Two weeks in Cincinnati flew by. We finally had a Monday on which we weren’t traveling. What a difference a rest day makes! We were fortunate enough to be invited by a friend from Atlanta to a dinner party at their Sister’s home on our day off. It was lovely to be able to have dinner in a real home! It’s been so long! We brought a few cast members with us and they invited a few more local families to round out the event.
After we arrived, we learned that the dinner would be held in the Jeffersonian style. Apparently, Thomas Jefferson used to hold these dinners at which guests seated at a table would converse as a single group instead of only with those next to them. Generally, Jefferson would pose topics or questions for the group to discuss: often serious or weighty questions. Our questions were a little lighter. First we went around and shared our relationship to theatre, then those of us from Mean Girls shared what it was like to be on tour, and finally the local Cincinnati folks shared what makes Cincinnati so great in their eyes and what we needed to do while we were there.
I learned some interesting things about Cincinnati during the last portion:
- The Brooklyn Bridge was patterned after a design first used in Cincinnati by John A. Roebling. The Roebling Bridge in Cincinnati was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it was built!
- Another “World’s first” for Cincinnati is it’s Ingalls Building which was the world’s first reinforced concrete skyscraper at a whopping 16 stories!
- It was the first major city in a “free” state along the Ohio River making it an important stop along the Underground Railroad. However, being on the boarder with the slaveholding state, Kentucky, there were still many Cincinnatians who supported slavery and the Confederacy leading to violent riots in the city. There continue to be riots and protests over race relations in Cincinnati to this day.
- Cincinnati used to be a major U.S. city because of its location along the Ohio River connecting trade in the North and the South, then trains and other, cheaper forms of transportation were developed.
Other than having to drive there and back in a snow storm, it was a really wonderful evening!
Another thing we did on our day off was a really fun escape room with some of the cast where we had to break ourselves out of prison! Our group of six was split into two groups and placed in two different cells which we had to collaboratively solve puzzles to help each other get out. We escaped with only a few minutes to spare! It was so much fun. Of course the two actresses and Emma dressed on theme in jumpsuits and strips! 🙂
We ended up going back and doing another escape room later in the week with a different group. In this room, we were trying to steal back a Monet that the corrupt museum Curator had stolen. Again, we were successful thanks to a great team!
While here in Cincinnati, I realized that we had been treating touring as if we were on vacation, trying to cram in as much as we could on each day. I also realized that we couldn’t keep that up. We were getting burnt out, so we gave ourselves a few days to just sit around and relax. Because of that down time, we didn’t get to everything we wanted, but we did get to do some really cool things.
In addition to those activities that I already described above, we also got to go on a backstage tour of the Cincinnati zoo! We got up close to the elephants, cuddled some wallabies, felt an aardvark, and fed a rhino. Our guide has worked at the zoo for over 45 years and was very knowledgable about all of the animals. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we certainly enjoyed.
The final thing of note was Holiday Junction at the Cincy Museum. It was four levels of various model train villages. We had such a pleasant time appreciating the details in the villages and trains. It makes me want to be a builder of model train villages when I’m older and have space for such a hobby. It was just delightful!
Thanks, Cincinnati! We had a lovely time “sing[ing] the Queen City.”
-b
Thank you for sharing, interesting adventures and wonderful photos ❤️