When I first moved up to Ohio from Florida, I wondered how I could like Ohio! No offense but I had no idea of what to expect. There are farms in Ohio and mountains (hills as I would soon learn). No beach and cold weather part of the time. I realize that there are farms in Florida, or at least cows, I had just never seen one up close until coming here. Since then, I have seen, touched and unfortunately smelled many animals at various events.

I have now lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 12 years. Downtown for most of this time. We walk everywhere when we can and my son doesn’t even seem to mind it unless of course it’s snowing. We can walk to the park, the library, restaurants, even the ballet! Everything that one could need, you can get downtown.  The only problem is that most things used to close as soon as everyone that works Downtown goes home from work. I’ve noticed over the last couple of months that more and more businesses and restaurants are staying open later.

What about those who live here? So much emphasis is being placed on moving things downtown with renovations and new constructions however, I wonder if that’s enough. There is a new tattoo parlor that opened on Main Street… but how many people are going to get a tattoo? Hopefully  enough to keep him open since the African store that opened didn’t last that long. Nicola’s on Sycamore has been voted #2 this year and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere despite hearing that it’s a bit overpriced, probably due to the apparently amazing chef, Cristian Pietoso.

I have had the pleasure of attending the ballet a lot more that usual and love seeing the restaurants open quite late around the Aronoff Center. Other shops that seem to be staying open later are on Vine Street, which is an up and coming area with the Gateway Quarter. (View shops and restaurants here!) The motto of this area is Live, Shop, Play. I am still a bit concerned with the Kroger located just blocks from the area as well as what I call, “Little Vegas” across the street. The new construction and improvements are pushing down the street there so only time will tell.

Cincyusa.com writes about the expansive Duke Convention Center and the new Fountain Square Entertainment district. I personally stayed at a local downtown hotel with my Mom this past weekend (she’s allergic to my cat) and enjoyed seeing all of the buzz with a cheer leading and gymnastics competition going on at the convention center. What seemed like hundreds of sparkly haired little girls was not overshadowed by the beautiful attendees of a wedding or two. Shops and restaurants alike were open and full of shoppers and kiddies waiting to have their picture taken with Santa Claus. The ice rink had way too many skaters enjoying the ice for my comfort level even if I didn’t have a terrible headache.This is awesome though. Perhaps I can go sometime when I am both feeling better and it’s not so crowded since my skating abilities are not the best.

I hope that all of this excitement lasts long after the holiday season is done and gone. It’s not New York City and that’s fine with me but I would love to call this Cincinnati my home.