Cincinnati is strange. Obviously, I’m only seeing the downtown because at the conference I’m on the executive board, which means wall-to-wall events from 8:30 to 9 pm. But the downtown is grim. Worse than St Louis. Lots of marginalized black people in a heavily narcotized state. The stench of sewage. Miserable dollar stores. A gutted Walgreens. Flashers, drunks. No shopping unless you want to fear for your life the whole time.
But also, I’ve eaten better than I have in years. There’s this breakfast place that has a wraparound line waiting to get inside for at least an hour. I haven’t had such a high-quality breakfast since Berlin. A sensational bakery, and I don’t even like baked goods. Excellent coffee. Everything very expensive but European quality good.
I don’t know the inequality stats but this is the most stratified city I’ve seen in the US so far.
Clarissa's Blog 
We’re definitely a very stratified city. I’m interested in knowing what bakery is so good. I can guess which breakfast place has the long line.
If you had a chance to see the rest of the city, you’d have the chance to see that we also have many poor WHITE people 😛 But you’re also missing many of our finest neighborhoods and attractions.
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The breakfast place is Maplewood and the bakery is Paris Baguette. I’ve already been twice.
I’m missing everything because we are very over scheduled on this trip. I was in Cincinnati back in 2007 and it was a lot nicer than this.
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I actually guessed wrong on the breakfast place. I don’t go downtown much, but Cincinnati has been downhill since 2020. All the liberal “catch and release” judges we’ve elected in recent years aren’t helping, though I don’t think they’re the primary cause, just one of the biggest factors allowing it to continue.
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I’ve heard that Cincinnati is a great place for foodies and that it has a strong European “feel”. Could that be right?
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The food does have a strong European feel. Everything around the food … really doesn’t.
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“food does have a strong European feel”
Have you had the famous “chili” with spaghetti yet? Curiosity got the better of me and I tried a recipe I found online…. not remotely chili but not bad at all… but not for spaghetti… If ever do it again I’ll make much less sauces and have it with penne or fusilli or cavatappi instead.
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They put onion in it, so it’s an automatic no go. But I got some falafel from this hole-in-the-wall place, and it’s honestly the best falafel I ever tried.
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It’s funny, I live in Cincinnati and I’ve never heard this. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true, of course.
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Try Wilmington, Delaware sometime.
Pros: it’s a great place to park your corporation for tax purposes especially if you are moving it outside the US.
Cons: that single building containing the tax residence of over two million US corporations is surrounded by bleak corporate beigescape and the kinds of openly operating security forces you would otherwise associate with Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, or Sao Paulo.
Then if that’s not enough to whet your dystopian stratified corporate cityscape cravings, visit Providence, Rhode Island.
I’d also suggest Atlanta as an even more intense version of Johannesburg-in-America, but getting a carry permit and a gun isn’t entirely straightforward in Illinois, is it?
Because in downtown Atlanta late at night, you’ll need these if you walk more than one block away from the main thoroughfare, which is Peachtree Street.
BTW, beating up on Chicago is de rigueur now, so you should have some variety in your dystopian stratified corporate cityscape prospects. 🙂
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