neilworms

The areas around Williamsburg off the L Train (not so much Williamsburg itself these days as its really gone yupster) I'd argue have some of the most flamboyant hipsters in the country outside of Portland. Lower Manhattan used to be their spot btw, until they were priced out, first time I was in NYC in the late 1990s I remember seeing some proto hipsters around there. -- I guess the biggest Bro-y thing about Chicago is the unpleasant levels at which they worship their sports teams. Sports culture in Chicago is obnoxious to those of us who don't care too much about it - its also the most visibly bro-y thing when you are going through town, though it applies to everybody just about.

Lol. Just was curious because Milwaukee is known as the hipster highway and it would have fit stereotype. Probably off Wilson (its a better than average faux Irish pub that serves pretty good English curry if its the place I'm thinking off though faux irish bars are a dime a dozen) - I used to live in that neighborhood, its hardly a hipster spot, more like a somewhat family friendly low key neighborhood - older people who want a quiet part of town usually.

Want to also remind people of this building in Short North, Columbus which belongs in Cincinnati: http://woodcompanies.com/sites/default/files/styles/main-image-location/public/main-images/location-images/Front.jpg?itok=RwE17ZFq

Was this on Milwaukee Ave by chance?

Yeah the bros and trixies do outnumber the hipsters by a long shot, its not like Portland (or as I understand it Austin) where the hipsters are a dominant culture but I still feel Chicago has a very strong hipster culture and things that in Cincinnati would be the "hipster stuff" are more accepted among larger groups than they were down there. With Chicago you can draw parallels to NYC - Manhattan is kind of like the near northside (yuppie and bro predominantly), The Northwest Side is kind of like Brooklyn (minus the really bad areas) with hipsters and a few immigrant enclaves, the far Northside is like queens with semi suburban neighborhoods and lots of immigrant and ethnic diversity and finally the Southside and (barring some exceptions) and the far west is similar (though far worse) than the South Bronx. I haven't been to Minneapolis either, thinking of doing a trip because I want to save up for a European vacation but still have a bad case of wanderlust (and they have a new light rail too!) - I'd imagine Minneapolis is quite hipster and some people have even stated that its like a proto-Pacific Northwest city as opposed to a standard Midwestern city in terms of culture/demographics. Extremely yuppie, last time I was there was about 1 1/2 years ago though. Not quite as visible a gay population as it used to be. One thing that strikes me about Columbus btw is how it picks up on national trends faster than the rest of the state - the restaurants off high street wouldn't be out of place in a hip Chicago neighborhood, and Columbus even was the first city in Ohio to get things like Boba Tea and a barcade.

Yeah there is a cultural shift afoot for people around 20 years old. The teenage trends of that culture often were quite flamboyant, like the whole scenester thing that pops up now and then (seeing a video of "Blood on the Dance Floor" makes me feel like an old man) - however I'm not sure if there is a distinct culture that has taken hold - right now it seems like isolated teen cultural trends though flamboyant looks may overtake more muted looks is one thing I've noticed. Btw, hipster culture really started gaining traction outside of the big cities/coastal regions about 10 years ago which means that we are overdue for another cultural shift, its going to happen very very soon - last weekend I chatted with a friend of mine about how hipster music trends have gotten really stale in rock we are kind of in an era not too much different than the end of prog rock in the 1970s, lots of rehashes with little innovation, an environment that is really ripe for upheaveal. I can't imagine a generation that grew up on smart phones, that will be a radical shift. Being at the bleeding edge of Gen Y, I at least had some pre internet exposure (though I was pretty young - the younger members of gen Y didn't even have that!). One interesting trend is the reversal of facebook for things like snapchat - facebook being permanent and available even to parents, snapchat being fleeting. I've never used snapchat - hearing about younger people using it makes me feel old. (heck even this forum format is a dying thing).

