Why Cincinnati deserves to be your next US city break

I was barely a couple of blocks into my first stroll around downtown Cincinnati, heading north from the business district that lines the Ohio River with its smattering of skyscrapers, when I began spying street art. Vast, colourful murals adorn multiple walls, from the exteriors of restaurants and apartment blocks to half-demolished buildings, where empty lots are now used as ad hoc car parks.

Vivid images helped me glean a bit more about the past and present of Cincy – as it’s affectionately known by locals – with the work spanning illustrations of local heroes, such as renowned Modernist wildlife artist Charley Harper and various sports stars, to images of food, abstract designs and more political messages exhorting tolerance and togetherness. One even depicts some of the toys invented by Cincinnatian company, Kenner Products, many of which were British kids’ childhood staples: Care Bears, Star Wars action figures, Play-Doh.

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Since I had arrived the day before on British Airways’ new direct flight, where a fellow passenger, a Brit who’s lived here for five years, described the place as a “big city with a small town feel”, laid-back and mid-western Cincinnati had been intriguing me in all sorts of ways – not least because the late Jerry Springer was once its mayor. For a start, it straddles three states. Its bulk sits in Ohio, while a sliver stretches into Indiana. You fly in, however, to northern Kentucky, located just across the Ohio river that runs through the city. This is where I met historian Rick Pender – author of 100 Things to do in Cincinnati Before You Die – at my hotel, the slick new North, in Covington. This charming neighbourhood is all ornate, low-level Victorian brick buildings interspersed with hip coffee shops, independent stores (or both in one, such as Roebling Books and Coffee), and stylish bars and restaurants, like popular farm-to-table spot Bouquet. I loved it straight away.

“Cincinnati has two stories to tell,” Rick began. “Where we are now is the gateway to the South, and bourbon country, but if you cross the river, it’s all about beer.” Cincinnati was officially established in 1788, when Americans started expanding westwards. They chose to settle here, at the confluence of two rivers – the other one is called, somewhat improbably,…