Top 6 Things I Hate About Cincinnati

[katorade]

Originally Posted by Beavercreek33

Its the way you say it, go back and read it, its quite evident in almost every one of your posts.

Yes, my exact point. Cincinnati is not all of Hamilton County, the city ITSELF is experiencing growth too. And what cities do you travel to on a weekly basis? This should be interesting...

When I originally read his statement I took it to mean that he understood why anyone living in a major metro area would want to move out of the city and into the suburbs if they had the resources (in that instance, easy access to interstates and no longer relying on streetcars for transportation).

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, some people simply prefer being country mice rather than city mice. While I love the metro atmosphere, I prefer not to live in it because I like my privacy, my back yard, my peace and quiet, and the ability to see stars at night. I currently live in Norwood, so I have to compromise a little bit on some of those factors, but it's certainly not like living in the heart of an urban area.



Here's my views of what I think is wrong with the city from a new-comer's point of view. I've lived here for close to two years, so I think it's long enough to have formed the opinions I'll put across, and I'll try to be as unbiased as possible for a non-native.

1) Cincinnati-born natives attitudes' towards other natives. I have never lived in a city where neighborhood divisions have been so strong outside of high school football rivalries. The snootiness is absolutely ridiculous! From the west side dissing the east side, to the more urban neighborhoods knocking the 'burbs, there's no wonder there's several posts here proclaiming how impolite people in this city are.

I moved here actually thinking the people were fairly nice compared to where I moved from, but it only extends as far as polite etiquette towards strangers. You'd think that when someone from Hyde Park finds out I live in Norwood it's as if I said I lived in a leper colony! At least I don't stoop and tell them that they still live in the freaking midwest and the coasts still think they're a joke, but I've come reeeeeally close.

2) The racial/prejudiced undertones I have experienced. I've never heard so many "I'm not racist, but..."s in my life. I've heard things that would get you slapped in the face where I moved from, and we were the Capitol of the Confederacy in the Civil War! It's not that people go out of their way to be racist, it's that they completely deny the fact that something they say can be prejudiced at all.

3) Championing the local "cuisine". This has got to be from people that seriously have never traveled. For having such a rich German heritage, there is a serious lack of German restaurants here, and in the ones that do exist, the quality and authenticity is ABYSMAL. How do I know? I grew up in Germany. The Greek food is on the same level. Hard to find, not anything special, with the exception of the little Greek foods stand in Findlay Market. They make an incredible Pastitsio.

The pizza is truly terrible. I'm sorry. Who the hell decided to slap provolone on pizza? The sauce is too sweet and most of the time tastes like the tomatoes have been burned, the thin crust popularity is puzzling, and every other aspect is just uninspiring.

I actually like Cincinnati-style chili, but none of the chains (Skyline, Gold Star, etc.) make one that's worth eating. In the signature dish, the spaghetti is never cooked properly and is as bland as white paper. The chili might as well be made from dog food, and the cheese is just terrible cheap processed cheddar.
Graeter's isn't that great, folks! They're good, but nothing I would consider something I'll miss. I can think of at least 5 non-mass market brands I've had that were world's better (one being Aglamesis Bros. here, depending on the flavor). I wouldn't even really mention these if I didn't have a hundred people mention them as "must-haves/tries" before I even moved here.

Montgomery Inn. You don't make good barbecue unless people recognize you as a valid style (Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, etc.). Period. Never even heard of the place before I moved here. Don't get me started on places considered "great" Mexican or sushi restaurants recommended by the locals. It reminds me of when you visit a foreign country and they'll have a place that's an homage to America and all you can think about is how off the mark it is. Yeah.

4) YOU USE THE TURN SIGNAL BEFORE YOU TURN, NOT AFTER! That's why it's called a turn "signal" and not a turn "celebration". Yay, I turned! *clicky clicky* Also, I'm with everyone's sentiments on terrible merging. I have been in so many near accidents here because of people that either don't look when they merge, or people that think it's acceptable to stay at a steady 35 on an on-ramp to the expressway.

5) The public schools. I don't have any kids myself, but my upstairs neighbor has a little girl in school. She has to be driven to school every morning because she's too young to walk alone, it's rather far, and there's no school bus to pick her up. Her school also looks like it's about to fall apart, and several schools here have shut down completely. I realize that Norwood is it's own city, but I've heard similar stories from other parents I know that would all rather their children go to parochial schools.

6) Winter transportation issues. I rode the bus to work for several months and through allllllllll of last winter. I'm really surprised I'm alive. I'm 5 blocks from the nearest bus stop, and when it snowed, I had to navigate 4 of those with neither the sidewalks or streets being cleared. Eventually the streets would be cleared, but the plowed snow would be piled so high on the curb that it was hazardous to try and climb over, and the elderly or people like me (i'm mildly handicapped) have absolutely no choice but to walk in the street. By street I mean Montgomery Rd., not really the safest place for a pedestrian to be. It was even worse in Kenwood, where there was enough snow piled on either side to make small mountains, and again, walking in the street up there is suicidal.