Had a wonderful (but hot) Father’s Day 2018. My wife asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to take a trip to Cincinnati and visit the downtown area for fun. Cincinnati is one of those cities that has a great skyline to photograph.
So, before we went, I looked for places that we could get good views of Cincinnati. In the past, I have taken shots from across the river in Newport, KY and a couple of other spots, but I wanted something more unique.
Our first stop was in Devou Park, east of Cincinnati and across the Ohio River in Covington, KY. Devou Park sits up on a big hill and offers some wonderful views of the city.
After Devou Park we headed downtown for another chance to see the city.
Enter the Carew Tower. The Carew Tower is a 49-story, 574-foot Art Deco building completed in 1930 in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, overlooking the Ohio River waterfront.the city. It overlooks the Cincinnati waterfront and offers a panoramic view of the city. It is the second tallest building in the city, but was the tallest until 2010 when the Great American Tower was completed. It is 86 ft higher than Carew Tower, but Carew Tower is actually still the highest elevated building in the city so viewers from the observation deck can look down on the Great American.
Historically, the Carew Tower was built in 1929/1930 in an Art Deco style with the idea to have a hotel, a shopping area, etc. Basically, a city within a city. It was named after Joseph T. Carew, who founded the Mabley & Carew Department Store Chain. We didn’t have the opportunity to look inside the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, but probably should have as there are a number of massive murals inside the building as well as some immaculately ornate rooms. This deserves a next trip!!
That said, the highlight was the view from the top. Enter the hotel from the parking lot on the second floor and take the elevator, an express zoom up to the 45th floor. Once off that elevator, its a short walk around a corner to a much smaller (and older) elevator which takes you to the 48th floor and then a few steps up to the 49th. Pay your $4 fee and step out to a spectacular view, one that lets you look over the river to Kentucky and way west into Indiana. Following are a few of the shots I got from the top:
ENJOY THE RIDE! CHOOSE HAPPY!
If you like what you see, you may want to check out my book: Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names, available on Amazon. My second book, Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions, is currently being worked on and I hope to make it available in late June or mid -July 2018. Click on the photo below for more details or to get a copy of the book.
