Downtown Holiday Trip

Friday, December 8; 10am - ?
Organizers: Julieanne & Laura

We will meet at the Duke Energy train display at 10 AM (CG&E Building, 139 E. Fourth St.Corner of 4th & Main Sts) and then we will head to Tower Place for lunch and a visit with Santa. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, the Cathedral will not be hosting the display of nativity scenes. So after lunch, if nothing downtown appeals to anyone, we will head up to Krohn Conservatory to see the live nativity(which happens to open that day) and Holiday Floral Show (1501 Eden Park Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45202 )

Last year many of us found that parking in the public lot across from Macy's to be convient. It isn't too far of a walk to the trains or back from Tower Place. The lot seemed far less crowded than the other public lots and since it is a "open" lot, not a garage, didn't pose a problem for those of us driving larger vehicles that can't make clearance in the older garages!

For more info on the events and displays in downtown Cincinnati, check out http://www.downtowncincinnati.com/cgi-bin/listevent.cgi?evnt_id=7521

RSVP to: Julieanne or Laura so we know to watch for you. Feel free to join us at the last minute if you suddenly feel the urge to look at christmas displays! We will probably stay at the trains until about 10:45 and then be at tower place until at least noon.

The weather outside was FRIGHTFUL(ly) cold, in the single digits, but since all of the displays were indoors we headed downtown. It was a bit nippy walking to the train display, but nice and toasty once we got inside! On the way to the trains we passed a company with a bunch of gingerbread houses in their lobby so once we finished at the trains, we stopped by and asked if we could come see us. Apparently the company had hosted a contest for local marketing firms to make gingerbread houses related to children's story books to be displayed (and I believe raffled) at Ronald McDonald House! As luck would have it we got there at exactly the right time as they were sending the house up to RMH that afternoon! I later told Deanne I want to host a contests for the homeschooling families next year to do something similiar! The houses were SO COOL! Take a look:

After we saw the gingerbread houses, we went to Tower Place to see the Jolly Ol' Elf, Himself! Will LOVED Santa and I managed to get an AWESOME picture of all 8 kids (yes even the teens humored me) that I plan to use in the Christmas cards to our families! After seeing Santa we had lunch and then went to the Hilton to see the gingerbread houses they had there, certainly not as cool as the ones at the other place, but still neat to see! From there it was back to the car and up to Eden Park/Krohn Conservatory to see the live nativity and christmas floral display!

All in all a GREAT DAY! Really put me in the holiday spirit...now if all that christmas shopping could be that much fun and as easy!