April 7 -- Cincinnati

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For the past seven or eight years, International Quilt Festival  has put on a big quilt show in Chicago.

This year they moved it to Cincinnati. For people from southeast Michigan, it's really six of one and half a dozen of the other -- about the same distance, and the drive is about as interesting either way (not, especially, though you may get a glimpse of Lake Michigan if you're going to Chicago...).  I had only been to Cincinnati once before -- we went to the spring national bridge tournament there in 1994, when our daughter was in kindergarten.

I've been *by* Cincinnati many more times. The route flown from Detroit Metro to Charlotte (we went to Charlotte three times for college swim meets) goes just east of Cinci, and we went through it to Tennessee for the Polar Bear Picnic in '08, and we *just* went through Cinci to get to Louisville....

Cincinnati is very easy to recognize from the air. That Big River -- the Ohio -- and the two stadia, right on the riverfront..... When we stayed there in 1994, we stayed in the Hilton Netherland Plaza. It's the tallest building in Cincinnati, and is tan brick. It's easy to spot from the air and from the ground. This year we stayed next door to the convention center.

Here's a pic I took from the air in 2009. It's not very good quality, alas, but I'm allowed to show it to you because I took it.

That bridge closest to the top, at left, is the one that takes I75 across the Ohio to Kentucky (visible at left), on our way to Louisville, or to Kingsport, TN.

(as always, click on any pic to embiggen)

My quilting buddy and I arrived in Cincinnati well before we could get in to the show to see the quilts, on the 7th. We reconnoitered in the neighborhood, and in the convention center.

These shots were taken inside the Netherland Plaza.

These shots were taken from the third floor of the convention center.

Looking toward the river at one of the stadia.

My friend noticed this one -- how odd.  That's not going to keep anyone out.....

Note also the intriguing glimpse of turquoise ... fender? ... just left of the green door.

Looking out the west end of the convention center.  The white bridge (look at that really tall light, then look down) is the one that takes I75 across the Ohio.

Look how green everything is!  MUCH greener than not-quite-three-weeks ago when we last came this way!!!

Flowering trees!  (If I had to guess, I'd say Bradford pear.)

Just visible top right, above -- the old train station.

Green grass, daffs, flowering tree!

Now we are inside the convention center.  It is a very pleasant place, as such things go -- soaring ceilings, huge photographic details of Cincinnati, and enough natural light to grow palm trees inside.

Cincinnati has enclosed walkways connecting many of its downtown buildings, including several hotels and the convention center.  There is a walkway over part of the convention space.

I learned later that I wasn't supposed to take pics of this part of the show.  Given that the proscription on photos is to protect the artists' rights in re copying and selling likenesses of their work, I'm going to assume that the quality of the reproduction here is too poor to count.....

Baltimore Album quilts just inside the entry to the exhibit space, some traditional, some with modern spins.  Beyond them, top right, the blue-green work is by Ohio native and very famous art quilter Susan Shie.

More "quilt show" at the far end of what you can see, and between us and it, vendors, vendors, vendors.

Turning,walking across the walkway, looking out the other side -- more and more vendors, and the black area at the top is more quilt show.

They have a preview of the show on Thursday evening.  We have our tickets.......

One thing we note is different this year -- the show is arranged so that the "quilt show" is around the edges, and the vendors are in the middle........  I suppose the tail really does wag this dog.............



In order to facilitate chronological traverse of these posts, a link to the next one is here.

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