Most of the residents are cool but they love calling the police. Even if you are working in the…read morearea and are clearly wearing your company's uniform, badge and your car is marked with company logo. It's comical as they all have Black Lives Matter signs but it seems to be the first area that would call the police if they saw a black person. Hey Terrace Park chill out. Not everyone is out to get you. It's broad daylight just approach the workers and ask what they're up to. Save the police a trip.

Beautiful homes! Could use more businesses like restaurants/bars. Better watch the speed limit…read more The terrace park cops will get you.

Last summer my dad was in the market for a boat, so we all met up at the Levee during the first…read moreannual Boat Festival for a night of fine dining (we ate at Mitchell's Fish Market) and boat shopping. Every marina in the Greater Cincinnati area came out to the boat show, most brought along boats from the previous year at sale prices to induce impulse buys (though how you could rationalize buying a boat on impulse, I'll never know.). The vendors line their wares and stalls up at the base of the Levee, using the Ohio River and the Cincinnati skyline as a pretty backdrop. We browsed the boats for a few hours while listening to live entertainment (a pretty decent cover band that played everything from "Walking on Sunshine" to Johnny Cash) and downing ice-cold slushies. My dad did not end up buying a boat that day but he did get valuable information about the vendors in the area and he was able to determine exactly the style of watercraft he was in the market for. Every vendor welcomed his questions despite knowing he wasn't intending to purchase immediately. Even if you aren't willing or able to purchase a boat, this is a fun event to stroll through during a night at the Levee. Some vendors bring miniature yachts with insanely luxurious interiors and features; pretend you're loaded and get yourself a tour! The festival will take place on these dates and times this year at the Levee's dock: Fri, Aug 15 5 - 11 p.m. Sat, Aug 16 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sun, Aug 17 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Ugh. To say the past few weeks have sucked balls is not even the half of it. First, my comrade is…read morequitting. That's enough suckiness, because like who am I even going to talk to, but I'm inheriting her hard work. Like I'm not even that smart. Well, but whatever. Then my brother sprained his ankle. I tried to help out a lot and it's just kind of tiring. Then, when he started feeling better, my husband was mugged in San Francisco! Like why would someone just go up to another person and punch them in the face? Because they want their wallet. Which is how I ended up here, looking at this mural again. I'd say it's worth going through security to look at the mural, even though I said before that it's not. These security people were nice, at least the security lady is. Since I had to go to the federal building last week, I made it a point to really look at this. It's very cool. Like I took a million pictures. I looked at the fat mallard for a long time. Also, I liked the grey, spikey owl. Oh! And the snail is cool. BTW I also thought the deer and elk and moose were cool. And one of my favorite things was the alligator about to eat a sheep. I love chompy mouth animal pictures. Listen. If you're mugged and your green card is stolen, you have to fill out some forms and pay another $450 for a replacement. It takes six months to get a new one, but you can get a stamp on your passport. Well, and then $590 more when it expires, which in our case is about 9 months from now. That means we'll have the $450 new green card for about three months. LOL But you're required by law to carry your green card all the time. Hopefully you aren't a victim of a violent criminal attack because it's one thing after another that might make you so angry. But when you think of these things and go down to INS, just to see if maybe life is a little more fair than you think (it isn't), take some time to look at all these little animals. Most important is that you aren't dead and these little tile animals will make you so happy.

In the lobby of the federal building, you'll find a wall-sized, tiled mural of animals created by…read morethe brilliant, 1950's and 60's illustrator, Charlie Harper. While you're in the neighborhood, check out the gallery of Charlie Harper prints (some signed), posters, and memorabilia at Fabulous Frames and Art, a few blocks away at 17 West 4th st.

Booty werk. booty werk. booty booty booty werk. left cheek right cheek left cheek right cheek. My…read morebutt is sore today, but boys like firm butts so I commend the instructors for their intensity. Especially that warm up. I've never had a booty warm up like that. Yowzaas. I'm interested in more of their classes. Pilates, TRX, etc. I'll have to check them out. The close-knit classes are also appealing. Bravo bravo [claps enthusiastically]

Phew! Tough workout that was fun and a new experience for me. The instructor was great and audible…read moreover the awesome music that played throughout the workout. Like Jessica, I would be interested in trying a TRX or Pilates class, God only knows how bad my body would hurt after those! The location is great, except you will be tempted by Holtman's donuts and Graeter's and all the other restaurants as you walk/limp to your car. Thanks Cindy and Yelp for a unique exercise experience.

