Columbus & Cincinnati, Ohio | Travel Photography
Oh, Ohio. I grew up in Ohio from middle school through high school, but my visits now are few and far between. It was such a pleasure to be back for Karen and Sam’s beautiful wedding in the state capitol and then return to Cincinnati for a week too.
We started off in downtown Columbus.
We stopped by North Market twice actually. There was a beer festival going on outside, with plenty of food stands on the inside.
Photo below by Jon Chen!
Favorite ice cream in the world! Jeni’s.
On Sunday, I drove the 90 minutes from Columbus down to Cincinnati.
My friend Talya is now down at the University of Cincinnati, so I met up with her down there.
Cincinnati classics: Skyline Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream.
A little glimpse of Talya after our shoot together– more to come from that!
It was Mid-Autumn Festival, so my mom and I celebrated with moon cakes.
I checked out two downtown Cincinnati sights: The Mercantile Library, which is a membership based library filled with beautiful, old-school design.
I also brought my mom to the Contemporary Arts Center, where the artist JR was setting up his new installation.
I love the kid-friendly Unmuseum on the sixth floor of the museum.
All sorts of hands-on fun!
Love the shark girl too.
Just as we were about to go check out Octoberfest, the rain and wind set in, so we ducked in to the restaurant Local 127. We had, from top to bottom, a corn muffin, duck liver mousse, a bibb salad, trout over sweet corn, cheesecake with blueberry topping in a mason jar, the Porkopolis, and two mini chocolate chip cookies, complimentary.
To top it all off, here are a couple views of the Cincinnati skyline from the Kentucky side of the Ohio river. Below, The Roebling Bridge and Paul Brown Stadium, which was newly built during high school– we even had our prom there.
Cincinnati at dusk– my new favorite time of day for photography.
Things to do in Columbus & Cincinnati, Ohio:
Eat:
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, Columbus Pear riesling sorbet and honey pistachio are two of my favorites. They have been rapidly expanding, with multiple stores in Columbus, Ohio, and distribution to grocery stores or online shipping all over the country!
North Market, Columbus. It’s a cute collection of various food vendors. Jeni’s is the star here, but the Polish food and the Vietnamese pho I had there were both good too.
Local 127, Cincinnati. It’s interesting to see the local farm to table concept in action in Ohio– there is definitely plenty of corn on the menu! A solid dining experience with a casual atmosphere.
Visit:
The Ohio Statehouse, Columbus. The state capitol! It’s a beautiful building with a lovely rotunda as the centerpiece. Free guided tours are offered daily.
The Mercantile Library, Cincinnati. A beautiful old-school library. It’s membership-only for borrowing privileges, but it’s open to the public if you just want to stop by and poke around. Located on the 11th floor of the Mercantile building.
The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati. Love the stairways and the unique architecture. They are a non-collecting art museum, so all exhibits are visiting/traveling installations. Don’t miss the Unmuseum on the 6th floor.
Covington, Kentucky. Stop by the riverside in Covington or Newport for a great view of the Cincinnati skyline from across the Ohio River. I picked a spot near the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter. There are various parking spots along the way.
Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati. A cute two blocks in Clifton, Cincinnati. A great way to check out Skyline Chili, Graeter’s Ice Cream, and the Esquire Theater in one swoop.
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area but often eating her way around the world. Follow her adventures on Facebook.
