Covington's First Urban Golf Tournament

This semester I am participating in a studio class called Tactical Urbanism. With minor interventions in the city we want to tackle or raise awareness about smaller or bigger city problems. I chose to install a mini golf event on the top floor of Covington's City Center garage to point out the annoying and boring empty parking lots and city garages and how we can turn them into real fun places.
More info about the event is to be found under www.covingtonurbangolf.blogspot.com or on facebook.com/covingtonurbangolf

Sneak Peeks

Obama again

Yep, last Saturday Barack Obama was back in Cincinnati. This time at our school. Fifth third arena was the location and he brought Stevie Wonder with him. I was to late to be able to enter the big arena, but before he entered it, Obama came and spoke to the latecomers and shook hands. Two days later he got reelected president of the USA.

Cincinnati Music Hall

It's been a while ago since my last post, but that's because I'm very busy preparing my Tactical Urbanism studio project. Today the River City News wrote an article about it. Read it here.

In the meantime I found some time for having a potluck at our place! It was a wonderful evening!
And last week I went to Cincinnati Music Hall to see my first professional ballet: Alice in Wonderland.
Cincinnati Music Hall is a theater built in 1878 with private money raised from what is believed to be the nation's first matching grant fund drive. It is judged to be among the best and most beautiful concert theaters in the world.

To conclude the day: Bakersfield on Vine

On request: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Because a lot of people asked me about it, here's the recipe of last thursday's Oatmeal cookies. (makes about 30 cookies)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups quick oats

• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F(180°C).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.  
Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.
Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 1 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.
Let cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Black Balloon

This video made by the Belgian (Ghent-based) brand Black Balloon for their Premium Black Collection made me think of how beautiful home can be. It reminded me of the dunes and the beach of Sint-André between Koksijde and Oostduinkerke.

check out their website: www.blackballoon.be

Last picnic before winter?

Ok Belgians, don't get jealous, we had our picnic in august! For the records: today it was 9°C in Belgium vs. 24°C in Cincinnati. So Cincinnatians, we are lucky!

Picture taken by sweet Lindsey Riley

The Cheesecake factory

One of my biggest discoveries here has been The Cheesecake Factory. This restaurant chain offers more than just Cheesecake, but if you decide to stick with just Cheesecake that's fine. One slice of red velvet cheesecake counts 1540 calories, not bad right? Or what did you think of a piece of peanut butter cup cheesecake (1326 calories). But it is really delicious for sweetteeth like me.

F.L.W.

A bit later than promised, but here is the last part of our Chicago story. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright stood at the beginning of modern architecture. He is mostly famous for his Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Fallingwater House. His career started in Chicago, where he worked for the famous architecture firm Adler and Sullivan. In Oakpark Chicago, he built his own house, including his studio and some of his most famous early works including the Unity Temple and the Robie House.

Unity Temple, FLW's jewel box

FLW's Home and Studio

FLW designed houses in Oak Park, Chicago

The Robie House

 Special thanks to Patrick and Frederick for sharing their pictures.

More Mies

Waw! Yesterday I had the most visitors in one day since the start of my blog in march! Thank you for following me. Today in The Chicago Sequel it's all about Mies again.
Here's some more pictures of Mies in and around Chicago.

IBM Plaza

Crown Hall - Illinois Institute of Technology

Not Mies Van der Rohe but Rem Koolhaas (OMA) - McCormickTribune Campus of IIT

I was surprised by the inside, I expected something worse, but it's a pretty sweet building. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures.

Tomorrow we'll go over Frank Lloyd Wrights houses around Chicago.

See you tomorrow!

Farnsworth House

In 1945 world renowned architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe was asked to design a weekend retreat for dr. Edith Farnsworth. It became one of the world's most famous houses and it is still an iconic example of late modernism, the so called international style. It has an intriguing story attached to it. Edith Farnsworth fell in love with Mies but pretty soon the love was over because of the fast increasing costs. The house, located next to the Fox river flooded three times in its existence and almost disappeared from its site. To know something more about the house I included this beautiful documentary shown in Farnsworth's visitor center followed by some pictures.

Oh yeah, you wouldn't expect it but when we entered the house it was so nice and warm compared to the outside temperature. When we took off our shoes (mandatory for visitors) and walked around in our socks, we noticed that this was because of the house's floor heating.

Enjoy! And don't forget to check out the last picture!

Pictures:

Dr. Farnsworth's garage, not designed by Mies I suppose.

Tomorrow, more Mies.

Bis Morgen! 

Tschuuus!

Chicago

Fall has started and we are noticing it. Temperatures are dropping fast and we are starting to see Halloween decoration on the streets.

Last weekend we traveled to Chicago, and had a wonderful time. They call it the windy city and that was not a lie, there was a cold breeze and it must have been awful for the participants to the 35th annual marathon. So what did we do? We checked out some of downtown Chicago's major attractions like Anish Kapoor's Gloud Gate and Frank Gehrys Jay Pritzker Pavillion and BP pedestrian Bridge.

The next couple of days I'm going to give you some updates about our trip (Expect more about famous architects Mies Van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright) but today I'll just start with some pictures of Downtown Chicago.

Lake Michigan

Jay Pritzker Pavillion - F. Gehry

Cloudgate - Anish Kapoor

Buckingham Fountain

Willis Tower - SOM

Tallest building in the United States

Hell it was cold!