Some Rememberances of 1st Time Cincy Exposure (Cincinnati, Green: car rental, rental)

[kjbrill]

I have some specific remembernances of people on their first encounter with Cincy.

As I traveled extensively during my working career, you might expect I encountered some situations.

One I remember very well was a flight back from California when I found myself seated next to Shari Lewis (Lambchop fame). Those of you who are younger may have to look this up. As we approached Cincy, she remarked how green everything was. She was coming to Cincy to meet with representatives of P&G, her network TV show sponsor. I remember saying Yes Green, and you will find the people to be the same, refreshing.

Another time, I found myself seated next to Dionne Warwick (another one you may have to look up). Due to weather, we had delay after delay. After several, we may have arrived at CVG around 4:00 AM. By that time her contingent had long gone home.I offered, and she accepted, for me to drive to her downtown hotel. A delightful lady. Another one coming to town to meet with her sponsors, P&G.

Give me some feedback on the first impressions of Cincy you are aware of. Mine happen to be celebrities, but that is just coincidence.

[joyeaux]

Dang...you scored the celebs! I remember flying in for the first time in 1989 & seeing a lot of mud-- then flowing mud-- & then realizing that it was the Ohio River!

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Another time, I found myself seated next to Dionne Warwick (another one you may have to look up). Due to weather, we had delay after delay. After several, we may have arrived at CVG around 4:00 AM. By that time her contingent had long gone home.I offered, and she accepted, for me to drive to her downtown hotel. A delightful lady. Another one coming to town to meet with her sponsors, P&G.

One might say that you knew the way to San Jose!
"Weeks turn into years, how quick they pass," but Ms Warwick may yet remember flying into Cincinnati at an ungodly hour and having a fellow passenger graciously ferry her to her destination. No matter that times have changed and no one with a shred of fame would be allowed to travel unescorted any more. There's still an openness and warmth (Midwestern/Southern hospitality?) which is easily found in Cincinnati's people, and it's that which can leave a memory which lasts longer than what the river looked like or how green was its valley. I notice it all the time on my frequent trips back, and not just with airline and other hospitality workers who are nice as part of their job description.

By contrast, there've been a few occasions in my life where transpo cancellations or delays have brought a sense of solidarity to stranded travelers in New England. The outcome's rarely been so pleasant. Aside from a single occasion at LaGuardia Airport during the People Express era - when I marshalled three other stranded guys and we divvied up the cost of a car rental for a raucous, song-filled road trip back to Boston - that sort of helpfulness either isn't there or is turned down with funny looks when it's offered. There's a sense of trust in strangers and an instinct for common decency which just isn't there. In January of 2005, a major East Coast blizzard sent hordes of people onto Amtrak due to highway closings and flight groundings. The crew did an amazing job of making passage through the whirling whiteness from Washington DC to Boston happen safely. I chatted up several people in neighboring seats, finding each to be an interesting and fun travel companion who I never saw again after the end of the journey (lol.) One older lady needed to change trains in NYC to go to Upstate New York, and when we finally pulled into Penn Station she of course had no hope of catching the train she'd been scheduled to ride. All around us, folks were retrieving belongings and pushing their way past. Knowing that there's always a layover in NYC, I hauled most of her considerable luggage onto the platform for her. Then I ran around until I could find an agent who could help her with her bags and find her a seat on another train. It was no big deal, no sacrifice on my part, but that lady had a smile a mile wide and tears in her eyes. "I honestly can't remember the last time someone was so kind," she said between profuse thanks. I laughed and told her she may have never met somebody from Cincinnati.

If anybody's still awake... Due to a death in the family, I had to fly to Columbia SC after work one night in '07. There wasn't going to be a problem with my getting picked up at the airport, but the issue was that a certain BBQ joint known for not keeping late hours might close in the meantime. No less than four other passengers offered to give me a lift! I said I'd have a ride waiting. "But what if they haven't gotten there?" Everyone let me be the first to disembark, and only after it was seen that my ride was indeed all set that one couple cheerfully called after me to enjoy the BBQ. (We did make it to the place, by the skin of our teeth.)

No further stories this time! My point is that many folks' first impression of Cincy may well not be visual, particularly if they're accustomed to the ways of the big cities or the Northeast. I know that in the OKI Tri-State and Down South, a spirit of giving and sharing persists in this age of iPods, cell phones, and laptops.

My initial exposure to Cincinnati was when I exited my mom's birth canal, so I don't have a firsthand answer to the TO's question.