... The Morning After

Boys, let's talk.

Did you wake up alone this morning?

It's the day after Valentine's Day, and many of us are rising and shining, single and solo. We'll put on our pants, one leg at a time, and get ready for another day on the battlefield that is love.

Make sure you start with greatness when you put on those pants.

KnickersXY on Hyde Park Square has just the things you need to make sure a woman is as impressed with your undergarments as she is with what's in them.

The glass-and-steel boutique carries several lines of sexy, high end underwear lines including Andrew Christian, Diesel and Papi. Some of the briefs on the racks are colorful and quite trim. Others are sporty and feature "architectural elements" that aim to lift and prop up your jewels for all to see.

Reps tell me KnickersXY will soon carry the highly sought after line, Aussiebum, known for its comfortable briefs made with long lasting, elastic waistbands (aside: as a woman, this was a new bit of information for me. I had no idea men had to deal with underwear with shot waistbands...)


KnickersXY, the sibling store to the women's lingerie store with a similar name on Hyde Park Square, also carries some sleepwear and swimwear. Think colorful, sleek and virile.

If you already have your fill of boxers and briefs, you'll want to swing through the store for a shave and a haircut (the price is a bit more than two bits). The Salzano Brothers Barbershop (named Best Shave in the City by Cincinnati Magazine) has taken up space in the center of the store, complete with hot towel service, skin treatments and other grooming offerings.

Before you leave, hit up The Vault, which keeps several lines of skincare products, including a couple that are made by hometown company Procter & Gamble.





Getting married? You and your bros might want to head to KnickersXY for some grooming before the groom ties the knot. The boutique has a chic, second floor party space that's perfect for beer and unwinding with the Xbox before heading to the church on time.

I must say, I learned so much about men's undergarments when visiting KnickersXY. The fact of the matter is, the burden of looking good in bed shouldn't rest on a woman. A man has an obligation to try and make an effort, too.

KnickersXY is a great place to start.

Getting rid of your Tighty Whiteys is Step #2.

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Valentine Can Suck It

A man with a mullet, an attorney without a photo and a freak show who can't spell to save his life.

That is what is waiting for me in my online dating inbox.

I've only been on the site for a week. I know these things take time.

It's not like I would have any better luck trolling Cadillac Ranch/FBs/Nada/You Name It, right?

Valentine's Day can be hard on a single girl. That's why I am holing up in my apartment this evening, dinner for one by candlelight, complete with a good bottle of wine, a non-depressing, romantic movie, and my pajamas.

What... you married people would be so lucky to have an evening in.

Right?

Romance isn't something that should happen one day a year. In fact, I'd much rather a relationship where romance and love happens spontaneously, genuinely and frequently.

I know I'm not going to find the right match easily - online or in real life.

I happened to hit the town with a bunch of girls on Friday night. Dinner at Mr. Sushi and then dancing at Bartini. I don't really dig the meat/meet market that is Cincinnati's night club scene, but I DO love a good evening of burning up the dance floor. Thankfully one of the girls had the great idea of springing for Bottle Service.

Now, THAT is my idea of a night at the club.

What can I say? I am not a fan of hanging with the hoi polloi. I do not need to bump and grind with every Joe in the joint. These days, any night out on the town is just about hanging with your girls, not searching for Mister Right.

As a 30-something single chick, dating can be really tricky. A woman my age wants a man who has some street cred (i.e. - Does he have a reputation? Is it a good one? How many connections do you share mutually?), worldly experience (i.e. - Does he have a passport? Does he want to go places?) and an open heart.

The game of modern love is rough, rough stuff. For one, the number of available players has diminished significantly since college.

Sometimes it's good to be a free agent.

So Happy Valentine's Day, single people of the world. Feel free to take today off. But tomorrow - get back to it. And may you be victorious in your quest.

Photo by Neysa Ruhl

Hey! Cincinnati Profile has featured eight Single and Successful women of Greater Cincinnati, and I'm one of 'em! Feel free to check out my profile (and those of the other seven lovely ladies) and photo gallery here. All amazing photos by Neysa Ruhl.


Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Support the Streetcar Now

To whom it may concern:

I am a resident of the city of Cincinnati, living at XXXX Walnut St, in Over-the-Rhine. My neighborhood is a depressed neighborhood that is thick in the middle of a renaissance. Where this community has seen a dramatic vacancy rate for the past few decades and has been a concentrated haven for crime, things are dramatically changing for the better. Each month, more people are buying or renting property in this Cincinnati neighborhood, choosing to live or work in a community that was once regarded as the "Paris of the West."

Building a streetcar system would offer a critical economic investment to my neighborhood and many others in Cincinnati.

I moved to Over-the-Rhine over seven months ago after spending over five years in the more northern community of Oakley, also a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Oakley and Over-the-Rhine couldn't be more different. Where OtR is more urban and in the throws of revival, Oakley is a quaint neighborhood with tree lined streets and a vibrant square with shops and restaurants.

