Helpful Dayton Information

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

The Skinny on D8N from a Daytonian. .

Ah yes. . .Another amazing WGI is almost upon us, and I thought I would again share some inside Dayton info for those of you making the trip this year!

Travel (I-75)

For those of you who are going to be traveling I-75, you should know that there is construction in both directions. If you are coming North from Cincinnati, there is going to be construction all through Warren County (Warren County is just south of Dayton and is where Touchdown Jesus use to be, he got hit by lightning and burned to the ground this year) For those you coming from Indy/North of Dayton who will be heading south on 75, there is construction all through downtown and up until the exit for the UD arena. *It should be noted and is very important to know that you can NOT exit onto I-35 from 75 if you are heading south. This is the way that MANY people go to get to the Marriott. I repeat, the I-35 ramp from 75 South is closed. You must get off at the Edwin C Moses exit, if you would like to get on 35. For those of you going to the Marriott, this is the exit you would want anyway. Another VERY important side note to those coming from 75 going in the south direction. The Edwin C Moses exit can be very tricky because of the way it is set up to handle the closed 35 traffic. As you are heading down the exit, DO NOT be in the left lane, as it is a continuous loop and will put you back on 75 heading in the north direction so that you can get to 35. Again, the left lane of the exit is a continuous loop and will put you back on 75 (there is a blockade, so if you make this mistake, you’re pretty much hosed) The right lane allows you to turn right onto Edwin C Moses (which you don’t want to do) or allows you stop make a left hand turn onto Edwin C Moses (this is what you want) so that you can get to the arena or the hotel. It should be noted that this also is very tricky because in order to turn left you have to realize that there has been made an ‘open space’ in between 2 construction barrels so that vehicles can turn left. If you are still confused…which I don’t blame you, I made a video today driving south on 75 through downtown and getting off at the Edwin C. Moses Exit. My hope is that this video will help those out-of-towners feel more comfortable with unfamiliar surroundings…and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Video here:

Lodging/Restuarants

Also, for those near UD/Marriott. . .there are many restaurants on brown st. …and this is probably your best place to grab a bite to eat. You are literally a right hand turn and 3 blocks away if staying at the Marriott. There is a chipotle, panera, burger joints, dewey’s pizza, sub shops and a lot more. The infamous Pine Club is also on Brown st. For those who like local mom and pop type places…check out the brunch club and/or tanks. FYI, for those night owls, Tanks kitchen stays open until 2AM

If you are staying north of town (the miller lane area) that is right next to 75…there will be a ton of places to eat, but not much entertainment. This area is very close to the Dayton International Airport. Every hotel chain and chain restaurant can be found on the miller lane strip.

South of town (Dayton mall area) You have lots of places to eat and things to do..laser tag, the mall, bowling etc. You also have places like PF Changs and Bravo! Right there by the mall. ..along with every chain you can think of. I recommend First Watch for breakfast/brunch. . it’s wonderful and they only serve breakfast and lunch during those respective hours. For those with a finer palette, check out Anne Kearney’s restaurant: Rue Dumaine. It’s probably one of the best places in the mid-west and well, it’s Anne Kearney!

http://www.daytonmall.net/

http://ruedumainerestaurant.com

http://www.firstwatch.com

East of Town (WSU/WPAFB area) for those unfamiliar: WSU = Wright State University and WPAFB is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Over here there is also a ton to do with every imaginable restaurant under the sun. Near the nutter is also the Fairfield Mall, which is a nice place to stroll around and unwind, though quite a few stores have left and moved to the greene. The Greene is an ‘outdoor lifestyle center’ which is just a fancy way to say outside mall. If the weather is nice, this is probably the place to hit….great stores and places to eat: Cheesecake Factory, Flemings, a great Pub and there is also a wine bar. Also some local places…a sushi place, a Mediterranean place (think kabobs) and Mongolian BBQ. There is also a large movie theatre on site as well. For those near UD/Marriott…if you make a left hand turn out of the Marriott and then in a mile or so, another left hand turn on Dorothy Lane. . you’ll run into the Greene, it’s only about 15 minutes away from that area.

http://www.thegreene.com/

http://www.mallatfairfieldcommons.com/

Other entertainment. . .well I’d say go explore the National AF museum. . it’s amazing and yes..it’s free!! You can literally spend 3 days in there and not see everything. There is hope that NASA is going to retire one of the space shuttles at this museum in the near future. The Dayton Art Institute is another option and it too is free! Beautiful works and the building is gorgeous as you drive right by it on 75…it sits opposite/to the west of the skyline. I would not venture any further west than the art institute as West Dayton is ‘our rough area’ Let’s not make bones about it. . .everywhere has their bad areas and in Dayton, it’s the Westside. I would say from I-70 south to about the Dayton mall/Miamisburg area you should stay east of 75. It’s a gamble if you want to venture into that area, but it’s your call. For point of reference the Hara Arena is in Western Part of Dayton…and probably the nicer part of the West Dayton area.

