Hey everyone, been following this forum for a while, filled with a fair amount of intelligent folks.
I just graduated with my B.S. Arch from U of Minn. and I'm heading to U of Cincy for my masters this fall.
I've applied for an apartment on the corner of 15th and walnut st (just south of Liberty) and in the OTR neighborhood. It was recomended by someone on this site as being great places and they look super cool.
I don't know the area (as I live in Minneapolis and I can't go looking for apartments). It seems to be just outside the bad part and right near the revitalized condos/loft area. Plus the issue of revitalizing OTR fascinates me (its my kind of architecture). How do you revitalize a gorgeous urban environment with racial hotspots into a financialy mixed neighborhood while preventing gentrafication (spl?). Nothing better than to live in that environment yourself! Anyways, some opinions of the area would be great. Thanks!
Where's monkeyboy? monkey, he's moving right next door to me. When are you leaving for Stevens? Maybe if he gets here before you leave we can have a bon voyage barbeque!!!
On a side note, I have no idea where my fascination with barbeques comes from especially since I don't have a grill.
In any case, if anyone else here is looking for a place to live in Cincy, this is where it's at:
You'll talk to Al, and tell him that Emily sent you (that's me!). I think there's at least one more vacancy. If we get one or two more Archinectors down here, surely we can build some sort of experimental shelter in the parking lot as performance art or something. That would rule.
wonderK, i'm down for a barbeque. I dont leave till last weekend in july. allthough, forgive me if i dont share all your excitement for the OTR move. I too had you aspirations and excitement and over the 2 years i have been here have grown increasingly discruntled and bitter about the entire area. i dont want to scare anybody off who would like to live in OTR becasue its peopple like us the area needs, but....if i were to stay in cinci i dont know how much longer i would be living it OTR.
if you need me to elaborate i will. let me know abou the barbeque!
the problem, I think, is that the area needs people like us, except with money. if we all had money much of this would be taken care of. if only it were that simple...... but, i understand how one could get disgruntled. I do like the neighborhood though.
I don't know about you guys but monkeyboy is starting to sound like a weenie :oP
just kidding, yeah i've heard gunshots, but only like 4 times in the past year. i'm also a single white female and i'm still around, so if I can handle it, anyone can. seriously though, he acts like I haven't been living there for a year. Monkeyboy, if you scare off my new potential neighbor I'm going to send all my friends from the Christian halfway house over to your loft!
Barbeque happens when beatledud moves in....until then it's just me and trust me, you want someone else to cook.
OK Ok, so OTR isn't that bad, it's got its issues, but so do most major cities. Now for the much more important issue. THE MUSIC SCENE.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about leaving Minneapolis is leaving the wonderful local/underground/and indie rock music scene. Minneapolis is growing, First Ave Club has been around for ages and presents all sorts of bands, local and famous. The new minnesota public radio 89.3 The Current plays a wonderful music set all day (indie rock, local, old time, jazz, it's not old person public radio, it's the best thing to happen to radio, no commercials. Check out www.mpr.org and click on the current on the top and you can listen to it...right now there is a membership drive, so a lot of the talking is about that, beware). However, it is great, I listen to it 12 hours a day
Now, what is the music scene like? Is there anyone else out there that listens to the bands I like? I'll list them (these are bands that are more current, for isntance, my fav band is the Beatles, and I love Dylan and Doors, DMB, Beastie Boys, Jurassic 5, but they are all old school or nearing old school). I have listed both indie rock and some hip hop. Do any of you listen to these bands and do they come to Cincy?
Low
Badly Drawn Boy
Beta Band
Rogue Wave
Olympic Hopefuls (Mpls Local)
Atmosphere (Hip-hop & Mpls Local)
The Hold Steady
Hot Hot Heat
!!! (pronounced chk chk chk)
Arcade Fire
Beck
Best Boy Electric
Bright Eyes
Broken Social Scene
Death Cab For Cutie
The Dismemberment Plan (now Travis Morrison)
The Flaming Lips
Halloween Alaska (Mpls Local)
Interpol
Jonny Lang
The Magnetic Fields
Modest Mouse (the old stuff too!)
Pedro the Lion
The Postal Service
The Shins
Sage Francis (Hip-hop)
Snow Patrol
Spoon
John Vanderslice
The Walkmen
Wilco
That's just some of the great more obscure (for most of them anyways) bands. I like a lot more obscure that I haven't purchased yet (those are only lists of bands in which I own atleast 1 CD). Plus I have several other great bands, some reach dozens.
Next chapter, bands I'm thinking about purchasing but don't know what CD to buy or if the CD's are any good...
gunshots were common when i lived in albucrackee. less so in chitown. in the sticks where i am now more young people die from drunk driving than ever were done in by drive bys. tragic either way. great bands there dud.
