My friend said he was. I've seen it on several myspace pages. Is Cincinnati really boring? Could it be they are a boring person themselves? How would they know another city isn't boring having never lived there???? My friend did say it's a great place to raise a family, but there is nothing to do..wtf??

 

Are people just jealous, because they are single, that's why they think Cincinnati is boring???

Is this really a city discussion thread?

 

I don't care what city I'm in, large or small, I can find a way to have fun. That's just me and my personality though. Throw me in Zanesville and I am going to have a good time! ;)

If you can't keep yourself busy and amused in Cincinnati, then you're just not trying.  I guess if you can't go out and meet people and try things, if you're just looking for "Cincinnati" to come to your door and take you dancing, then maybe you should be in NYC or something, I guess, but I've never had trouble finding things to do.  My trouble is fitting in everything I want to do!

My trouble is fitting in everything I want to do!

 

lol ... That is the same for me! I remember when I had some friends come up all at the same time last summer, I had planned on what we were going to do in an Excel file on my Treo! I know this sounds strange, but it was the only way for me to keep things organized and to not mess up the schedule!

i think too many people associate "things to do" with beaches.  its amazing how a little ocean water and slightly warmer temperatures make a city "fun"

Cincinnati is not boring.  Boredom is just how you react to what's around you.  There is such a variety of things to see and do in this town that a bored person either lacks ambition, creativity or just needs to try something different.  Worst case scenario, go to the library and get a book.

 

There are so many things I want to do that I don't have the time!  I haven't been bored in the three years I've lived here.

 

Edit:  Some specifics:

Tell your friend to pick up City Beat or Cinweekly.  They are chock full of things to do every week like sports, concerts, festivals (Bockfest, Oktoberfest, Tall Stacks, Taste, fireworks, Summerfair, Italian, Seafood, Goettafest (x2), to name a few), restaurant reviews, special events (e.g., at the parks, observatory, convservatory, parades, paddlefest, etc.), circuses, rodeos, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.  For families, there's the zoo, aquarium, museums, playgrounds, parks, King's Island, movies (regular and Omnimax), Coney Island pool, bowling, Graeter's.  For adults, in addition to the above there are bars (especially some great outdoor drinking), art museums, the CSO, opera, ballet, great local and touring theater, comedy clubs, casinos, race tracks.  There are also sports leagues, free tennis courts, disc golf courses, inexpensive pools, wooded trails at Mt. Airy and Ault Parks, a mile of contiguous riverfront parks for jogging.  And if all else fails, there are at least a half dozen places to just go sit on a bench overlooking downtown and admire. 

Boring people are bored when they have nothing to do on their own.  You can have a fun time in Ada, if you actaully try.

Well I am one of those people that do get bored in small ass towns.  I would lose my mind in Zanesville.  For me, the urban environment alone would keep me happy and far from bored.  When I go to my in laws I am bored off my ass because it is in Bumf*ck, Tennessee.  Maybe that explains why I haven't been there in 3 years.  I have never been bored in Cincinnati and have a hard time fitting everything in that I want to do, especially during the summer months.

 

Here are two links from my site that has detailed listings of things to do in Cincinnati.

Attractions & Tourism

http://cincyimages.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=28&Itemid=23

 

Arts & Museums

http://cincyimages.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=23&Itemid=23

 

If they are looking for nightlife then check out http://cincyalist.com

In my lowly opinion, it is possible to get bored here, but then again I've been here for 27 years :).  For me, there seems to be a lot more going on with the 25-30 crowd in other cities, but that's just my opinion.  I love and hate the same old crowd, if that makes sense.  There are 3 or 4 places that I love, but I'm running out of new places to go (as far as nightlife is concerned).  In a city like Chicago or New York, I could probably visit 50 places and still have plenty of undiscovered places to try out.  It's just a bit more vibrant.

 

However, I'm sure that happens anywhere... it just might happen a little quicker here.  Cincinnati isn't terrible, but I've been to more exciting places :).  I'd probably feel differently if I was married and had children.  I love my little city, but I'd move to SF or Chicago in a heartbeat if I could relocate my cushy job.  Since that's not happening, I do my best to have a good time here. 

 

Like it's been said though, there really aren't boring places, just boring people.  I will admit however, that sometimes I have to try a bit harder here. 

if you're just looking for "Cincinnati" to come to your door and take you dancing, then maybe you should be in NYC or something

I think that's an important thing... some people seem to think that if they have to actually find the things to do, then the place must be boring.  For some reason they expect every place to be like NYC, SF, Chicago, etc., where the "things to do" are in your face everywhere.  If you make no effort to find something to do, then any place can be boring.

 

Assuming we're talking about visitors, I also think that half the time people are "bored" because of prejudice.  Their preconceived notion is that Cincinnati is not "cool," so they'll try their hardest not to have any fun or do anything interesting so that they can confirm that notion.

Well I am one of those people that do get bored in small ass towns.  I would lose my mind in Zanesville.

 

Yuba City must'tve been hell for you. 

 

 

 

 

You can have a fun time in Ada, if you actaully try.

 

No fair!  College town!

Yuba City must'tve been hell for you. 

 

^ If you only knew...  That was the worst two years of my life.  There is a reason why during my two years there I went to San Francisco 10 times, Reno 12 times, Lake Tahoe twice, Sacramento 1,200 times and Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Tiajuana, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  I racked up more miles on my car than you could imagine.  I also have thousands of photos of all those cities on film :(

  I have not been to Cincy....yet!  I hate to say it, but I have heard the same from a few people.  One person I work with on the Fire Dept (Cleveland) said that Cincy is nice, but boring night life when compared to Cleveland.  I was shocked to hear that from a person that was born and raised in Cincy.  I DID not make this comment...so please don't crush ME with replies!  He told me that "the pace" was a lot slower there as well...whatever that means.  My other friends was bron and raised up here, but moved down there for another job.  He basically said the same thing....that Cincy was a GREAT place to raise a family, but not as busy as it is up here.  I guess I will have to see for myself sometime!

JDD941, please do me a favor and ask him where in Cincinnati is he from?  One thing that is interesting with Cincinnati is that people tend to stay in their own pockets of civilization.  So if someone is from the west side of Cincinnati they stay in the west side of Cincinnati.  From my experience more west siders find Cincinnati boring while east siders tend to enjoy Cincinnati more and since people tend to stay in their neighborhoods or surrounding areas, that makes sense since their is very little to do on the west side.  Now this isn't scientific but regardless ask him what neighborhood in Cincinnati he is from and get back to us.  Thanks...

^Nice point monte.  I am from the westside and for the longest time I too thought that Cincy was a boring place.  Once I entered college (UC) I realized the shear amount of things to do, especially the little things like going around and exploring which would be the easiest and also very interesting option.  As for nightlife there is room for improvement for the 18-20 something crowd.  If you are not able to drink it seems as if there is less of a 'legal' nightlife for you.  I wish sometimes that I had more to chose from than the normal options for me on a weekend night.

In my lowly opinion, it is possible to get bored here, but then again I've been here for 27 years :).  For me, there seems to be a lot more going on with the 25-30 crowd in other cities, but that's just my opinion.  I love and hate the same old crowd, if that makes sense.  There are 3 or 4 places that I love, but I'm running out of new places to go (as far as nightlife is concerned).  In a city like Chicago or New York, I could probably visit 50 places and still have plenty of undiscovered places to try out.  It's just a bit more vibrant.

 

However, I'm sure that happens anywhere... it just might happen a little quicker here.  Cincinnati isn't terrible, but I've been to more exciting places :).  I'd probably feel differently if I was married and had children.  I love my little city, but I'd move to SF or Chicago in a heartbeat if I could relocate my cushy job.  Since that's not happening, I do my best to have a good time here. 

 

Like it's been said though, there really aren't boring places, just boring people.  I will admit however, that sometimes I have to try a bit harder here. 

 

my sentiments exactly.  while i'm not bored per se, i do really enjoy new places and experiences (that fit my interests) and after living here for so long, i've pretty much exhausted 99.8% of those things here. 

  As for nightlife there is room for improvement for the 18-20 something crowd.  If you are not able to drink it seems as if there is less of a 'legal' nightlife for you.  I wish sometimes that I had more to chose from than the normal options for me on a weekend night.

 

I agree with this is can get boring especailly for that age group. I do have a fun time exploring Cincinnati though.

As for nightlife there is room for improvement for the 18-20 something crowd.  If you are not able to drink it seems as if there is less of a 'legal' nightlife for you.  I wish sometimes that I had more to chose from than the normal options for me on a weekend night.

 

...and to think my first experience of Cincy nightlife (and Cincy itself)  was when I was 18, and still living in Kentucky, at a disco near UC that served low-test beer.  It was actually legal in Ohio to drink lower alcohol lite beer 18 +.

 

 

One of the best birthdays I ever had was spent at the downtown library reading old newspapers in micro film (fiche ?).

I recently spent a delightful evening listening to a local history lecture at a nusing home.

People who are bored are not interested & frequently not interesting.

Cincy is just one of those cities that doesn't scream "hey look at me here is all I have."  My best guess is that in Cincy you really just have to "know where to go."  For nightlife, you have to know what clubs are hot and which are not.  You have to know what nights are big where. In many bigger cities you can stumble out your front door and find people everywhere. I think that's how people get "bored" in Cincy from a nightlife perspective.  Also, Cincy needs to do a better job including better nightlife "strips" where one can walk to 20 different bars all within a couple blocks that are all different and vibrant. 

 

As far as other things, I dont think you can get too bored. There are plenty of cultural attractions, good sports of all types, shopping, etc.  I am really not sure bigger cities have too much on Cincy in these categories especially when you consider Cincy is cheaper, no traffic, and more family friendly. 

Cincy is just one of those cities that doesn't scream "hey look at me here is all I have."  My best guess is that in Cincy you really just have to "know where to go."

