I moved to Cincinnati in the fall of 2004 to attend the University of Cincinnati. As I said in my last post, I attended to major in Civil Engineering and later changed to Urban Studies. While in school, I have tried to immerse myself in the culture of Cincinnati as much as I could. My freshman year, I was lucky enough to have a car while I lived in the dorms. For nearly the first full year I lived in Cincy, I would drive around every weekend just exploring the city. I would set off in a direction and get myself lost and find my way back to the dorms. This was the way I learned my way around.
My love for Cincinnati probably comes from where I grew up. Niles & Warren are small cities in northeast Ohio. I grew up in suburban Howland Township just outside Warren and Niles. The area is void of sidewalks and street-life like we are accustomed to in cities. I thought the Olive Garden and Applebee's were high class restaurants. Having a mall literally 2 minutes from my front door brought me up to think that shopping malls were the pinnacle of retail shopping.
Moving to Cincinnati was some serious culture shock. I instantly fell in love - in love with the hills, the neighborhoods, the people, the architecture, the art scene. Everything. I discovered new foods - you think there are Indian or Vietnamese restaurants in Warren? (I do miss all the Italian food of the Mahoning Valley.) I discovered public transportation. Aside from a high school trip to New York (where I didn't even ride the subway), I had never even seen trains or buses (aside from school buses). Now, I ride Metro to work or school almost everyday. I rarely drive my car anymore. Just once a week to Kroger for my weekly grocery run.
Ever since discovering UrbanOhio.com, I've also fallen in love with the urban issues revolving around Cincinnati. I have read nearly every article and research document publicly available regarding the Streetcar projects, the Banks, Washington Park renovation, Great American Tower, 3CDC's OTR projects, and many others. I have taken to fighting the good fight on Facebook and other blogs trying to get out the facts about projects that I, after much research and deliberation, have determined to be good and beneficial to the city. And while I am not judge, jury and executioner for the goings-on of the City, and everyone is welcome to their own opinions, I want people to understand that mine are grounded in research and the facts.
I care deeply for Cincinnati. I have defended her to many of my friends (most of whom are native Cincinnatians). I have also made new friends as a result of this. People tend to band together for common causes. We saw this for Issue 9 in 2009 with the coalition of Cincinnatians for Progress. We're seeing it develop again today for those who are looking to salvage a plan for the 3-C Rail Corridor after Governor-elect John Kasich is calling for its death.
This all has led me to the conclusion that Cincinnatians are a deeply passionate people - about their chili, their politics, their neighborhoods, there high schools - the list goes on and on.
I definitely remember the lack of sidewalks growing up in Howland Township. The lack of culture, or as one of my teachers once said, the area was "the cultural armpit of Ohio." Also, the concept of creating housing developments that are separate from the rest of the community just baffles me. How are you safely and healthily connected to the rest of your town?
ReplyDelete"How are you safely and healthily connected to the rest of your town?"
ReplyDeleteSince I live in the City, I fairly well connected to most anywhere via the bus system. We also have sidewalks throughout. The city is also planning on building a streetcar route from downtown up to the neighborhood where I live. The mass transit system in Cincinnati is still quite lacking and, while the bussing system is adequate, it is still difficult to get to many locations without driving.