Cincinnati City Hall by Samuel Hannaford

Designed by Samuel Hannaford and erected in 1893, Cincinnati City Hall, featuring a tall clock tower and numerous stained glass windows, is that city’s own miniature Hogwarts.

A Perfect Day in College Hill by Scott Donaldson

A Perfect Day in College Hill is a large-scale mural in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, designed by Scott Donaldson and painted by him and a group of teen ArtWorks apprentices.

Noted without Comment

Jamie’s fun house. Hobo crossing. Something else. Just some multi-layered graffiti I spotted on a wall in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati.

Warren Glass Co. Ghost Sign in Cincinnati

This gloriously protruding ghost sign for the Warren Glass Co. is located on Central Parkway, right on the border between the neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine and the West End in Cincinnati.

The Westerman Print Company Ghost Sign in Cincinnati

Ahh, this is a majestic factory building, topped with a ghost sign worthy of Rainbow Brite, advertising The Westerman Print Company at 2116 Colerain Ave. in the Brighton neighborhood of Cincinnati.

Noted without Comment

Soon before we moved out of our Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati apartment, we received this registered sex offender notice. Meanwhile, the powers that be in that neighborhood are building a 3,300 square foot deck with concessions and seating area in Washington Park to add “more private space to do events.” Remember when parks were simply public green spaces?

City Cellars by Tim Parsley

Located at 908 Race St. in downtown Cincinnati, this was ArtWorks‘ first landscape mural, painted by Tim Parsley and a team of teen apprentices and depicting scenic wine country on the side of what used to be a fantastic wine shop.

The Cincinnati Strong Man: Henry Holtgrewe by Jason Snell

Every year, Cincinnati’s ArtWorks employs teens and professional artists to create murals and other community-based works of public art. Out of every annual batch, I always have a favorite, and The Cincinnati Strong Man: Henry Holtgrewe stands out as the especially awesome mural from 2014.

Kay’s Furniture Ghost Sign in Cincinnati

The ghost sign for Kay’s Furniture is hidden in plain sight, located high up on the back of a building in downtown Cincinnati.

A Perfect Weekend in Cincinnati

This question has come up in conversation and, when I’ve had the pleasure of hosting visitors to Cincinnati, as I have numerous times over the past eight years, I’ve faced this challenge myself: how best to introduce an outsider to the Queen City? Here is my ideal itinerary for a weekend visit.