Red Bike, Rhinegeist & Ryan

My second week in Cincinnati was just as eventful as the first. People in my office keep telling me I started at a great time. Last week at work we had a team lunch at a brand new restaurant called Maplewood Kitchen and Bar and a wedding shower for a coworker. We had an office outing at the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State where we cooked with professional chefs, and we ended the week with an ice cream social for our entire building.

Alongside the fun, I’m still keeping busy with the actual responsibilities of my job. A lot of time is being spent preparing for the upcoming NAACP National Convention, which is expected to draw tons of national media coverage due to the election year. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are expected to speak, so needless to say it’s one of our biggest events of the summer. I’ve also been programming newsletters to send out to CVB members, and reaching out to trade publications to promote Cincinnati for their upcoming issues.

But you’re here for the entertaining stuff, right? Enough about me…you want to know about Cincinnati! Well lucky for you (and for me!), I’ve continued discovering all that Cincy has to offer. Here are the highlights from last week.

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Finding the stories

I’ve been in Cincinnati for almost two weeks, and it’s been everything I hoped it would be. In just that short amount of time I’ve experienced so much in this city, tried some new things, and met some wonderful people. I’ve learned that what makes the hotels, restaurants, attractions, and even the little hat shop on the corner fascinating are the stories behind them. Cincinnati has such rich history and is filled with stories. It’s those stories that I’m already loving and am eager to discover.

Here are a few snippets of my story in Cincinnati so far, from the local venues I’ve visited, the restaurants and bars I’ve tried, and a few of the lessons I’ve learned.

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Starting in the Queen City

Today is the start of a new adventure for me. A new chapter in my life. A fresh start.

Last night I settled into my new home in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I’ll be working as a communications coordinator at the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau. My family and I traveled roughly 13 hours in the car, endured horribly hot and humid weather as we packed and unpacked my things, and finally collapsed in a box-filled apartment.

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How lucky am I to be an SID?

It’s nights like tonight when I love my job.

The life of an SID (sports information director) can be overwhelming, busy and stressful, like any job, I’m sure. But it’s nothing like your typical 9-5 job. You live and breathe your sports. You know the ins and outs of the roster, the schedule, the conference, the opponents. You are always on call and should always be available for your coaches or players if needed. You work your full day in the office and then work the games at night and on weekends. Then when the game is over, it’s almost as if the bulk of your job is kicking into gear – from there you have to analyze the stats, determine the most important plays, statistics, moments, performances of the game, write a recap, publish photos, stats, graphics, social media posts, etc. Then, just a few hours of sleep later, you wake up and do it all again.

There’s very little time for a social life. Work is your life. But at this moment, I am so happy that this is how I get to spend my days and my life for right now.

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Five reasons why I’m a die-hard Bears fan

 

Well Bears fans, we knew this was coming. It’s going to be a long season. With Sunday’s devastating 26-0 shutout against the Seahawks, our lovable losers move to 0-3 on the season.

But week after week I show my Bears pride, despite the fact that a loss is probable. I don my Bears apparel, schedule my day around the Bears game and hope for the best. I read John ‘Moon’ Mullin’s previews and analyses, listen to press conferences throughout the week and even sometimes belt out the “Bear down Chicago Bears” anthem.

But, as we Bears fans know all too well, there hasn’t been much to warrant singing the fight song this season.

I’m sure I could dedicate an entire blog to ranting about what the Bears are missing, what they’re doing wrong, and why it sucks to be a Bears fan right now. But instead, here’s why I am, and always will be a Bears fan.

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