Welcome to "52 First Impressions"!
- Anthony Gustely
- Aug 31, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 17, 2021
Hi everyone! Welcome to my site. I'd be lying to you if I said this hasn't been something I wanted to do for a really, really long time. If you've gotten this far on here, you may have a vague idea of what "52 First Impressions" is all about. Let me explain:
Growing up in the peripheral suburbs of Cincinnati, it was easy for me to view the City as a whole through a very specific and narrow lens. Maybe you can relate: you may have grown up going to Red's games on the Banks, spending a day at the Cincinnati Zoo, crossing the bridge over to Newport to go to the Aquarium, or took a field trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center.
When we experience the City, many of us visit locations that are well-known by many. While these famous landmarks are within Cincinnati city limits, they provide a singular and tailored experience to the visitor.
If you're a student at the University of Cincinnati, you know that Clifton can feel like it's own little bubble: we have (nearly) everything we need within a walking distance, we're in class most of the time, and a significant amount of us don't have cars or aren't familiarized with public transportation options to get around.
There seldom is a reason for students to venture beyond the comforts of campus, especially amidst a global pandemic.
If I'm being honest, I had no idea that Cincinnati has 52 neighborhoods within City limits until a couple years ago. The boundary of Cincinnati is actually almost 19 miles wide and 9 miles long: amassing to nearly 80 square miles in area.
The sad truth, however, is that a majority of Cincinnati's neighborhoods aren't well known.
For example: you may have enjoyed visiting neighborhoods like Over the Rhine, Mount Adams, Hyde Park, and Oakley. However, you may have not visited (or even heard of) neighborhoods like College Hill, Millvale, Columbia-Tusculum, or East Westwood. Many neighborhoods have seen decades of divestment and neglect.
Historically speaking, patterns of urban sprawl, the construction of the interstate highway system, and gentrification have negatively affected certain neighborhoods in Cincinnati, transforming these areas into starkly different versions of themselves from 50 years ago.
Fortunately, Cincinnati's neighborhoods each hold their own unique niche. This project focuses on combining the past with the present: visiting quintessential neighborhood landmarks and points of interest while highlighting the historical context of each community.
For many of these neighborhoods, incorporating the historical background into their stories reshapes the lens in which we view them.
Understanding what has happened in in the past provides a frame of reference to understand into the present state of a neighborhood.
"52 First Impressions" is a project focused on observing, advocating, and interacting with people and the built environment in each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. Over the course of the next 6 months, I’m visiting all 52 of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods, documenting my experiences through pictures and blog posts.
The places I'll visit along way include restaurants, parks, abandoned housing projects, museums, and many more iconic spots in the Queen City. Follow along with me as I document my visits to Cincinnati's neighborhoods, taking pictures and posting weekly blogs along the way. Whether you're looking for a cool day adventure that's close to home or you want to learn more about Cincinnati's history, feel free to subscribe to my blog and follow along this journey! Additionally, check out some of the resources below to learn more about Cincinnati.
"We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”
- Winston Churchill
Additional Resources
List of Cincinnati neighborhoods
CincyFlags - CincyFlags is a grant-funded project that professionally designed unique flags for each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods.
Tips for a Responsible Traveler, The World Tourism Organization - Supplemented by the hashtag #travelenjoyrespect, this brochure includes four concise pillars on how to be a responsible traveler: Protect our Planet, Support the Local Economy, Be an Informed Traveller, and Be a Respectful Traveller.
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