City Center - Cincinnati, OH Area Guide

When steam navigation was introduced along the Ohio River, Downtown Cincinnati experienced a massive population boom, and steady growth continued throughout the 19th century. The downtown area served as an Underground Railroad stop during the civil war, and the area continued to thrive after surviving riots in 1829 and 1836, the Great Depression and one of the worst floods in the nation's history in 1937.

The city has a thriving arts-and-culture scene that consists of several art galleries, such as the Contemporary Arts Center, and museums including the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. Residents enjoy live theater performances at the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Taft Theater, and see live music performances at US Bank Arena and Riverbend Music Center. The city also hosts several popular annual events, such as Taste of Cincinnati, Goetta Fest and Oktoberfest Zinzinnati.

Restaurants that serve everything from Italian, Mexican and Chinese food to fast food, brunch and deli sandwiches dot the streets of Downtown Cincinnati. However, you haven't really experienced The City of Seven Hills until you've eaten Cincinnati-style chili, breakfast with a side of goetta and barbecue ribs from the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. The Montgomery Inn Boathouse sits on Riverside Drive along the bank of the Ohio River. It features amazing views, patio seating and scrumptious food, making it a good option for an impromptu date night. The restaurant's world-famous ribs rank as a must for first timers, but locals also recommend the duck and the Ribs King Wrap. Regardless of what you order, make sure you get a side of Saratoga chips; these homemade chips complement everything on the menu.

Skyline Chili originated in Cincinnati, beginning the ongoing battle for restaurants to create the best Cincinnati-style chili in the region. However, in order to really experience Cincinnati-style chili at its best, you have to visit a locally owned eatery, and Paula's Cafe on East Fourth Street fits the bill nicely. The cafe, which opens daily from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., attracts a large lunch crowd thanks to its famed turkey chili. Other popular menu items include the 7-Minute Burger, which many people consider one of the best burgers in town, and the crunchy, shoestring-style fries, which most regulars dunk in the cafe's amazing blue cheese sauce.

An old-school-style diner located on the ground floor of Carew Tower on Vine Street, Hathaway's Restaurant has a menu full of affordable breakfast and lunch options. Locals enjoy the diner's burger, fries and milkshakes, but it's the restaurant's breakfast food that draws a crowd. The breakfast menu features everything from eggs with toast and omelettes to French toast and pancakes; you can't make a bad choice. Just make sure to order a side of goetta, since locals claim Hathaway's serves the best goetta in Downtown Cincinnati.

Downtown Cincinnati's lively nightlife consists of a mixture of pubs, cocktail lounges, wine bars and nightclubs, most of which sit between Interstate 75 and 71. Visit Nicholson's on Walnut Street to grab dinner and drinks with your colleagues. The pub serves burgers topped with crumbled smoked Gouda and features an extensive selection of beer, bourbon and scotch. Locals dance the night away at Scene Ultra Lounge on Walnut Street, which features a live DJ every Saturday night. The club also serves as an after-work hot spot thanks to its cheap happy hour drinks, fabulous martinis and decent wine selection. For amazing city views, take your date to Top of the Park, a rooftop bar located on top of the Marriott Residence Inn. The bar opens to the public at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Many consider Downtown Cincinnati the main transportation hub of the region. Direct access to U.S. Route 50, and interstates 71 and 75 make it easy for you to travel throughout the entire tri-state area and beyond. However, parking in Downtown Cincinnati gets expensive, so many locals opt for other transportation methods.

While the downtown area often experiences congested traffic, the land remains flat, and some streets have bike lanes, so riding a bike and walking provide common modes of transportation for the locals.

You can't hail a cab in Downtown Cincinnati, but it only takes a phone call to arrange taxi service. Uber also serves an option. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority has multiple bus lines that run through Downtown Cincinnati and transport passengers throughout the entire Cincinnati area, the city's suburbs and the outer counties.

The Central Business District houses small urban green spaces ideal for relaxing during your lunch break, as well as family-friendly parks. Several parks host annual events as well. Downtown workers visit Piatt Park on Garfield Place when they need a break from the office. Trees line both sides of the park's small stretch of urban land, and the lighted archways welcome those out for an evening stroll. During the summer, enjoy your lunch at Piatt Park on Tuesdays to check out LPK's Acoustic Lunch music series.

Locals exercise their dogs at Fido Field on Eggleston Avenue, which has a mixture of gravel areas and green space. If you don't want to let your dog run loose, visit Smale Riverfront Park on West Mehring Way. The beautifully arranged riverfront space allows visitors to bring their dogs, as long as the keep them on leashes. Also a popular spot for families, the park features splash fountains that children play in on hot summer days, family-sized swinging benches that overlook the Ohio River, and a vast lawn area perfect for a picnic lunch or a game of Frisbee. At night, the fountains light up, and a rainbow of colors fill the park. Visit the park on a summer evening to catch the fireworks after a Reds game or during a summer afternoon to enjoy a mid-morning concert on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn.

Bicentennial Commons-Sawyer Point appeals to families and people who enjoy outdoor exercise. It features playgrounds, open fields, a skating rink and sand volleyball courts. The park's 3-mile paved path attracts joggers and cyclists, as well as people out for a morning stroll. During the spring and summer, the park hosts Party in the Park – a free live music event – every other Wednesday.

The cost of living in Downtown Cincinnati averages around 19 percent higher than the entire Cincinnati area. Locals expect to pay higher housing and entertainment costs, but other necessities remain on par with the rest of the city. On average, downtown residents pay an average of $1201 per month to rent a one-bedroom apartment. A beer at a local pub costs between $5 and $7, and a cone-way bus ride costs between $1.75 and $4.25, depending on your destination. Typical gas prices hover around 6 percent lower than the national average.

An eclectic mixture of upscale and department stores, thrift stores, flea markets and specialty shops line the streets of Downtown Cincinnati. You can't find one dedicated shopping area downtown. However, the high-end retailers and departments stores sit close to the Ohio River between interstates 75 and 71.

Many women in the Cincinnati area consider Portaluca, located on West Fourth Street on the ground floor of the Textile Building, one of the city's hidden gems. The consignment shop benefits Dress for Success Cincinnati – an organization that provides disadvantaged women with professional attire, support and career development tools. It specializes in selling second-hand women's clothing and accessories and often holds sales that turn the already-affordable prices into rock-bottom deals. A lot of the city's high-level professional women donate clothes to the shop, which makes it pretty easy to find a good deal at Portaluca. Just make sure you have time to browse before you walk in the door, and don't forget to check out the details in the shop's bargain basement.

Ohio Book Store on Main Street features five floors of books and magazines, and its Bookbinding and Repair Department provides custom binding and restoration services. The book lover's haven has floor-to-ceiling bookcases full of books from every genre. From back issues of popular magazines and out-of-print books, to first editions, antique reference books and modern reads, this mind-boggling book store has something to intrigue all avid readers.

Downtown residents visit Kroger on Vine Street to complete major shopping trips. However, smaller stores, such as Court & Main Market on Main Street, Garfield Mini Market on Vine Street or Empire Food Brokers on Vine Street, sell basic necessities. Cianciolo's Market House on Main Street carries a great selection of fresh produce, and locals recommend the butcher at Sunshine Fine Foods on Elm Street. Findlay Market, a historic public market located north of the Central Business District in Over-the-Rhine, sell fresh produce, fish, bread and meat from local butchers, bakers, fishmongers and farmers.