Only 36 Hours Left to Vote!

There are only 36 hours left to vote for my photos in the Capture Cincinnati contest. I have a few that have a good shot at being included and maybe even winning a prize. I’d really appreciate it if you would take a look and vote for any you like. I’ve added a few over the last couple of days, so if you’ve already visited and voted it’s worth another look. Thanks to everyone who’s already voted!

My wife Amy also has some photos that are doing well in the contest. Be sure to check hers out as well!

New Photo Contest

The folks at CIN Weekly have launched a new online photo contest called Capture Cincinnati. The goal is to eventually turn the best images into a book. It looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. There are already a bunch of great photos in their galleries. They’re really easy to import, too,  if you’re a Flickr user because they support the Flickr API.

I’d love it if you’d check out my photos and vote for a few! Be sure to submit your own as well, because everyone who submits gets a discount on the book and they get included on the accompanying DVD.

Mr. Roebling’s Bridge

I took this shot Sunday just before the fireworks started. It’s made up of 42 images stitched together. This is really pretty close to how it looked when I was there. The sky was beautiful and the lighting on the bridge was – as always – wonderful.

If you’re not familiar with the bridges of Cincinnati (all 7 of them), this is the Roebling Suspension Bridge. It was designed and built by John A. Roebling and is often considered the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge. You can see that they have some similar styling cues. It’s still in use; in fact, it has recently reopened after an extensive refurbishing.

Photo by ChrisIrmo

And the rocket’s red glare

Last night I went out and shot the fireworks for Cincinnati’s All American Birthday Party. I scouted out the location a few hours in advance and picked the perfect spot to shoot from, but it was all for naught because they shot the fireworks from a different spot than usual. I had to think on my feet and make a quick move because the fireworks ended up directly behind the bridge support.

I was surprised at how few people were there last night. I’m used to the atmosphere from the WEBN Labor Day fireworks, where there’s not a single unoccupied stretch of land or water for miles up and down the river. Last night I saw probably 15 or 20 people on the Covington side of the river, and the Sawyer Point area didn’t look too much busier. Too bad, because they missed a great show!

I also took a few shots to create a sunset panorama (or two), but it’ll take me a few days to process those shots. I’ll post them once they’re done.

Photo by ChrisIrmo

Fireworks!

Last night we went down to Devou Park to shoot the fireworks after the Reds game. Unfortunately that put us in line with the fireworks, so they all look like they went straight up in the same spot. Oh well, it was a lot of fun.

The Best of Cincinnati – East

The Enquirer has published their list of the best of Eastside Cincinnati. I like this list because most of the places on it are a lot closer to home than a list from all over the city. I’ve got a whole new list of places to try. I’m especially looking forward to checking out The Works in Loveland and the Sizzling Wok in Anderson Township.

Jungle Jim’s Restrooms Nominated as Best in Nation

The restrooms at Jungle Jim’s have been nominated for the America’s Best Restroom Award from Cintas. I love their restrooms because the doorway is made to look like the outside of a Port-a-John, but it really leads to a hallway and some pretty darn nice restrooms.

Jungle Jim’s (or as I like to call it, Disney World for Fat Kids) is an awesome international market here in Cincinnati. They have sections for just about every nationality you can think of — from Mexican to Thai to Swedish — plus great produce, wine, cheese, meat and bakery departments. Amy loves that they have a Vera Bradley store inside. They’re even building a monorail (not that I know where the heck it’s going to go).

Be sure to vote for Jungle Jim’s restrooms! Voting ends July 31st.

My First New Car

Tonight Amy and I went and bought a 2007 Honda CR-V. I posted the Xterra on Craigslist yesterday morning and had it sold within 12 hours, so we were forced into buying the new car a little sooner than we’d planned.

This is my first new car. Both the Xterra and the Blazer were used when I bought them. It’s a neat experience to drive a brand new car off the lot.

If you’re looking for a Honda in the Cincinnati area, go to Honda East on Beechmont. They couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful in this whole process.

World’s Largest Diet Coke and Mentos Fountain

Thursday night Cincinnati is trying to set the record for the world’s largest Diet Coke and Mentos fountain at Fountain Square. More than 500 people will be loading Mentos into Diet Coke bottles, wearing their slickers and goggles provided by the organizers.

I think I’m going to have to go down there just to see the thing. I’ll have to be extra careful with the camera, something tells me it won’t react well to a Diet Coke drenching.

The whole thing is being put on by the guys from eepybird.com, who became famous with this video (after the jump):

Ikea is Coming Soon!

Ikea broke ground on their new store in West Chester today. Sure, I like the furniture, but really, who can resist the Swedish meatballs? I can’t wait!

Amy and I have visited several Ikea stores (San Jose, Pittsburgh, Chicago (a bunch of times), New York) but a lot of people around here have never heard of them. We’ve gotten a few pieces of furniture from there, but my favorites are the little things, like kitchen gadgets, toys and housewares. It’s always well designed and fits our budget very well. I’m sure we’ll go broke as soon as they open here.

UPDATE: Flickrer verybigjen was at the groundbreaking and took some great photos.