Juli here, alone, reporting some fresh content from the Midpoint Music Festival and the rest of hilly Cincinnati from the past weekend. You read correctly, alone. This week and for the coming weeks, the column will be written by only moi, effectively transforming "Do-Mates" to “Out of the Comfort Zone.”
Unfortunately the Do-Mates are breaking up, amicably. We are still living together, hanging out and being pals, but Sydney’s schedule just didn’t quite work out for her to be able to contribute to the column. She may make some guest appearances in coming articles, though.
Now, back to Cincy. I’m a Cleveland native, a northeast Ohio fiend. I’m not well traveled, but the past year has been filled with many adventures thanks to living an adult life away from my family for the first time and my gracious boyfriend, Sam. Naturally, we had to check Cincinnati off the list.
Sam and I have been seeing one another for nearly a year and a half and are facing the difficulties of a long distance relationship. Planning to see one another every other week has been tough between accommodating his graduate school schedule at Indiana University and nurturing my first year living off campus as an upperclassman. We take turns commuting between Bloomington and Athens, but the music and timing were right for us to meet for Midpoint Music Festival.
Cincinnati is unbelievably beautiful, filled with architecture from the early 1800s, hills that allow you to see straight into Kentucky over the river and some really cool bars and restaurants. The Airbnb we stayed in was just north of Over-the-Rhine, built in the 1830s and is used primarily as a means to host guests. We ate and walked throughout all of downtown. Pizza and beer seemed fitting for the trip, so of course we indulged.
We visited the art museum, Eden Park, the Coffee Emporium and many other local restaurants and bars. Traveling by Uber was efficient and cost friendly and the Airbnb was cozy and accessible for the majority of our trip. I would recommend trying Adriatico’s pizza and hiking to find the best spot to view Kentucky from. Feed the birds at Eden Park, too — if you’re brave enough.
Oh, and Midpoint was the tops. We only saw two performances on Saturday, one by Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü and one by Car Seat Headrest, yet they more than exceeded our expectations for the little festival. It was scorching hot, but we danced our way through it, sharing body heat and sweat shamelessly. It was a quaint, intimate festival that didn’t boast too many people and left enough space for elbow room all through the evening.
I’m a diehard Cleveland sports fan, so I typically hold a slight bias against Cincinnatians for utterly superficial reasons. I didn’t have the greatest mindset in traveling to a practically foreign place, yet Cincy did itself justice. The beautiful scenery alone would be enough to bring me back. Sam and I may plan another bi-weekly excursion to the wonderful city on the river, heck, maybe we’ll even dare to cross into Kentucky.
Juli Holbert is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Have a suggestion for her next adventure? Let her know by emailing or tweeting her at jh673913@ohio.edu/@juliangela.
