OHIO/CINNKY: Random pictures from camera today

Adding a new blog to the blogroll at the same time...

PriceHillBlog, though they bill themselves as "a hyperlocal blog for residents of Price Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio. I think it’s the only blog for the Cincinnati suburb that brought you Skyline Chili, but, I’m not 100% sure." I would object, but I don't talk about Price Hill all the time. It's not updated regularly, but it's kinda cool.

OHIO/CINNKY: East Price Hill Improvement Association

Found another great organization that's working to better "EPH" -- East Price Hill, which is approximately where I live. It's a booster organization, and I think I plan to attend (and join) their monthly membership meeting on the 16th of June, as it is less than three blocks from my house.

The word on the street -- that is, from Neighbor Lady with Ivy -- that the group was organized by the development firm that is planning Incline Square, blogged here. And this is in addition to Price Hill Will.

OHIO/CINNKY: Mt. Echo Park

Mt. Echo Park at sunset

OHIO/CINNKY: Hell yea Price Hill!!!

I don't know if you've picked up on it at all, but I'm a Price Hill resident -- East Price Hill to be exact.

As a commentary, I'd like to point out the interesting distinction growing in the PH: Lower Price Hill versus East Price Hill (including the sub-neighborhood of the "Incline District"). See, "LPH" is bad and dark and scary -- i.e., it's filled with Mexican immigrants, people from Appalachia, and prostitutes. "EPH," meanwhile, is setting itself up as the new, cool, hip neighborhood in town -- with the Incline District as its central motivator. I have always said Price Hill is the next to develop, as it's the only hill in town that you can buy an overlook of downtown for under $100,000 (my friend bought a condo with a porch off his master bedroom overlooking downtown for a measly $66,000 -- not joking). I was very excited when Sibcy-Cline once put up a sign in out neighborhood that said "Priceless views. Priced Less. Price Hill." Honestly, is there another part of the city that you can see all of the city from that doesn't cost $500,000+? Nope!

On the bright side, it's better than my neighbor's joke -- that we live in "North Villa Hills" (a somewhat affluent Kentucky neighborhood that's immediately south of us across the river).

Imagine my glee when CINCINNATI REVISITED (a new blog on the left side of your screen -- a Cincy history blog; mom, read it, you'll like it) directed me to the link about a brand new spanking $50m development in EPH.



City Lights Development is planning on turning Queen City Towers into a new hot spot, including a newly revamped neighborhood around it, that includes a night club (whoohoo!), a gourmet pizza parlor (what?), a steakhouse, and a new park. The image is kinda crappy, but it's right there in the middle.

IE: along with Kroger's plan for new building, right next to the old one (which, btw, was built right next to the old one that became a Family Dollar -- pictures to come), things may be looking better. (HA! Although, having four Kroger's -- near Walmart, on Glenway, at Race Street, and in PH -- may be a little egregious.)

Invest now, wait out the housing crisis, and then hope the value of my house goes through the roof.

OHIO/CINNKY: Price Hill Girls

I really really like my neighborhood -- East Price Hill -- and I have great hope for it to come back as a nice place in the world. (I mean, really, it has some of the best home architecture in the city, if it can be a little small -- it just needs someone to take care of it.) But one of my coworkers at job #2 sent me and AM to this YouTube bit that I just can't stop laughing at. What's really funny is the guys are from CCU, which I consider a joke anyways.



What's really funny is they then started a website -- www.pricehillgirls.com -- which reportedly gives a portion of the money they make off MERCHANDISE back to the community. Their website says:

One of the goals we have by selling merchandise is to raise a certain amount of money from each item sold and then give it back to the community. Our plan is to take this raised amount and donate it to a different community outreach in the Price Hill area every month.

I don't know how old the website is, but it's getting some play on the media (here on WKRC-12) and in the local blogosphere (on the Daily Bellwether and at Nasty, Brutish, and Short for example). Apparently people are offended for any variety of reasons that people get offended at parodies. I just think it's funny, and the news can't report stuff like this "because it's there" -- since it involves "singing and dancing and ethnic movement" (quote from Legally Blonde: The Musical), I think people decided to make a controversy over nothing.

Regardless, I have no problems with Price Hill and have actually had more problems in Clifton and Northside, in terms of being approached, being put in bad situation, having my car broken into, than I ever have in Price Hill or the Westside. And I've even been to Lower Price Hill. The Mexican and Appalachian folk were nice down there.

If you want to see what YOU can do for MY community (and, more broadly, Cincinnati as a whole), go to our award-winning and highly active civic organization: