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I am from Cleveland too, but I have a very different opinion of Cincinnati. I really like the place. I've never lived there, true, but nevertheless, I just like it.
True, when you drive to Cleveland, you don't see the 10 Commandments or a giant Confederate flag. We don't build giant statues of Jesus in the north. I understand why people think it's weird down there. But I think you're mixing up Cincinnati the city with the suburbs. There is a difference, I think. I have never spent time in Cincy's suburbs. Whenever I've been to the Queen City, I've stayed with my brother in Clifton and Northside. I've always had a good time. I made friends with his friends. They showed me some cool bars, introduced me to other cool people, took me to other parts of town. If these are the horrible, conservative, backward rednecks of Cincinnati, well then they're very nice horrible conservative, backwards rednecks. I really like OTR and Covington (which I guess isn't actually part of Cincinnati, but it's close enough). I've also went to some really good shows in Cincinnati- I think there's a good local music scene there. Definitely underrated.
I think you should go to Cincinnati, Cleverfield. I can't tell you how many people still think Cleveland is a miserable city where you'll probably get shot and where 3/4 of all buildings are boarded up and there's nothing to do. That image is out there. And it's completely inaccurate. I guess Cincinnati suffers from the same problem. I know I defend Cleveland when people talk trash without knowing anything about the place, so I feel obligated to tell about the Cincinnati that I know as well.
I am from Cleveland too, but I have a very different opinion of Cincinnati. I really like the place. I've never lived there, true, but nevertheless, I just like it.
True, when you drive to Cleveland, you don't see the 10 Commandments or a giant Confederate flag. We don't build giant statues of Jesus in the north. I understand why people think it's weird down there. But I think you're mixing up Cincinnati the city with the suburbs. There is a difference, I think. I have never spent time in Cincy's suburbs. Whenever I've been to the Queen City, I've stayed with my brother in Clifton and Northside. I've always had a good time. I made friends with his friends. They showed me some cool bars, introduced me to other cool people, took me to other parts of town. If these are the horrible, conservative, backward rednecks of Cincinnati, well then they're very nice horrible conservative, backwards rednecks. I really like OTR and Covington (which I guess isn't actually part of Cincinnati, but it's close enough). I've also went to some really good shows in Cincinnati- I think there's a good local music scene there. Definitely underrated.
I think you should go to Cincinnati, Cleverfield. I can't tell you how many people still think Cleveland is a miserable city where you'll probably get shot and where 3/4 of all buildings are boarded up and there's nothing to do. That image is out there. And it's completely inaccurate. I guess Cincinnati suffers from the same problem. I know I defend Cleveland when people talk trash without knowing anything about the place, so I feel obligated to tell about the Cincinnati that I know as well.
Covington is certainly part of Cincinnati - it's all one fabric that makes up this metro. What isn't Cincinnati is that Ten Commandments billboard you mentioned. If it's the one on NB 71 north of Wilmington that I'm thinking of, it's closer to Columbus than it is to Cincinnati. And who cares anyway, that's out in the sticks and certainly not part of Cincinnati. Not sure where the confederate flag was but I saw one a couple of weeks ago near Pittsburgh. I certainly wouldn't classify Pittsburgh in any way because of that.
The Jesus statue in Monroe is a local joke more than anything else. It's now known as "Five Dollar Footlong Jesus" since it looks like he's holding a Subway sandwich. If that church wants to spend all that $$$ on statues, fountains and casino-style signs instead of actually helping people in need, it tells me all I need to know about its skewed priorities.
Covington is certainly part of Cincinnati - it's all one fabric that makes up this metro. What isn't Cincinnati is that Ten Commandments billboard you mentioned. If it's the one on NB 71 north of Wilmington that I'm thinking of, it's closer to Columbus than it is to Cincinnati. And who cares anyway, that's out in the sticks and certainly not part of Cincinnati. Not sure where the confederate flag was but I saw one a couple of weeks ago near Pittsburgh. I certainly wouldn't classify Pittsburgh in any way because of that.