 

Well that might be the case for some but I just don't get it.  I have a kid and knew no one when I moved here 3 years ago yet I was able to easily find places to party.

 

While yes it would be great to have one grand entertainment district in Cincinnati, it will never happen.  OTR will never been like other cities entertainment districts.  There are many people that fear OTR.  While I enjoy OTR and its offering, I have accepted this reality.  If an all in one district develops it will be on the riverfront but only time will tell.

You make an excellent point.  I grew up in Green Township, which is on the west side of town.  Most of my life I thought that Cincinnati was pretty boring.  When I went to school at XU, I discovered other parts of town, including Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout.  I decided then that I would move away from the west side.  Some people do refer to me as a traitor for doing so, but my husband and I bought a house in Pleasant Ridge three years ago.  I have to say that my opinion of Cincinnati started changing when I was in college, and it's really changing now that I live in PR.  I feel that there is more to do outside of Western Hills, and right now I have no desire to move back. 

True, the west side is pretty boring and lacks culture but there are a few good reasons to occasionally go there.  I love going to Front Porch coffee shop on Glenway, it's great. Inside, there's a piano, hardwood floors, nicely painted walls, paintings, awesome furniture, music playing, WI-FI (I think), and great people working there.  They also have a few coffee table books about Ohio with panoramic pictures.  Zen and Now is another coffee shop on the west side, but it's not as nice as Front Porch on the inside.  Off of River Road, there's this new restaurant we went to, that had like an outdoor bar, it was really cool, and it was down by the river.  It was actually a really tropical type of atmosphere, and it made me wonder if they stole their fake lit up palm trees from Coconut Grove in Newport because they're identicle.  Does anyone know what that place is called? That's going to bother me now :(

Well that might be the case for some but I just don't get it.  I have a kid and knew no one when I moved here 3 years ago yet I was able to easily find places to party.

 

I'd say, for a newcomer, perusing something like CityBeat or Cincinnati magazine would tip people off to whats interesting in town

 

While yes it would be great to have one grand entertainment district in Cincinnati, it will never happen.  OTR will never been like other cities entertainment districts.  There are many people that fear OTR.  While I enjoy OTR and its offering, I have accepted this reality.  If an all in one district develops it will be on the riverfront but only time will tell.

 

I really don't know much about the entertainment scene in Cincinnati, but it seems places are more scattered.  I know there are places on Main Street, but also Bogarts up in Correyville and the Southgate House across the river in Newport, and the Comet up in the Northside, I think, and so forth...they are all in-town, but scattered around the inner neighborhoods. 

 

Thats pretty different from here in Dayton, where all the places worth going to (for me at least, and I'm talking about straight venues) are downtown or in the Oregon. 

 

The interesting thing about Dayton is that there is no "campus strip" around UD...at least when it comes to music venues...most people at UD or WSU party in the city, as far as I can tell.  One would think there would be like a little version of the things around UC or even High Street at OSU on Brown Street around UD, but it doesn't seem to be quite that developed, aside from food places and a few shops.

 

 

 

 

 

                                               

 

                                                       

 

                                                               

 

                                                               

                                                                       

im from the westside (the semi-far reaches of it) and I never thought cincy was boring.  ive always thought cincy was freakin' awesome. 

Off of River Road, there's this new restaurant we went to, that had like an outdoor bar, it was really cool, and it was down by the river.  It was actually a really tropical type of atmosphere, and it made me wonder if they stole their fake lit up palm trees from Coconut Grove in Newport because they're identicle.  Does anyone know what that place is called? That's going to bother me now :(

 

Are you talking about Cabana?  By Fore and Aft before it sunk?  That is a cool place.

 

I think those gaudy palm trees have been mass-produced.  I've seen them at several other places, too.

LOL yeah, that's what it's called! They haven't even cleaned up the Fore and Aft after it sank! It's still poking above water somewhat. The city hasn't bothered with it lol.  I can't imagine, if we drained the Ohio River what all we would find under there.

I'm im reading this right. People want liquor to have a good time?

Actually, I'm kind of surprised to hear UD parties downtown. UD seems to have a "party school" reputation. I've never partied there, but I here kids hype it up (and then assume they haven't been to OU). Those rich Catholic kids sure like their alcohol...

 

They either go downtown, Oregon District, some bars scattered on Brown Street (which is the "college strip"), or house parties.  And yes, they are a rather large party school.

 

Are the house parties around UD good?? What are police like? Do they shut down parties, or do they let things run their course?

 

Police?  What police?  It's Dayton LOL!!!

The interesting thing about Dayton is that there is no "campus strip" around UD...at least when it comes to music venues...most people at UD or WSU party in the city, as far as I can tell.  One would think there would be like a little version of the things around UC or even High Street at OSU on Brown Street around UD, but it doesn't seem to be quite that developed, aside from food places and a few shops.                                                                             

 

Well it is a Catholic University.  Xavier has even less walking distance from the campus.