Well, until this year, many of my music-savvy friends were dreading another summer in this city of perpetual band-avoidance. But then the House of Blues bought out this great little venue called the Madison in Covington, KY, which has since seen the likes of the Killers, Louis XIV, and Modest Mouse to name a few. Also the Decemberists have been here and a local radio station hosted a free show with the Ravonettes a couple of weeks ago up the street in Newport. You can't limit yourself to Cincy, you see, you have to cross the river to catch everyone.
If The Postal Service actually shows up here, I'll camp out. Also, don't forget that www.woxy.com is broadcast from here in Cincy. I have a great story about running into Brendan Benson and Keane in a bar back in May.....
PS. Another thing is that some of the "shots" monkeyboy heard might have been fireworks....you can hear them at our building whenever the Reds get a HR or win a game.....which isn't often I know (sigh)
wonderK..did you here about what happened to Matt.W? thats what started making me uneasy.
Forgive my bitternes for i am in the middle of writing hate mail to the city and the police department upon my departure.
I have a love hate relationship with OTR. it takes a special person to live here. mad props to WonderK for her defense. I am just tired of defending it.
dont prevent me from moving here. i still dont know where else i would live in the city.
Monkey--that was all I ever had to say about it--it's just damn frustrating.
AS for you beatledud, I don't think it's smart to move into a neighborhood without having a look around, first. You might be surprised. There's a certain feel to the neighborhood down there, and it jives for some and not for others. Good for monkey and wonder sticking to it down there. The neighborhood needs it.
BTW, 15/Walnut is on the very outskirts of the good part.
Interpol was at Bogarts, Southgate House brings some good acts in (Decembersits, Ravonettes (as mentioned by Wonder K), Interpol before they were bigger, The Pheonix, Dogs Die in Hot Cars) Also, Damien Rice, The Frames, and Metric at Bogarts, Travis at one point, DJ Shadow, Coldplay will be at Riverbend (large outdoor venue by the river...hence river...bend) this summer I believe. There are always some good local acts running through the Comet, The National...now out of Brooklyn and from Cincy...like to play there when they come back. Arlins bar in Ludlow has good acts like locals Heartless Bastards and a bluegrass night with a band that is out of control good (i have never seen fingers move so fast). And dont forget to stop in Shake It Records of Northside every day to get your fix and wide selection of all the bands you listed. I think Hot Hot Heat was in town recently as well.
That's good to hear that 15/Walnut is on the outskirts of the good part...and I say that in that I've done my research well. I went through the OTR area a few times when I visited the school in early spring (mostly Vine St and Race St area). I unfortunately can't visit the are as I live in Minneapolis and to come out and check places would cost me between 500 to 700 dollars (that's plane tickets, rental car, food, and time I lose from taking off of work). I've talked to WonderK, plus another architect who live in those apartments, and a prof. of the Arch department at UC (Gordon Simons). All have advised me that some of the areas are really good down there, and one just has to know where and when to walk/not to walk.
I've grown up and lived in two of probably the most non-prejudice cities in the country (Madison, WI and Minneapolis, MN) and I want to experience a place that isn't coated with liberals (don't get me wrong, I am one) and 90% whites who believe that racism and crime is only a side thought in our world. I want to grow an extra back bone.
Plus the issue with how to revitalize a place like OTR with out destroying the good things that it has (its people/culture/and architecture) is what I'm most interested in studying, and what better way to do it besides reading books and taking studios on it than to live amongst/near your research. I see this as a learning experience, and as long as I don't get a gun shot at me, I could care less about hookers (I think prostitution should be legalized and regulated anyways) drugs, people shitting somewhere, and public drunkeness (i'm often the cause of the last one).
From what I understand anyways is that most of the crime is black on black crime, and white boys that get harassed are usualy drunken idiots that are looking to cause trouble.
For the most part your understanding is true. But very recently my friend along with his friend got held at gunpoint by a single guy on the way to meet me a t Harry's Pizza on Main St. 1 Block from our apartments. He demanded money and after they had geiven him what they had he proceeded to pistol whip both of them. then ran off. The cops were so good at finding him (insert sarcastic tone here) he mugged one single person and another group of honkies before they were able to apprehend him without the help of the cops.
I have also been told there is a group called the "pop-up gang" who have recently been ganging up on a single person with no intention of gettting money...just to beat the living shit out of that person. this happened to a honkie a couple of weeks ago.
These are in addition to Last night drive by shooting on Race st., last weeks murder of a mother in a park by a stray bullet, and a shooting into a crowd walking up main st. last week.
