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I think the smells you refer to and the street people you mentioned probably signify some sort of correlation. I've seen it in action more than I care to say.
Your point about more money to improve schools is misguided. CPS already has one of the highest per student expenditures in the state of Ohio, yet the schools are what they are. It's a myth to think that throwing more money at the problem is going to fix it. Yes they have improved, but mostly in pockets, and those improvements have more to do with the influence that the families sending their children to those schools have on their success than anything else.
I'm a fifth generation Cincinnatian three times over, and I sort of resent being lumped in with the "where'd you go to high school crowd" since I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've ever asked anyone that. As a native Cincinnatian, however, the other side to the transplants and youth movement, is that these people often don't understand our identity and our history, and I've seen a lot of the good of what Cincinnati was watered down, lost and cast aside. I'm all for positive change, and Cincinnati has suffered from many self-inflicted wounds over the decades, but you transplants need us to keep you on the straight and narrow to be sure Cincinnati never becomes a Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbus or some other generic city with no indigenous culture.
I think the smells you refer to and the street people you mentioned probably signify some sort of correlation. I've seen it in action more than I care to say.
Your point about more money to improve schools is misguided. CPS already has one of the highest per student expenditures in the state of Ohio, yet the schools are what they are. It's a myth to think that throwing more money at the problem is going to fix it. Yes they have improved, but mostly in pockets, and those improvements have more to do with the influence that the families sending their children to those schools have on their success than anything else.
I'm a fifth generation Cincinnatian three times over, and I sort of resent being lumped in with the "where'd you go to high school crowd" since I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've ever asked anyone that. As a native Cincinnatian, however, the other side to the transplants and youth movement, is that these people often don't understand our identity and our history, and I've seen a lot of the good of what Cincinnati was watered down, lost and cast aside. I'm all for positive change, and Cincinnati has suffered from many self-inflicted wounds over the decades, but you transplants need us to keep you on the straight and narrow to be sure Cincinnati never becomes a Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbus or some other generic city with no indigenous culture.
Good Post.
You make several good points, the best one is the rush to improve the vibes of Cincy might just destroy its cultural heritage. I prefer to look to the heritage as to how to guide the future. I believe the old foodstuffs such as goetta, stollens, schnecken, lend a great deal to the character of this area. Anything to disturb that I am against. Even though it is much newer on the scene, Cincinnati Chili identifies us as unique in the country. I feel that is absoluely fun, everyone asking what Cincinnati Chili is. Besides that it is good too. So I vote let's not try and engineer Cincinnati to be a carbon copy of so many other midwest cities. She has been around for a couple of hundred years and will endure into the future, all on her own.
I think the smells you refer to and the street people you mentioned probably signify some sort of correlation. I've seen it in action more than I care to say.
Your point about more money to improve schools is misguided. CPS already has one of the highest per student expenditures in the state of Ohio, yet the schools are what they are. It's a myth to think that throwing more money at the problem is going to fix it. Yes they have improved, but mostly in pockets, and those improvements have more to do with the influence that the families sending their children to those schools have on their success than anything else.
I'm a fifth generation Cincinnatian three times over, and I sort of resent being lumped in with the "where'd you go to high school crowd" since I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've ever asked anyone that. As a native Cincinnatian, however, the other side to the transplants and youth movement, is that these people often don't understand our identity and our history, and I've seen a lot of the good of what Cincinnati was watered down, lost and cast aside. I'm all for positive change, and Cincinnati has suffered from many self-inflicted wounds over the decades, but you transplants need us to keep you on the straight and narrow to be sure Cincinnati never becomes a Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbus or some other generic city with no indigenous culture.
Absolutely. So much of Cincinnati's unique character needs to be preserved and treasured by natives and transplants alike. I think it is, keep in mind that a lot of the city's original character and individuality had been replaced or abandoned by the people who'd lived here all there lives. The transplants wouldn't be able to move in and renovate their OTR residences if the natives hadn't moved out and left them and the neighborhood itself to rot. The first ring suburbs kept a lot of the city's individuality, but the second ring and the exurbs show the same Mcmansions and strip malls you can find anywhere with the occasional Skyline or Graeters, but not much else that says Cincinnati about them. Each successive move out seems to bring Cincinnati closer to a generic boring sort of Midwest urbanism.
I'm all for keeping Cincinnati chili, goetta, Octoberfest and May Festival and all that makes this place stand out as one of the most individual cities in the country, but I'm also for restoring the downtown shopping experience that's eroded and disappeared over the years, or the quality school system (it's not just increased familial responsibility, part of the improvement in CPS is that the schools are finding that just a bit of volunteer work from successful community members helps a lot too,) or for working at connecting the West side to the rest of the city again.
The Baby Boomers, born primarily between the years 1945 and 1955, are not mortgaged to the max. In fact, for the middle to upper class of this generation, their suburban houses are paid for and many of them are looking to downsize into downtown condos as mowing the lawn, shoveling the snow, and replacing the roof are not viable activities as we age.
As for San Francisco being smug, there is what I call a Birkenstock, political correctness that permeates the very soul of the city. Their irreverence fits certain rules which, of course, makes it no longer irreverent. Social flaws are not proper in the Bay Area. I feel more comfortable around New York and Philadelphia passion that often lacks polite boundaries. There's a bit of emotional constipation in San Francisco.
Phoenix will never be mentioned by me as a good place to live. I flee the city as fast as I can. Denver has become a great deal more then a ski town. The area that I believe is called the Highlands, has become quite artsy and funky. Downtown Denver is hopping with new condo development, restaurants and shopping. San Diego is just one of my favorite cities. Little Italy is a great deal of fun and the beach communities have a cool surfer vibe to them. La Jolla would be my heaven on Earth if the investments I made earned more money. San Diego just fits my individual needs.
I certainly don't mean that everyone in the second most populated city in the United States is superficial. Yet, the demographic that I most likely would be interacting with, is very concerned with the trappings of wealth. That's just being real. I rather live in a city where in spite of your socio economic fit, there is a lack of competition to show how much you have. I grew up in a very competitive sub culture in New York City and in many ways, it was despicable. Just the drive to attend a college as a status symbol was ludicrous, misguided, and warped. Los Angeles and parts of New York City have that prevailing culture. The difference, New York City has enough independent people who can resist the pressure to conform. I don't know if I can say that about Los Angeles.
I still contend, Cincinnati needs a good wash. Oh, and what's with closing off the sidewalks for a construction project? Most cities force developers to create a passage for pedestrians. I spend a great deal of time crossing over streets just to walk down two blocks. It gets ridiculous.
As for Cincinnati maintaining its heritage, I'm afraid to tell you that many folks outside of Cincinnati do not look at its German foundation as the city's recognizable feature. What I hear is Robert Mapplethorpe controversy, Larry Flynt, Pete Rose, race riots, and that loud mouthed TV guy who was Cincinnati's mayor. Fortunately, I have forgotten his name.
I beg to differ and I firmly believe Cincinnati has to reinvent its image and market itself as a new and different Cincinnati. Those folks who are complacent with what the city is and was, have not seen or witnessed the financial, social, and intellectual emergence and renaissance of urban communities around the world. (Look at Bilbao, Spain as a perfect example) If this city stands pat, believing in its own righteousness and legacy, Cincinnati will become as provincial and parochial as Louisville, Kentucky. Cincinnati has the opportunity to develop into a city that attracts world wide events, national conventions, and twenty-first century business development. Wallowing in complacency will simply lead to stagnation. That is not a good thing for the future of this city.
I'm all for keeping Cincinnati chili, goetta, Octoberfest and May Festival and all that makes this place stand out as one of the most individual cities in the country, but I'm also for restoring the downtown shopping experience that's eroded and disappeared over the years
I can't see that happening in the near future. It's much easier for everyone to just go to the mall, which isn't far away. And I say this as a downtown resident.