The interesting thing about Dayton is that there is no "campus strip" around UD...at least when it comes to music venues...most people at UD or WSU party in the city, as far as I can tell.  One would think there would be like a little version of the things around UC or even High Street at OSU on Brown Street around UD, but it doesn't seem to be quite that developed, aside from food places and a few shops.

 

I was wondering where all those WSU students went for nightlife, but I didn't see much downtown, I'm guessing it's scattered unlike the Oregon District. Yes, I walked around downtown Dayton, at night! I'm so lucky I made it out alive :roll:. Why are so many Daytonians (Ohioans in general) big fat pussies ?(no offense, girls) I guess I'll leave that for another thread.

The interesting thing about Dayton is that there is no "campus strip" around UD...at least when it comes to music venues...most people at UD or WSU party in the city, as far as I can tell.  One would think there would be like a little version of the things around UC or even High Street at OSU on Brown Street around UD, but it doesn't seem to be quite that developed, aside from food places and a few shops.

 

I was wondering where all those WSU students went for nightlife, but I didn't see much downtown, I'm guessing it's scattered unlike the Oregon District. Yes, I walked around downtown Dayton, at night! I'm so lucky I made it out alive :roll:. Why are so many Daytonians (Ohioans in general) big fat pussies ?(no offense, girls) I guess I'll leave that for another thread.

 

Like Columbus, Dayton's CBD itself only has a couple of bars and such but the area around it (Webster Station, "Neon District," and Oregon) are nightclub/bar areas.  For black folks, there are numerous nightclubs just to the east of the Kettering Tower.

>Are the house parties around UD good?? What are police like? Do they shut down parties, or do they let things run their course?

 

I only partied twice at UD, it seemed a lot like the Mill/Palmer area at OU except the houses are even crappier and closer together.  That's not enough experience for me to say much about the place, I never went to any bars there.  Actually I partied once at UD when I was about 4 because I was born when my parents were in college and I distinctly remember going to a UD keg party and sliding on a slip & slide.  As you might imagine a bunch of college kids think a little kid up partying late is pretty cool.  I went to a lot of college-age parties and camping trips as a kid, I remember smelling pot for the first time in high school and it being a smell from my youth!   

 

Even though it is expensive I like the Mt. Adams bar district in Cincinnati the best, it is the most similar to Athens in its scale.  You can meet people at the bars there and hit after-hours parties in people's apartments within walking distance just like Athens.  There is a pretty decent mix of bars and ages there too.  The first bar I went to in Cincinnati was the Blue Wisp, they served us at age 16, when I was a junior in high school.  Call me an idiot but I thought that the 21 age was a bit of a myth, that serving underaged in bars was pretty commonplace.  I also grew up with no notion of open container laws until I was cited for it.  When I was 19 I started hanging out with an army dude who got me into the bars in Knoxville, again, I really didn't know that the 21 age was really enforced until I was 20, when bars didn't start letting me in until I was 20 and a half.  Also, I played in bands from ages 18-21 and bars would usually pay us in beer. 

 

The scattered bars thing is a major problem.  I used to work with guys who drove drunk nearly every night of their lives, if not at the bar then at the bowling alley or softball complex.  The thing is probably only 1 in 1,000 drunk drivers actually causes an accident, the nightmare DUI story is so rare that you hear about it on the news every time it happens. 

 

Everything I know about Xavier U leads me to believe that the place is hopelessly not fun.  It is a Catholic University like UD but seems nowhere as rowdy.  UD seems like an expensive OU. 

 

UT Knoxville, where I went for undergrad, had two bar districts about two miles from each other, "the strip" and "the old city" or as I called it "the old intersection".  Both were pretty damn lame, The Strip had a lot of cheaply modified cinder block buildings masquerading as big city dance clubs, with cheap plywood patios insulated with clear plastic, one or two houses with cinder block add-ons.  The old city fancied itself to be The Bowery or something (it has one or two New Orleans style buildings with those fancy railings), with wannabe techno/rave dance clubs and an Olde Spaghetti Factory-turned microbrewery.  If you felt like getting wild you could go sit in the trolley.       

 

The worst bar scenes of all are Harvard's and MIT's, there is only one college-ish bar in Harvard Square called Charlie's Kitchen.  I remember the first time I walked in there they were playing Black Sabbath's first record so it seemed like there was some hope but that was about the most excitement that place has ever seen.  And Harvard's only hot women are all Korean.  The other Ivy League schools I've been to, they all have that same problem, usually only 1 bar that seems to be "their" bar, and definitely, absolutely, only one bar where grad students mingle. 

 

One of my friends from high school went to Rice University, they had two bars on campus including one in the basement of his.  Beers were 50 cents, it closed at midnight and was about 12X20 feet but it was awesome.  And yes, it served underaged, all the time.  Rice is one of the top universities in the country and meanwhile places like UC and OU are paranoid about alcohol and their images.   

 

 

 

 

UD seems like an expensive OU.

 

Basically.