The events keep getting better and better! This was held at the Essencha Tea House. This hidden…read moregem is located in Oakley near Red Tree Gallery. I walked in and smelled the aroma of the teas as they were brewing. Before the tasting, I was able to mingle with new faces. We started off with a 101 from the owner Tracy. She gave us some useful tips and info on teas. Some I knew because I have been going to Essencha for years. But for the most part, I learned alot. After the lecture, we were able walk around taste the different kinds/types of teas, enjoy the small bites (Mochi (Japanese Rice Dessert), Brownies, Rollups, etc), and mingled. You were able to try different types of teas: Black, Oolong, Green, White, Roobibos. My favorites were the Tumeric Ginger, Walnut, Apricot, Lapsang Souchong, and Hot Mama (Cinnamon with a kick). After the tasting, we played a game that Cindy set up. We were paired with someone we didn't know which I thought was really cool. Overall, another successful and awesome event. Cindy, you did such a great job! I am always grateful when invited to these small intimate elite events! Thank you.

Sampling delicious teas was a great way to spend a bitter cold winter evening. The last time I…read morewent to a tea tasting (in another city), I was given tiny sips from medicine cups and also had to taste some teas with a plastic spoon while sharing germs with 20 strangers! eww gross! This tasting at Essencha was nothing like that previous experience. We were given our own individual glassware to sample the 5+ teas. Before the tasting, the owner Tracy gave us a quick history of how the tea shop came to be and also educated us on the basics of tea. I really appreciated how she presented tea as a very obtainable luxury and wasn't pretentious about it all. She seemed like a cool down to earth business owner with good knowledge about her products. My favorite tea of the evening was the walnut green tea. My favorite munch was the green tea mochibars. I couldn't get enough of the chewiness. I bought some of the walnut green tea and mochibars. The girl who rang me out was super friendly had very helpful with recommending teas in the future. I unfortunately had to skip out after an hour and missed the "Punny" portion of the evening. Thanks Cindy, Tracy, Yelp and Essencha team for a fun evening!

The Cinciy art work parade continues.This mural has a lot going on and overlooks a huge commercial…read moreparking lot. It pays homage to an actual bird named Martha, who died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, at the age of 29, and is believed to be the last of her species. Up until then, she was very popular with Zoo visitors generating long lines. The mural was painted In Partnership with the Cincinnati Nature Center. This mural is a reproduction of a smaller piece by wildlife artist and conservationist John Ruthven. Tim Parsley was the lead painter on the project, which was painted in 2013 and depicts Martha and her flock soaring over the historic Bird Run at the Cincinnati Zoo. It is intended to serve as a reminder to viewers of the reality of extinction and the importance of conservation. It is on the side of an apartment building and overlooks a parking lot. There are a ton of pigeons in the the mural, mean a ton, flying around on a winter day. The detail of the mural is amazing. There is some in metered street parking in a reasonable waking distance. There are also commercial garages and lots you can park in, but they are pretty pricy. I just pulled into the huge lot that it overlooked and got my fill and then quietly left. This is a nice mural and I like its backstory. Martha forever! Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other murals in the area or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. I just did a mural tour of the downtown area. There are a ton within about a half mile of each other.

This is a neat mural that has an inspiring message. According to the website. " In Partnership with…read moreCincinnati Nature Center. Martha, the last passenger pigeon, lived out her last days at the Cincinnati Zoo. Despite efforts to save what was once the most numerous bird species in America, Martha died in 1914. Almost one hundred years later, Cincinnati remains committed to wildlife preservation thanks to local organizations like the zoo and Cincinnati Nature Center, and wildlife artist and conservationist John A. Ruthven, dubbed the 20th Century Audubon. This mural reproduces an original masterpiece by Mr. Ruthven that shows Martha and her flock soaring over the historic Bird Run at the Cincinnati Zoo, and serves as a daily reminder to downtown residents, workers and visitors of the importance of wildlife conservation and the reality of extinction."