Why Cincinnati:
Having skipped my annual September football trip, I wanted to go to a game this season. With my company’s holiday party scheduled for the first weekend in December, I was free the second weekend. After looking at the NFL calendar, I determined that Cincinnati would be the optimal game to go based on flights and ticket prices. Having only spent a half-day in Cincinnati back in college, this seemed like a good opportunity to explore the city. Plus, I could stay with my friends Michelle and Ory (whose wedding I attended a few years ago in Heidelberg, Germany).
As the weekend approached, the weather report was looking bad: 3-5 inches of snow on Saturday and then bitter cold (single digits F) for the game. Oh no!
December 13, 2025: Snow
My red eye flight arrived at 6:00. I headed to the rental car counter and for the first time in years, I purchased the insurance.
The weather was good and would stay good until noon. Then the snow would start. While normally, I would take a nap after a red eye flight, this time I would need to push through the day.
After watching the sun rise, I headed to the Over-The-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood to meet Michelle and her daughter Annika. OTR is the old German neighborhood that turned dangerous and is now gentrified. If you are a young professional in Cincinnati, this is the place to be.
My first stop was the Findlay Market. Founded in 1852, it is the oldest market in Ohio (both Cleveland and Columbus has historic markets). The market was a mix of produce and take-away food. Its shape reminded me a lot of Ottawa’s ByWard Market. In 2019, Newsweek named Findlay one of the ten best food markets in the world. It is objectively not, but is still a nice place.
Michelle, Annika and I walked through the neighborhood to get pancakes. The buildings here are all beautiful and there is also a lot of street art.
Michelle and Annika headed back home and I then drove downtown to visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This museum opened in 2004 and is dedicated to commemorating the Underground Railroad, the unofficial network of safe houses that helped runaway slaves escape.
The museum is located in Cincinnati because it lies on the Ohio River, the border between the North and the South. Ohio was a free state, but Kentucky across the river had slavery. For decades, reaching Cincinnati meant freedom. However, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act meant not only that former slaves were no longer safe in free states but also that the government/people had a legal obligation to return them to their owners. This meant that the goalpost of freedom moved to the Canadian border.
The museum did a good job at explaining the history of the era as well as the emotional aspect. A video about a slave’s difficult decision whether or not to run away and leave his family forever really moved me.
Then to Underground Railroad Museum. 2 hours there. Some very powerful moments including the slave cabin and a movie describing a slave’s difficult decision to run away and leave his family forever.
The museum also had a real cabin from Kentucky that once used to hold slaves before sale.
The museum also attempted to discuss modern slavery and human rights issues in the US and around the world. While well meaning, I believe that this distracts from the Underground Railroad.
Overall, I spent three fascinating hours here.
By the time I was leaving, the snow was falling. I drove 10 minutes to the Camp Washington neighborhood to get lunch at Camp Washington Chili. Cincinnati’s signature food is chili and Camp Washington Chili, founded in 1940, won a James Beard Award for it. Traditional Cincinnati chili has five ingredients: chili, spaghetti, cheddar cheese, onions and kidney beans. I ordered my chili 5-way, meaning all five ingredients are included. Alternatively, if you order your chili 3-way, only the pasta, chili and spaghetti are included.
Next door to the chili restaurant is the Sign Museum. However, they were closing early at 2pm due to the weather. I then looked online and discovered that all the museums in Cincinnati were closing at 2pm.
With no museum options, I turned to the next best option: drinking. The Rhinegeist Brewery in Over-The-Rhine is one of the largest breweries in the city. It opened in 2013 a century-old abandoned brewery. The brewhall is located in a huge room on the top floor.
After drinking a flight, I took the tour where I was the only person. The week before, they added drinking stops to the tour, which I very much appreciated. I have been on many brewery tours and generally understand the brewing process, but this was the first time I had ever been into a brewmaster’s office.
By this point the roads were slick and the the snow had overwhelmed the city’s snow plowing abilities.
Luckily, by this point, my friend Wes drove in from Louisville. He was here for a salsa dancing night (that got cancelled). We got a cocktail and caught up before driving over towards Michelle’s house for dinner.
Unfortunately for Wes, the drive home took 3 hours (instead of the normal 75 minutes). I very much appreciated that he made the effort.
I hung out with Michelle and Ory for a bit before going to sleep.
December 14, 2025: Not the Record
Gameday Bengals! Who Dey! Who Dey! Who Dey!
The weather was 0 degrees Fahrenheit/-17 Celsius. It was shaping up to be the coldest game in stadium history. I bundled up with five layers on the top including my Antarctic parka and three layers on the bottom. Per the suggestion of a man at the Rhinegeist Brewery dressed like a Krampus, I also brought a towel to stand on – apparently the concrete floors of the stadium will chill your feet very quickly.
The roads were partially plowed. The highway and main roads were okay, but the exit ramps were untouched – a clear oversight of multiple layers of government.
I parked on the street – nobody wanted to go to this game – and (based on the suggestion of my friend Hilary’s brother) walked into the second oldest bar in Cincinnati. There, I met up with Ricky and Haley who drove in from Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington was not hit by the storm and received almost zero snow yesterday. They had never been to an NFL game and, despite the weather, were stoked to be here!
Again, based on Hilary’s brother’s suggestion, we walked to the south side of the stadium to discover Bengal Jim’s tailgate. The tailgate is open to the public, but they ask for Venmo donations. A giant inflatable Joe Burrow loomed over the revelers.
Despite the cold, the tailgate was popping! There was dancing and plenty of drinking. We had a great time building up our bourbon jackets and meeting other people with amazing views of the Ohio River. People were flabbergasted that someone from LA would come to this game.
Just before gametime, I was met by my college friend Claire and her boyfriend Tyler.
Then into the stadium. The security lines were long so we didn’t get in until the end of the first quarter, which honestly was fine. We also learned that the kickoff temperature was 10F, which was just warm enough to make it the second coldest game ever. The coldest game was 9F.
We watched the first half in the lower level before getting kicked out.
We watched the second half on the upper deck.
The Bengals got pummeled and shut out at home by the Ravens. Despite the pitiful performance, we still had a great time.
Back at Ory/Michelle’s house, I had dinner and then went to sleep super early to wake up for my 6:30 am flight.
Final Thoughts:
The weather was a factor, but I still had an awesome time. There is a lot to do in Cincinnati.
In terms of the Bengals game itself, I thought the downtown stadium was a fun experience because you could get both bars and tailgating. The fans were great despite the weather and the lack of scoring from the team.
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