Superbly put! I agree with everything you wrote.
I'm actually thinking of starting a "new" blog, since well, law school is almost over, and one feature I was thinking of is "cheap eats"
Sitting and talking with some friends after work, I bet I can actually eat for $10 or less every workday of the month and not hit the same place twice, and on top of that, I bet I could keep all my money local and not going to a national chain.
I simply am not afraid of downtown. Soon, if I get enough contributors I am going to try one of my famous stunts from other cities, walking around with a $100 bill taped to my forhead. I did it in some less than savory neighborhoods in chicago, boston, philadelphia and new york. I bet the same result occurs here, I get a few laughs and noone touches me.
Maybe that can put to rest suburbanite, and nonlocal fears...
Gross is a fucking idiot. His rampant hatred of Cincinnati has been displayed so often that it's time for the editors of City Beat to tell him to stick a sock in it.
Please stay out of Downtown Larry. We don't want you here. Stick to the 'burbs you rube.
Tom's Pot Pies!
Great sports town? Gimme a break. Sure, Opening Day will be great. After that, nothing. You'll be able to shoot a cannon through GABP on Wednesday. And the Cyclones have a great team and they offer $5 tickets and $1 beer nights and the place should be, but isn't, packed. If this is a sports town, it's only as an example of the most sorry assed sports town in the country.
Both sides of this debate have grown tiresome.
HA!! your retorts are spot on
There are indeed many places to get an inexpensive lunch. In fact, now that I think about it, the CityBeat offices are in an ideal location to walk to a couple dozen of them.
The only thing unique about Cincinnati in my opinion is that 1/2 of the people HATE it and 1/2 of the people LOVE it (except me, who thinks its just like any other normal city).
Thats my real problem with the attitudes here, I try to be a little more nuanced. Does it really have to be black and white? You either hate it or you love it?
Are there things I hate about the city? Yeah, sure, thats not hard to find. Are there things I love about the city? Yeah, also, not hard to find.
Living in any city is kind of like being in a long term relationship, things are not all roses all the time, but there are things that just make you smile when you wake up in the morning.
Excellent comment, Chris S. I completely agree.
Maybe Larry Gross should stop spending his lunch money on vodka tonics at Madonna's.
Travis,
What's wrong with that? He's supporting a downtown business.
Larry Gross & Rick Hines are both whiny morons. They think by whining about what is wrong with the city, it will fix the problems yet the do little to contribute.
Well, I certainly don't miss Nick Clooney!
HOME WORK ASSIGNMENT:
Find an older Cincinnatian and have them talk to you about their memories of downtown and what downtown USED to be like. Note the twinkle in their eyes while they discuss their fond memories of downtown and then how they wistfully comment that "downtown isn't like that any more."
EXTRA CREDIT:
Find old photos of downtown and note the "hustle and bustle" on the streets that simply DOES NOT exist now (except for during Oktoberfest and Opening Day. Whities day of "culture", if you will).
A hell of a lot has changed downtown over the past couple decades and not for the better. I don't give a shit how many museums open. People just don't want to come downtown any more because it doesn't offer enough to do.
AnonyMiss,
What do you want? Do you want downtown to be a suburban shopping mall? Do you want it to be one massive cul-du-sac, complete with lawn jockeys on every corner?
What do you want? You seem to know so much about what downtown used to be, what do you want to be, free of the poor?
Do you grasp what a city is and what culture is and the difference between hearing a cover band do a version of Freebird and hearing a band do a liver original song?
What's your beef with Museums? Do you not go? Do you have a thing again history and art? Is the Sign Muesum not worthy of your time? Do you prefer Adam and Eve's Dinosaur fund rides down yonder at the Creation Theme Park?
What is your beef? Don't shit around with your bitching about the past. This is not 1952. You are not going to visit Santa at Shilittos. Downtown Cincinnati is not going to feel like your suburban Castle.
WHAT A PRESUMPTIVE ASS YOU ARE.
Your whole commentary is rife with a nasty ass attitude and the ASSUMPTION that I’m some sort of plastic suburbanite. Let me make this clear for you so that your linear thinking brain can grasp it: I am NOT a suburbanite. Never have been, never will be. I do not reside in a suburban castle as you stated. You didn’t agree with what I said about downtown so you automatically ASSUMED that I must be a suburbanite. You probably had a mental image of me as someone who lives in a nice house in the ‘burbs with a perfectly manicured lawn that graduated from St. So-and-so’s high school, and that rarely goes downtown. WRONG. You don’t know me. In the future it would be best for you not to peg someone as a suburbanite because they don’t think exactly the way that you do. Here are my responses to the bullshit arguments you raise:
1. You begin with a really stupid series of questions. But it goes back to you thinking I’m a suburbanite with no perspective about downtown; apparently one that adores shopping malls and has an affinity for lawn jockeys. I can’t even respond to these questions because they’re not really meant for me. Go find someone in the ‘burbs and pose these questions to them.
