so much to the team there. I can't speak the words that can truly convey how it feels to start getting my body back.

If you are one of those people that like to walk around saying, "I'm a glutton for punishment",…read morethan come try this gym out. The classes are small and the trainers are very attentive to everyone's needs so when you leave this place you will know to swing a bell correctly. My personal favorite is their Metabolic Blitz; which is a boot camp style class. From what I can tell, this class is always changing, never the same. I always walk-in never knowing what type of drills or how many of them I am expected to do that day. So yes, this class is very effective in working your entire body. Bottom line, if you are looking for a new way to workout that will challenge you mentally and physically, this might be the place for you.

It was not crowded and it was absolutely amazing. Beautiful. We rented a pontoon boat and had a…read moregrand time.

Lake is beautiful and the marina is awesome. Serves delicious food with a beautiful view.read more