I am not a huge guy but have always thought i could defend myself and was never afraid until recently to walk in my neighborhood at night. (The guy who got jumped by the "pop-up gang" was a former college wrestler.) these event have made me think otherwise.
you could do that but unless you have a garage, lot, or driveway...expect to walk a couple blocks.
i felt the same way about prostitutes, drugs, shitting, and public intox (i lived in the tenderloin of San Fran and it never bothered me) but now that i am living on the ground floors surrounded on 2 sides by alleys i feel differently. you get kinda unneasy when you wake up to some dude getting laid or getting a BJ against you back door (next to my bed). Or, when you see thugs shooting guns into the adjacent building. Or, when you see guys break into the vacant builidng next door so they can shoot up and give head for crack..and have to confront them when you take your trash back to the dumpster. Or when there are armed disputes between pimps, pushers, and prostitutes. Or, when you discover that there is someone climbing up you fire escape and trying to break into the apartments above. Or, when the shit in the alley smells so bad from the heat, it rises into your windows. Or when a local homeless guy finds out your last name and calls you 5 times a day on you front door intercom and asks for money.
and I live in the "good" part.
and FYI, after seeing what OTR has to offer for prostitutes. YOu will wish prostitution never existed. N A S T Y!!!!!
monkeyboy-
please take back your words in regards to prostitution! if it weren't for that I wouldn't be here! I hadn't heard about Matt getting held up and pistol whipped........
Also, the idea of OTR is nice, the reality blows. There is nothing like feeling unsafe while walking around that area of town. I know live in NYC and have been to some very sketchy areas and have never felt like I had to watch my back when alone or with another person like I did in OTR.
I mean, I enjoyed being harrassed by every black man I walked past JUST because I was white.
I had some kids tried to steal money right out of my hand once.
Some dude offered to "watch my car" while I was gone, why does my car need to be watched??
My friends car got stolen! Luckily, he stole it back - awesome story.
I had other friends harrassed all the time.
I once saw a woman with no underpants on! she was not so cute!
I once had a group of kids try to pull my car over, for reasons I can only imagine, because I drove down their street several times after work??
Gentrification, more young white "urbanites" with money etc will not solve the serious social problem which has festered in this area of town for over 25 years. The area is seriously impoverished, there are trust issues between residents and other locals and all in all a degree of desperation which leads to erratic and unsafe behavior by those which unfortunately are stuck living in the area. I am not speaking to the handful of people whom have chosen to make that move. It is a nasty cycle and one of the most racially segregated places I have ever been. If you move there, kudos to you however, you do so at your own risk.
Dudes! I have NEVER had any of that shit happen on my block. Yes there are the prostitutes occasionally but they don't bother me. The guys at the halfway house are nice and I know all my neighbors in my building. They are all nice. We have a parking lot in between our building and won't have to walk anywhere to get to our cars. We don't have buzzers so people can't bother us. Keith (my downstairs neighbor) watches over our shit like a hawk and if anyone loiters or does anything else unseemly he chases them off (I am guessing here because I've never seen anything).
I have never seen any public sex acts or drug deals. Not even any break-ins on cars. Or heard any. Jeremy B lives next to Andy now and he parks his brand new truck on the street all the time.
So I guess I live in the good part! Maybe you and the woman should have moved in next to me.....
I'm putting all of this down because to be honest, monkey's/aeaa's stories are all news to me. Surprised me actually. I think Main street attracts some troublemakers because they know that a bunch of yuppies are prone to stopping in, shopping, clubbing and leaving. Families live down the block from me, little kids ride their bikes and people play football. And I live about 1/2 mile from monkeyboy.
I think that this discussion illustrates that when you are in an area in flux like OTR is, what a difference a block makes.
last summer i saw one with her tats fully hanging out. they were actually pretty nice. and a couple of weeks ago there was this white prostitute that had this skirt on that cam up to the middle of her ass. ohhhhhh it was gross....shit...i just puked in my mouth.
I think monkeyboy's point, beatledud, is that the mentality of "not on my block" doesn't cut it. since you live in OTR you will be walking around OTR....this stuff is out there and it happens. gang violence in OTR is real and its territorial. these territories move and shift over time. Just because you move into an area today that is currently calm doesn't mean that it will be tomorrow. It isn't just black on black crime either. Its territorial and anyone violating some particular gang's regulations can become a target irregardless of your skin color. That can mean just walking down the wrong street at the wrong time. watch your ass, pay attention to the news, the faces of the regulars on your block, and always watch their hands...their hands will telegraph their intentions often before their faces will. don't look like a potential victim. go to your local Cincinnati Police Dept. community meetings. be a part of block watch and become active in the community...if enough concerned people do this, more people will move down there and force out the troublemakers.
An Urban Mindset is critical. be mindful of your surroundings and carry a 'throw down wallet'. that is...a wallet you put in your rear pants pocket that contains about 15 bucks in ones and a five...throw in some of those fake/temp credit cards you get in the mail...that way when you get mugged you can throw them this wallet and they'll see some green and take off. you don't lose your ID, credit cards or much cash. I've done this for years. I'm a big guy and have yet to be challenged in a way i couldn't get out of, but monkeyboy is right...those times are fading.
OTR can be a great place to live and i applaud anyone making the decision to live there, but you have to be smart about it. Having good neighbors like WonderK does, can help...be that good neighbor and you'll be helping the whole community.
well put. that really sums it up. if you are the type of person who can be sustained by your ideals in the midst of omnipresent discomfort, annoyance, and sometimes danger, then you are a potentially successful citizen of our OTR.
five, Tom Bible, or 'GTB' (George Thomas Bible) is a great guy, a great prof and a wealth of information. I would get to know him and keep him as a friend. I have a great deal of respect for that man.
I have not had the pleasure of having the other profs but i wish you the best of luck this quarter. BTW, I want in on this BBQ too once you folks figure it out ;-) BEARCATS represent!
dont know arty (could you possibly mean Aarati Kanekar?).If so, than she is a theory guru. When i was there she didnt have a whole lot of experience in the studio arena but i am sure that has changed. But i dont see her teaching digital skills. hmmmm. IoA is right. Bible is a great guy. KNows his shit in design and a mastermind in structures. And can do a mean bridgebreak performance. I know vincent personally...(work with his sis) but never had him. he came after i graduated but i know he is cool and very intelligent.
IoA, as always you lay the shit down true. You speak like an OTR dweller. Never tried that double wallet thing but sounds great. I will start using it. can i borrow your wallet? preferebly with more cash than i have in mine.
Oh i can tell stories for days. I am glad you havent experienced alot of this WonderK. Its either a possible sign that times are a'changin or you just havent got yours yet.
But i have to say...the most annoying of all disturbances in my area by far is the girl upstairs who has ridiculously loud sex ...porno style...but worse. and at all times of the night...2 nights ago..broke the bed. and they have been fixing it at 2:30 in the morning every night since. I actually screamed up at her last night to shut the fuck up. You think it would be cool....think again.
How bout good things of OTR, I know I have to watch my ass, and I've already signed the lease and payed my deposit, so what's done is done.
How about local bars, clubs, restaurants, shopping, butchers/bakers, things to do on the weekend in Cincy, any good places to bike? (mountain biking included), that sort of thing.
SHOPPING/BAKERS/BUTCHERS/RESTAURANTS
Shadeu Bakery - Main St.
Findlay Market
Take the Cake - Pastry/cake shop on main st.
Final Friday Gallery Walk
Harry's Pizza
Lucy Blue Pizza Window
BARS/CLUBS -are kinda hit or miss lately.
you got:
Coopers Bar-decent
Rhino's-decent
Purgatory- what used to be Club Clau . havent been to purgatory yet. but went to clau a couple times. $$$ cover and beautifull people
Exchange- surprisingnly not bad
The Lab- low key and cheap beers
then you have the usual suspects such as:
Jeckyle and Hydes
RBC
Jefferson
i did forget courtyard. sorry. oooh and tuckers..its got some good eats.
beatle asked for clubs.. and in OTR and all of cinci there are currently slim pickings. Clau was actually a good club.. not ranked in the world as COnde Nast published but still good. they had good music and dancing and a kind of elitist atmosphere. Where else in cinci right now are you going to go dancing? the only options i am aware of are Purgatory, Exchange, Red Cheetah..no, maybe Havanna martini club, maybe Carol's on Main, maybe Jacobs in Northside.
spent the whole day (10 hours) walking through OTR and the BD (business district) sketching, and wasn't shot once, so put those fears to rest ;) i hear pretending your an artist (read poor person) goes a long way.
Help with Cincinnati Living
Hey everyone, been following this forum for a while, filled with a fair amount of intelligent folks.
I just graduated with my B.S. Arch from U of Minn. and I'm heading to U of Cincy for my masters this fall.
I've applied for an apartment on the corner of 15th and walnut st (just south of Liberty) and in the OTR neighborhood. It was recomended by someone on this site as being great places and they look super cool.
I don't know the area (as I live in Minneapolis and I can't go looking for apartments). It seems to be just outside the bad part and right near the revitalized condos/loft area. Plus the issue of revitalizing OTR fascinates me (its my kind of architecture). How do you revitalize a gorgeous urban environment with racial hotspots into a financialy mixed neighborhood while preventing gentrafication (spl?). Nothing better than to live in that environment yourself! Anyways, some opinions of the area would be great. Thanks!
Ha, there you are. Hmmm. Problem solved, eh?
Where's monkeyboy? monkey, he's moving right next door to me. When are you leaving for Stevens? Maybe if he gets here before you leave we can have a bon voyage barbeque!!!
On a side note, I have no idea where my fascination with barbeques comes from especially since I don't have a grill.
In any case, if anyone else here is looking for a place to live in Cincy, this is where it's at:
OTR, baby
You'll talk to Al, and tell him that Emily sent you (that's me!). I think there's at least one more vacancy. If we get one or two more Archinectors down here, surely we can build some sort of experimental shelter in the parking lot as performance art or something. That would rule.
i'm moving to cincy. just so i can be wonderk's neighbor.
sweet! vado, you would be a great addition to the 'hood.
we're going to have archinect huts showing up all over the ghetto.
wonderK, i'm down for a barbeque. I dont leave till last weekend in july. allthough, forgive me if i dont share all your excitement for the OTR move. I too had you aspirations and excitement and over the 2 years i have been here have grown increasingly discruntled and bitter about the entire area. i dont want to scare anybody off who would like to live in OTR becasue its peopple like us the area needs, but....if i were to stay in cinci i dont know how much longer i would be living it OTR.
if you need me to elaborate i will. let me know abou the barbeque!
the problem, I think, is that the area needs people like us, except with money. if we all had money much of this would be taken care of. if only it were that simple...... but, i understand how one could get disgruntled. I do like the neighborhood though.
just wait till you have gunshots at your backdoor every night. see how you like it then.
ok, monkeyboy, are you trying to talk me out of it?
WonderK and monkey boy- five and tinydancer are now in town-when do we get our barbeque?
I don't know about you guys but monkeyboy is starting to sound like a weenie :oP
just kidding, yeah i've heard gunshots, but only like 4 times in the past year. i'm also a single white female and i'm still around, so if I can handle it, anyone can. seriously though, he acts like I haven't been living there for a year. Monkeyboy, if you scare off my new potential neighbor I'm going to send all my friends from the Christian halfway house over to your loft!
Barbeque happens when beatledud moves in....until then it's just me and trust me, you want someone else to cook.
OK Ok, so OTR isn't that bad, it's got its issues, but so do most major cities. Now for the much more important issue. THE MUSIC SCENE.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about leaving Minneapolis is leaving the wonderful local/underground/and indie rock music scene. Minneapolis is growing, First Ave Club has been around for ages and presents all sorts of bands, local and famous. The new minnesota public radio 89.3 The Current plays a wonderful music set all day (indie rock, local, old time, jazz, it's not old person public radio, it's the best thing to happen to radio, no commercials. Check out www.mpr.org and click on the current on the top and you can listen to it...right now there is a membership drive, so a lot of the talking is about that, beware). However, it is great, I listen to it 12 hours a day
Now, what is the music scene like? Is there anyone else out there that listens to the bands I like? I'll list them (these are bands that are more current, for isntance, my fav band is the Beatles, and I love Dylan and Doors, DMB, Beastie Boys, Jurassic 5, but they are all old school or nearing old school). I have listed both indie rock and some hip hop. Do any of you listen to these bands and do they come to Cincy?
Low
Badly Drawn Boy
Beta Band
Rogue Wave
Olympic Hopefuls (Mpls Local)
Atmosphere (Hip-hop & Mpls Local)
The Hold Steady
Hot Hot Heat
!!! (pronounced chk chk chk)
Arcade Fire
Beck
Best Boy Electric
Bright Eyes
Broken Social Scene
Death Cab For Cutie
The Dismemberment Plan (now Travis Morrison)
The Flaming Lips
Halloween Alaska (Mpls Local)
Interpol
Jonny Lang
The Magnetic Fields
Modest Mouse (the old stuff too!)
Pedro the Lion
The Postal Service
The Shins
Sage Francis (Hip-hop)
Snow Patrol
Spoon
John Vanderslice
The Walkmen
Wilco
That's just some of the great more obscure (for most of them anyways) bands. I like a lot more obscure that I haven't purchased yet (those are only lists of bands in which I own atleast 1 CD). Plus I have several other great bands, some reach dozens.
Next chapter, bands I'm thinking about purchasing but don't know what CD to buy or if the CD's are any good...
Oh, and I forgot The Wrens, can't forget them, I'm gonna go see that band next month.
gunshots were common when i lived in albucrackee. less so in chitown. in the sticks where i am now more young people die from drunk driving than ever were done in by drive bys. tragic either way. great bands there dud.
Well, until this year, many of my music-savvy friends were dreading another summer in this city of perpetual band-avoidance. But then the House of Blues bought out this great little venue called the Madison in Covington, KY, which has since seen the likes of the Killers, Louis XIV, and Modest Mouse to name a few. Also the Decemberists have been here and a local radio station hosted a free show with the Ravonettes a couple of weeks ago up the street in Newport. You can't limit yourself to Cincy, you see, you have to cross the river to catch everyone.
Good bands, all, BTW. Have a look at this web site for an idea:
http://www.madisontheateronline.com/
If The Postal Service actually shows up here, I'll camp out. Also, don't forget that www.woxy.com is broadcast from here in Cincy. I have a great story about running into Brendan Benson and Keane in a bar back in May.....
PS. Another thing is that some of the "shots" monkeyboy heard might have been fireworks....you can hear them at our building whenever the Reds get a HR or win a game.....which isn't often I know (sigh)
wonderK..did you here about what happened to Matt.W? thats what started making me uneasy.
Forgive my bitternes for i am in the middle of writing hate mail to the city and the police department upon my departure.
I have a love hate relationship with OTR. it takes a special person to live here. mad props to WonderK for her defense. I am just tired of defending it.
dont prevent me from moving here. i still dont know where else i would live in the city.
i meant dont let me prevent you from moving here.
Monkey--that was all I ever had to say about it--it's just damn frustrating.
AS for you beatledud, I don't think it's smart to move into a neighborhood without having a look around, first. You might be surprised. There's a certain feel to the neighborhood down there, and it jives for some and not for others. Good for monkey and wonder sticking to it down there. The neighborhood needs it.
BTW, 15/Walnut is on the very outskirts of the good part.
Also, Wonder, monkey: tiny and I write to you on this thread from 7265 Wolfson. School started monday. BEARCATS!!!!!
Oh no. school started already. wow. i'm going to have to stop by and visit sometime.
in the meantime i think my head is going to explode. sinus pain, ow.
damn, i didnt realize it started already! Whats your prof roster? Do you have an outline for studio. Maybe i can get in on your crits before i leave.
Mwaahahahaha!
beatledud-
Interpol was at Bogarts, Southgate House brings some good acts in (Decembersits, Ravonettes (as mentioned by Wonder K), Interpol before they were bigger, The Pheonix, Dogs Die in Hot Cars) Also, Damien Rice, The Frames, and Metric at Bogarts, Travis at one point, DJ Shadow, Coldplay will be at Riverbend (large outdoor venue by the river...hence river...bend) this summer I believe. There are always some good local acts running through the Comet, The National...now out of Brooklyn and from Cincy...like to play there when they come back. Arlins bar in Ludlow has good acts like locals Heartless Bastards and a bluegrass night with a band that is out of control good (i have never seen fingers move so fast). And dont forget to stop in Shake It Records of Northside every day to get your fix and wide selection of all the bands you listed. I think Hot Hot Heat was in town recently as well.
That's good to hear that 15/Walnut is on the outskirts of the good part...and I say that in that I've done my research well. I went through the OTR area a few times when I visited the school in early spring (mostly Vine St and Race St area). I unfortunately can't visit the are as I live in Minneapolis and to come out and check places would cost me between 500 to 700 dollars (that's plane tickets, rental car, food, and time I lose from taking off of work). I've talked to WonderK, plus another architect who live in those apartments, and a prof. of the Arch department at UC (Gordon Simons). All have advised me that some of the areas are really good down there, and one just has to know where and when to walk/not to walk.
I've grown up and lived in two of probably the most non-prejudice cities in the country (Madison, WI and Minneapolis, MN) and I want to experience a place that isn't coated with liberals (don't get me wrong, I am one) and 90% whites who believe that racism and crime is only a side thought in our world. I want to grow an extra back bone.
Plus the issue with how to revitalize a place like OTR with out destroying the good things that it has (its people/culture/and architecture) is what I'm most interested in studying, and what better way to do it besides reading books and taking studios on it than to live amongst/near your research. I see this as a learning experience, and as long as I don't get a gun shot at me, I could care less about hookers (I think prostitution should be legalized and regulated anyways) drugs, people shitting somewhere, and public drunkeness (i'm often the cause of the last one).
From what I understand anyways is that most of the crime is black on black crime, and white boys that get harassed are usualy drunken idiots that are looking to cause trouble.
For the most part your understanding is true. But very recently my friend along with his friend got held at gunpoint by a single guy on the way to meet me a t Harry's Pizza on Main St. 1 Block from our apartments. He demanded money and after they had geiven him what they had he proceeded to pistol whip both of them. then ran off. The cops were so good at finding him (insert sarcastic tone here) he mugged one single person and another group of honkies before they were able to apprehend him without the help of the cops.
I have also been told there is a group called the "pop-up gang" who have recently been ganging up on a single person with no intention of gettting money...just to beat the living shit out of that person. this happened to a honkie a couple of weeks ago.
These are in addition to Last night drive by shooting on Race st., last weeks murder of a mother in a park by a stray bullet, and a shooting into a crowd walking up main st. last week.
I am not a huge guy but have always thought i could defend myself and was never afraid until recently to walk in my neighborhood at night. (The guy who got jumped by the "pop-up gang" was a former college wrestler.) these event have made me think otherwise.
eh, maybe I will make sure to drive everywhere at night.
you could do that but unless you have a garage, lot, or driveway...expect to walk a couple blocks.
i felt the same way about prostitutes, drugs, shitting, and public intox (i lived in the tenderloin of San Fran and it never bothered me) but now that i am living on the ground floors surrounded on 2 sides by alleys i feel differently. you get kinda unneasy when you wake up to some dude getting laid or getting a BJ against you back door (next to my bed). Or, when you see thugs shooting guns into the adjacent building. Or, when you see guys break into the vacant builidng next door so they can shoot up and give head for crack..and have to confront them when you take your trash back to the dumpster. Or when there are armed disputes between pimps, pushers, and prostitutes. Or, when you discover that there is someone climbing up you fire escape and trying to break into the apartments above. Or, when the shit in the alley smells so bad from the heat, it rises into your windows. Or when a local homeless guy finds out your last name and calls you 5 times a day on you front door intercom and asks for money.
and I live in the "good" part.
and FYI, after seeing what OTR has to offer for prostitutes. YOu will wish prostitution never existed. N A S T Y!!!!!
Well, it is now official, signed the lease and payed the deposit. There's not turning back now.
Monkeyboy, where do you live, just curious (you don't have to give me your mailing address or anything, just to get an idea of the area).
Woodward and Main
and congrats.. as the thugs yelled to us as we were moving in
"HAHA, Welcome to the HOOD"
monkeyboy-
please take back your words in regards to prostitution! if it weren't for that I wouldn't be here! I hadn't heard about Matt getting held up and pistol whipped........
Also, the idea of OTR is nice, the reality blows. There is nothing like feeling unsafe while walking around that area of town. I know live in NYC and have been to some very sketchy areas and have never felt like I had to watch my back when alone or with another person like I did in OTR.
I mean, I enjoyed being harrassed by every black man I walked past JUST because I was white.
I had some kids tried to steal money right out of my hand once.
Some dude offered to "watch my car" while I was gone, why does my car need to be watched??
My friends car got stolen! Luckily, he stole it back - awesome story.
I had other friends harrassed all the time.
I once saw a woman with no underpants on! she was not so cute!
I once had a group of kids try to pull my car over, for reasons I can only imagine, because I drove down their street several times after work??
Gentrification, more young white "urbanites" with money etc will not solve the serious social problem which has festered in this area of town for over 25 years. The area is seriously impoverished, there are trust issues between residents and other locals and all in all a degree of desperation which leads to erratic and unsafe behavior by those which unfortunately are stuck living in the area. I am not speaking to the handful of people whom have chosen to make that move. It is a nasty cycle and one of the most racially segregated places I have ever been. If you move there, kudos to you however, you do so at your own risk.
Man I'm in over my head. I'm nervous/excited.
OK.....
Dudes! I have NEVER had any of that shit happen on my block. Yes there are the prostitutes occasionally but they don't bother me. The guys at the halfway house are nice and I know all my neighbors in my building. They are all nice. We have a parking lot in between our building and won't have to walk anywhere to get to our cars. We don't have buzzers so people can't bother us. Keith (my downstairs neighbor) watches over our shit like a hawk and if anyone loiters or does anything else unseemly he chases them off (I am guessing here because I've never seen anything).
I have never seen any public sex acts or drug deals. Not even any break-ins on cars. Or heard any. Jeremy B lives next to Andy now and he parks his brand new truck on the street all the time.
So I guess I live in the good part! Maybe you and the woman should have moved in next to me.....
I'm putting all of this down because to be honest, monkey's/aeaa's stories are all news to me. Surprised me actually. I think Main street attracts some troublemakers because they know that a bunch of yuppies are prone to stopping in, shopping, clubbing and leaving. Families live down the block from me, little kids ride their bikes and people play football. And I live about 1/2 mile from monkeyboy.
I think that this discussion illustrates that when you are in an area in flux like OTR is, what a difference a block makes.
ditto on the skanky prostitutes though. Wow.
last summer i saw one with her tats fully hanging out. they were actually pretty nice. and a couple of weeks ago there was this white prostitute that had this skirt on that cam up to the middle of her ass. ohhhhhh it was gross....shit...i just puked in my mouth.
and no undies!
uh oh....more puke!
I think monkeyboy's point, beatledud, is that the mentality of "not on my block" doesn't cut it. since you live in OTR you will be walking around OTR....this stuff is out there and it happens. gang violence in OTR is real and its territorial. these territories move and shift over time. Just because you move into an area today that is currently calm doesn't mean that it will be tomorrow. It isn't just black on black crime either. Its territorial and anyone violating some particular gang's regulations can become a target irregardless of your skin color. That can mean just walking down the wrong street at the wrong time. watch your ass, pay attention to the news, the faces of the regulars on your block, and always watch their hands...their hands will telegraph their intentions often before their faces will. don't look like a potential victim. go to your local Cincinnati Police Dept. community meetings. be a part of block watch and become active in the community...if enough concerned people do this, more people will move down there and force out the troublemakers.
An Urban Mindset is critical. be mindful of your surroundings and carry a 'throw down wallet'. that is...a wallet you put in your rear pants pocket that contains about 15 bucks in ones and a five...throw in some of those fake/temp credit cards you get in the mail...that way when you get mugged you can throw them this wallet and they'll see some green and take off. you don't lose your ID, credit cards or much cash. I've done this for years. I'm a big guy and have yet to be challenged in a way i couldn't get out of, but monkeyboy is right...those times are fading.
OTR can be a great place to live and i applaud anyone making the decision to live there, but you have to be smart about it. Having good neighbors like WonderK does, can help...be that good neighbor and you'll be helping the whole community.
"the idea of OTR is nice, the reality blows"
well put. that really sums it up. if you are the type of person who can be sustained by your ideals in the midst of omnipresent discomfort, annoyance, and sometimes danger, then you are a potentially successful citizen of our OTR.
monkey--
we have tom (bible), vincent (sansalone), and arty (kuhn) for studio(9), skills(6) and digital skills(3), respectively.
five, Tom Bible, or 'GTB' (George Thomas Bible) is a great guy, a great prof and a wealth of information. I would get to know him and keep him as a friend. I have a great deal of respect for that man.
I have not had the pleasure of having the other profs but i wish you the best of luck this quarter. BTW, I want in on this BBQ too once you folks figure it out ;-) BEARCATS represent!
dont know arty (could you possibly mean Aarati Kanekar?).If so, than she is a theory guru. When i was there she didnt have a whole lot of experience in the studio arena but i am sure that has changed. But i dont see her teaching digital skills. hmmmm. IoA is right. Bible is a great guy. KNows his shit in design and a mastermind in structures. And can do a mean bridgebreak performance. I know vincent personally...(work with his sis) but never had him. he came after i graduated but i know he is cool and very intelligent.
IoA, as always you lay the shit down true. You speak like an OTR dweller. Never tried that double wallet thing but sounds great. I will start using it. can i borrow your wallet? preferebly with more cash than i have in mine.
Oh i can tell stories for days. I am glad you havent experienced alot of this WonderK. Its either a possible sign that times are a'changin or you just havent got yours yet.
But i have to say...the most annoying of all disturbances in my area by far is the girl upstairs who has ridiculously loud sex ...porno style...but worse. and at all times of the night...2 nights ago..broke the bed. and they have been fixing it at 2:30 in the morning every night since. I actually screamed up at her last night to shut the fuck up. You think it would be cool....think again.
monkey
I will be sure to stay out of your building during the week. sorry that bitch is so loud but,
I'm huge!
aeaa...dont lie. you've got a little one..its pathetic...Shane told me
"shane" is code for your wife right?
thank you, I am here all week, try the filet.........
well that sent this thread to a scretching hault huh?
leave it to aeaa and me to kill a conversation.
i can rant about OTR more if you want?
How bout good things of OTR, I know I have to watch my ass, and I've already signed the lease and payed my deposit, so what's done is done.
How about local bars, clubs, restaurants, shopping, butchers/bakers, things to do on the weekend in Cincy, any good places to bike? (mountain biking included), that sort of thing.
Big up your territory, your city, your state.
good things...cant think of any
just kidding.
off the top of my head in OTR...
SHOPPING/BAKERS/BUTCHERS/RESTAURANTS
Shadeu Bakery - Main St.
Findlay Market
Take the Cake - Pastry/cake shop on main st.
Final Friday Gallery Walk
Harry's Pizza
Lucy Blue Pizza Window
BARS/CLUBS -are kinda hit or miss lately.
you got:
Coopers Bar-decent
Rhino's-decent
Purgatory- what used to be Club Clau . havent been to purgatory yet. but went to clau a couple times. $$$ cover and beautifull people
Exchange- surprisingnly not bad
The Lab- low key and cheap beers
then you have the usual suspects such as:
Jeckyle and Hydes
RBC
Jefferson
i dont frequent those too much.
Didn't you forget the Courtyard on Main? They have really good food.
PS. Club clau sucked. Can't bring myself to go to Purgatory but maybe Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson will make another appearance soon?!?
i did forget courtyard. sorry. oooh and tuckers..its got some good eats.
beatle asked for clubs.. and in OTR and all of cinci there are currently slim pickings. Clau was actually a good club.. not ranked in the world as COnde Nast published but still good. they had good music and dancing and a kind of elitist atmosphere. Where else in cinci right now are you going to go dancing? the only options i am aware of are Purgatory, Exchange, Red Cheetah..no, maybe Havanna martini club, maybe Carol's on Main, maybe Jacobs in Northside.
Neons is a decent OTR bar too
beatle,
spent the whole day (10 hours) walking through OTR and the BD (business district) sketching, and wasn't shot once, so put those fears to rest ;) i hear pretending your an artist (read poor person) goes a long way.
2$tuesdays at neons.
five, they were too busy shooting their rounds behind my apartment to go after you.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.