Also, there is the Dayton Peace Museum which is small, but a great place…and just to our south there is the Cincinnati Premium Outlets that just opened up about 6 months ago. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s closer to Dayton than Cincinnati (since we’re growing into one area anyway) CPO has outlets of Ralph Lauren, BR, Coach, Michael Kors, Gap and other hoity toity designers/brands. For point of reference, CPO is at the same exit you can find Touchdown Jesus. It’s about 20-25 minutes south of downtown Dayton. If you’re staying south in the Dayton mall area, you can probably be there in about 15 minutes or so…given your respective driving abilities. Be warned though, all of warren county has construction going on on I-75.

http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/

http://www.nps.gov/daav/index.htm

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

http://www.daytonpeacemuseum.org/

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=79

Hotels…just be smart and stay at a chain. Avoid the Westside and the no-tell motels. Rule of thumb, if you don’t recognize the name/chain, chances are.. it’s a gamble. Another gamble are the hotels right by the UD area that site across the highway on the west side. Yes, you can literally see them from the UD parking lot, but there have been lots of issues at those places.. .I think last time I checked they were the econo lodge and la quinta? I’ll double check. The Marriott, courtyard and Holiday Inn Dryden rd. should be fine. ..as are the Doubletree and Crown Plaza that are downtown.

Clubs. . .there are a lot of them downtown, specifically in the Oregon District, but let’s face reality, everyone will end up at Masque. All the gay clubs in Dayton are in an area what locals refer to as ‘The Fruit Loop’…thus there are about 5 or 6 clubs that form a semi circle around the main parking area behind masque (the main entrance to masque is also from this parking lot) Straight/mixed clubs are scattered throughout the Oregon, Downtown and The 'Burbs

http://oregonartsdistrict.com/index.php?op...ge&Itemid=1

http://www.clubmasque.com/main.php

I would also recommend you rent a car while in Dayton…we are after all Midwesterners who live obsessively to drive EVERYWHERE…which is why we have so much sprawl. Taxis are few and far between and there is a regional bus provider (RTA) but riding it would take a lot of planning and ramping up on their bus schedules. So it’s easier just to rent a car.

Check the Weather Reports: http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Dayton+OH+45402

The Dayton Daily News, just in case:

http://www.daytondailynews.com

Things that are unique to Dayton or the Dayton Region: Marion’s Piazza (Dayton style pizza) Dorothy Lane Market, home of the killer brownie, Mike Sells Potato chips, Esther Price candies..the best chocolate ever. Graeter’s Ice Cream, Young’s dairy Farm…and many more I’m sure that I’ve missed.

If you have a question or need additional info, feel free to shoot me a PM.

http://www.marionspizza.com/

http://www.dorothylane.com/

http://www.estherprice.com/

http://www.graeters.com/ (enter zip code 45402)

http://www.youngsdairy.com/

And yes, the local law enforcement has been warned and is on the lookout for Sebastienne St. Jacque and his senior performance ensemble: Convalescence Winterguard.

Edited March 21, 2011 by PrfctTimeOfDay

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

Bump

[dugg]

thanks,i'm sure this info will be helpful to many.

[Mr. Know it all]

I've always said that people from Dayton are the nicest people in the world. This thoughtful post reinforces my theory, yet again.

Thank you so much for gathering and posting all of this helpful information...!!!

And the details of the I-75 construction are GREATLY appreciated. Whether traveling to Dayton by car, bus or plane, nearly everyone attending WGI will drive on I-75 at some point during their stay. This info should help drivers avoid as many of the construction 'surprises' as possible.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU...!!!

Edited March 29, 2011 by Mr. Know it all

[Jak]

Rue Dumaine is wonderful! It's a WGI tradition for me.

I always wonder what the people of Dayton think about WGI Championships each year. Last year a guy at Arby's asked me if there was some huge cheerleading competition in town because there were high school girls on school buses all over town. In 2007 (WGI's 30th anniversary), the barista at the Starbucks by Nutter Center asked me if I was here for the porn convention. I asked him what he meant, and he said "You're wearing one of those XXX badges that everybody has on."

[dugg]

my fav indulgance is "the pine club"!

http://thepineclub.com/

[Mr. Know it all]

Here's one of my favorite WGI weekend 'insider tips':

The 'Dorothy Lane Market' in Oakwood is not only home to the world famous 'Killer Brownie,' but it's also open 24/7.

How convenient is that...???

For those of you with cars, Dorothy Lane Market is about 15-20 minutes south of the UD Marriott on Far Hills Avenue. (And that's 15-20 minutes including stop lights and all that kind of stuff.)

So, if you've practiced, spectated or have been traveling late into the wee hours, you can perouse the aisles at Dorothy Lane and find something suitable for a late night (or early morning) snack.

And just FYI, for those of you not familiar with Dorothy Lane Market aside from the FABULOUS brownies, Dorothy Lane is a full service, 'nicer' local grocery store. It's not a huge store, mind you, But it does offer all of the standard grocery departments.

So, for what it's worth, there you have it.

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

Rue Dumaine, Pine Club, and Dorothy Lane are all GREAT suggestions. I could write at length about how wonderful each place is. .but I'll spare you! :-)

And...FYI, it's snowing in Dayton today!

Edited March 30, 2011 by PrfctTimeOfDay

[PrfctTimeOfDay]

Also, there is a fairly new restaurant on brown st that serves sustainable food (basically everything is organic) It's called The Butter Cafe (and I also think they will deliver to the Marriott)They are open for breakfast and lunch

http://www.buttercafedayton.com/Butter%20Cafe.html

Another local gem is the brunch club...which is one of the best 'homecookin' places you can find. Be prepared to wait 5 minutes or so for a table, it only seats about 40-50 and locals love this place. It's right near downtown/the convention center.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Brunch-Club/100584566218?sk=wall

Edited March 31, 2011 by PrfctTimeOfDay

[grandoldflag]

I highly recommend going to skyline chili while you're in ohio, they mix chili with spaghetti and cinnamon, you'd think it would be nasty but it's actually really good!