Sprawling City. Cincinnati, OH

This weekend was an adventure. Hannah and I drove to her hometown of Cincinnati, OH Friday night after classes, spent Saturday having fun, and then drove back after church today. As Hannah and I will be rooming together next year, it was a great chance to bond and learn. I learned that Cincinnati is truly the definition of a sprawling city. It goes forever.
We woke up Saturday morning and got some Kidd Coffee, then drove around Mason to see her high school and some local things. We visited Loveland Castle and then drove/ walked around the cute town of Mariemont. We ate lunch at Marx Hot Bagels, and then went to Jungle Jim's. Her dad grilled hamburgers for dinner. We saw Anne of Green Gables put on by Mars Hill and then went to the cast party where I met some of her classmates and friends. On Sunday morning we attended North Cincinnati Community Church and then ate lunch at McAllister's.

Here is a picture from Loveland:



Marx Bagels (home of the Bagel Man) is quite an experience. It is run by a crochety old Jewish man who "dropped out of high school to study dough." But regardless of his hard exterior and lack of political correctness, I really like him. His bagels are to die for. I got onion, toasted, with cream cheese (pretty much a whole tub of homemade cream cheese....) Hannah got an egg bagel. Everything is Kosher. There were lots of great photos of Bagel Man and the store hung on the walls. I got some cream soda to drink and was delighted.

Mariemont is the adorable little town that Hannah wants to live in after college. It also has a splendid chapel that she dreams of being married in (and if I ever fall in love with a guy from Ohio, I will too). We walked and talked, enjoying the nice weather.

Jungle Jim's is this gigantic international grocery store with everything you could possibly want to eat. I bought Robert a bottle of Pumpkin Pie Soda and some Ostrich jerky. Hannah I both bought empty wooden cigar boxes for our tea (they were $2!) and got carded at the checkout line. My first time being carded and it's for an empty cigar box...hahaha! I also broke down and bought my own Blackberry Sage Tea, but it was only $8 for 50 bags.


     

The play was great, and I was really impressed. The score was written by Cincinnati natives. The cast party was good too, just long with people I didn't really know. But alas, sleep was sweet that evening. We spent our car rides belting out music (like the HSM soundtrack, Wicked, Adele, Down, and Taylor the Latte Boy). I'm glad to be back on the mountain, but also so thankful to have had this weekend away.