The Jesus statue in Monroe is a local joke more than anything else. It's now known as "Five Dollar Footlong Jesus" since it looks like he's holding a Subway sandwich. If that church wants to spend all that $$$ on statues, fountains and casino-style signs instead of actually helping people in need, it tells me all I need to know about its skewed priorities.
How I know I'm getting close to Cincinnati: 10 commandments (spread out over 2 signs, not just 1). You also see "Hell is Real." (not sure if this is on the way to Cincy, or back north. but it's definitely there and close to Cincinnati) The confederate flag is definitely there. I'm not making it up. It's huge and it's on a barn or something. It's not on some crazy person's house on some random street. It's in your face. It's not really "out in the sticks." All of this is very visible. EVERYONE going to Cincy from the north sees these. It's not like I went out in the country and stumbled upon this isolated stuff.
But my point about Covington is that it's not in Ohio, therefore not strictly "Cincinnati." Earlier in my post I said I only spent time in the actual city.
Look, I want to live somewhere forward thinking and progressive. What exactly about Cincinnati is those things?
If anyone comes across as insular in this thread, it's the guy who knows things with great conviction about a place he has never been and has seemingly no interest in visiting, because it's backward and bad. Or the guy who dismisses aesthetics and history as an important part of a city's attraction.
In all honesty, there is nowhere in this country you will find that is truly progressive. You will need to leave America for that. America's left wing has been broken for years.
I love how so many Clevelanders think their labor-liberal heritage means they are all forward-thinking and progressive. Union liberals might vote consistently Democratic, but they are not exactly at the forefront of social progressivism. It's only the limits of our two-party system which allow this delusion to persist.
bjimmy24, who is from Cleveland and I guess currently lives in Boston (one of the most progressive cities in the country), has actually been to Cincinnati a number of times, yet he somehow hasn't stumbled across the Cincinnati you know so well from 250 miles away.
How I know I'm getting close to Cincinnati: 10 commandments (spread out over 2 signs, not just 1). You also see "Hell is Real." (not sure if this is on the way to Cincy, or back north. but it's definitely there and close to Cincinnati) The confederate flag is definitely there. I'm not making it up. It's huge and it's on a barn or something. It's not on some crazy person's house on some random street. It's in your face. It's not really "out in the sticks." All of this is very visible. EVERYONE going to Cincy from the north sees these. It's not like I went out in the country and stumbled upon this isolated stuff.
But my point about Covington is that it's not in Ohio, therefore not strictly "Cincinnati." Earlier in my post I said I only spent time in the actual city.
I'm complementing your city! Come on.
Again, those Ten Commandment signs are on 71 near Mount Sterling, north of 35, north of Wilmington, and well north of Cincinnati. They are much closer to Columbus. How is this Cincinnati's fault?
And who cares what these crazies do? Nobody pays attention to the religions nuts in Southern California holding signs saying "The End is Near" or "Repent now." And when I went to college (in northern Ohio) and we got the regular visits by the Bible-thumping preachers, all anyone did was stand around and laugh.
Again, those Ten Commandment signs are on 71 near Mount Sterling, north of 35, north of Wilmington, and well north of Cincinnati. They are much closer to Columbus. How is this Cincinnati's fault?
And who cares what these crazies do? Nobody pays attention to the religions nuts in Southern California holding signs saying "The End is Near" or "Repent now." And when I went to college (in northern Ohio) and we got the regular visits by the Bible-thumping preachers, all anyone did was stand around and laugh.
haha look, you see the 10 commandments when you go to Cincinnati, not the other way around. People going to Columbus don't see it. I didn't say it's your guys' fault. That's just a fact- they exist and you see them when you go to Cincinnati. All I'm saying is that we have nothing comparable in the northeast of the state. Thus, people going down there are pretty shocked by this extreme religious stuff. Often it is their first impression of the place (made before they even get to the city). I'm not saying that Cincinnati is like that. My post actually says the opposite. I said nothing about crazies. Preachers go on tour to all universities to tell students they're going to hell. Some dude always came to OSU and hung out on the Oval saying similar things.
