Hey Calliope! I have a question kind Sir

As a resident of Covington KY you might be able to offer some advice to an out of town visitor.

We received our travel documents today for our June 21st cruise on the American queen R/T Cincinnati.

Our pre-cruse hotel is the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, 35 W. 5th. We will not be taking the premium city tour on the embarkation day so what would you suggest that we could walk to before our 3:00pm boarding. And any dinner spots could you recommend in the hotel area. I would appreciate any input you could provide.

Thank you kind Sir.

For dinner the evening that you arrive in The Queen City there are several nice restaurants to dine at downtown that run the gamut from not so expensive to pretty costly. On Vine Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets there is a reasonably priced Turkish restaurant that I enjoy. Along Sixth Street east of your hotel there are numerous restaurants that you could choose anyone and not go wrong. Also right across the street from the hotel is a free standing restaurant right on Fountain Square that I like. It has an Italian bent and I have never had a bad meal or poor service there. Just walk across the Square after dinner and enjoy some Greater's ice cream. I'm not sure that there is any ice cream anywhere that is any better than Greater's!

If the weather is too hot, steamy or wet for a long walk the next day a nice place to visit would be the Taft Museum on Pike St. at Fourth in Downtown Cincinnati. It is a wonderful art museum in an early Nineteenth Century historic Adamesque style home. Just walk east on Fourth from the hotel and you'll run right into the front of the property. There is a nice little restaurant there also open during museum hours.

If you're up for a longer walk I might suggest a stroll across the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge over to Covington. Walk south on Vine Street down to the area called The Banks. You'll get your first glimpse of your transportation for the next three days when you get to The Banks. On the Cincinnati side of the bridge there are some very nice parks to stroll around. Cross the river on the upriver side (east side) and take the first sidewalk to the left by the bridge's old office building. It dates to when the bridge was owned by a private company, and you can still see the slot in the building's front window where bridge tokens were purchased or the toll to cross the bridge was collected. Just wander around the neighborhood and enjoy the homes of some of the wealthiest in Nineteenth Century Greater Cincinnati. There are a couple of nice restaurants on Greenup St. in Covington between Third and Fourth. My favorite is Blinkers.

Where ever I mentioned it's all very safe to take your time and enjoy, so do take your time, slow down, and get into a steamboatin' state of mind. I hope that you have a fantastic vacation in Cincinnati, and as an old advertising slogan from The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. once stated, "Come home to America. Come steamboatin'!"

Thank you so much for your advice! You are an amazing resource and we are sure that we will enjoy your suggestions. Have fun on your upcoming voyage we will try to keep the boat in great condition for you.

Thanks from me, too. We also will be on the June 21st (and 24th) trip so this is most helpful like your previous advice.

I would suggest that if you plan on walking to Covington to do a computer search of "Licking Riverside District" to better understand the neighborhood's history and diverse architecture. Also on the outside of the floodwall protecting Covington's downtown there are numerous painted scenes of historical events and the artist's idea of how the confluence of the Licking River with the Ohio looked when herds of buffalos roamed these parts.

Just to add a couple of other events going on in Cincy and Covington the weekend that the AMERICAN QUEEN is in. On the night of June 20 at Cincinnati's Music Hall is the Cincinnati Summer Opera's presentation of "Carmen." I saw the production last Thursday and it certainly was enjoyable. To visit Music Hall is a treat too. It was built in 1878 to house what is now the Cincinnati May (choral) Festival, and is also the home of the symphony besides the May Fest and opera. The other event the next day is Roebling Fest in Covington to celebrate the history of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. This is a street fest just across the bridge on Park and Court Streets. Even though I only live a block away I've never been to is as it always seems to be on a weekend that I have to work.

JEM4205 - I saw the American Queen docked in Cincinnati on Saturday. I took a few pictures on my phone from the ballpark. If you provide an email I could send them to you.