July felt like a whirlwind of travel and the beginning of August felt like a weird combination of crazy circumstances and mundane daily tasks. I spent the first two weeks of August in Santa Fe with family and finishing up my old job (the perk of remote work). Then for the third week I flew to Cincinnati, OH to do orientation and start my new job. I’m a structural engineer that works on some weird entertainment things like concert tours, theater rigging, the occasional theme park job, and once upon a time some Cirque du Soleil shows. I’ve worked in an office for years, first in New York and then in Baltimore, but with the pandemic teaching us all that a spare monitor and access to zoom go a LONG way, I’ve been lucky to be able to become a fully remote employee.
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The first time I went to Cincinnati was back in July for my interview with my now current job, and I shared my quick whirlwind adventure over here. This time I had a week to settle in as a regular office worker, with a few bonus activities. It’s definitely a place I’ll enjoy going back to occasionally since it has a nice combo of a cool downtown, a more “hip” OTR neighborhood with great restaurants and bars, not to mention a beautiful waterfront and even a local MLS soccer team!
I spent my first few days staying in a hotel near my office by the waterfront. I love taking walks there in the evenings and stopping at the swings I found on my first trip. One cool area near the Roeblin bridge includes this statue / monument to Marian Spencer. I’m very glad I looked her up because she was an amazing lady! She was an amazing civil rights activist, and was on both the Cincinnati city council and served as Vice Mayor for a time, not to mention a lifelong involvement with the NAACP. Definitely check out more about her here.
Obligatory “first day of school” photos, including the bathroom signage reminder that gave me a good chuckle.
Exploring downtown always turns up something cool in Cincy. From fancy parks (hey Proctor & Gamble HQ) to amazing murals (the famous Fiona!), there’s always something to catch the eye as you walk or scooter around. Coming from Baltimore I got used to having scooters available and Cincy has embraced them as well. Always be safe, but I do love a good quick zip around town on one!
Later in the week I stayed in an AirBnB up in the OTR (Over-the-Rhine) neighborhood. It was only a 10 minute walk from the new TQL stadium, and there was a Wednesday MLS game when I was in town, so I got a last minute ticket and met up with some new co-workers to get pre-game drinks and then head over. As someone who has been traveling a lot in different areas I’m still that person who wears a mask most places, and it was a bit disconcerting to see a lot of fans not wearing them. I was able to get a seat in a front row behind goal, and with a few seats around me in all directions so I tried to stay as safe as possible, but it was still nerve wracking. It’s definitely still a wild world out there, so when traveling just remember to be safe and never feel silly to wear a mask, even if others aren’t.
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The game was FC Cincinnati vs Montreal and sadly it ended up 0-0, but I had a silver lining, for me at least. As a long-time NYCFC fan and one time season ticket holder… I was able to see an old NYCFC player that had moved to Cincy! Let’s go Mata!! I even got a photo of him during a corner, and I found some cauliflower wings, so all around it was a good time!
Casual NYCFC fan with a Cincy scarf. At least the colors match.
Let’s go Mata!
Accomodation spotlight:
AC Hotel Cincinnati at The Banks (by Marriott)
I stayed here in July, and again for the first half of my trip this time around. It’s a conveniently located hotel right downtown, across the street from the Red’s baseball stadium.
My company paid for the hotel both times, so I can’t really recommend it yay or nay price wise, but as hotels go they have nice rooms, a good breakfast café, lovely staff, and a great location. If you are staying in town to go to any of the sports stadiums, this is definitely a great choice within walking distance of any of them, not to mention a bunch of restaurants as well.
Again, my company paid for my AirBnB for a few days since I was in town for orientation, but I would definitely come back and stay here again on my own dime. This spot was true to the photos, included great little touches like a fully stocked bathroom (shampoo, body wash, hair dryer, all the little things) and even had a little breakfast setup with snacks and coffee.
I was going to an office while I was in town, but if you are traveling to Cincy for work and need to work remotely, this place would be amazing. It has a desk and a huge kitchen island where you can set up, and a separate bedroom area so you can really feel like you’re at home and have that separation of work and relaxation.
The hosts were also easy to contact, but I didn’t really need them for the few days I was there. I didn’t really have to say anything other than, “hey I’m here and the entrance codes work”, and then “hey I used the exit codes, everything was great”.
Location wise this spot is right in the heart of OTR, so it’s very easy to walk a block or two and find a bunch of good bars and restaurants. Since you are downtown you’ll have a bit of nighttime noise, but if you’re a city person like me you won’t mind it… or if you aren’t they even included a bowl of ear plugs in the bedroom as an extra touch.
Overall, I love this spot and hope to stay there again when I’m back in town for work in the future.
I hope you enjoyed this look at Cincinnati once again, and don’t forget to check out my first visit here for some great food options.
~ Happy Travels, V ~