By John Byczkowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer

More powerful than Dick Cheney and able to travel great distances with nary a sound, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is scheduled to sneak into Cincinnati today and Thursday, to meet with a few locals and take the pulse of the Ohio Valley.

Greenspan's visits are never public. Fed spokeswoman June Gates wouldn't even say when he was last here (the Enquirer noted other visits in 1993, '95 and '99).

Visits to the Fed's regional offices are a routine for Greenspan. He slides into town virtually unannounced. This visit's itinerary is typical of Greenspan's past visits: dinner tonight at the Cincinnati branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland on Fourth Street, then a meeting of the branch's board Thursday.

The dinners are usually attended by several dozen invitees, largely current and former board members - and no reporters. "We don't do any big hoopla, because he doesn't like that," said Barbara Henshaw, vice president of the Cincinnati branch.

Greenspan talks little and listens much, gathering string on the state of the economy. He's been known to conduct a Q&A session after dinner. He'll slip out of town Thursday afternoon.

E-mail johnb@enquirer.com