As for Cincinnati maintaining its heritage, I'm afraid to tell you that many folks outside of Cincinnati do not look at its German foundation as the city's recognizable feature. What I hear is Robert Mapplethorpe controversy, Larry Flynt, Pete Rose, race riots, and that loud mouthed TV guy who was Cincinnati's mayor. Fortunately, I have forgotten his name.
I beg to differ and I firmly believe Cincinnati has to reinvent its image and market itself as a new and different Cincinnati. Those folks who are complacent with what the city is and was, have not seen or witnessed the financial, social, and intellectual emergence and renaissance of urban communities around the world. (Look at Bilbao, Spain as a perfect example) If this city stands pat, believing in its own righteousness and legacy, Cincinnati will become as provincial and parochial as Louisville, Kentucky. Cincinnati has the opportunity to develop into a city that attracts world wide events, national conventions, and twenty-first century business development. Wallowing in complacency will simply lead to stagnation. That is not a good thing for the future of this city.
Your logic is flawed if you are equating protecting your heritage and cultural identity with complacency. It's interesting that every one of those things that you say forms Cincinnati's identity (other than the so-called "race riots", which were anything but) is news that dates back to the 1980s. If the outside world doesn't have anything more current than that to indict us with, then I'll sleep well at night.
And the "loud mouthed" guy that you refer to, well, he was a transplant from New York that we embraced and look how that turned out.
I can't see that happening in the near future. It's much easier for everyone to just go to the mall, which isn't far away. And I say this as a downtown resident.
Which mall, Newport? It's okay for movies and places to eat, but I can't think of any store worth shopping at in there other than Barnes and Noble. Rookwood and Kenwood are relatively close, but require driving (meaning you can't shop there during your lunch break if you work downtown) and dealing with commuter traffic if you want to visit to them after work. I've decided not to on more than one occasion, preferring to stay in and order things I could be buying locally from online instead. I can't think of any major U.S. cities that have less downtown retail than Cincinnati, although Detroit would be equally bad if it didn't have the indoor mall at RenCen still.
The tower place mall closing followed the national trend, but most cities have replaced that downtown indoor mall experience with street level mixed indoor/outdoor shopping districts. Cincinnati has mainly filled its downtown street level with bars and restaurants over the past few years, with only a couple of shops that can be entered directly from the sidewalk. The Merc building, Carew Tower, and a couple of the other old buildings have classy indoor spaces that should be part of the revival if they can be refurbished, but there needs to be an integrated strategy using these in combination with street level stores and drawing customers in for all of downtown.
I agree that it doesn't look like it will happen soon, though. It doesn't help that the current mayor put the stop to a downtown grocer at 4th and Race, it's not quite the same as mall retail, but a lot of people in that higher income bracket do all of their shopping at once, and its no coincidence that there are several pricey grocers near Kenwood and Rookwood. A higher end grocer like Fresh Market or Whole Foods would have helped anchor the rest of the retail development for downtown.
The smell. It is not cleanliness, and locals do not realize it is abnormal. Having moved back recently I can attest to this. It is sewer gas and it is a problem in the area as a whole. Downtown has corners that reek, Main St. in Covington reeks, one building in Mariemont reeks, parts of Clifton reek. It comes up the drains in restaurants and many many restaurants smell like sewer an nobody seems to think this is a problem. Given what I pay in sewage fees as a user of CWW I assume there is an upgrade in the works.
The smell. It is not cleanliness, and locals do not realize it is abnormal. Having moved back recently I can attest to this. It is sewer gas and it is a problem in the area as a whole. Downtown has corners that reek, Main St. in Covington reeks, one building in Mariemont reeks, parts of Clifton reek. It comes up the drains in restaurants and many many restaurants smell like sewer an nobody seems to think this is a problem. Given what I pay in sewage fees as a user of CWW I assume there is an upgrade in the works.
You are correct in assuming an upgrade is in the works. A 3 Billion dollar upgrade.
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