On March 8, 2026, I was lucky enough to fly to Cincinnati, Ohio for a job interview (shoutout Burgess and Niple). While the commute there may have had many bumps along the way, including almost missing my flight, arriving there was honestly not something I was expecting.
Upon getting there, I was greeted by some of the most polite people I’ve ever met in my entire life. I thought Chicago and Milwaukee were midwestern, but Cincinnati took the cake. Everyone was kind, smiling, friendly. They asked about my reason for visiting, asked detailed questions about what I do, what I study. My Uber driver explained to me everything he knew about the city, including what I should do to take the bus back, as it would be cheaper for me. On my commute back to the airport, the bus driver helped me figure out how to use the public transit system and even offered to cover my fare, as the buses don’t take tap to pay like Chicago does.
The architecture as well was absolutely breathtaking, mixing the modern takes on architecture seamlessly with the historical brick of the original city. While very few buildings reach higher than eight stories, it still felt like a city, just different from the towering skyscrapers of Chicago that in turn make “the Windy City” more about the weather than the politics. One of my favorite aspects of the architecture was their use of space. While some buildings were classic government, office, and residential buildings, there were still quite a few mixed-use residential, taking up only one to two floors of the bottom of the building for retail space while making room for residents above it. It’s not as common as you’d think in bigger cities around the United States, but it’s a very common concept internationally. There are many benefits to doing this, including making significantly more money than leaving vacant office space open for rental. While I’m not sure if Cincinnati is necessarily a place where lots of people are coming in, it sets a standard for preparing better for when the population growth forces us to rely on our buildings being a whole city within themselves.
Another thing I loved was the street art all around the city. It was a lovely mix of murals and graffiti, but it looked seamlessly mixed in with each other. Chicago also has plenty of murals, my favorites being in the Pilsen neighborhood, so it felt almost normal to be surrounded by art. I believe, though, that the mix of the lighter, warm-colored buildings with the murals made the streets feel more lively.
The most drastic difference between Chicago and Cincinnati is the night life. Cincinnati has a handful of things to offer, such as their theater productions, concerts, and bars. However, the majority of the “regular” daytime businesses all closed around 8 p.m. On top of that, many businesses, including CVS, were closed on Sunday. From what I heard asking around, this is both because of historical Blue Laws that prohibit operating businesses on Sundays due to religious reasons (these have since been repealed, but the tradition remained), and because of simple economic struggles that make it difficult to stay open on days where office workers are not downtown. Some businesses offset this mass closure by being open on Sundays and closing on Mondays while others are closed Sundays and Mondays. It was definitely a bit frustrating, as I’m used to places being open late at night, but I completely understand the reasons.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first and possibly last 24 hours in Cincinnati. I am also just as happy to be in Chicago, and I hope to visit more cities that I have yet to venture.