I just moved to Cincinnati. 5 things I learned in my first week

After searching far and wide across the nation for an internship in a newsroom worth loving, a series of fortunate events led me to the beautiful city of Cincinnati, following my graduation from the University of Washington.

Being a former army brat and a short-time soldier myself, I’ve traveled all around this great nation, but never spent more than a few minutes in the city while driving from place to place.

I’m excited to learn more about what makes Cincinnati tick while photographing and writing about its citizens this summer. As a long-tenured Washington resident, my knowledge of Cincinnati has boiled down to two things: the Bengals and Skyline Chili.

Well, to my surprise, this cozy little city has more to it than I could have imagined before my arrival, so here are my five favorite things I learned about Cincinnati in my first week as one of its (albeit temporary) residents.

1. There’s a 54-year-old man from Cincinnati who gets naked and plays his guitar in New York City? 

I’m sure this is no surprise to long-time locals of the area, but when I first laid eyes on a small postcard of Cincinnati legend Robert Burck, also known as the Naked Cowboy, playing guitar in a Speedo during a New York City blizzard, I was intrigued, to say the least.

Not every city is fortunate enough to be blessed with a guitar-playing, speedo-wearing cowboy who once ran for mayor of New York City and was featured in a Nickelback music video.

It’s truly an honor to breathe the same air that Burck once did, and I’m praying for a sighting before my time is up.

2.  Cincinnati drivers think they have traffic, and they act like it, too. 

Cincinnati drivers operate motor vehicles as if every day of their lives were the last. I’m not saying it’s much better in my neck of the woods, but in a short five days since my arrival in this great city, I’ve already nearly been the victim of three vehicular assaults.

One from a woman checking her phone while turning right in a left turn only lane, one from a man driving a black Chevrolet 3500 at 80 miles per hour on an offramp with a 25 mile per hour speed limit, and one from a construction worker whose tire blew off his truck while he was trying to merge for the US 52 offramp like his life depended on it.

Needless to say, I’m hoping my future driving prospects turn out better than my former.

3. Cincinnati is obsessed with pigs.

In Washington, we have trees, lots of them. We have universities, parks and marathons named after trees, and a tattoo of an evergreen is not an uncommon coming-of-age ritual. But in Cincinnati, you have – pigs?

A pig statue here, a pig statue there, a pig statue everywhere. The city even used to be referred to as Porkopolis and had a courtroom that held trials in the remains of an old pork slaughterhouse.

I love bacon as much as the next guy, but I think that’s too much, even for me.

4.  What’s the deal with Skyline Chili?

Before you ask, yes, I’ve had Skyline Chili, and I’m not sure why everyone won’t stop asking, but no, I don’t think it’s God’s gift to culinary excellence, and no, I don’t want to have it again.

As a one-time Columbus resident many years ago, I casually tried Skyline’s loaded chili bowl when I was in a hurry on my way to work one day.

It tastes like chili. Not bad chili, not good chili, just middle-of-the-road chili. Please don’t cancel me.

5. Nativist Cincinnatians once started a riot because they were mad at German immigrants for drinking and having too much fun.

Being named Otto and growing up in a German family almost certainly forces you to be interested in German history.

So, when I found out that Cincinnati had neighborhoods with names like Over-the-Rhine, I had to start doing a little digging, and what I found out blew me away.

Following the German Revolutions of 1848 and 1849, Germans started to come to Cincinnati in droves.

The nativist party known as the Know Nothings took issue with the sudden influx of immigrants, whose culture of drinking and joy disagreed with their own more conservative values.

This conflict resulted in a set of clashes in 1853 and 1855, with the latter ending in a full-out battle between the two over a mayoral election and included the use of a cannon in the streets of Over-the-Rhine.

At least one man was hit by cannon fire while he was driving a cart down Sycamore Street. He died in the hospital later that week, according to the April 5, 1855, edition of The Daily Enquirer.

The battle essentially marked the end of Know Nothing influence in the city and the birth of Cincinnati as one of America’s great German cities, in which public drinking and breweries are a great source of pride.

God bless America and Cincinnati, too.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: I just moved to Cincinnati. Here are the first 5 things I learned