Bit late to respond to this, but I think C-Dawg is off on a few cities small quote for reference to the thread: Columbus is less hipster than Cincinnati - I don't think there is a single hipster neighborhood in Columbus, I even remember having conversations with hipstery friends about that in Cincy, and they mentioned basically that there isn't even a single hipster oriented hood like Northside is (yes northside is for any other weirdo that doesn't fit into Cincinnati's sometimes opressive conservatism, but still...) OTR has a similar dynamic though tends to be richer... which brings me to Chicago... Chicago is extremely hipster - and its not declining, the punk roots of hipster make it pretty solid here (there are still some legit punks here that are under 30!), particularly on the northwest side, I don't see signs at all of its decline, literally I saw a mass exodous of them out of Wicker Park about 3 years ago as rents went up and the culture shifted to Logan Square (and to a lesser extent, Pilsen, Uke Village, Noble Square, Bridgeport,Humboldt Park and Uptown). I don't see this subsiding, only in Wicker is it lessening, but its largely a shift towards Logan Square, and Wicker Park still has a bit of "Yupster" feel left that is kind of giving way to full blown Yuppie with even a few bros here and there. Chicago is probably the most hipster city of the Midwest even to the point where people who aren't full blown hipsters even listen to hipster music and engage in hipstery activities like bike riding - its almost a part of mainstream culture as long as you aren't a bro or trixie (local Chicago slang for female-bro which I wish would gain traction elsewhere). Btw, Silver Lake is like the first neighborhood of the part of LA I like around downtown that doesn't have the sleazyness of either the Westside (rich) or Hollywood (wannabe rich). The hipsters are quite low key there, your right - its a pretty neighborhood too with lots of hills and great 1910s/20s architecture, doesn't feel like LA.

^-Wish I could remember their name, it was really funny stuff, but still kind of a novelty. They were like bros talking about "getting wasted and picking up chicks" but with a very "hot-diggity" language, really funny stuff.

Yeah I remember when Neons was a venue, that was back when it was kind of a hipstery bar as well, it changed fast. Japps I'm surprised by as well, they had a cool thing going there in the past, where every kind of quirky retro band (like the guys that did Doo Wop, or the ragtime band with raunchy lyrics) seemed to pop up.

Ooooh, that's been updated thanks :). Memorial Hall is going to be amazing, I hope midpoint keeps growing at a steady clip so Music Hall could be considered a spot. I sent a tweet to Santa Ono, mentioning that I was an alum. Writing a letter is a good idea, especially since UC is my alma mater, I'll probably do that next.

Where is info posted on those other venues? I never saw the announcement on Memorial Hall (which would be awesome btw). Still wish the old Emery would get out of petty political hell, would love to see a concert there again :(

^-Nah, I'd say the opposite, though I do have a distant view, he's mobilized people who are upset with the direction he's moving the city into. I could not imagine him as a strong mayor, Cincinnati is screwed if he pushes that through :(

I did give a crap at that age, I loved Cincinnati (coming down from South of Dayton) from when I was a kid for its unique architecture, and while in college I literally was seeing the city destroy that for really really piss poor designed student housing, it was heartbreaking. I also thought that kind of mass destruction ended in the 1960s and was blown away that the city didn't have a Historical Society that was up in arms about it! I understand why the housing is rated well though, most people going to school are suburbanites from SW Ohio with little appreciation of historic architecture - and frankly the new housing is better than a lot of the slumlords in terms of basic maintenance.

Grocery store, ideally, see also: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.88157,-87.647348,3a,49.3y,26.85h,110.99t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXGghxOwtH4btJ1NzyExTHw!2e0

Ryan, I read your piece yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think perhaps Cincinnati was in a sort of "beggars can't be choosers" era until recently, but we certainly have earned enough clout to leverage certain concessions with these deals. Furthermore, I'm sure this has shown up before, but I was blown away today by the original concepts for the Banks (especially page 27): http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/linkservid/E51802CC-ABA4-4E1B-4F381D1B8765A704/showMeta/0/. Would have been a redefining "character neighborhood". ^-That rendering is part of the reason why we all feel so baited and switched on the design of the Banks as it stands :( Anyways, Ryan, you wrote a fantastic article, I hope it has some influence as Cincinnati's newer architecture should be as good as its old.

http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/beer/search-for-new-brew-team-takes-tafts-ale-house-head-brewer-across-nation-ends-in-his-own-back-yard As predicted Tafts Ale house's opening will be pushed back. Article says it should soft open by Jan. I had a feeling it couldn't open by Sept/October, though I was hoping on checking it out by Midpoint Music Festival (which was wildly optimistic IMO).

