10 More Things I Like About Living Where I Do

The past couple days I've posted about some of the things I like about living where I do (in Hanover Township, just outside of Hamilton, in Butler County, Ohio). Turns out twenty just wasn't enough. Several more things have occurred to me since then. For example:

21. The Cincinnati Zoo. It's one of the nation's top zoos, and it's just forty-five minutes or so from our house. I don't make it there as often as I like, but it's a joy to be able to take the grandkids there from time to time (I took the photo at right with my iPhone on a recent visit with all three grandkids).

22. Local delicacies. Once upon a time, we lived outside this area. We had no Skyline Chili. No LaRosa's. No Graeter's ice cream. No Montgomery Inn ribs. No Izzy Kadetz. No goetta. No Frisch's Swiss Miss sandwich. No Barq's Root Beer. No French Chews. No Kahn's wieners (the wiener the world awaited). Life was sad. But now it's happy, happy, happy.

23. We don't get there often, but it's nice to have Jungle Jim's International Market nearby. We've gone there for a cheap date night. Just the restroom facilities are worth the price of admission. Which is nothing.

24. The Aronoff Center. Our budget keeps us from enjoying Cincinnati's arts scene more than we do, but I'm glad that less than an hour away is a first-rate theater venue like the Aronoff Center, downtown. We've enjoyed Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and other shows there. It's a great boon to our area.

25. Newport on the Levee is a wonderful shopping and entertainment complex just across the river from Cincinnati. It's another place we've enjoyed for a cheap date, as it's fun to just walk around and see the sights. They also host many different events there. And, of course, Newport on the Levee is also home to the wonderful Newport Aquarium.

26. The Holiday Drive-In Theater is just up the street from where we live. This historic (sixty-plus years old) drive-in is a relic of a bygone day...that still operates today. They show first-run movies, and occasionally feature theme nights and special events. The grounds also feature an oddity: old buses that have been parked there, and line the drive into the box office.

27. Traffic. Or the lack thereof. Having lived in and traveled through major metropolitan areas, I LOVE not having to fight traffic jams and snarls and so on. Not that our area is totally free of trouble-spots, traffic-wise. But relatively speaking, my traffic headaches are non-existent, and that's one great blessing of living where I do.

28. Local flavor. Literally. Like the Taste of Cincinnati, held every Memorial Day weekend. But also Opening Day for the Reds, which in Cincinnati is something of a major holiday, historically. And the Flying Pig Marathon, the May Festival, the Panegyri Greek Festival in Finneytown, Oktoberfest, Tall Stacks, the Festival of Lights, and more.

29. Kings Island. When our children were younger, we bought season passes to Kings Island, less than an hour's drive from our house. They could play all day, while I wrote on my laptop. Good times. In addition, another great amusement park--Cedar Point--is just a few hours north.

30. The main branch of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, downtown, occupies a full city block. It is a wonderland for bibliophiles, and is chockfull of history and other resources. Plus, the northernmost branches of the library have served me well in the past, on those rare occasions when I couldn't find a book, CD, or DVD via my local library. They also host a great blog about...books and reading (duh).

Huh. That's thirty things I like about living where I do. And I still haven't exhausted the list. Maybe I'll add more sometime soon.