Allright, I'm going to try and remember every bar I've been to, ever:

*designates closed/torn down

 

Cincinnati:

Blue Wisp X 45

Arnold's

Ogden's

The Knotty Pine

Crossroads (white oak)

The Garage

Chavelle's

Donna V's

Gator's

Vince's Other Place

The Blue Note

Eagle(?) other place on W 8th

Bar Cincinnati*

Jefferson ?

Bogart's X 30

Sudsy's

Top Cat's

Martino's

Murphy's

Fries' Cafe

Ripley's*

Jump Cafe

The Comet

The Mad Frog

Some other place in Northside

The Southgate House

York St. Cafe

About 5 places on Mainstrasse

Gano Tavern

Sneaky Pete's north

Sneaky Pete's east

Some place in Mason

Some place in Fairfield

Some place in Silverton

Some place in Mt. Lookout

Annie's

Bobbie Mackie's

City View Tavern

Yesterday's

Longworth's

The Pavilion

Alive One

Probably about 10 more I'm forgetting.

 

Knoxville:

McGhee's*

The Tap Room*

Charli Pepper's

The Campus Pub

Barley's Tap Room

The Neptune*

The Mercury Theater*

Lord Lindsey's

The Carousel

 

Nashville

The Exit/Inn

Greenhills Corner Pub

The Bluebird Cafe

About 5 of those lousy places downtown

About 5 places in strip malls

 

Boston

Charlie's Kitchen

The Cantab Lounge

About 5 places in Cambridge I can't remember

About 5 places downtown I can't remember

 

Miami Beach, FL

The Cleavelander

Nikki Beach

About 3 more

 

Gainesville, FL

About 4

 

New Orleans

About 7 including 1 strip club

 

Houston

The Amazona Club (NOT a strip club)

Rice University Chemistry Building

Hooter's

 

New York City

The Village Idiot (about the only country bar in NYC)

About 7 more

 

Paducah, KY

The Silver Saddle

1 more

 

Athens, OH

The Oak Room

The Smiling Skull

The Cat's Den

BW3's

Skipper's

The Union X 150

Tony's X 200

Evolution

Lucky's X30

Pawpurr's

The Pub

The Junction

Casa Cantina

The Blue Gator

Courside Pizza

The Cat's Eye X 25

The CI X 25

The Crystal

The Pigskin X 20

 

Okay by my count that's 149 bars.  Can anyone beat that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The worst bar scenes of all are Harvard's and MIT's...

 

I've been to at least 3 different bars within blocks of Harvard.  It's not my ideal of nightlife, but I think it's a little better than you're saying.

>>UD seems like an expensive OU.

 

>Basically.

 

How about an expensive OU with more computer geeks?  There are no IT guys at OU to speak of.

 

>I've been to at least 3 different bars within blocks of Harvard.  It's not my ideal of nightlife, but I think it's a little better than you're saying.

 

The Bow & Arrow (at the corners of Bow and Arrow streets) closed in 2001, this is where one of the scenes from Good Will Hunting was shot, I never got a chance to go there.  It was replaced by by a really expensive bar whose name I can't remember.  Harvard Square does have a lot of nice small restaurants and is home to Cafe Pamplona, probably the only true European cafe in the US, although it just closed after a 50 year run.  I don't remember there being any regular bar there except for Charlie's Kitchen.       

 

Okay I forgot a few bars:

 

Kansas City/Lawrence KS

The Bottleneck

Davey's Uptown

The Grenada

The Grand Emporium

About 3 other places

 

Chicago

Gold Star (some nausiating 4am hipster place)

About 4 others

 

Hebron, KY

The Ramada Inn

 

Pittsburgh PA

The Ruddy Duck

Some place near U of Pitt

 

NYC, it's coming back slowly:

A place near the Met Life building

A place in Gramarcy Park

2 places near Columbia

A place on 125th in Harlem

Small's jazz club on 10th Ave

2 or 3 nausiating hipster places in Williamsburgh and et cetera

 

I'm im reading this right. People want liquor to have a good time?

When it comes to frat boys...yes

Well it sounds like we solved another, people aren't bored in Cincinnati anymore, now they are bored at Harvard & Knoxville ;)

Toledo's nightlife is pretty much concentrated on three blocks in the heart of downtown. There's about two dozen nightclubs and bars lining Jefferson and Superior, and all the hottest venues in the region are located there like Club Eclipse, RAIN, Shadow Lounge, etc.

 

....two dozen means 24 places in three blocks on those two streets.

 

That is a remarkable concentration, well beyond what we have in Dayton, even for the Oregon District.  The place in Toledo that I will probably be visiting if I go there is this Irish place called Mickey Finns, which apparently has live celtic/acoustic music.  It is in the Vistula area, I think.

 

@@@@@@

 

This discussion got me interested in whats happening downtown here in Dayton.

 

I did two maps of the downtown and adjacent areas of Oregon and Webster Station, showing the various types of bars (one is an enlargement), as far as I know them. 

 

Some places can be a mix, like the hotel bar on the top of the Crown Plaza being a good jazz venue on weekends.  For the GLBT places, one is really a mixed straight-gay place (the Masque disco).  And some dance clubs, like Foundry, will have the occasional live show.

