Photo TR: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

[BigDipper 80]

Cincinnati is home to the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States, and while it's nothing compared to the one in Munich, it's still a fun time, with Fifth Street and Fountain Square lined with food stalls and beer vendors and even some carnival rides! There was also a Reds game that evening, so downtown was especially hopping. I didn't have much time to get a ton of photos, but these should give you an idea of what the festival was like.

Welcome to Cincinnati!

You can't go wrong with German food, especially in a town with such a huge German heritage.

Queen City Square's "tiara" pokes up in the distance.

An oompah band playing some polka at Fountain Square. There were actually quite a few musical acts set up along Fifth Street, including a live glockenspiel!

There were even horse-drawn carriage rides.

These chicken hats were everywhere. All of the signs had terrible puns, just like this one.

A classic flat with the P&G Building (affectionately known as the Dolly Parton Building by the locals) in the background.

Whee!

Typical carnival midway game crap up for the winning.

There were so many vendors serving every kind of German (and Italian too, apparently) food imaginable. This is five blocks from where we started, and it's still jam-packed with people and vendors.

I don't think I've ever seen this flat before.

Can't have midway rides without a Ferris wheel.

I hate this ride. Had a bad experience with one at the IX Indoor Amusement Park too.

I had never seen one of these before, and I had no idea what to expect from it.

Before long, it transformed into a hellish near-vertical spinning Troika-on-Steroids. Terrifying.

A strange Art Deco spire located near the P&G building.

A nicer view of Queen City Square.

Fourth Street has some incredibly beautiful architecture. Cincinnati used to be called the Paris of the West, and although much of it has turned to surface parking, there are still quite a few beautiful buildings worth noting, and the city's current revitalization is really helping to spruce things up, particularly in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

A view of the Roebling Bridge from the new Riverfront Park between the Reds ballpark and the Bengals stadium.

The sun had gone down, and the lights started shining on the fountains.

Heading back to the car to head home.

The namesake fountain of Fountain Square. It's a very pretty area at night.

One final shot of the Carew Tower (the prototype for the Empire State Building). Hope you enjoyed this quick tour of the Queen City's Oktoberfest!

[greatfundeals]

Thanks for the great update