Saturday, January 3, 2009

Dayton, OH

I went to Dayton, OH in October to teach a class at Wright-Patterson AFB. Dayton was one of those places that I had no regret in leaving. There is nothing wrong with Dayton; but there is nothing remarkable about it either. Of course, most of the people I met there were very nice, so that does increase Dayton’s score a bit.

I did find a Half Price Books in Dayton, so that gave me something to do. I even bought an Alton Brown cookbook, which is very difficult to find used. I had no business buying a cookbook that I would then have to pack back to DC, but I seized the moment.

I did a little research and discovered that Dayton is only about an hour from Cincinnati. I love the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati and really wanted to go see the fountain that is in the opening credits. Mission Accomplished! I picked a day when it wasn’t going to rain and drove the hour to Cincinnati to go to Fountain Square. I really liked Cincinnati and would love to go back. I found the Tyler Davidson Fountain and snapped a ton of pictures that I looked truly terrible in. The fountain itself is stunning and definitely worth a visit.

Some friends from Ohio told me about an ice cream store called Graeter’s. There was a Graeter’s conveniently located in Fountain Square, so off I went. I have to say, their ice cream is fantastic. I got the Apple Cider sorbet and I still dream of how delicious it was. It tasted just like apple cider, with the mulling spices and all. This is high praise because I usually don’t eat ice cream unless there is chocolate involved. Why waste the calories if you don’t get any chocolate?

Across Fountain Square was an Italian place, recommended to me by the manager of Graeter’s, called Via Vite. I had a wonderful meal there, especially after eating at chain restaurants in Dayton all week. I had the special which was potato gnocchi in a butternut squash sauce. I would gladly eat there again.

On my last day in Dayton, I headed to the National Museum of the Air Force. What a great museum. I had a wonderful time and I didn’t even get to see everything. There are literally hundreds of planes on display. The museum teaches you about the early days of aviation, has many cool WWII-era planes and they even have an F-22 Raptor. The highlight for me was seeing the U-2. Now I have seen a U-2 before down at Edwards AFB in California, but I am always happy to get reacquainted with a plane that I have spent years researching (I did my Master’s thesis on the U-2).
Next trip – Shenandoah National Park and Monticello

8 comments:

Megan said...

Your blog is better than a Rachel Ray travel show any day! I just want to travel and eat at all the yummy places you do! Not to mention getting to see cool things.

Jen Davis said...

That's the plan. I always try to find good places to eat so other people won't have to waste time on bad food. I can't wait to see you.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Hey, it's great to see your blog and pictures of you! Graeter's ice cream is awesome. I ordered a boatload and had it shipped to our company offsite last year. Remember me - always about the food. I blog rolled you under jd, my second favorite character on scrubs.

Joanna said...

Jen I can't believe you were in Dayton! We live in Cincinnati. The next time you are around here you need to call me! I can bombard you with my boys! After all these years it would be way fun! Love Joanna

Joanna said...

By the way Cincinnati is way better than Dayton and we have a half price book store I go to all of the time!

Jen Davis said...

Joanna,

Next time I am in Dayton, we will have to get together. I would love to meet your boys and go to Half Price Books.

Anonymous said...

You are traversing my old stomping grounds-I went to sixth, seventh and eighth grades in a suburb of Dayton, Kettering, while my dad was stationed at Wright Patterson. It is not a time I remember fondly as I remember it being bitterly cold in the winter and having to wear dresses and walk to school. Apparently it was one of those, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger experiences! Ah, sweet California! Jody