Top 10 Reasons I love Cincinnati
10) Home of the best Classical Music station- 90.9:) When all else on the radio is blah I can always turn here to find some peace of mind.
9) The Consortium of Colleges and Universities- this cooperation between local accredited schools means you can go to a smaller, less expensive school and take classes from the bigger fish in the area for the price you pay at your smaller school. How does that not translate to awesome?
8) Downtown. What's not to like except maybe the traffic? I love coming round any of the "7 hills" surrounding the city and seeing it lit up like a little sparkly diamond. Or standing on the hillside we live on that overlooks downtown and being able to see fireworks go off whenever the Reds score at their stadium. And this doesn't even begin to cover the local culture which I'll save for more of my countdown...
7) Cincinnati-style chili. While the feud will rage til the world ends whether Skyline or Goldstar is the original or the best- the result is still yummy for us tristate folk. Yanks and Dixies may have their own interpretation of chili, but I don't think they even begin to compare with the Queen city has to offer. Just ask anyone here and see what they say...
6) Our numerous bridges- with perhaps the exception of the Brent-Spence bridge which is likely on the verge of collapse, the bridges that link us to Northern Kentucky are each special in their design and history- one was even the test model for the Brooklyn Bridge:) The bridges continue to remind us of Cincinnati's unique role along the Ohio River as a major port throughout US history.
5) Cincinnati as a name. An apt reminder of what true leaders look like in a free society. Probably named in honor of Washington because of how beautifully he demonstrated his virtue by refusing to become king and refusing to remain president indefinitely. Well, at least, that's what I think of when I hear the name...
4) Our diverse population. We are truly a city of immigrants and I think we live out our differences rather harmoniously (with exception of the race riots of the 90s- which I was not here for). Hardly a month goes by where there's not some "fest" going on downtown or nearby. Whether it be our Greek, German, Italian, or umpteen dozen others, we are always celebrating our united diversity.
3) Our prominent art culture. We hosted the World Choir Games this year. We're home to the Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, a Contemporary Art Museum, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and dozens of other really impressive venues that never leave us dull and boring. And so much comes here to us first in terms of exhibits that I should probably stop now because it might sound like bragging;)
2) Our industry. Home to the likes of Proctor and Gamble, Kroger, Graeter's and many others- Cincinnati defines American exceptionalism. Many of our local businesses take a deep interest in our local communities and they invest in them to make them stronger. And how could I forget our many excellent hospitals? Abigail was born at Christ Hospital, Nathan at Good Samaritan, and they've been professionally cared for at Cincinnati Children's since their very first checkups. I think Children's ranks 3rd in the nation and I'm not the least surprised. We are truly a city bursting with potential and it was hard to see it get side-swiped by the economic downturn- but I think we'll rebound very soon:)
1) US history. Can you tell yet I love history? Cincinnati bears the special role of being the main final destination of the Underground Railroad. Many years ago my husband and I travelled along the OH side of the river the famous Rankin House which served as a refuge to slaves as they crossed the Ohio River at night. Also, 5 of our US Presidents were born in or nearby our city (William H. Taft being the most prominent and just around the corner from our apartment).
There are probably many more things I'm leaving off this list that will come to me over the next few days, but I think I've demonstrated my point about the awesomeness of Cincinnati. Next year will make 10 years that I've had the privelege of living here and I will miss it if we have to move away someday... especially with all those awesome old tudor homes just begging to be bought and lovingly refurbished... okay, stopping now. Good night:)
9) The Consortium of Colleges and Universities- this cooperation between local accredited schools means you can go to a smaller, less expensive school and take classes from the bigger fish in the area for the price you pay at your smaller school. How does that not translate to awesome?
8) Downtown. What's not to like except maybe the traffic? I love coming round any of the "7 hills" surrounding the city and seeing it lit up like a little sparkly diamond. Or standing on the hillside we live on that overlooks downtown and being able to see fireworks go off whenever the Reds score at their stadium. And this doesn't even begin to cover the local culture which I'll save for more of my countdown...
7) Cincinnati-style chili. While the feud will rage til the world ends whether Skyline or Goldstar is the original or the best- the result is still yummy for us tristate folk. Yanks and Dixies may have their own interpretation of chili, but I don't think they even begin to compare with the Queen city has to offer. Just ask anyone here and see what they say...
6) Our numerous bridges- with perhaps the exception of the Brent-Spence bridge which is likely on the verge of collapse, the bridges that link us to Northern Kentucky are each special in their design and history- one was even the test model for the Brooklyn Bridge:) The bridges continue to remind us of Cincinnati's unique role along the Ohio River as a major port throughout US history.
5) Cincinnati as a name. An apt reminder of what true leaders look like in a free society. Probably named in honor of Washington because of how beautifully he demonstrated his virtue by refusing to become king and refusing to remain president indefinitely. Well, at least, that's what I think of when I hear the name...
4) Our diverse population. We are truly a city of immigrants and I think we live out our differences rather harmoniously (with exception of the race riots of the 90s- which I was not here for). Hardly a month goes by where there's not some "fest" going on downtown or nearby. Whether it be our Greek, German, Italian, or umpteen dozen others, we are always celebrating our united diversity.
3) Our prominent art culture. We hosted the World Choir Games this year. We're home to the Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, a Contemporary Art Museum, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and dozens of other really impressive venues that never leave us dull and boring. And so much comes here to us first in terms of exhibits that I should probably stop now because it might sound like bragging;)
2) Our industry. Home to the likes of Proctor and Gamble, Kroger, Graeter's and many others- Cincinnati defines American exceptionalism. Many of our local businesses take a deep interest in our local communities and they invest in them to make them stronger. And how could I forget our many excellent hospitals? Abigail was born at Christ Hospital, Nathan at Good Samaritan, and they've been professionally cared for at Cincinnati Children's since their very first checkups. I think Children's ranks 3rd in the nation and I'm not the least surprised. We are truly a city bursting with potential and it was hard to see it get side-swiped by the economic downturn- but I think we'll rebound very soon:)
1) US history. Can you tell yet I love history? Cincinnati bears the special role of being the main final destination of the Underground Railroad. Many years ago my husband and I travelled along the OH side of the river the famous Rankin House which served as a refuge to slaves as they crossed the Ohio River at night. Also, 5 of our US Presidents were born in or nearby our city (William H. Taft being the most prominent and just around the corner from our apartment).
There are probably many more things I'm leaving off this list that will come to me over the next few days, but I think I've demonstrated my point about the awesomeness of Cincinnati. Next year will make 10 years that I've had the privelege of living here and I will miss it if we have to move away someday... especially with all those awesome old tudor homes just begging to be bought and lovingly refurbished... okay, stopping now. Good night:)