I'd recommend a trip to Yellow Springs which is a quaint very liberal small College town (though I've heard the college isn't quite what it used to be), then go to Glen Helen / John Bryant State Park / Clifton Gorge which has unusually good natural beauty for that part of Ohio. You can end the trip in Clifton which is a small village with a still active mill (or start there, I think the Clifton Mill has a restaurant that sells amazing pancakes, though I haven't been there since I was a kid). The Yellow Spring in Glen Helen and the Clifton Gorge are particularly pretty. You can even rent a bicycle in Yellow Springs and take the bike path that runs through there for as far as you'd like.

There is enough room on that platform for people to look and it makes it easy for people to see there is a bike lane once they are off the bus. Its even better because buses go about the same speed as bicycles and if you get caught in the wrong spot behind one you could wind up constantly having to weave around them if not for these wonderful platforms. Quimbob, you don't use these kinds of lanes as they don't exist in Cincinnati yet, I'm not sure you understand how they work and how this design is much better than the one I use everyday on Milwaukee Ave in Chicago which is quite possibly the busiest bicycle route in the Midwest. Cincy is getting better than the busiest bicycle route in the Midwest and that's something all Cincinnatians can be proud about ;) Cincinnatians need to understand a little better when to complain and when to be proud it would make the city a heck of a lot better than it is today :D

This plan is so $#! stupid. No it's awesome as I ride in a cycle track everyday where a bus has to weave into bicycle traffic which is dangerous this is a fantastic design and Cincy had one upped Chicago

^-That sidewalk on Reading is soooo narrow, wish they could widen it, particularly since reading right there is a major thoroughfare and kind of sort of an expressway exit/entrance.

Now granted I had a folding bike so the handle could be adjusted a bit more, but even then I had to put my bicycle at a 45 degree angle to make it work without getting caught in the gate. Its completely not as effective as it could be, but still better than nothing.

Since no one has posted about this, the Liberty Street steps were recently remodeled due to the Casino opening up as a means to enhance pedestrian and even bicycle travel to the Casino from Mt. Auburn. Steps are right about here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/IP+Extreme+Technologies-+Avaya+Business+Partner/@39.112475,-84.5038925,18z/data=!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x8841b3e69dab6ff9:0xb32a2419c54912fe!2sProspect+Hill,+Cincinnati,+OH+45202!3b1!3m1!1s0x0:0x4356c0fa101cfacc I was right about these steps now having spots to put bicycles on them, though they unfortunately are not grooves. I tested it out last week. One issue with these steps is the location they start at the bottom on Reading - not at all a bicycle or pedestrian friendly spot: Below are a few photos of the sides of the steps, since they aren't grooved I had to balance my bike peculiarly, but its still a heck of a lot better than nothing at all just wish they did it with a groove shape like the steps in Smale Riverfront Park or at the Damen blue line stop in Chicago: Here is where it lets out at the top of Prospect Hill on Highland, which is much more bicycle/pedestrian friendly: I appreciate the upgrade, but really wish this was done on a staircase that has both pedestrian friendly top and bottom areas, like on Main Street's steps - as this is a critical way to improve bicycle transport as a stronger transportation option in the city.

I was in town last weekend and was disappointed by the informational signage as it only shows Metro*Plus as a bus route and no others. The digital displays also work btw, which is a godsend - metro really needs to open its GPS data so apps can be developed to track bus times. I get so antsy waiting for buses without knowing a close approximate to when they are coming - Chicago has spoiled me.

:x Anyone know if anything is going in there? Those houses looked like they were in okay shape (not perfect but livable). Sigh so typical.

Here is the big announcement about redeveloping the MLK Reading (interchange) area from the Uptown Consortium: http://cin.ci/1hlbhGW The area is pretty desolate, but I'm wondering what historic buildings will be torn down this time? I at least want to get the conversation rolling about preservation while its early this time around, as Coryville's character has already suffered an awful lot from the actions of this group.