Though she proudly started life as a native westsider, attorney Jill P. Meyer is now a living, breathing example of downtown Cincinnati's mantra of live, work, and play. Read along and maybe she'll share her downtown secrets with you.
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SoapBlog 2
Posted By: Jill P. Meyer
8/12/2009
So the story goes like this: westside girl moves downtown and - WHAT? - that must be wrong because we all know that once a westsider always a westsider, right? Perhaps in heart and in spirit, but believe it or not, I did it. I even live on the "other" side of Vine Street. Only by about 100 yards, so back off.
When I moved downtown almost five years ago I remember thinking, "Wow, people don’t know what they’re missing, there’s a lot going on down here that they don’t even realize." I can’t say that too many people are missing anything now; they obviously AREN’T missing it. Anyone who is even remotely curious has come downtown to check it out. Hang around downtown on a random Tuesday, a weekend day, late night, a Sunday morning and you’ll see it. YPs, DINKs (is that even a phrase anymore?), empty nesters, young families, out-of-towners. All over. They’re shopping, they’re eating, they’re playing, they’re living, more and more they’re riding their bicycles, they’re experiencing, they’re just taking it all in. And in doing that, they’re making it a better, more interesting, vibrant city center.
Some cities are just starting into the "re-birth" of their downtown area. Cincinnati is there. As a resident downtowner I speak with a certain kind of passion and a unique sense of pride about how far we’ve come and the great things that continue to happen. One of the coolest things about living down here is not the ease, the liveliness, the huge variety of things to do every day. It’s my fellow downtowners. Nowhere will you find a more engaged, energetic, caring group of neighbors. We’re in this together and, driven by a shared vision and excitement, have created some of the most neighborly neighborhoods in the city. What might seem like a business as usual area is one of the warmest collections of people you’ll find.
The usual question of "where do you grocery shop?" appears to have even run its course. Almost. For the record, no one who lives downtown finds grocery shopping a challenge. How can we when we have Findlay Market? But, seriously, bring on the streetcar. A more creative soul asked me instead what I would add to downtown. I came up with: a bookstore on Fountain Square; more green space; a pedestrian only area; and a florist with fresh cut flowers every day out on the sidewalk that beckon me to them. Am I getting greedy or in need of relaxation?
Some of the secrets of downtown living? City Cellars - Brian will help you discover a new love for wines you didn’t know existed. Roma - the BEST eggplant parm in the city. Shoe Haus - great European shoes sold by an even greater German couple who ditched the ‘burbs and moved downtown. Tank’s 2X bus - $1.75 and 20 minutes later you’re delivered to the Delta terminal. The DCI Ambassadors - to whom we owe our clean streets, happy visitors, and never alone feeling. Having a 4-year old car with only 24,000 miles on it. Running through the riverfront parks and across the bridges at sunrise. 12th & Vine - groceries, gifts, pizzaz. Tiffany. Okay, no secret there; but, really, is there anything that can add dazzle to a city center other than that robin egg blue? I could go on and on. So much to do, so many unique shops, people, ideas weaving this fabric that I now call my homebase, all the way down here, "so far away" from mom and 7 older sisters and families whom I’ve abandoned out west. But guess what: they love it down here too and now have a good excuse to visit regularly.