My weekend in Cincinnati was centered on the football game between the Bengals and the visiting Seattle Seahawks. Making it more interesting, my married friends had divided rooting interests, as Tony cheered the Seahawks while JoAnne backed the Bengals.

I was neutral, just wanting a good game, and we got a great game. The Bengals made their home crowd happy with a thrilling 17–13 defensive battle which came down to the final seconds. Unfortunately for the Seahawks (and Tony), their game-ending drive ended at the eight-yard line.

Built in 2000, Paycor Stadium holds 65,515 fans. Surprisingly, the Seahawks had a lot of fans in the crowd. There were no incidents, however. Everyone just enjoyed a good football battle.

While Sunday was football, Saturday featured my first foray into the world of escape rooms. We opted for Mystery Manor at Breakout Games. Despite a stunning comeback in the second part, we spent too much time in the first part to escape in the one-hour time limit. I am afraid I let down my veteran escape room pals. Still, it was a fun first experience.

We also meandered around Newport on the Levee, a cool area of shops and restaurants near both Paycor Stadium and Great American Ballpark, home of the Reds.

As they dropped me at my home on Monday, we all were a bit sad to see the weekend end. It was our first trip together, but I think it won’t be our last.

— John Wroblewski, online writer