Monday, March 4 – Sunday, March 10
The Week in Vino: This weekend I went to the Cincinnati International Wine Festival Grand Tasting event, where ticket holders come face-to-face with hundreds of wineries and several hundred bottles of wine to drink, I mean sample. The afternoon session was 2 hours long and I learned several years ago that it’s a marathon not a sprint. I tried maybe 20 wines, chatted up some of the winemakers, and made sure to make time for cheese and water. I prefer a particular kind of heavy red in the manner of a Cabernet, but while I try to find some new favorite brands of varieties I like, the wine fest gives me a chance to see if my taste buds have evolved on Prosecco or Australian white wine. They haven’t. I’ll be on the lookout for the red wines pictured.
A Very Dark Red – Very Nice 
Another red, less dark, but complex 
Another dark red
The Week In Broadway: I got to see Hamilton close to the end of its first run in Cincinnati. It is by far the best Broadway Across America show I’ve seen in the Aronoff. The love of the show from the audience and the cast was palpable. It lived up to every bit of hype that surrounds it, and that is quite an achievement.
Themed drinks! 
Great seats!
The Week in Front and Center: Back in 1989 I saw the Rolling Stones perform their Steel Wheels tour in the now torn down Riverfront Stadium. I was as excited for the opening act, Living Colour, as I was to see the Stones. When Mick and the boys came on stage, I remember being impressed by the non-Stones musicians backing the band, particularly one of the female backup singers. And then I never thought about her again. Well, sort of.
Several years after forgetting that girl singer, I went to see the music documentary, 20 Feet From Stardom, a terrific film about backup singers. That’s when I learned Lisa Fischer’s name and came to appreciate her talent. She was in town this weekend performing with the Cincinnati Pops and put on a thrilling 90 minute set of reimagined rock songs mostly from Led Zeppelin and the Stones. Very happy to see her find her own voice.
The Week in Reading: A friend of mine found a figurine she thought I would like. Made of recycled material, it’s a miniature of a person reading. Many years ago I too bought a figurine of a person reading. Here they are side by side:
Nothing Ever Happens on My Street 