It recently occurred to me that every time I visit them we always end up hanging around Sharonville or the nearby pastoral 'burbs without ever venturing into the city.
So I decided to drive down for a visit this past weekend and I proposed that this time we actually do Cincinnati...whatever there might be to do, of which I knew nada when I made the proposal.
I was, however, assured by Theresa and Phill that that there was in fact stuff to see and do in Cincy and that seeing and doing some of it over a weekend would be a splendid plan.
I arrived at Theresa and Phill's place on Friday evening.
The first activity they had planned was a visit to Jungle Jim's, a massive supermarket that carries grocery products from all over the world.
Though the Jungle Jim's we visited is located at the suburban Eastgate Mall and therefore not technically within the city limits of Cincinnati, it still is considered a must-see Cincinnati attraction.
And so we did go to see it, but first we stopped for dinner at another suburban location of a Cincinnati tradition, La Rosa's Pizzeria, also at the Eastgate Mall:
Basking in the warm inner glow that follows a supremely satisfying meal, we headed down the mall where we easily located Jungle Jim's with its distinctive marquee and entrance:
Jungle Jim's bills itself first and foremost as an international market, and that it is:
And then there are the fanciful touches to be found throughout the store:
...the tasting bar in the alcohol section where folks come to hang out on a Friday night,
...and first-class airplane seats for tired folks like Phill and Theresa to take a little break before heading to the checkout.
Amazingly, with all there was to purchase at Jungle Jim's we managed to leave the store without buying anything. I guess there was nothing from any part of the world that any of us actually needed.
And so went the first leg of our Cincinnati - or, surburban Cincinnati, so far - tour.
Tune in tomorrow for our foray into the city.
But which city? ;)