 

I've also shown defunct places from over the years with a dotted circle...one of those was a branch of Toledos' Mutz..it was on the river, across from downtown, overlooking the skyline. 

 

Another one was one of those black bars ColDayMan mentioned, the Buckhorn, at the corner of Third and Jefferson.  I was in there once, and it was actually pretty friendly, being an older black clientele mostly.  It fell victim to the aborted "Entertainment District" concept of Hutchins Reality, as did the popular Boston Bistro on Jefferson and 2nd.

 

And yet another was the bar at the SpagHouse, a restaurant bar which did have some people who went there to drink...which was turned into their smoking area. 

 

 

 

 

...I've also shown those two proposed jazz places on Main Street on the block between 2nd and 1st.  One is for sure going to open, where Skogalnics (and, before, Thomatos and Kittys) used to be.  Not sure about the other yet, across the street from the Victoria.

 

As of yet, there really isn't too much going on in that Webster Station area.  Canal Street Tavern was there for years, but the new places are Therapy, Brixx, and the relocated Southern Belle.

 

The place I am really liking for atmosphere and live music, after-show, after going to the Shuster, is J-Alans, in the Talbott Tower..it is turning into a pretty good live band venue, though it is somewhat isolated from the rest of the action downtown.

 

 

Sort of an interesting discussion.  I guess for drinking, really, I go out maybe more for the music and atmosphere, not so much to drink or meet people (though at the gay bars, I do "check in" with the regulars...sort of a neighborhood tavern concept for me, not really there to cruise).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm im reading this right. People want liquor to have a good time?

 

No, but that is a distinctive disadvantage to Cincinnati.  Even smaller cities like Indianapolis, Columbus, and Louisville in the region have a couple bar "strips" where you can walk to 15-20 bars within a couple blocks.  Even smaller cities like Dayton and Toledo have their little strips as well. 

 

Now, I think everyone knows that the nightlife and music scene in Cincy is probably better than most of those cities, its just that it is more "scattered" like Monte said.  Each neighborhood has some really cool places to go but Cincy really lacks that "central gathering place" for its youth.  Perhaps that explains why the cheesy Newport Levee is successful?

It's more hippie oriented/middle class.

 

Sounds like me. I am definetly going to check it out, and Vistula, too. 

 

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Now, I think everyone knows that the nightlife and music scene in Cincy is probably better than most of those cities....

 

I can't speak to the Cincy music scene...they have had some interesting things like the Ass Ponys and Messerle & Ewing, but I found this online by a singer songwriter who was originally from Cincy, but moved to Nashville and then to Dayton.....

 

"In Fall 2001 I relocated to southern Ohio from Nashville, TN.  I lived outside Cincinnati for a year, commuting to Dayton, OH for school and work, and scoping out both cities' musical offerings.  In my first estimations, I found the Cincinnati scene creatively conservative and laden with a certain emotional testosterone.  Coming from Nashville and a more even gender balance among musical artists, it was unsettling to be in the minority again.  Don't get me wrong, being surrounded by men is a great way to get noticed, and although I appreciated the attention (being a girl was never a "gimmick" in Nashville - there were far too many of us) I felt immediately relegated to the lesbian folk scene in Cincinnati, a common generalization of guitar-proficient women songwriters in our culture.  Legitimate guitar chops seem to translate into a suspicion of one's true femininity.  I heard the compliment more than a few times, "you play guitar like a man!"  It is a compliment that comes with a limitation for my gender, and always makes me a little sad, despite its intent.

 

I moved to Dayton in the summer of 2002 and started to carve out the smallest of niches.  I felt like I had stumbled upon something subtle but very intricate and full of life in the Dayton music scene.  This town seems to be a crossroads of the Midwest.  There are amazing resources hiding around every corner - from Canal Street Tavern (God save it) to some very well-established studios to the numerous regional and national touring artists who've gotten their start here.  But where were the women artists?  I sought them out instinctually.

 

I met a few right away:  Sharon Lane, for one.  I saw her on a Tuesday at the Canal Street co-op.  I remember disinterestedly reading a book at a table by myself, never expecting the soul that poured forth from that dusty old instrument.  I stared wide-eyed at her, thinking to myself, it's 10:30 on a Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio - who is this woman at the piano?  

 

It's almost as if the mid-sized quality of Dayton breeds an appreciation for originality that many markets miss.  Not originality for its own sake, mind you, but a factor "x" that can only result from honest art delivered without pretense to an audience who accepts and expects just that.  Many of the artists in this area share this quality, but I became intrigued by the women artists, who I quickly found to be more numerous than in many cities of a similar size.  I wanted to begin to study and understand what sort of feminine voice this unique, creatively-charged, if sometimes-sleepy scene would propagate.  There are so many expectations for women in music - I was interested in the music that comes from women when the dominant expectation is inimitability, as it seemed to be in Dayton, Ohio."

