The Queen City
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:29 pm
One thing that we love about seeing America from a riverboat is the diversity of each town and city. When you rush through a community on business or are in a hurry simply because the modern world demands that everything be done quickly, you miss the essence of a place. We never really get to see what makes it tick.
Cincinnati, Ohio is one such place. To truly appreciate all it has to offer takes time. And on an American Queen voyage, you’ll find that the star of several journeys is indeed the Queen City. If you live on one of the coasts of the United States, you probably don’t hear too much about Cincinnati. It’s rarely in the national news. But we think that’s a good thing. Most of the time, a city garners media scrutiny because of a story about corruption, a ban on sugary beverages we grew up with or another negative event. Cincinnati is quiet, graceful and dignified. And that’s why our guests love her so.
While the American Queen is an Antebellum-inspired wonder, she is still a thoroughly modern and elegant riverboat with every possible amenity. When she was on the drawing boards, her designers took great care to wrap this modern boutique hotel with all the trappings and architectural details of the riverboats of the 19th century. As a result, her profile wouldn’t look out of place in Mark Twain’s day and continues the proud legacy of riverboat history in Cincinnati.
Not far from where the American Queen docks along the Ohio River on the Cincinnati riverfront is an odd piece of what many people assume is modern art until they get closer. Perched atop two massive white pylons is a full-size replica of the American Queen’s massive red paddlewheel. The original was given to the city in the mid-1990s by the vessel’s first owners, the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Over time, the city discovered a fiberglass replica would weather better than the wooden original and it has been proudly displayed near the river ever since.
History buffs know that the Delta Queen Steamboat Company was headquartered in Cincinnati for nearly a century until moving to New Orleans. Starting out as Greene Line Steamers in 1890, its boats were a fixture of life in the Queen City which, due to its strategic location on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh, PA and St. Louis, MO, made it a key part of the river transportation system of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Wherever you go in downtown Cincinnati, you see images of riverboats. We love that the city has so thoroughly embraced its riverboat heritage and our guests appreciate the feeling that being aboard the American Queen in Cincinnati is like being a part of that legacy.
Right by the riverfront where the American Queen ties up are two beautiful new sports stadiums. The NFL’s Bengals play in Paul Brown Stadium and next to it, just a stone’s throw from the American Queen, is the Great American Ballpark, home of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds. In right center field are two smokestacks that look almost like the two chimneys towering above the American Queen. When the ballpark was built, the people of Cincinnati wanted to honor the riverboats that had called the city home for decades. The stacks at the ballpark shoot fire whenever a Reds pitcher strikes out a batter and launch fireworks after every home run and every win.
Cincinnati loves the river, its vessels, and the history of our great nation. And for that, we love Cincinnati as well. We have several voyages coming up over the next few months that either begin or conclude in this wonderful town. On July 26, 2013, our 7-day Baseball Legends voyage departs Cincinnati for Pittsburgh. Baseball memorabilia and history expert, Bruce Campbell, will host former American League umpire Al Clark, Los Angeles Dodgers prankster Jay Johnstone and Yankees lefty pitcher Fritz Peterson as they relive the glory days of baseball and offer stimulating Q&A sessions. We also have a 7-day Good Old Summertime voyage from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati on August 9, 2013, and a 9-day Good Old Summertime journey from Cincinnati to St. Louis beginning August 14, 2013. If you reserve your stateroom before March 31, 2013, you can save up to $750 per stateroom and receive a Stateroom Category Upgrade.
Cincinnati, Ohio is one such place. To truly appreciate all it has to offer takes time. And on an American Queen voyage, you’ll find that the star of several journeys is indeed the Queen City. If you live on one of the coasts of the United States, you probably don’t hear too much about Cincinnati. It’s rarely in the national news. But we think that’s a good thing. Most of the time, a city garners media scrutiny because of a story about corruption, a ban on sugary beverages we grew up with or another negative event. Cincinnati is quiet, graceful and dignified. And that’s why our guests love her so.
While the American Queen is an Antebellum-inspired wonder, she is still a thoroughly modern and elegant riverboat with every possible amenity. When she was on the drawing boards, her designers took great care to wrap this modern boutique hotel with all the trappings and architectural details of the riverboats of the 19th century. As a result, her profile wouldn’t look out of place in Mark Twain’s day and continues the proud legacy of riverboat history in Cincinnati.
Not far from where the American Queen docks along the Ohio River on the Cincinnati riverfront is an odd piece of what many people assume is modern art until they get closer. Perched atop two massive white pylons is a full-size replica of the American Queen’s massive red paddlewheel. The original was given to the city in the mid-1990s by the vessel’s first owners, the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Over time, the city discovered a fiberglass replica would weather better than the wooden original and it has been proudly displayed near the river ever since.
History buffs know that the Delta Queen Steamboat Company was headquartered in Cincinnati for nearly a century until moving to New Orleans. Starting out as Greene Line Steamers in 1890, its boats were a fixture of life in the Queen City which, due to its strategic location on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh, PA and St. Louis, MO, made it a key part of the river transportation system of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Wherever you go in downtown Cincinnati, you see images of riverboats. We love that the city has so thoroughly embraced its riverboat heritage and our guests appreciate the feeling that being aboard the American Queen in Cincinnati is like being a part of that legacy.
Right by the riverfront where the American Queen ties up are two beautiful new sports stadiums. The NFL’s Bengals play in Paul Brown Stadium and next to it, just a stone’s throw from the American Queen, is the Great American Ballpark, home of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds. In right center field are two smokestacks that look almost like the two chimneys towering above the American Queen. When the ballpark was built, the people of Cincinnati wanted to honor the riverboats that had called the city home for decades. The stacks at the ballpark shoot fire whenever a Reds pitcher strikes out a batter and launch fireworks after every home run and every win.
Cincinnati loves the river, its vessels, and the history of our great nation. And for that, we love Cincinnati as well. We have several voyages coming up over the next few months that either begin or conclude in this wonderful town. On July 26, 2013, our 7-day Baseball Legends voyage departs Cincinnati for Pittsburgh. Baseball memorabilia and history expert, Bruce Campbell, will host former American League umpire Al Clark, Los Angeles Dodgers prankster Jay Johnstone and Yankees lefty pitcher Fritz Peterson as they relive the glory days of baseball and offer stimulating Q&A sessions. We also have a 7-day Good Old Summertime voyage from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati on August 9, 2013, and a 9-day Good Old Summertime journey from Cincinnati to St. Louis beginning August 14, 2013. If you reserve your stateroom before March 31, 2013, you can save up to $750 per stateroom and receive a Stateroom Category Upgrade.