If anyone comes across as insular in this thread, it's the guy who knows things with great conviction about a place he has never been and has seemingly no interest in visiting, because it's backward and bad. Or the guy who dismisses aesthetics and history as an important part of a city's attraction.
In all honesty, there is nowhere in this country you will find that is truly progressive. You will need to leave America for that. America's left wing has been broken for years.
I love how so many Clevelanders think their labor-liberal heritage means they are all forward-thinking and progressive. Union liberals might vote consistently Democratic, but they are not exactly at the forefront of social progressivism. It's only the limits of our two-party system which allow this delusion to persist.
bjimmy24, who is from Cleveland and I guess currently lives in Boston (one of the most progressive cities in the country), has actually been to Cincinnati a number of times, yet he somehow hasn't stumbled across the Cincinnati you know so well from 250 miles away.
I think "progressive" has a very flexible definition. Voting democratic doesn't make you progressive. Like you said, Cleveland (more accurately, it's suburbs. Parma anybody?) is kind of an example of this. I agree, the union dems are not really what I consider "progressive." For me a "progressive" place is somewhere that is not satisfied with what is already there. Progressive cities look for new answers to problems, come up with new ideas, etc. They are not afraid of the future. They embrace change. From my experience, the city Cincinnati is more progressive (by my definition) than other cities. It just has a bad reputation for one reason or another.
haha look, you see the 10 commandments when you go to Cincinnati, not the other way around. People going to Columbus don't see it. I didn't say it's your guys' fault. That's just a fact- they exist and you see them when you go to Cincinnati. All I'm saying is that we have nothing comparable in the northeast of the state. Thus, people going down there are pretty shocked by this extreme religious stuff. Often it is their first impression of the place (made before they even get to the city). I'm not saying that Cincinnati is like that. My post actually says the opposite. I said nothing about crazies. Preachers go on tour to all universities to tell students they're going to hell. Some dude always came to OSU and hung out on the Oval saying similar things.
Actually, the signs are all on NB71 in Mount Sterling on private property, so you see them going toward Columbus and, by extension, Cleveland.
And if there were some on SB71, why would they be directed at people going to Cincinnati? There are about a million points south of Cincinnati - they could have been directed toward spring-breakers heading toward a week of debauchery in Daytona Beach, partiers bound for Bourbon Street in New Orleans or people heading to the Kentucky Derby to gamble and drink all day. Who knows why someone puts up a sign like that?
I remember the campus preachers who would come and draw a crowd because, frankly, it was entertaining to watch. They would proceed to insult just about everyone student there. Girls with short hair were called lesbians, girls with long hair were promiscuous, men with earrings were called gay and were going to hell, everyone laughing was going to hell, everyone who was planning to drink that night was going to hell, etc. It was high comedy.
How I know I'm getting close to Cincinnati: 10 commandments (spread out over 2 signs, not just 1). You also see "Hell is Real." (not sure if this is on the way to Cincy, or back north. but it's definitely there and close to Cincinnati) The confederate flag is definitely there. I'm not making it up. It's huge and it's on a barn or something. It's not on some crazy person's house on some random street. It's in your face. It's not really "out in the sticks." All of this is very visible. EVERYONE going to Cincy from the north sees these. It's not like I went out in the country and stumbled upon this isolated stuff.
But my point about Covington is that it's not in Ohio, therefore not strictly "Cincinnati." Earlier in my post I said I only spent time in the actual city.
I'm complementing your city! Come on.
The hell is real billboard is all over the country i see it in the Chicago suburbs and Pennsylvania. That confederate flag i have seen also its actually closer to columbus than cincy.
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