May 19-20, 2018 was the Runge Cousins Reunion - held this year in Cincinnati. Saturday when our Indianapolis crew headed home, the rest of us headed to Kentucky for a dinner cruise onboard the Belle of Cincinnati. Here are my photos of the boat.
Scroll down for my photos of the Cincinnati Museum Center (or click here).
Scroll down for photos of Cincinnati Fire Department - Station 34 (or click here).
Scroll down for a photo of Orchids at Palm Court (or click here).
This symbol shows who won the last steamboat race.
Service is buffet, with everything from a green tossed salad to tempting deserts.
Unexpectedly they brought me a vegan dish of barbecued tofu, pilaf, and steamed asparagus. It was a great surprise and delicious.
The paddlewheel pushes the boat with assistance from auxiliary motors.
This is a publicity photo of the Belle of Cincinnati I bought on the cruise.
Go to BB Riverboats and call them to book a cruise.
Monday I met my friends at the Cincinnati Museum Center to witness the good work they're doing.
Temporary entrance - parts of the Museum Center remain open during construction.
Behind the temporary wall is the rotunda. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, originally Cincinnati Union Terminal, is a former passenger railroad station in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. . . .
Built in 1933, it is a monumental example of Art Deco architecture, for which it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. . . .
The Rotunda features the largest semi-dome in the western hemisphere, measuring 180 feet (55 m) wide and 106 feet (32 m) high.
Wikipedia re. murals: "Winold Reiss was commissioned to design and create two 22 foot (6.7 m) high by 110 foot (33.5 m) long color mosaic murals depicting the history of Cincinnati for the rotunda" and other murals for other parts of the building. The murals get a professional cleaning as part of the restoration work.
When the Museum reopens, it will feature new and updated exhibits, and a more open floor plan.
My tour guides:
Scott Gampfer, Director of History Collections and Library Collections & Research
Robyn Gibboney, PhD, GPC, Grant Writer/Foundation Relations Manager
Sarah Lima, Senior Project Manager, Exhibits
After the Museum I walked around Downtown Cincinnati with my friend Vicki. We had lunch at the historic Hilton Hotel at 35 W. Fifth Street, formally known as Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. The restaurant is called Orchids at Palm Court and has its own website orchidsatpalmcourt.com.
The hotel is honored as a French art deco masterpiece, completed in 1931. Famous visitors include Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, John and Jackie Kennedy, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley. Find more history at these links:
historichotels.org
wcpo.com
hilton.com/ - walking tour of the property
After lunch I met Bing [Crosby] Webster, who is a Harlequin Great Dane.
Historic Cincinnati Fire Station 34 is located at 301 Ludlow Avenue. As we were walking back from lunch, two of our cousins disappeared into this building. Mark, a retired fireman, and his wife TJ met the firemen and learned all about the building. Photos by Mark Runge.
Mark wrote:
engine house 34 - still in service - built in 1906 before motorized apparatus. Where they used a horse-drawn steamer pumper. Where the wall still has a steel plate mounted on it protecting it from horse kicks when the bell would ring for a fire and they would get excited! Where the concrete pillar at the engine bay doors still has the scuff marks from where the engineer would strike a match to light the fire under the boiler so they would have a head of steam up to run the pump by the time they would reach the scene of the fire. Where the company's logo is "The Black Sheep" because they were moved around the city so many times they thought it was appropriate -Here are a few links for more information about the fire station history:
At my department, a station gets torn down and remodeled after about 30 years. We did it to 4 of our 6 houses. They just don't make them like they used to.
200 years of tradition, uninterrupted by progress . . .
cincinnati-oh.gov
cincyfireapparatus.com
cfdhistory.com - historic photos