In the 1930s and 40s, Oakley was a thriving, mini-metropolis four miles north of Downtown Cincinnati. With a streetcar line running through the heart of the square every five minutes, people would hop on the line in droves to go to butcher shops, women's clothing stores, an old fashioned ice cream parlor (which still exists today) and other shopping mainstays. Oakley had a vital community center that was, in part, greatly attributed to the streetcars of Cincinnati's past.

Today, Oakley is still charming and hangs on to a few steady outposts - watering holes and a handful of boutiques striving to stay open. The fact is, while we all still love Oakley, it clearly isn't the community it used to be. Industry has left the neighborhood, a big box store and other shops have closed their doors. Some of the homes on those tree lined streets look a little tired. Oakley doesn't have the critical mass of foot traffic it did during the streetcar heyday. People aren't motivated to get off at a stop, stroll the streets, buy groceries and other goods from local vendors.

Instead, they get in their cars, spend money in different zip codes, and fail to make the day-to-day investment in the neighborhood where they live or work.

Oakley has taken a hit since the streetcar system was dismantled in 1951.

Today, I look at the proposed streetcar line as a great opportunity to encourage concentrated economic investments in key communities in Cincinnati's core. By building a new streetcar system, the people who work or live in Cincinnati will develop lifestyle habits that encourage more foot traffic and more spending along the route. By making a permanent streetcar line, more potential business owners will decide to put down roots in Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine, Clifton and other communities along the route.

More 20 or 30-somethings like me will choose to move back to the urban core. We'll buy condos or buildings for single-family homes. We'll raise children and support the neighborhood schools, walk to parks near the streetcar route. Instead of hopping in our cars to drive downtown for a night out on the town, we'll catch streetcar lines to see shows at the Aronoff and linger in the city a little longer, grabbing dinner or nightcaps before catching a safe streetcar ride home. (Aside: Did you know Cincinnati was voted the tenth most walkable city in the U.S. in 2008?)

In 1900, Cincinnati was the 10th largest city in the nation. In 1940 (when Cincinnati had a solid streetcar system) we were the 17th largest city in the nation.

According to the Census Bureau, we're now the 57th largest city.

By supporting the streetcar, you have an opportunity turn around a trend. You have an opportunity to further encourage the renaissance already happening in Over-the-Rhine. You have an opportunity to lure small business and property investment back to Cincinnati's Central Business District.

You have an opportunity to make an investment in a city I love.

Respectfully,
KtG
________________________
I wrote my letter to support Cincinnati's streetcar. You can, too. Just email TRAC@dot.state.oh.us, and please do so by 5 PM on Friday. Your support is critical.


Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Streetcar: We Can Do This

I normally don't drag-and-drop my blog posts, but this is important.

Really important.

"Mayor Mark Mallory is asking everyone who supports the Streetcar to e-mail the State of Ohio and tell them that you support the Streetcar because it will create jobs and attract people to Cincinnati.

Please send a short e-mail to TRAC@dot.state.oh.us and tell them why you think the Streetcar is good for Cincinnati.

We need as many e-mails as possible by 5pm Friday.

Please re-post."

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

So, I'm back in the saddle of online dating.

Every few years (or maybe more frequently for some of you), we singletons decide to be proactive in our quest to find the right match. Single women may be compelled to buy a new tube of lipstick, hit the driving range or grab a glass of wine at a bar that's new to them.

Me? I'm always moved to sign on for an online dating site. If you look hard, you'll find my pics and profile on one of the more popular sites. We'll see how it goes. I'm not holding my breath.

(editor's note: as I type this blog post, I am sipping a glass of white wine and am watching The Bachelor. I am clearly not the only woman or man seeking to move beyond Single status when filling out a 1040 IRS form).

If I was a rich (and Jewish) girl, I'd get a Yente.

The character of the same name in Fiddler on the Roof is a matchmaker who searches for a husband for Tzeitel, the oldest daughter in a family of five girls. When Tzeitel and her sisters sing the classic Matchmaker song, they run through the list of qualities they're seeking in a man.

Not a lot has changed over the years.

Women and men alike are seeking stability, kindness and honesty. Me? I just don't know if I could survive with a partner lacking a sense of adventure.

But just like Tzeitel & Co., I'm patient.

"...Up to this minute I've misunderstood that I could get stuck for good..."

Just like in the big Broadway show, relationships can bring on a variety of constraints established by family and cultural traditions. No matter how much we evolve as a society, single people searching for the right partner will always have to deal with expectations set forth by family and friends.

Thankfully, even the conservative father Tevye concedes that love is important in a relationship. "It's the new style," he says.

Let's hope it never goes out of style.

Fiddler on the Roof hits the stage in the Procter and Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center between February 15 and 27. You can buy tickets and read more about this timeless classic here.

(Disclosure - Thanks to Ionic Collective for the opportunity to see the show next week).

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

You Don't Need A Phone Line To Operate Internet

Less than 20 years ago, nobody had heard of the internet.

Even the nation's biggest journalists had only an inkling.



My, how far we've come.



Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.