 

link

 

 

 

 

For Athens, these are my favorites:

Junction- My favorite place. I'm there every weekend, and it has the hottest/sloppiest girls in Athens. The atmosphere is very exciting and the two seperate bars still aren't enough on crowded nights. Upstairs tends to be the dancing area.

 

It's also probably the smallest bar in town sans the Cat's Den.  The signature drink, the Junction Punch, I remember being sort of like a Long Island both in taste and in devestating effect.  You neglected to mention that it's a wedge-shaped bar with numerous dangerous elevation changes.     

 

>Pub- 2nd favorite place. This bar is family to me, and I'm there every couple of days. I always see friends here. It's a small place, but is very lively for its size.

 

Yeah, my uncle's friend met his wife at this bar in a legendary incident where he just spotted her, liked what he saw, picked her up over his head, and bit her ass.  They got married like a year later.  I didn't go there too much but the funniest was the time when we walked in at about 1:50, my friend tripped and bumped the doorman, he kicked him out, and as he was leaving bumped into some chick and made stupid noise.  They shared a laugh and he just goes "so, where are we going?"  I don't know any of the details past that point.  Yeah, it's just that easy to get laid in Athens.   

 

>C.I.- Solid bar, but doesn't really stand out for anything, good on weeknights.

 

Solid is the word, I always liked the basement.  It was like a relaxed house party down there but with this guilty high school kind of feeling, like your parents were suddenly going to come down those steps and tell everyone to go home.

   

 

>Crystal- Being Vice Prez of a frat requires that I get dragged here every now and then. It's a decent bar and has mellowed out a lot. Drinks are solid from both of the bars there. There are lots of assholes here though.

 

Yeah some guys I know almost got their asses kicked for jokingly dancing with each other. 

 

>Evolution- Got to go here every now and then. The lounge is good for socials and is free.

 

You can't rent that out for free can you?  I like the lounge on Tuesdays.  This place also attracts the most bums from the countryside, the police are seemingly always outside attending to some matter.   

 

>Lucky's- Pittsburghian bar with decent atmosphere/girls

 

They expanded this place, it's way better now. 

 

 

>Courtside- the hub of North Court Street, large crowds, awesome pizza, hot girls, weird layout.

 

Definitely the hottest girls -- where are these people during the daytime?  When we say hottest, we mean you go in there and there are like 10 girls who were each the hottest at their respective high schools.

 

>BW3's- same shit in every city. Athens and Maumee are my favorite ones.

 

I had some bad experiences at this place, some karaoke nightmares.  Words cannot describe my hatred for karaoke, especially groups of dorky girls getting up and singing Dixie Chicks, and having to put up with this crap time after time because it's your woman's friends. 

 

>Casa Nueva- too hippie for me. I've only gone there a few times. Casa Cantina- same as above.

 

It's the same damn place.  It's only claim to fame is that Nirvana played there back before they were big. 

 

 

>Pawpurr's- hit or miss for me. The girls are hot, but the bar can sometimes be less friendly than other ones. Lots of underage people here.

 

No kidding, definitely the most "tense" bar.  More often than not you were walking over broken glass and some dude was vomiting out in the open.   I like the raised stage, a fun place to dance. 

 

 

>Blue Gator- one of the classiest places in Athens, though that ain't saying much as the bars here are not very sexy (the girls are, but not the actual places).

 

Mediocre music venue, never bothered with the first floor, the balcony is a let-down and always fogged up.  Formery The Swindle Fish, formerly The Greenery, the most notorious underaged/pickup bar in Athens history.  And that's saying a lot! 

 

>Red Brick- basement "Bull Pen" is great for socials.

 

Yeah I rented it out myself but the sound system sucks down there.  Nice casual room otherwise.   

 

>O'Hooley's- Irish-styled bar of Athens. Has live music a lot.

 

Too loud.  I like the back patio but it's tough to get comfortable in this bar if you aren't in a booth. 

 

Other notable bars:

Smiling Skull, a really casual and friendly biker bar.  No reason for OU students to hesitate coming down, people are nice.  No liquor, just beer here. 

 

The Union, probably the most intimidating bar sans the Skull.  There is a group of about 40 regulars who are Athens natives and then the art dept, theater people, film dept., etc. make up the next biggest chunk of people here.  Overall most people would not like this bar but the people are actually a lot friendlier than they appear.  Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, The White Stripes, and others all played this bar before they were big.     

 

 

>You've certainly got me beat on bars, Jake.

 

I've got you beat by about six years too.  I also never had some frumpy movie-and-doritos girlfriend who kept me out of the game for a few years like most of my friends.  To what sordid depths some of my old pals have sunk, some have rebounded, but some are gone forever, adrift in a sea of domestic bliss.  I think most of my ex-women are still out there partying, I don't think any of them have settled down.     

   

 

>I've probably only been to like 50 bars/clubs in my life, half of which are in Athens.

 

Before I compiled that list I thought I'd been to about 65 or 70.  I didn't realize how long I've been at this.   

 

>Have you been to the new place in Athens yet? I here it is supposed to be higher class and have a dress code. Do you know if this is true?

