Cincinnatians love a party. It was evident on Monday when an estimated 100,000 people turned out for the Opening Day Parade to celebrate spring and the start of the Reds baseball season. Smiles and high-fives told me people were glad to be out of the house and surrounded by others enjoying the sights and sounds.
We do this a lot in Cincinnati.
Fountain Square has become the focus of all kinds of community activities. From ice skating in winter to the
PNC Music Series in the summer, there's always something happening near the Fountain. Thanks to policies that permit sale of food and beer, Fountain Square seems to be a perpetual party.
We also love our festivals in Cincinnati. The
Macy's Music Festival,
Great Inland Seafood Festival,
Riverfest, and
Oktoberfest are all favorites. At the top of many lists, however, is the
Taste of Cincinnati. This eating extravaganza takes over downtown Cincinnati during Memorial Day weekend when sampling food and walking from vendor to vendor are the things to do.
Last Saturday when
Daisy Mae's was booming with visitors buying fresh produce, it occurred to me that
Findlay Market is really an everyday Taste of Cincinnati. People stroll from one stand to the next, sampling food as they explore all the tastes of the market. They discuss different flavors, try foods they've never seen, share servings that are too generous for one, and reinforce the idea that food is fun. And (gasp)they even talk to people they don't know about foods they are eating! It becomes a party atmosphere that definitely resembles the Taste of Cincinnati.
So my question is: Why wait until May for a Taste of Cincinnati? Come to Findlay Market any Tuesday through Sunday year-round to enjoy the feeling of a festival. You can eat your way from Race Street to Elm Street any time of the year.
