A Love Letter to Cincinnati’s Murals

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? Life’s been a bit of a delightful mess lately - packing boxes, saying goodbyes, job hunting (my ever growing passion for travel has me inspired to work in travel field!), and somehow squeezing in my birthday celebration too. 🥳

Hello my adventurous friend!

Partially packed boxes are all over my home right now as I’m writing this. 📦🧳 Things to take with me, things that are going into the trash, and things that are going to be given away. Moving is stressful, but it’s a pleasant kind of chaos. Between working extra (hey, got to have that mula for the move) and packing…in the middle of all that, I discovered a city that surprised me. 

Coming to visit Cincinnati as a potential location to relocate to, I was a bit skeptical. My heart had been set on Oregon for a while, and once I get my heart set on something, my stubbornness kicks in. So flying into Cincinnati, I was thinking “of course I’ll look - but it might be just meh. Who knows.” 

At a first glance, it was just okay. A mixture of “meh” and “oh, this looks nice. Оh, and that does too!” I started noticing more and more parts that lit up my soul. 

• Nature - big parks with lots of hiking trails. The city is built on the hills and is surrounded by them, which gives it an interesting layered look. So much greenery. 🌳

• Good food - a lot of locally owned cafés, restaurants, and local chains. The city is limited on huge corporate chain spots here, but you can still find them if needed. 🥘

• Weather - yes to actual seasons! Summers are still definitely on the hotter side for me, but I’m willing to overlook this, because it lasts only a couple of months. While the reward is getting to enjoy autumn, spring, and winter back again. ☃️🌱🌻🍂

• Culture - ah, the theaters, museums, music venues, film festivals, and art…they’ve got it. Cincinnati definitely has more pros than cons for me. And Oregon…well. It’ll be a destination I will get to visit and enjoy on a vacation. 🎭

• Visual aesthetic - the city is so pleasant to look at. The architecture, the hills, the quaint shops, parks, little details (like a statue dedicated to Shakespeare!), and - of course - murals. 😍

Really loved the transition here

They’re everywhere.

On the sides of buildings, parking garages, random alleyways. Bold, beautiful, international, surprising. It felt like the whole city was secretly an art gallery, hiding in plain sight.

This post is definitely mostly dedicated to the Cincinnati murals. As it surprised me the most. They're everywhere and it's breathtaking. A museum under an open sky. Free for all to see and enjoy. 

Here is the thing, I didn’t set out to find them, nor did I have any idea they were there. They just were. 

There’s something I really enjoy about street art. It’s bold. It’s public. It doesn’t ask for permission - it just exists, quietly (or loudly). 

It makes you look up. Slow down. Pay attention. It’s unique to every artist that poured their heart and soul into the meaning of their piece…yet, a story that is free to interpret for everyone who looks upon it. 🖼

Explore the ones that caught my eye - and my soul - this April. 

Each one expands when clicked.