Why Does the Westside Get Picked on so Much? (Cincinnati: section 8, spring break)

[progmac]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

I tried not to get sucked in, but... can't..... resist!

Both sides have good bad but take the whole side, east include kennedy heights, pleasant ridge, madisonville, etc. West side own up to cumminsville, millvale, mt. airy...

It's a wash.

Funny when I say I live in Westwood, well over half of the time, when the other person hears this, something like, "OOooooh, I love those great old houses!!"

Frankly, I'm starting to think more and more the best side is Northside. (Central)

Too bad Dusty Rhodes isn't The Auditor, I'd tell him how much of a hypocritical ******* he is for "double dipping", lol.

I don't understand this post! It feels like a message from bizarro-world.

Dusty Rhodes IS the auditor, and Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and Madisonville all have great architecture and have destination locations.

[Cincy Rider]

Originally Posted by progmac

I don't understand this post! It feels like a message from bizarro-world.

Dusty Rhodes IS the auditor, and Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and Madisonville all have great architecture and have destination locations.

If you think that's really Dusty Rhodes (The Auditor) posting, you my friend, are living in bizzaro-world.

"Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and Madisonville all have great architecture and have destination locations."

WHAT???

No offense, but 40 years in this city and I don't know where all of the great architecture or destination attractions in those neighborhoods happen to be. Please do tell.

Maybe in bizarro-cincinnati?

[Wilson513]

Madisonville is one of the oldest communities in Ohio. There is fantastic architecture there, what is left of it.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by Cincy Rider

If you think that's really Dusty Rhodes (The Auditor) posting, you my friend, are living in bizzaro-world.

"Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and Madisonville all have great architecture and have destination locations."

WHAT???

No offense, but 40 years in this city and I don't know where all of the great architecture or destination attractions in those neighborhoods happen to be. Please do tell.

Maybe in bizarro-cincinnati?

Sorry I misunderstood the joke about Dusty Rhodes. That poster is from North carolina, so obviously....well that was why I thought it was funny in the first place.

Pleasant ridge is known city-wide for molly malone's, everybody's records, emanu ethiopian restaurant, gaslight cafe, etc. Architecturally, Grand Vista is one of the most stunning streets in the city.

I don't know Madisonville that well, but Arnsby (edit) is an incredible street.

[Cincy Rider]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

Madisonville is one of the oldest communities in Ohio. There is fantastic architecture there, what is left of it.

I'm not doubting that. I don't really see much "great" architecture when I visit friends in Madville. What's the percentage of fantastic archetecture to weak/common there? I have a really good friend in Madison Place and the blocks around her house have to be the smallest, wierdest houses in Cincinnati.

I'm willing to bet that places like Price Hill and Westwood have a much higher percentage of fantastic architecture than the eastern neighborhoods. All I'm saying. Could be wrong but give a reference.

[Chemistry_Guy]

I know for a fact that Madisonville and Kennedy Heights both have some amazing architecture... and I have family members living in it. In Kennedy Heights, you will not find a nicer street with more diverse and stunning architecture than Davenant Ave. In Madisonville (not Madison Place, which is Columbia twp) you will find some of the most beautiful old german houses and churches, although they are more scattered. In particular, Erie, Stewart, Roe, Bramble, and Whetsel have some wonderful old houses.

Anything in the blocks bounded by Ridge, Montgomery, Section, and Kincaid is likely to be beautiful in Pleasant Ridge, and also much pricier than KH or Madville.

The most run down neighborhoods on the east side are along the Reading road corridor... Avondale, Evanston, Bond Hill, Roselawn, and Golf Manor. I think P. Ridge is a lot closer to Hyde Park/Madeira than Avondale/Evanston as far as neighborhood quality. Kennedy Heights is bipolar (all the crime is in about a 4 block radius) and Madisonville is a work in progress. There is nothing remotely resembling the Faye Apartments or the West End on the east side.

[Cincy Rider]

^^progmac, I missed your post. Thanks for taking my comments in spirit they were intended, they look much more pointed as posted.

Some things about the west side that are there but rarely come up in discussions:

Nasty neighbors. There's a lot of frustration from those that have kept their houses and neighborhoods nice only to have that one rental property on the corner be an eyesore with tall grass and loud trashy residents, junk, and peeling paint. That in turn results in people being very wary, rude, intolerant of other good people that want the same thing, even if they aren't from "old money" and don't have the BMWs in the driveway.

A major PITA getting to other areas outside of downtown or the westside.
Traffic is horrible, I-74 East to North I-75 is a nightmare because it has to go down to Central Pkwy to merge north. To get anywhere, it has to be over a viaduct/bridge/expressway traversing over mill creek and a mile of train tracks, abandoned slaughterhouses, etc.

Little in the way of unique retail/restaurants. Neighborhood bars and greasy spoons abound, and even though much of the west side is very walkable, there's just not much worth walking to. Anything and everything is on Glenway Ave which has very little thought or creativity anywhere.

On the plus side Cincinnatians tend to forget that much of what we claim as a Cincinnati tradition, like Skyline, LaRosa's, Porkopolis, etc. started on the west side. West-Sider Pete Rose and his hard-nosed work ethic and hustle tend to embody the west sides' grit and spirit.

[progmac]

It does seem that EVERYTHING cincinnati started on the west side. Chili, pizza, and so on. I actually agree with the premise that the west side has as good or better architecture than the east. The old italianates so common in camp washington, south cumminsville, and parts of price hill are much more rare on the east side. The east side probably trumps the west on victorian ramblers, but as for the classical stuff, I vote for the west side. I think a 100% restored east price hill would trump anything on the east side at a similar degree of restoration.

I finally get it Cincy Rider , the comment about Dusty Rhodes - it is really funny now that I am noticing the context.

Westwood and Price Hill are saying NO to any type of subsidized housing.

Madison Place is an architectural snooze. It was built far later than the rest of madisonville and the houses are very vanilla. It has some good things going for it - it is a nice grid and in a good location - but architecturally it is very MEH.

[skippercollector]

Is your quote still true if you switch the words "real" and "fake"?!

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by progmac

Madison Place is an architectural snooze.

Unless you love the look, feel and functionality of the story-and-a-half Cape Cod.