Cincinnati chili is not Texas chili - it's a Greek-American creation, spiced with cinnamon and allspice and chocolate, served over spaghetti with shredded cheddar on top. The nomenclature is numerical: 'two-way' is chili over spaghetti; 'three-way' adds cheese; 'four-way' adds onions or beans; 'five-way' adds both. Skyline and Gold Star are the rival chains; the debate between them is heated. Outsiders find the dish bizarre; natives find the outsiders' confusion amusing. The chili emerged from Greek immigrants adapting Mediterranean flavors to Midwestern expectations, creating something that exists nowhere else.

Over-the-Rhine was Cincinnati's German neighborhood - named because residents crossed the Miami and Erie Canal (nicknamed 'the Rhine') to reach it. The neighborhood's 19th-century Italianate architecture survived urban renewal because no one wanted to redevelop it; the buildings that remained intact through decades of poverty became prime for gentrification. The transformation is ongoing: craft breweries occupy former saloons, restaurants fill storefronts, young professionals buy renovated condos. The German heritage is commemorated more than practiced; what survives is architecture that most cities demolished.

The Cincinnati Reds were baseball's first professional team - the Red Stockings of 1869 went 57-0 in their first season, demonstrating that paying players produced winning teams. The franchise has operated continuously since 1882, winning five World Series, producing Pete Rose (the hit king whose gambling permanently banned him), and anchoring a city's identity for over a century. Great American Ball Park sits on the riverfront, its views of Northern Kentucky across the Ohio an asset unusual among ballparks. The Reds aren't often good; they're always Cincinnati's.

Procter & Gamble was founded in Cincinnati in 1837, making candles and soap. The company that emerged makes Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Crest, and dozens of other consumer products used daily by billions of people. P&G headquarters remain in Cincinnati, employing thousands and shaping the local economy and culture. The company's influence extends beyond employment: P&G's marketing innovations (soap operas, brand management) shaped American advertising; its corporate culture shaped Cincinnati's self-image. The city makes soap that the world uses; the soap empire headquarters in the city that made it.

Cincinnati is served by Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), actually located in Kentucky. The riverfront offers views from Smale Riverfront Park and the Roebling Suspension Bridge (prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge). Over-the-Rhine concentrates restaurants, breweries, and Findlay Market (Ohio's oldest public market). The Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park is free and excellent. The American Sign Museum preserves neon and commercial art. The chili pilgrimage requires visiting Skyline or Gold Star and committing to the experience without Texas comparisons. The experience rewards appreciation for Midwestern elegance - a city that's aged well because it was built well.