I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place. Like Cincinnati. Everybody who wasn’t perfect but wasn’t terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati. – Eleanor, The Good Place
This is the most accurate statement about Cincinnati. That and gentrification. The city has changed so much, yet, it’s still the same. It’s been two years since t’s been 2 years since my move to Cincinnati. Don’t fight me cause I know how we like to tussle, but this is all based on my opinion and experience living in Cincinnati. So, before you native Cincinnatians pick up your pitchforks to attack me, I have some good things to say about the city. But you gotta let me speak my peace first.
PHOTOS BY: DORESE JENAE PORTRAITS
MY EXPERIENCE
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really that excited to move back when I realized that I was required for my job. I left Cincinnati on a bad note. I was working in a toxic work environment that impacted my view of the city. While I had and still have great relationships with folks, my toxic work environment gave me a lens that led me to associate Cincinnati with everything bad. Was that fair? No, but it made me expeditiously want to get the hell out of dodge without looking back.
As I slowly accepted that I was moving back, I told myself I would be open-minded and treat this move as a new adventure in an old city. But doing that is a bit difficult when you move in the middle of a pandemic. The first time I went to Kroger and saw that many folks in the store weren’t wearing their mask over their nose, I was ready to move back immediately. Not trying to generalize, but there was a stark difference in how Cincinnatians were taking the seriousness of COVID versus those in the DMV. My view is slightly skewed because I lived with my aunt and uncle, both immunocompromised, making me move quite differently.
I was very alarmed and decided to do less outside. Also, it didn’t help that Hamilton County – Cincinnati’s county – was in and out of the purple zone with 10,000 plus daily positive COIVD tests for a few weeks in a row. I was like, y’all can catch me outside when the rest of the state realizes that we in a panini.
Now that I’m vaxed, double boosted, and waxed, I’ve been more intentional about wearing less and going out more. I’m still outchea with my mask on cause you know, I’m still a bit traumatized from the lack of care and willful dismay of the honor system that many Americans displayed throughout our #lockeddownlife. Now that monkeypox has joined the chat, I’m still hesitant to just be out here with my face naked.
One thing that continues to surprise me about the city is how much it has been gentrified. And I don’t mean this as a compliment. I have seen white folks on streets and areas of the city that would never dare to be out and about in broad daylight, let alone at night. It’s crazy how much developers drive out its Black residents for those who can afford the DC-like rent prices. And said folks are cheerfully talking about how “nice” everything looks without considering the long-term impact all of this is going on have. But, I digress.
A mini rant – the cost of living and the average salary doesn’t match the housing cost here. There’s no way rents should be comparable to DC, in some places, when the amenities are not the same (hello, food deserts!) AND people don’t make as much here.
THE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN CINCINNATI
I am legit 10 minutes from anywhere I want/need to go. Unless, of course, it’s outside of the city limits. I picked the perfect spot to live. I also forgot how much I missed the breweries! There are so many, and honestly, so many more have popped up since I was gone that it will take a while for me to get through all of them. I do know that I have been missing out on craft beers while away.
While DC has more ethnically diverse options, I can’t knock the food options here. There are so many good spots to eat in Cincinnati that you would spend an entire year, or two, trying a new place every day and still not hit every restaurant. And that’s not even including Northern Kentucky. Of course, I can’t neglect the people! I have met many great people here, making my second tint more bearable. While I can’t see myself living here forever, I couldn’t imagine staying here without the framily that I’ve come to love.
THE NOT SO GREAT
Public Transportation
One thing I really miss about DC is the ease of hopping on the metro to go where you want to go. Is the Metro great? Definitely not, but unless you live in a certain part of downtown to hop on the streetcar, public transportation is not great. I still don’t have a car so getting around requires Lyft, or if I’m close enough, I walk. And due to gentrification, walking is becoming more of my go to method of travel. Now, I would be set if we could only get a grocery store here. I might have to grab a bike this spring to make my commute downtown even easier.
Diversity?
Where? While there are pockets of other ethnic groups, moving from the DMV where there is so much diversity, was a culture shock. I walked in a couple of parades earlier this year and I could literally play spot the Black and Brown folks in the crowds. It was another shock for me because I just forgot how white it is here. Lol. I guess my sense of perception is off since I see and work with mostly Black folks at my job.
Food Apartheid
I currently live in Walnut Hill, and it’s definitely a food desert. There used to be a Kroger here, but I never shopped there because it was not well-maintained. The nearest place for groceries is Dollar General, which has some things but not everything. The nearest Kroger is the one near UC’s campus, that’s 7 minutes via car, which isn’t bad, but it’s smaller than the other Kroger’s. While I am not complaining because I have the privilege to get to and from anywhere whenever I want without using the bus, I think about the other folks who live here that don’t have the means to get to and from a grocery store easily and quickly.
No Bottomless Brunch?!
Do people not like bottomless brunch here?! I know this because I was recently tasked to find a bottomless brunch place to catch up with an old friend. That was surprisingly more difficult than I’d expected. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of places where you can get a bottomless brunch but not enough. But I guess the trade-off is you can find great brunch places with reasonably priced mimosas per glass – Think less than $10.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Every city has its good and bad points. While I wasn’t thrilled when I had to move back, the good outweighs the bad, and I will continue to enjoy my time here, for however long that will be.
DO YOU AGREE WITH MY EXPERIENCE? WHAT YOU DO LIKE/DON’T LIKE MOST ABOUT LIVING IN CINCINNATI?
