Spring Grove

Josh Levin

3/28/14

Travel Writing

Spring Grove

            It was the first beautiful day in weeks in Cincinnati. The sun was high in the sky, just the right amount of clouds, and there was a lovely breeze flowing through the trees. Our field trip for Travel Writing was to Spring Grove Cemetery this month. Before we stopped at the cemetery though, we stopped at A.J. Rahn, a greenhouse near the cemetery. We stepped in from the wind and were immediately engulfed with the sweet smells and aromas of springtime. It was warm and it smelled so fresh. I did not want to leave. There were just rows upon rows of beautiful flowers with a rainbow of colors.

            The greenhouse was cool to see, but the main part of trip had not even begun yet. We pulled into the entrance of Spring Grove and were instantly taken over by the beauty, peace, and tranquility of the cemetery. All my fears of old graveyards were washed away like a lilac floating down stream towards a spectacular waterfall.

            At every fork in the road, there were more and more beautiful views of trees and tombstones. Although some of the trees were not in full bloom, it was still so cool to see all of the giant trees throughout the cemetery. There was even a really pretty mausoleum with colorful stained glass as the windows, it overlooked one of the lakes and it was just a great sight to see.  

            What I took away from Spring Grove was that even in darkness, there is still light. Death does not always have to be sad. Remember the good times and the beauty as well.

Carew Tower

Carew Tower Trip

            I just took a recent trip to Carew Tower with my Travel Writing class. It was a great field trip. The lobby of the plaza was unique in that it was created with a beautiful Art-Deco style throughout. The entrance was a long hallway with many shops and a famous diner. This famous diner, called Hathaway’s, is the oldest restaurant in Cincinnati. It is a nice little quaint place to enjoy a great meal while also taking in the rich history of the diner itself. They have all of the original stations and seating except for a couple of booths they took out to open up the space. If you’re lucky, you might even get to sit in the exact seat that Elvis Presley sat in. It’s a really nice atmosphere. All of the waitresses have worked there their entire lives. There are old time pictures of the good ol’ days of Cincinnati all over the walls.

            The most important part of the trip was taking the elevator and some stairs about 40 flights up to the top of the Carew Tower. It was very scary the higher we got. Once we reached the lobby at the top, we could hear the wind whipping from all sides of the tower. It was a beautiful day, cold and windy but clear skies for miles. We could see everything. The views on all four sides were simply stunning. I could see my three favorite places in all of Cincinnati with my bird’s eye view; Great American Ball Park, Paul Brown Stadium, and US Bank Arena. We could not have picked a better day to be up there. We were pretty much the only group up there, so we were free to roam without bothering anyone. It was an awesome experience getting to see the beauty of our wonderful city from such high up. If you get a chance to go sometime, take it, I promise that you won’t regret it.