The last day of my “website-driven re-visits of places I’ve already been but have to see again because I was too stupid to take photos of myself by the landmarks when I was there the first time” tour came to a close on Sunday, August 3, 2008. This was the day that I allocated to partake in the Cincinnati portion of our trip. The day’s adventure had actually been planned by me a full nine months earlier and I was just waiting for the opportunity to take this enjoyable day trip into Southern Ohio. As it was, we hardly deviated from my itinerary at all.
Bob, Jackie, and I had spent the night at my Mom’s place the night before even though she and Bob Chandler had just left for Myrtle Beach earlier that day. But since we were in the Franklin area once again, Bob was keen on revisiting a restaurant that Bob C. had taken him to earlier in the week, a nice little joint simply titled Mom’s Restaurant. Although this place was not on my itinerary (and two more meals would be coming late that day), I still enjoyed this inexpensive dive as a way to kick off the day with a full omelette breakfast.
Jackie’s hair hadn’t even dried yet when we stopped for an immediate breakfast. Mom’s specialty (besides the food) was a huge mug collection and a ceiling adorned with $1 bills
The coolest aspect of this day-long trip is that it would include a full four significant Presidential sites in one swoop, all ones which I hadn’t seen since 1998 when Bob and I had taken our last road trip through Ohio. And we would be adding to the fun two additional minor Presidential sites, a movie location, and a very nice dinner. I was excited. Bob was willing. And Jackie was awake.
Our first stop of the morning was a double-whammy: North Bend, Ohio. Nestled on the banks of the Ohio River, this little Cincinnati suburb boasts both a Presidential grave and a Presidential birthplace. William Henry Harrison had lived in the area when his grandson Benjamin Harrison was born in his house. After the elder Harrison’s death, he was buried nearby his former home. More details about the visit to Benjamin’s birthplace can be found here, and more about William Henry’s grave can be found here. (Incidentally, the cute photo of Jackie and me seen at the top of the posting was taken atop Harrison’s tomb base.)
Jackie and me at the grave of William Henry and Anna Symmes Harrison
Bob and I validate the time (even though I’m not wearing a watch) of the William Henry Harrison sundial
From North Bend, we headed into the heart of downtown Cincinnati to visit the second Presidential birthsite of the morning. Arriving around 11:00am, Jackie, Bob, and I toured the birth home of William Howard Taft. Not far from the birth home, we also stopped at the other home he owned in Ohio. More about both of the Taft homes can be found here.
Bob and me back at the Taft house ten years later
Jackie and me getting ready to enter Taft’s birth home
Beautiful girl and big old President
While in the downtown Cincinnati area, we stopped by another historical location which was not on my original itinerary – but probably should have been. On Gilbert Avenue sits a house that was once occupied by Harriet Beecher Stowe from 1832-1850. It was while living here that she observed the firsthand accounts of the evils of slavery, and was motivated to write the famous classic novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, first published in 1852. The house was not open to tour on Sundays, so we settled for getting photos outside of it.
Outside the Harriet Beecher Stowe house
We then made our way into Northern Kentucky for the second meal of the day, lunch (actually appetizers) at Pompilios – a location used in the Academy Award winning film Rain Man. This was an idea suggested by my co-worker Garry, and I immediately incorporated it into the Cincinnati day-visit. More details of our lunch at accompanying photos from the film can be found here.
We then crossed back over the Ohio border and headed south alongside the Ohio River into Point Pleasant. It was here that we picked up our third and final Presidential birthplace of the day, that of Ulysses S. Grant. The whole area was dubbed the Land of Grant – not only including his birth home, but a Memorial Park and Memorial Bridge.
I got a kick out of this sign directing us on how to get into the Grant birth home
Me and Jackie in front of the house in which President Grant came into the world
Why of course it’s General Grant
I find a cannon in Grant Memorial Park, just next door to the birth house
At the Grant Memorial Bridge
From Point Pleasant, we headed east further into Ohio to Georgetown, where the boyhood home and former schoolhouse of President Grant was located. More details of this location and the birthhome in Point Pleasant can be found here.
It had certainly been a lucrative day of Presidential sites, but after we wrapped up in Georgetown at about 4:30pm, we had one more stop to make. Even though I for one wasn’t very hungry after the big breakfast at Mom’s Restaurant and the appetizers at Pompilo’s, I had promised Bob a dinner at the city’s star barbecue restaurant, The Montgomery Inn. It took about 90 minutes to get back there from Georgetown, and despite my lack of stomach room, I still managed to scarf down a nice shredded BBQ sandwich selection. Jackie opted for the half slab of baby back ribs.
Bob gets his BBQ at last
Jackie has no bones about eating at Montgomery Inn
A rare smile from Bob, the final photo of the trip
It was all delicious, the entire trip had gone like gangbusters, and it was now time to head back home and return to some normalcy. We all crashed relatively early that night back at my place. I had to get up a little early that morning to tote Bob back to the Dayton airport to catch his 8:40am flight, and then head on to work, where I would be a little bit late.
That day after work I got a postcard in the mail from Bob, who had sent it while we were in Marion, Ohio, on Saturday. He thanked me for inviting him on the Presidential Ohio tour, said that he had had a great time, and told me to look under his bed in the spare room. There I found the Presidential necktie that he had purchased at the McKinley Library in Canton, Ohio. Whatta pal!
Return to the beginning of the road trip here…
Continue with 2008 here…
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