Rubber or Rail?

That's the gazillion-dollar question.

And it's being properly posed by Give Back Cincinnati at forums this coming Monday and Tuesday. Everyone can blog or write op-eds for the local paper, but what a better way to add some inflection to your opinion than speaking face-to-face with some of the most prominent decision-makers on Cincinnati transit issues.

STREETCAR PROPOSAL SOUNDING SESSION #1
CINCINNATI OPERA GARRETT BOARD ROOM, MUSIC HALL
FEBRUARY 2 & 3, 6-8 pm

And what a more fitting place to house the debate than an establishment with rails and cobblestones still strolling by the entrance...

Music Hall (1910).
Photo © Detroit Publishing Co. 

Image source.

• Remember to RSVP here...and please remove gloves after arriving.

• Thanks to John at ProTransit.com for the heads up - a first-rate source of up-to-date news and events relating to this incredibly important issue in Cincinnati's history.

Winter Incline

 "Watching the Incline" by Nelson Ronsheim (1938).
Source: Michael G Smith.

This is a great shot of [one of the funiculars] with kids enjoying the wintry weather (sometime between 1937-1942), shot by the indelible Nelson Ronsheim. I know other Cincy bloggers have posted on him before (i.e. here), but if you still haven't visited Michael's Flickr site, I encourage you to do so - it hosts an amazing spread of his grandfather's artistry.

Ronsheim is definitely one Cincinnati artist who's flown under the radar for too long. For example, he was a commercial and fine artist, and among other things, the youngest person to be accepted to the Cincinnati Art Academy at that time.

Book on this guy's life, please.

The Reds Land Clooney

My wife is a big fan of The Ellen DeGeneres' Show, and I've been notified of Ellen's recent unsuccessful attempts to lure George Clooney as a guest. After several tries, she finally called on some old Reds legends to drag him to the set. My wife thought Skyline would've done the trick nicely, but as things stand now, it'll just be Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. Info here on the festivities, Monday, January 16th.

Speaking of Bench...
I recently ran across an excellent site on the glory days of malls past: Malls of America. Here you can find great coverage of the great suburban behemoths nationwide, including Cincinnati's, such as: Antiquated layouts of Tri-County Mall, several Jim Borgman mall commentaries, and - here's the tie-in - Johnny Bench's Home Plate Restaurant at Northgate Mall. What a find.

Image Source: Cincinnati Views.

• Remember, you can catch the Big Red Machiners on Ellen, 11/16, 10am on ABC  9. 

• Additionally, feel free to meander through an old related post on nostalgia for my local mall.