Sunday, July 15 – Saturday, July 21
The Week in Literary Ghosts: Last week I wrote a little about Louisville as I tourist-ed on Monday on my way back home. I left out a bit of my Monday morning walk which led me to the Seelbach Hotel on Fourth Street. Literary folk lore swears that F. Scott Fitgerald went to the Seelbach Hotel while on leave from nearby Camp Zachary Taylor in 1918. His time there, and especially his alleged meeting of the Bootlegger George Remus, led to the writing of The Great Gatsby. In the novel, Gatsby most likely represents the bootlegger (though the source of his immense wealth is not revealed) and he pines for his lost love Daisy Fay who has married Tom Buchanon. The Seelbach is the setting for Daisy and Tom’s marriage and it’s hard to be a book nerd and walk past this iconic hotel without thinking of the book. Built in 1905, the hotel remains a stately presence one block away from Louisville’s modern tourist offering Fourth Street Live. Daisy and Tom might just have partied with the hoi-poloi before heading back to their posh suite in the hotel.
The Week in Burgers: By Monday night I was back home an right at the beginning of Cinncinnati Burger week. About 50 restaurants participated this year offering a special $5 burger to celebrate. I always intend to try 3 or 4 burgers, but usually get to one. This year I went to the Pony on Main (which has pretty terrific bar food on a regular basis) for their $5 offering: A burger topped with pimento cheese, an onion ring, and a schmear of tomato jam. The chef’s pimento had big chunks of cream cheese which I’d not seen before, but it worked. A delicious Burger!!
The Week in Music 1 – Salsa Music: Fountain Square provides the music and the dance lessons. The city provides the spirit. All summer long, Thursdays on the Square show Cincinnati at its best.
The Week in Music 2 – Everyday People: A pal of mine celebrated his 50th birthday at one of his favorite bars and brought in a band to help celebrate. Well, the first band canceled, but Everyday People showed up and they brought a freakin’ party. My guess is that they’re a wedding band in real life, doing up beat classic covers with a few new tunes thrown in. They were really, really, fun!
The Week in Music 3 – Hot Magnolias: Every couple of Saturdays, Japps since 1979 hosts the Creole Jazz band the Hot Magnolias for a 7 pm -10 p,set of music that bridges that gap from Happy Hour till when the young hipsters hit Main Street. Always fun to see them play.
The Week in Trying to Avert a Hangover: As much as I like to go out during the week (because all that social time makes me happy), I have to try to remember I have to go to work the next morning. Obviously, not drinking prevents the hangover, but that’s boring! So it’s lots of water, a slice of pizza on the way home, and, if I need it, a trip to the work cafeteria for bacon and biscuits in the morning. If I’m a little sluggish at work, so be it. I promise, a little sluggish is better than a lot of unhappy. And that perfectly explains my work morning Friday after Thursday night’s Salsa on the Square.
Nothing Ever Happens on My Street 