So Long Cincinnati

Since 1989, I have lived in the city of Cincinnati. I've lived in Corryville, Oakley, Pleasant Ridge, and Madisonville.

For years I rejected the suburbs; just wasn't for me, too vanilla. However, now that me and the future Mrs. Gekko will be in marital bliss soon I decided it was time to get the hell out of town.

I could have tried to talk the future Mrs. Gekko into moving into the city; perhaps a nice quiet place in Hyde Park or Mount Lookout. But why? Why should I try talk someone that lives in the 'burbs to move back to the city. The increased crime? Oh, I know, the higher taxes? No no, it's the horrible schools?

The city worked fine for me, I can take care of myself. But I'll be damned if I would ever take on the responsibility of having a loved one move into the city with all the things that can go wrong there.

So instead, I'm heading out where I don't have to worry about the safety of my wife getting into her car or stopping by an ATM machine.

I'm sure some city leader is probably going, who is he? He's just one person in a city of 350,000. His leaving is of no consequence to us.

Except that I'm just one of 650,000 people who have left the city for a life in the city's suburbs. One of those 650,000 who's taken his tax dollars, a sense of community, and his crime free life style to a place where he's actually wanted.

So Cincinnati, you can keep the cars with the booming bass, auto glass all over downtown streets and pan handlers, I'm going to a place where the major concern is how bright the flashing red light at the intersection should be.