2. Free of poor people? Where the hell did that come from? When did I say that or even imply it? Oh wait….another one of your assumptions. Not only am I a suburbanite but I hate poor people as well? You decided I’m an evil, rich mutherfucker who wants to put poor people out on their asses? What a dick. Let me tell you about poor. Poor is living with 8-10 other relatives in a 1 bedroom apartment. It’s barely scraping bus fare together. It’s having to handwash the clothes you wear over and over and hope that people won’t notice. Don’t talk to me about poor, I’ve been there. I don’t need you to assume that I have no perspective on poverty or that I don’t give a crap about poor people.
3. Yes, I grasp what culture and a city is you condescending ass. I have grasped this since the age of 15 when I started going downtown by myself. (sighs) Once again you seem to have me pegged as a shiny happy ***** from Anderson, Wyoming, or somewhere. What the hell do cover bands have to do with what I said? Is that your definition of culture? Not having to hear “Freebird”? You are so glib.
4. I have no beef with museums. What a retarded question. So keeping track up to this point, you think I’m a suburban, mall & lawn jockey loving, poor people hating, Freebird loving, museum hater. Let me tell you what I have a problem with: people putting art/museums on a pedestal and acting as though it will be or IS the driving force that keeps downtown alive. I think not. There are plenty of museums/various art venues downtown and it’s not exactly bringing people down there in droves. That’s what I meant by my original comment about not giving a shit how many museums are there. Am I discounting the overall importance of art to culture? NO. Not at all. In answer to your question, yes museums are “worthy” of my time. No, I don’t have anything against history and art. Why would I? You assume I do because I said one little thing about museums. You totally jumped to the wrong conclusion on that one and you took that shit WAY out of context. GET A GRIP!
So now that I’ve sifted through your bullshit assumptions, allow me to address the only decent question you raise: What do I want for downtown?
-I want a downtown that has something for EVERYONE. Maybe that sounds generic, but I think a lot of people fall into this trap of thinking that downtown has to be THIS or has to be THAT but it can’t be BOTH. (i.e. it’s either all about the arts or it’s all about retail. God forbid there be a good blend of both). Such black & white thinking!
-I want the streets of downtown to be bustling EVERY WEEKEND like they are on Opening day.
-I want people to be excited about going DT and not go there because they HAVE to (ie court).
-I want the stores to stay open later because there’s an actual demand for it.
-I want a DT that visitors are impressed with instead of thinking we roll up the sidewalks at 6pm and that we’re a bunch of corny flying pig lovers.
-I want the hotels to be packed & for the convention center to be consistently booked.
-I want Race Street to be lined with interesting & unique shops.
-…for Newberry’s to be a go-to place like it once was instead of the sorry ass hair weave shop that it is now.
-…for restauranteurs to not be forced to make the decision to leave DT because their business’ can’t survive there.
-… the Tower Place Mall to be fully occupied with tenants.
-...people of all age groups/backgrounds to feel that there is something for them DT.
-…for the younger generations to develop fond memories of DT just as the older generations have.
-…lovely green spaces.
- …for DT to stop losing business to fucking Kentucky of all places.
-…For Christmas DT to be as special as it was in years past and for people to be excited about it (I don’t care if you make fun of me for saying that)
- I want crack dealers DT to spontaneously dissolve into puddles of liquid (yeah I know that won’t happen)
- These are just some of the things I can think of off the top of my head.
I know this isn’t 1952 and of course nothing ever stays the same forever. But if you would speak to someone older than yourself and not discount their experiences, you would see how much downtown HAS declined over the years and that it is NOT living up to its full potential. But of course you probably won’t give a shit what they say any way. As long as you don’t have to hear ‘Freebird” and there is a museum open, you don’t expect much more, do you?
Sorry for the length of this message guys. I felt it necessary.
Edited By Siteowner
AMiss,
I like a lot of your ideas, but what you fail to see is that you are attacking the city you claim you want to make better. Efforts are underway to improve Downtown and OTR, including many of the things you claim you want.
If you want downtown to get better, which it is well on the way to achieve, then why do you attack it?
You obviously have an axe to grind about something. I would sense part of you wants to see some part of the current efforts fail. Why is that? Jealousy?
I am going to over look the racial slur you made, and I will just edit it out, but don't do that again if you want to be taken seriously.
I am NOT attacking my city. What gives you that impression? Since I don't agree with you or agree with how things are being done, then you think I'm ATTACKING it? You have too much of a "your either with us or against us" attitude. I AM allowed to disagree with others and still love Cincinnati and want the best for downtown. I think my attitude/ideas are pretty much reflective of how a lot of other Cincinnatians feel: we love Cincy but we're sick of watching things go down hill and seeing dumb asses make bad decisions.
You mention efforts that are underway to improve downtown. What would that be? More lofts, a streetcar system we don't need, and a crap load of money being spent to re-do Ft Square? These are things that are either not needed or that won't improve things in the long-run. Everything is such a band aid solution or an expensive idea that someone pulled out of their ass.
I want you to know that I have been a downtown supporter for 15 years (i'm 30 y.o. now). I have watched things turn to crap and while that was happening I always stuck up for DT when I heard people talking shit about it. It becomes more and more difficult for me to do that.
About the racial slur: I'm as white as they come and I don't see a problem with me using the "H" word. If it bothers you THAT much I won't use it again.
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