When I needed a break from doing rehab---fun diversions in Cincinnati
When I've been to Cincinnati, most of my time is spent totally devoted to my knee. Whether it's appointments, pre-op testing, pre-op appts, surgery, hospital, getting blood draws for coumadin levels, and countless hours spent in PT and doing PT at the hotel. In between the CPM, e-stem, ice machine and hanging weights, if I felt up to it , I got away from all things medical and experienced some of what Cincinnati has to offer.
My husband I have always enjoyed driving and exploring new surroundings. We found many of the surrounding towns very quaint with a history all their own. We traveled winding, scenic, highways along the Ohio River on both the Ohio and Kentucky side. We came across some old river towns that look like time has stood still. We even saw President Ulysses S Grant's birthplace. The Ohio River is very beautiful, I was surprised. You can see many pleasure boats, jet skiers and kayakers paddling as they maneuver around barges, making their way down river. I've been there every season to see this great river. The Little Miami River is designated as a scenic riverway, we saw people fishing, camping and kayaking. There are also very popular bike paths through the country side, connecting town to town. Since we are motorcycle enthusiasts and kayakers, we hope someday to come back to ride the many winding, backroad highways and kayak the Little Miami River. Sometimes our children were with us , so that involved a trip to The Cincinnati zoo, the Newport Aquarium and Newport shopping district, Great Wolf Lodge and King's Island Amusement Park and with a teenage daughter....the Kenwood Mall.
The Newport area is just across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati, on the Kentucky side. It is a nice shopping area with many shops and restaurants, The Newport Aquaurium is next to the shopping area. We saw sharks of all kinds, glow in the dark fish and our favorite, the penguin. It was very crutch and wheelchair friendly there. Just below, at river level, are several riverboats that do sightseeing tours. There are many bridges that cross the Ohio River in that area. One is the Purple bridge. It used to have cars traveling over it, but it was closed to car traffic and is a pedestrian bridge now. It has been painted a light shade of purple. They also have a Bridge Walking tour one can take. You put on a special jumpsuit and tether line. A tour guide takes you walking across the top of the bridge , tethered, above the Ohio River. We were quite surprised when we were sitting on a bench overlooking the river and a group of people started to walk up the bridge and across the top. Another place we visited was the Hofbrauhaus. It is a German Beer Garden. The only one like it is in Munich Germany. There is live music and wonderful German food, not to mention some great German beers.
We came upon a hand built stone castle called Chateau La Roche. It was made in the 1920s-1930s. It was all hand built , using rocks from the Little Miami River,which flowed next to it. It is a 1/5 scale replica of a castle in France. The man who built it fought in WWI, over in France. He admired the castles there so much, he built this one. You can take a tour of it for a small fee. It is decorated during Halloween as a haunted house. Very interesting to see and great history behind it. This is located in Symmes Township.
Other than the usual restaurants that one sees in so many cities, such as Chili's Applebees, TGIF Friday's etc, there were 2 places we were told to eat at, when in Cincinnati....Skyline Chili and Greater's Icecream. Cincinnati chili is served over spaghetti noodles and has a different taste, than what I am used to. I am used to a chili with chili spice flavor, beans and ground beef. Their chili is very thin, soupy, brown colored. It has a cinnamon/nutmeg flavor. The flavor has grown on us and now we pick up a couple cans while in Cinci, to bring home. Greater's Icecream is very good....be sure to try the black rasberry flavor.
One time, we visited a new house subdivision. This was in a town called Mason, which we wouldn't mind living in, if we were to move there. It's much like the town we live in. We looked thru all the model homes and brought home the literature. My daughter was excitied , thinking we might move...my son was horrified. We calmed everyone's emotions and said we were just getting out to do something.
Those are just some of my diversions to refresh myself between a constant rehab routine. It is important to get away from the medical aspect and do something fun. Sometimes I could manage crutching around, sometimes all I could manage was a drive in the car. Sometimes it was only for 30 min. It's good for you , as the patient and good for your caregiver, whether it's your spouse, family member or friend, to get out and away for just alittle while.
