Maybe you only think of Cincinnati on baseball’s Opening Day (the Reds are the only MLB team that always starts the season at home), or maybe you haven’t thought of the Queen City since Andy Travis tried to save the failing WKRP. Well, it’s time to start thinking.
The Cincinnati region, from southeast Indiana to northern Kentucky (the airport is there), and situated on the Ohio River, includes 2.1 million people. The Ohio city itself is properly home to about 300,000 (it’s Ohio’s third largest). And it’s invested $200 million (with some private help) in a revitalization that’s aimed to mirror its pre-WWI vitality.
“It’s really just getting started still,” says Mayor Mark Mallory, modestly, over coffee. He graciously and flatteringly invited us to join him for a walking tour of the neighborhoods that have most benefited from the funding: downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine. (OTR is named after a buried canal that made early German immigrants nostalgic for their great river).
Like Greenwich Village, OTR — on the National Register of Historic Places — is full of places to shop, eat and be entertained. Plus, it’s loaded with gorgeous 19th-century Italianate architecture. Existing buildings have been preserved and redeveloped, and there’s more to come.
We think the right time to dig into the place that birthed George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Steven Spielberg, Michael Cunningham and Ken Griffey Jr. is now.
So after you’ve indulged in an egg-and-goetta (sausage made with steel-cut oats) sandwich and some Skyline Chili (they’re everywhere), take yourself on the mayor’s tour of some of the best Cincinnati has to offer.
Taste of Belgium
1801 Race St., 513-381-3280, authenticwaffle.com
“Ten years ago, this corner had the most calls for police service of any spot in Over-the-Rhine,” says Mallory. Originally — around 1890 — there was a bar here. It was shut down about 10 years ago. Today, it’s a gourmet Belgian waffle shop that’s so successful it’s branching out across the city and state. “One bite and you will know why,” says Mallory. “They have the best chicken and waffles in town.”
Coffee Emporium
110 East Central Parkway, 513-651-5483, coffee-emporium.com
Coffee Emporium is the coffee shop in Cincinnati. On any given morning, you might find yourself sipping one of their house-roasted coffees next to a reporter, a CEO, an entrepreneur, students or countless elected officials, maybe even the mayor — that’s why it’s known as City Hall West. “I always get a mocha, sometimes with whipped cream, sometimes without whipped cream, in my best Stewie Griffin voice,” says Mallory, who has been a regular here for years.
Park + Vine
1202 Main St., 513-721-7275, parkandvine.com
When Park + Vine opened in May 2007, it was mostly surrounded by abandoned buildings. Six years later, it’s not just the green-minded who are stopping here for prepared foods and clothing. The mayor says you will find all manner of interesting everyday items at this urban grocery store, where everything for sale is environmentally conscious.
1215 Wine Bar and Coffee Lab
1215 Vine St., 513-381-5800, facebook.com/1215winecoffee
Opened last February, 1215 Wine Bar and Coffee Lab is a place, says Mallory, where you can both start and end your day. “If you love coffee, or if you love wine, or if you love both, then this is the spot for you. The owners’ passion for quality beverages shows in every mug or glass.” Mallory is a fan of the meat-and-cheese tray, and says their selection of bleus is the best he’s ever had.
Fountain Square
520 Vine St., 513-621-4400, myfountainsquare.com
Completely renovated in 2006, Fountain Square is the civic heart of Cincinnati, says the mayor. “From ice skating in the winter to the summer music series, there is always something happening on the Square. Sometimes it is a farmer’s market, and sometimes it’s the Cinciditarod, where teams in costumes tie themselves to shopping carts and race around the city.” Look for Salsa on the Square (Thursdays) and Reds games projected on a giant TV screen.
21c Museum Hotel
609 Walnut St., 513-578-6600, 21cmuseumhotels.com/cincinnati
Only a few months old, 21c Museum Hotel (and its restaurant, Metropole, run by chef Michael Paley) is already one of the hottest spots in Cincinnati. The history here is delicious: The building was originally created as the luxury Metropole Hotel, which opened in 1912. In 1971, it was converted to low-income housing and became a subsidized-rent apartment building visited regularly by the cops.
Now stunningly converted back to its original purpose, with the bonus of a 24-hour public art gallery and incredible art in every room, “everything about the 21c is unique and beautiful,” says Mallory. He’s right. This is definitely where you want to stay when you visit. Rooms from $279.
Mahogany’s at the Banks
180 E. Freedom Way, 513-721-7685, mahoganysatthebanks.com
One of the first restaurants at the city’s new riverfront development — the year-old Banks — Mahogany’s offers live music and high-end soul food to downtown Cincinnati. “And every downtown could use some good soul food,” says Mallory. “I have eaten in soul food restaurants across the country and the decor here is the best that I’ve seen.” His favorite dish is the barbecue ribs, with yams and collard greens.
Moerlein Lager House
15 Joe Nuxhall Way, 513-421-2337, moerleinlagerhouse.com
One of Cincinnati’s oldest beer brands, Christian Moerlein was recently resurrected. The namesake Lager House — eight of its own beers on draft and about 100 selections on the menu — is a celebration of the city’s long brewing history, and the city itself. From nearly every window you have incredible views of the Ohio River, the Reds’ and Bengals’ stadiums, the Kentucky side of town and more. And you’ll also be able to see the Roebling Bridge — from the creator of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Its vibrating floor is immortalized in “Rain Man.”) “When the weather is nice, I like to sit on the wraparound upstairs patio deck and people-watch,” says Mallory. “I recently had a rib-eye steak here that was phenomenal. “
For more info, contact the Cincinnati visitors bureau at 800-543-2613, cincyusa.com.