Do you like living in Cincinnati? (Columbus, Cleveland: real estate, broker, landscaping)

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by WCRob

... I feel I have a right to "bash" it, as you say - although I wouldn't use that term. I'd prefer to say I "express my disappointment" with Cincinnati. ...

While not a resident at all, I have been a frequent visitor to Cincinnati over the years. I think it's beautiful and overall the town has a lot to recommend it!

In what ways, if I may ask, do you find Cincy to be disappointing? There are probably things I'm not aware of, since I don't live there...

Fwiw, I've actually posted quite a few comments on here boosting and/or defending Cincinnati from its detractors. I have to wonder how many of them actually live there...

[crystalblue]

well, I dont live there, and I can already tell you one major negative.

IT GETS COLD!!!!!

[Ohiogirl81]

^^You left that out of the poll. Socially whatever, but it's too damn cold? Whatever ... Why did you bother with the poll, then?

LancasterNative, Cincinnati does have a lot to recommend it, both to visitors and to residents. It's a beautiful city, relatively safe, relatively easy to navigate (once you get used to the idea that the same street changes names 4 or 5 times while crossing the city!) with a number of diverse neighborhoods. For a city its size, there's an awful lot to do, from tractor pulls to ballet. But there are a lot of frustrations, such as the city's attitude toward small businesses in the Central Business District, the city's inability to get anything done quickly *cough*Banks project, Fountain Square West, etc.*cough*, the city's blunt dismissal of the needs and vitality of the individual neighborhoods (especially the ones in the not-so-affluent areas). In retrospect, it's hard to imagine how any big projects in the past 20 years or so, such as Yeatman's Cove/Sawyer Point, ever got underway.

Internet just arrived here a few years ago so you gotta give the natives time to catch up with this board stuff...

Hee. I went online in the late 80s. While living in Cincinnati no less!

[Pathwalker]

Originally Posted by cincyUK

you got me, I live in England...

what do you think it means? CATS BABY.

I presumed it meant University of Kentucky.....but that's irrelevant. You could have lived in the United Kingdom for all that matters, and my comment would have been the same. You stated this place was in your blood, yet you don't live here, so it can't be in your blood THAT much. Or are you just away at school for now?

Originally Posted by LancasterNative

While not a resident at all, I have been a frequent visitor to Cincinnati over the years. I think it's beautiful and overall the town has a lot to recommend it!

In what ways, if I may ask, do you find Cincy to be disappointing? There are probably things I'm not aware of, since I don't live there...

Fwiw, I've actually posted quite a few comments on here boosting and/or defending Cincinnati from its detractors. I have to wonder how many of them actually live there...

Ohiogirl81 basically summed up what I was going to say. But to add to her words....I remember a time when Cincinnati had a LOT of great ideas for some things, but because of their constant stuffy conservative attitudes, they let those opportunities slip away. An example: Fountain Square West. During the 80's it was envisioned as being the tallest skyscraper in the region outside Chicago, being built on the most coveted piece of real estate in the midwest. One proposal had the tower at 860' high. But because Cincinnati dickered around and bickered so much about how that would detract away from Carew Tower's status as being the tallest in the city, the developers pulled out. Other developers came along, with different visions, but the city didn't like the appearance of the building. Still others were affected by the downturn in the economy. Know what ended up being built at that site? At first, it was nothing but a surface parking lot. Then we ended up with nothing more than a 3-story department store that was hailed as a catalyst that would bring people back downtown. That didn't happen.

It's the lack of willingness to do something bold - that non-progressive attitude of the city - that gets on my nerves. I could cite other examples, but I won't go into it. Cincinnati is basically too content with doing plain-old vanilla, when it has SO much potential to do a lot more. The city scales back too much, when what it should actually do is think bigger and bolder. One hundred years from now, they will still consider 3-story building that houses a few stores to be a fantastic development project. It's like somehow the people think this city has a written code which states you must like all things regressive and nostalgic, or you aren't a true Cincinnatian. If Cincinnati's current attitude would have been the prevailing attitude when this place was first plotted, it most likely never would have grown to be the size it is. It would have remained a sleepy river town.

Originally Posted by crystalblue

well, I dont live there, and I can already tell you one major negative.

IT GETS COLD!!!!!

You obviously haven't been around here during recent Winters when the temps were frequently in the 60's during January and February. Nor were you here this past Summer when we broke many heat records.

[crystalblue]

if it drops below 70, thats cold!

[Pathwalker]

If it drops below 70, I consider it bliss!

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by WCRob

Then we ended up with nothing more than a 3-story department store that was hailed as a catalyst that would bring people back downtown.

Lazarus already had a much nicer store 2 blocks up Race, but the real irony is that the original building was ... get ready for it ... a three-story (or maybe it was four) department store!!!!

And now the parking lot has moved one block west on Fifth, with a Skywalk to nowhere. (don't get me started on the Skywalk ... ) The city has been holding out and crossing its fingers for more than 15 years to bring Nordstrom department store to downtown. The city booted out dozens of independent, small businesses for that lovely parking lot (including one of my former favorite hangouts, Scully's sports bar, which already had been booted from two other locations, including Fountain Square West).

And ... guess what. Nordstrom is building out at the Kenwood Towne Centre.

Argh. Even though I don't live in Cincinnati anymore, I still hope to go back someday. So I still beat my head against the wall just thinking about the ineptitude.

[crystalblue]

The Enquirer - The Banks closer to reality

this seems to be positive...

[Ohiogirl81]

Yeah, I read that one. "Seems" is the operative word ...

[crystalblue]

so, what would it take to turn it around and make Cinci great?