Optional Activity
Tour of DHL / Amazon
Sort Hub at CVG Airport
DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, operates
its Americas Hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The
addition of a new day sort operation and projected growth in shipments is
expected to increase the hub’s workforce to more than 3,300 from the current
2,400 employees.
Amazon is the process of
building its primary cargo hub on the south side of the airfield. Amazon’s $1.4
billion investment will support a fleet of 100+ Prime Air cargo planes. While Amazon’s facility is being built, DHL is running a daytime sort for
Amazon.
When I met with local DHL senior management a few months ago, I inquired
about our group touring the facility during the sort operation. I was assured
they would make a tour available to us. If you are interested in seeing a small
package sort up close and personal, please let me know. If there is
sufficient interest, I will schedule the tour. Note: it may be at 2:00 AM.
The primary DHL sort happens between 1:00 and 4:00 AM.
Unique and National Landmark Venues near
Cincinnati
Creation Museum
The Creation Museum portrays a literal
interpretation of the creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in the Bible,
known as Young Earth creationism (YEC), the viewpoint advocated by Answers in
Genesis (AiG), the creation apologetics organization that owns and operates the
museum. The 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) museum cost $27 million, raised through private
donations, and opened on May 28, 2007. In addition to the main collection, the
facility has a special effects theater, a planetarium, an Allosaurus
skeleton, and an insect collection.
Ark Encounter
Ark Encounter is a Christian evangelical and fundamentalist theme park that opened in Grant
County, Kentucky on July 7, 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a full-scale
representation of Noah's Ark as described in the Genesis flood narrative of the
Bible. It is 510 feet (155 m) long, 85 feet (26 m) wide, and 51 feet
(16 m) high. Ark Encounter is operated by Answers in Genesis (AiG), the group
that operates the Creation Museum. The theme park promotes pseudoscientific
theories about the age of the Earth, age of the universe, and co-existence of
man and non-avian dinosaurs.
National Underground Railroad Freedom
Center
The
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum of conscience, an
education center, a convener of dialogue, and a beacon of light for inclusive
freedom around the globe. Our physical location in downtown Cincinnati is just
a few steps from the banks of the Ohio River, the great natural barrier that
separated the slave states of the South from the free states of the North.
Krohn Conservatory
Built in 1933 at the height of the Art Deco era, Krohn
Conservatory showcases more than 3,500 plant species from around the world. The
conservatory changes throughout the year with special exhibits and programs,
including the ever-popular International Butterfly Show where thousands of butterflies are free to fly throughout the
Krohn Conservatory showroom in a specially-themed garden. Permanent exhibits
include the rainforest waterfall and exotic plants in the Palm, Tropical,
Desert and Orchid houses as well.
Findlay Market
Findlay Market is Ohio's oldest continuously operated
public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions. The Market
is located just blocks from downtown in Over-the-Rhine (OTR), a dense historic
neighborhood rich in 19th century architecture. Open Tuesday through
Sunday, Findlay Market is open year-around with three dozen indoor merchants
selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods
plus plenty of dining options. Each weekend the Market hosts a thriving farmers
market, dozens of outdoor vendors, street performers, and special events
including the OTR Biergarten. Experience for yourself
this quintessentially urban shopping experience.
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens (with
famous Fiona)
The world famous Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
was rated the #1 attraction locally and one of the top zoos in the nation by
Zagat Survey. It has also been recognized by Child Magazine as one of "The
Best Zoos for Kids." Over one million people visit the Zoo’s award-winning
exhibits, and more than 500 animal and 3000 plant species annually. Stop and
see Fiona, our famous rhino.
Cincinnati Music Hall
Cincinnati Music Hall is a classical music performance
hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, completed in 1878. It serves as the home for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, and the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. In January 1975, it was recognized as a National
Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Music Hall re-opened in late 2017 after an
extensive $143 million makeover and 16-month closure.
American Sign Museum
The American Sign Museum is
dedicated to the art and history of signs and sign making. The museum is
the largest public museum dedicated to signs in the United States!
Covering more than 100 years of American sign history in 20,000 square feet
of indoor space, the museum is a walk through the ages of sign technologies and
designs. Some signs, still in their original shipping crates, remain pristine.
Others proudly retain a weathered look. Open Wed-Sun; admission $15 adults,
$10 seniors.
Kings Island Amusement Park
Kings Island is the largest
theme park in the Midwest. The eight-year award winner for “Best Kids Area in
the World” is the home of an award-winning waterpark and more than 80 rides and
attractions, including the world famous wooden roller coaster, The Beast™ and
Diamondback, the tallest and fastest coaster in park history!
Kentucky Horse Park
The Kentucky Horse Park is a
"must see" attraction for horse lovers, and no trip to Lexington
would be complete without a stop at this unique Kentucky state park. Set on
1,200 acres of prime Bluegrass farmland in the Horse Capital of the World, the
Park was founded in 1978 and opened to the public as the world's only park
dedicated to man's relationship with the horse.
Lexington KY Horse Farm Tours
There are about 450 horse farms in the
region (about 150 in Lexington/Fayette County alone). They're all working
farms- which means you should never just "drop by" -but more than a
few allow visitors by appointment or through arrangements with professional
tour companies.
Cincinnati Specialty Foods
Greek-style Chili
Cincinnati chili
(or Cincinnati-style chili) is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a
topping for spaghetti (a "two-way") or hot dogs ("coneys"),
both dishes developed by Macedonian immigrant restaurateurs in the 1920s.
Ingredients include ground beef, stock, tomato paste, spices such as cinnamon,
nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cumin, and chili powder, unsweetened dark chocolate
and bay leaf, in a soup-like consistency. Other toppings include cheese,
onions, and beans; specific combinations of toppings are known as
"ways". The name "Cincinnati chili" is often confusing to
those unfamiliar with it, who expect the dish to be similar to chili con carne;
as a result, it is common for those encountering it for the first time to
conclude it is a poor example of chili.
Local chains: Skyline, Gold Star, Dixie,
Embassy
Graeter’s Ice Cream
Graeter’s ice cream produces craft ice cream
and gelato lines using a small batch, artisanal method of production dating
back over a century. The Cincinnati-based company remains family owned and
operated and continues to handcraft ice cream 2½ gallons at a time. Today,
Graeter’s has 40 retail stores and ship over 300,000 pints annually for online
mail order sales. Graeter’s can also be found in more than 6,000 grocery stores
in 46 states.
Montgomery Inn Ribs
Montgomery Inn is a barbecue restaurant
chain based in the Cincinnati suburb of Montgomery, Ohio, United States. It is
best known for its specialty, loin back ribs, and the barbecue sauce used in
preparation and serving.
Mark
(click on image for larger view!)
States I've visited:
-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry
My first Vette, now owned by JB79: