It took me 14 years to correctly spell my city’s name. There are a lot of n’s and i’s and how am I supposed to keep track of which goes where? In third grade, I spelled it wrong on a paper and my teacher made me spell it in front of the class. Problem is, it’s actually pretty difficult to even say Cincinnati when your two front teeth are missing.
Growing up, it was a fad to hate living in the Nati. I know that sounds trivial and immature, but it seemed that everyone my age had this attitude that our town was the worst and they couldn’t wait to get out of there. I tried not to follow suit, but that dumb spelling made my relationship with the Queen City pretty rocky.
But I started hearing my city’s name in different places.
Suddenly, once I moved away from Cincinnati, I was defending it left and right. Proudly stamping myself from "The Nati: home of Skyline, the Reds and bad drivers." Any time someone bad-mouthed it, I found myself gnashing my teeth with a snappy defensive response.
1. Famous people were born here -- no, really!
William Howard Taft’s childhood home is still intact and open for tours, as his name is plastered about everyone imaginable. Do you enjoy the thrill of the film "E.T?" Do you scream when "Jaws" comes on TV? How many tears have you shed while watching "Saving Private Ryan?" You're welcome. Steven Spielberg was born here. Cincy is also the homeland of celebrities like L.A Rein, Doris Day, Pete Rose, Roy Rodgers, Walk The Moon and Drew Lachey.
Okay, so Drew doesn’t really count. We accept that.
2. Mark Twain just loves us.
Twain, arguably one of the greatest American authors, said a famous quote about beloved Cincinnati while he worked within the city.
“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati, because it’s always 20 years behind the times.”
Ignoring the dig… MARK TWAIN COMMENTED ON CINCINNATI.
3. Our beer is top of the line.
No, we have no association with that crap people call Natty Light. Being that Cincinnati originated from German roots, the rich celebration of a good beer is always expected. Hell, I don’t even like beer and I can appreciate the drink just by going to the ever so popular BeerFest.
4. Carrie Underwood mentions us in her song.
There’s not much else to say about this. The princess of country music sings "Cincinnati" in nothing less than an angel voice. Third grade me: take note.
5. You never run out of things to do.
We have a zoo, an aquarium, a plethora of shopping malls and movie theaters, beautiful parks, hidden subway tunnels, museums, stadiums, Riverbend, The Carew Tower, Over The Rhine, Downtown Cincy -- this city is basically exploding with date ideas, people.
6. Skyline and Graeters.
Fun fact: Oprah says our ice cream is the best. Oprah. Your argument is invalid.
7. Oktoberfest
Our city is home to the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the country. I don’t know what’s best -- the delicious goetta, the dancing or the people.
8. We have a hot dog racing contest… kind of.
The Running of the Wieners is the cutest race we can offer, with 100 dachshunds outfitted in hotdog costumes sprinting 75 feet to their owners. It’s a crazy fun (and safe, obviously) event that attracts people everywhere across the country with their pooches. Plus, the dogs enjoy the prizes awarded.
There are a lot of wrong ways to spell my city. It has an array of nicknames, spanning from Cincy, to The Nati, to the Queen City. There are so many different people here with unique interests and passions. No matter how you describe, pronounce or spell my city, it’ll always remain one thing to me.
9. Home.
