Any tips for taking in a game in Cincy?

[jrodbrewcrew]

The wife and I are road tripping to Cincinnati to catch part of the Brewers series on the weekend of May 7th. Having never been to Cincy, would anyone have any suggestions on where to stay, where to try and get seats, any local establishments that we should take in, etc.? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Raw Biz]

We stayed at the Westin, where the Brewers usually stay. Last we went was two year's ago but rode the elevator with Lucroy, Reynolds, and Lee Tunnell on different occasions. Also saw Yo, Scooter, Wang, and Lohse in the lobby.

 

As far as the game is concerned, the bleachers are always solid.

[fondybrewfan]

I also stayed at the Westin a few years back. Don't try to tailgate; we got a lot of weird looks and were the only ones in the parking lot for about an hour.

 

One game we sat on field level and the 2nd game we scalped tickets which happened to be the very top row on the 3rd base side. I am not a fan of heights so I would never do that again.

 

I don't recall any restaurants or bars at all but there is a lot within walking distance of the park and the Westin.

[adamb100]

I stayed at a hotel next to the river on the kentucky side. It was right next to the bridge. Was pretty cheap too if I recall. Can't think of the name though.

 

Cincinnati is famous for its chili so I would try that. Maybe check out Skyline Chili (http://www.skylinechili.com/).

[CheezWizHed]

Cincinnati isn't famous for chili. They are famous for calling meaty spaghetti sauce, "chili"

[RobDeer 45]

Hahaha! The chili comments are cracking me up! I live in Cincinnati, so hopefully can help you out. I would say, don't eat the chili!!! They claim to be famous for chili, but as CheezWiz hinted, it's kind of a joke to outsiders. As Ron White once said, "I don't think you told those boys down in Mexico you were having a competition....."

 

How many days are you staying and what are you looking to do in your time here? You can PM me too if you like.

 

I'd suggest staying downtown or as adamb100 said, across the river in KY. There is a lot of action down along the river and you can just walk across the bridge to the stadium. My personal suggestion would be to stay downtown, near Vine street. There is an amazing rebirth going on down there (the area called Over the Rhine around 12th and Vine). I think the Westin might be on Vine. So many amazing restaurants that are locally owned (non chain). It's really been one of the cooler things I've witnessed, the transformation happening here. 5 years ago or so it was the most violent part of the city and now it's the place everyone wants to be.

 

As Fondy said, it's not much of a tailgating place for baseball games (they do for Bengals). I've seen people do it, I think they were Brewers fans, now that I think about it, but it's definitely more of a bar/restaurant scene pre and post game.

 

Anyway, let me know what you are looking to accomplish with your visit and I'll do my best to help.

[jrodbrewcrew]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. We're still working on a hotel, but I was able to get tickets in section 114, row C, right next to the Brewer's dugout, for the May 7th game. Really looking forward to this trip. Any other ideas on what to do in the city during the day would be great! Thanks again!

[RobDeer 45]

If you get a chance, go to Bakersfield in Over The Rhine, if you like street type tacos. It's one of my favorite places down there. That will give you a good look at what's going on in the area. Expect a 2 hour wait, no matter what time of day. The cool part is they will take your cell # down and then call you when they are ready. So you can just go to a bar nearby and have a few drinks. It's a casual fun atmosphere and great food! If you just do a Yelp search for OTR, you can look at all the restaurants and ratings. So if you are feeling like a certain type of food, you'll be able to find it. There are just so many great options around Vine street. I would maybe take a walk to Washington Park, a few blocks over from all the restaurants. Pretty cool downtown park. Other favorite restaurants, Taste of Belgium, The Eagle (fried chicken!), ATavola (Neapolitan Wood Fired Pizza), Taft's Ale House, Senate (fancy hot dogs).

 

Close to game time the bars next to the stadium are fun to hang out at. More commercial, but great atmosphere (that's their tailgate scene). Moreline, Holy Grail, and Yard House are always full of people pre and post game.

 

Ok I'll stop....for now.

[jrodbrewcrew]

How many days are you staying and what are you looking to do in your time here?

 

We are driving most of the way there on Friday night, completing the drive on Saturday morning, going to the game on Saturday night, then driving back to Wisconsin on Sunday. Thanks for all of the awesome suggestions though! We are definitely going to stay somewhere close to the stadium (walking distance), and we're just looking forward to doing some sight-seeing/bar hopping during the day. Basically, I want to gorge myself on different foods all day long. Does anyone happen to know if you can enter the stadium for batting practice? That would be pretty cool to check out, I think.

[DocLuna7]

I would definitely take the time to check out the Reds Hall of Fame. Even though it is obviously a different franchise I found that to be an awesome experience.

[jli27]

Second the recommendation for Taste of Belgium. Hello Honey has great ice cream, as does, of course, Graeter's.

 

Off the beaten path, there's a little German place that does homemade sausage on the Kentucky side of the river - called Wunderbar (I think). Just a little hole in the wall, but excellent sausages, and a good beer selection.

 

If you're into zoos, they have a really nice zoo.

[nate82]

 

Cincinnati is famous for its chili so I would try that. Maybe check out Skyline Chili (http://www.skylinechili.com/).

 

 

All I can think of is this joke by Ron White!