2018

It seems as if I find myself doing this every December: going back and forth on whether or not to create a year-end post—some sort of a recap on the stories and photos published here on QC/D over the past 365 days. I usually end up doing it and it usually begins with a sentence similar to the one you just read. 

I’ve sat down a few times to write this...

Once at the coffee shop in my neighborhood. 

Once at a bar. 

Once at a Waffle House. 

Once while killing time in my car before I had to go in to work. 

And now, back at that first coffee shop in what is about to become my former neighborhood in an hour or so when I turn in my keys. 

Looking back on QC/D posts has always been a process. There’s a mix of melancholy, pride, disappointment, joy, etc. It’s a real grab bag of emotions because of what this site represents to me and what I’d like for it to reflect. I find reviewing it to be not just a mechanical recap of titles and text, but rather, a ritual that forces me to be introspective and then ultimately question if “a year” is really a good way to judge the progress (or perceived lack thereof) in life. The last half of this year has been unexpected to say the least, but I won’t wax on it too much.

Life is a lot different than I thought it would be when I started QC/D in 2007. 

It’s a lot different than what I though it would be when I made the first post of 2018. 

That’s not to say things are bad, far from it. Things are just interesting. I don’t think there was ever a point when I was authoring some story or making a photograph where I could’ve imagined I’d be where I am now—thrust into an tumultuous position, moving through life in an unfamiliar manner, and navigating things with a different mentality. 

It’s been an interesting last few months and 2019, I’m positive, will be an interesting year. 

So for the moment, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy this cup of coffee from the shop I used to live across the street from and wonder if I’ll find myself back here regularly or if I’ll be far from this place at some point, relatively unconcerned with either scenario. 

We’ll see. 

Thanks for reading QC/D this year. Here are my favorite photographs followed by a list of my favorite stories from 2018. 

- Took in this mural in Cincinnati's Evanston neighborhood.

- Rode the Las Vegas Monorail. Not the only monorail featured this year.

- Explored the "ghost town of Amargosa."

- Laura looking beautiful in Death Valley.

- Toured the currently closed Terrace Plaza hotel.

-  Endured seemingly never-ending snow at the onset of the year.

- Heard Creed Bratton perform in Covington, KY.

- Came across this water main break in Pleasant Ridge (thanks, Matt).

- Star 64 tower and Downtown Cincinnati.

- Said goodbye to the Cincinnati Gardens as the building came down.

- Marched in another Bockfest parade with Die Innenstadt.

- Snow... in April.

- Visited The Continent in Columbus.

- Went back to Kings Island for the first time in six years, the first time I'd been there since being an employee.

- Stayed at this Disney resort in Hawaii.

- Met some parrots at a bird rehabilitation sanctuary in Hawaii.

- Experienced history while exploring abandoned WW2 era pillboxes in Hawaii.

- Rode the bus a lot.

- Evening and morning commutes.

- Spent a lot of time singing in the stands with a megaphone and a few moments on the sidelines with a camera.

- Danni König of FC Cincinnati waves goodbye to the crowd following a match. He ended up retiring and leaving the United States at the end of the season.

- Caught Mephiskapheles in the back of a deli that's now closed.

- Finally enjoyed the elusive Yum Yum Chinese restaurant with Phil, Ryan, and Travis.

- Rode the streetcar a lot.

- Also photographed some fun events on the train.

- Went to San Diego.

- And then Tijuana.

- Found bursts of the sun in interesting places.

- Spent time with wonderful people.

- Saw crazy storms form over my apartment.

- Got back into shooting film.

- Photographed this mural a lot, both on film (top) and digital (below).

- Finally went inside "The Chong." Still keeping an eye on whether or not it's actually closing.

- Saw some skylines in dramatic fashion (Cleveland, Nashville, Columbus).

- Appreciated the wisdom and friendship of people like Kile and many more not featured in photographs here.

- Saw a lot of things culminate and change—wound up here on an assignment, happy and overlooking two symbols.

- Snapped this in Walnut Hills while enjoying nice light as the end of the year came close.

Some favorite stories put together this year:

• Did a lot of traveling. Visited the west coast for the first time, went out of the country for the first time, and made several road trips.

• Enjoyed coming across the "Ghost Town" of Amargosa.

• Witnessed the most dramatic flood since the last "big one" in 1997.

• Got to say goodbye to the Cincinnati Gardens, one of my favorite local structures that also held a lot of personal memories.

• Toured the Terrace Plaza and its dramatic view of the city skyline. Then wrote about it in three parts.

• Finally took the time to truly photograph and write about "Sawyer Point."

• Snagged a piece of cryptic street art (and got it in the hands of someone who could appreciate it more) as it was being removed.

• Got back into shooting sports for a moment.

• Found Cincinnati in a documentary about street art.

• Delved into the mystery of the "Yum Yum" restaurant.

• After editorializing in 2012 on whether or not Major League Soccer could come to Cincinnati, I found out firsthand that it could.

• Hiked to remnants of World War Two.

• Explored what may become of the new era of malls known as "lifestyle centers."

• Re-visited the first ever QC/D post and what became of the abandoned amusement park that launched this website.

• Left the United States for the first time.

• Got back to shooting 35mm film.

• Thought about baseball.

• Authored a definitive account of the Jungle Jim's Monorail—where it came from, if it works, and what comes next.

See you in 2019.