Tuesday Footfalls — Pleasant Ridge
I’ve heard of Pleasant Ridge for most of my life. I’m sure I’ve driven through it many times — but never noticed it. Never wandered long enough to get the feel of the place.
Isn’t it that way with so many neighborhoods? Today, I fixed that.
My sabbath practice of flânerie began with a slow walk through this largely residential community — tree-lined sidewalks, welcoming signs, and houses with a quiet confidence. A perfect place for a late-morning wander.
Pleasant Ridge doesn’t boast as many shops or restaurants as some areas. So, today there was less dropping in and more simply wandering.
I did, however, stop at Café Alma, where an unhurried cappuccino and quiche became my brunch. It gave me a chance to practice sipping slowly, to watch the kids and dogs on the patio, and to fumble again through a magic trick I have yet to master.
These are things one could do on any ordinary day. I find I usually don’t. Somehow, I need permission to let the day’s activities find me. My Tuesdays offer that.
As if to underline that permission — or perhaps to offer a sign — I found one. The first sign was literal: posted on the door of a woodworking shop. Had I been in the market for a finely crafted table, this was the place. The owner, Thane Lorbach, is a master of his craft.
But it was inside the shop that I found my true sign.
After I explained my weekly habit of wandering through Cincinnati neighborhoods, Thane pointed to a flag hung from the ceiling — a map listing all 52 neighborhoods in the city.
That’s how wandering without a why — gave me one — at least for a year.