 

No, I moved out last fall.  I remember there was some controversy over it, that the church on that block objected.   

 

>I don't remember there being any regular bar there except for Charlie's Kitchen.

 

I remember I went to House of Blues there once, that's not a regular bar either.  I don't hink there is another regular bar in that area. 

 

>Harvard sounds like it might be similar to Ann Arbor (more severe though), as it's a more intellectual place. After coming from Athens and Bowling Green, I was shocked at the lack of bars in Ann Arbor. That was a good thing though

 

Harvard's bad news, man.  Age 18 is the time to be out there getting in trouble, not when you're 45 and realized you wasted your youth taking things too seriously.  There are definitely some people at Harvard and MIT who have never had a day of fun in their lives.  I once partied with a chick from Mt. Holyoke, she was really looking to bust out but she was from way too much money for me to have a chance with.  She was almost certainly the hardest partier at Mt. Holyoke, she would have caused a sensation at OU.  I wish I had a picture of her.       

 

>I always figure the harder a school is to get into, the less likely it will have good nightlife. Then again, OU is not exactly an easy admission and it's one of the biggest party schools in the country...

 

I knew a pretty fine girl who went to Yale, she said they assign you a psychiatrist the day you step on campus. 

The interesting thing about Dayton is that there is no "campus strip" around UD...at least when it comes to music venues...most people at UD or WSU party in the city, as far as I can tell.           

 

Actually as a Dayton grad with several family members still attending school there, I can tell you this is pretty far from what actually goes on.  The quintessential feature of social life at UD has always been and continues to be the the highly residential nature of the campus, specifically the "South Student Neighborhood" (as the PC school administrators like to call it today) AKA "The Ghetto", where almost all of the student housing is.  It's both a good and a bad thing.  It's great because almost everyone who goes there lives lives in such close proximity to one another.  That many college students in such a small area is a lot of fun and it creates a strong sense of community.  However, the downside is that the majority of student rarely leave the campus or the surrounding Brown St area.  Most of the partying at UD goes on in the Ghetto and the Brown St bars.  When I went to UD, I worked downtown and went to bars downtown & in the Oregon District, but I was in the definite minority on that one.  Most people did not want to leave campus or drive around when they were going to bars or anything else.  I know for a fact that there were people who never stepped foot downtown in four years there and it's two miles from campus.

 

You're correct about Brown St. not being nearly as built up with stores and bars and restaurants as you see at near other colleges, but keep in mind that OSU (55K) UC (34K), & OU (24K) all have at least 17,000 more student than UD does.  Compared to XU's surrounding area  - with almost the same enrollment as Dayton - Brown St looks pretty happening.  UD's administration also does not want any more bars open in that area and they Carry a lot of weight with the city.  There are about seven bars in close proximity of campus and a few others have been closed to make room for new developments.  So considering that the majority of of the 7K undergrad students are not of legal age, which makes it easier to the state liquor control to keep tabs on, it's not surprising there aren't more bars.   

 

As far as UD being expensive, well...it is and much more so now.  A party school...it is defiantly that too, although I'm told is is significantly stricter than when I went there (and believe me I've partied at OSU, OU, WVU many times and UD definately earned it's reputation as party school).  However as far as UD being "uppity" I never got that vibe and I was definitely not a rich kid.  UD was such a fun school because parties were always open to everyone and living in the ghetto everyone was your neighbor.  Even as a freshman you never paid money to drink at someones party - because it was always assumed you'd do the same when you got a house someday.  That sense of openness and an extreme sense of pride about drinking the cheapest domestic you can buy (Beast Light) don't really add up for me to being uppity.  Everyone at UD always thought that Miami people were a little snobby (and having dated, worked with, and I'm friends with many Miami students/alumni I still haven't changed my opinion on that one  :-D ).  

 

As far as where WSU student go I have no idea.  I know that they sometimes came down to UD bars, but I don't think there is really much around WSU in the way of campus bars.

^Is there much of a neighborhood or campus for the school formerly known as OSU-Miami@Dayton (Wright State's name prior to the mid 60s)

On 3/14/2006 at 12:01 PM, unusualfire said:

My friend said he was. I've seen it on several myspace pages. Is Cincinnati really boring? Could it be they are a boring person themselves? How would they know another city isn't boring having never lived there???? My friend did say it's a great place to raise a family, but there is nothing to do..wtf??

 

Are people just jealous, because they are single, that's why they think Cincinnati is boring???

 

It's funny to think back to the early-to-mid-2000s when "Cincinnati is so boring" was a common refrain from young people. Of course, the prevailing social media platform of the time was MySpace, so it was trendy to be emo and talk about how their lives were boring and there was nothing to do. Social media today is a complete 180 from that--everybody wants to post pictures of themselves at parks, walking around the city, and going to restaurants/bars so they can show everyone how exciting their life is. I think the change in attitude towards Cincinnati has just as much to do with the popularity of Instragram and Facebook as it does with the fact that there actually is more to do in Cincinnati today.

Back in 2006, brunch hadn't been reinvented yet.