anything else comparable to "Hyde Park Square?" (Columbus: for sale, apartment complex)

[MOD220]

we love Hyde Park, and love the shops/bars/restaurants in the square, any other Cincinnati communities have something similiar? We may not find a home in Hyde Park, and may need to be a little further north due to my job (outside sales). We spent today in Montgomery/Blue Ash and stopped briefly in Mason. The former was really lacking in any retail/dining, while Mason was just a little too suburban.

I'm expecting the answer to be no, but does any other area have a square-type shopping district?

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by MOD220

we love Hyde Park, and love the shops/bars/restaurants in the square, any other Cincinnati communities have something similiar?

No

Originally Posted by MOD220

but does any other area have a square-type shopping district?

Yes. Mt. Lookout.

[MOD220]

Mt. Lookout is quite a bit smaller, right?

didn't think anywhere else would be comparabel to HP, but thought I'd try!

we want to check out West Chester and Wyoming this week, after that up to Columbus for a search up north. long week!

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by MOD220

Mt. Lookout is quite a bit smaller, right?

didn't think anywhere else would be comparabel to HP, but thought I'd try!

we want to check out West Chester and Wyoming this week, after that up to Columbus for a search up north. long week!

There are some little enclaved shopping areas around like Mariemont, Ft. Thomas, Glendale, etc. But HP is unique.

[MOD220]

Wilson, how is traffic heading north in the morning from HP? I'll be taking 71, 74, and 75 each morning, heading to Indy, Dayton, Columbus. I'm hoping traffic is all heading south giving me a reverse commute? What about HP to downtown Cincy, which I'll do less frequently?

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by MOD220

Wilson, how is traffic heading north in the morning from HP? I'll be taking 71, 74, and 75 each morning, heading to Indy, Dayton, Columbus. I'm hoping traffic is all heading south giving me a reverse commute? What about HP to downtown Cincy, which I'll do less frequently?

All are the opposite of the rush hour traffic but still getting through the City to 74 is the least favorable of those directions. It takes about 15 minutes to be on 74 heading west. I71 is always easy going north in the AM and I275 to cross to 75 is an alternative tot eh lateral (562) when there is traffic there.

I would suggest that you start looking at the traffic on Artimis. It is invaluable.

[goyguy]

Yeah, Hyde Park Square definitely has it over nearby Oakley Square and O'Bryonville. I kinda like Mt Lookout Square because of the theater made over into a live-event club, the cat-friendly store, and Zip's. And in Cincinnati of all places you can hook up late night sushi at "Dancing Wasabi" (soon to be also in Hyde Park from what I've read.)
Wyoming has a couple of teeny-tiny retail districts, one at Springfield Pike & Wyoming Ave and the other starting four blocks east on Wyoming Ave and extending only into the 500's. The Half Day Café at the corner of "the Pike," and the adjacent Robinson Cleaners, are about the only real draws there except for the library branch across the way. The district to the east does contain a good bakery and butcher shop, as well as a "neighborhood hangout" called Gabby's. (That's right, A neighborhood hangout.) The Goyguy family all swears by the local tailor - and I take most of my clothes to him too, instead of trusting the overpriced shops in my MA neighborhood. But how often do you need alterations? Or, for that matter, the services of the shoe and leather-goods repair shop across the street? The school-logo gear at "Everything Wyoming?" A little sumpinsumpin for the lady at Williams Jewelers?
But since Wyomingites are so snooty that they don't drop everything to meet someone casually looking at the house they have for sale (see recent thread) that might explain why they don't want such pedestrian businesses as sports bars and supermarkets there. In fact it does!
West Chester...blechhhh...subdivision, big-box store, subdivision, big-box store, subdivision, IKEA, subdivision, megachurch, subdivision, big-box store next to strip mall, subdivision, apartment complex...The closest thing you'll see to a "village square" there is the "lifestyle shop collection" that's comically named The Streets of West Chester.

[progmac]

Clifton Gaslights, maybe; I was going to suggest Montgomery as well but it sounds like you were up that way already. Reading, if you shop for a lot of Wedding Dresses.

Ironically, the city is chock full of places that could be like Hyde Park Square, but the fact is that with today's big box economy, only the wealthy neighborhoods can afford the luxury of a Hyde Park type square. The rest of the neighborhood districts consist of a few gems (a couple great restaurants / bars, an interesting shop or two) and then vacancies and hair places. The exceptions are the neighborhoods around campus, where you have high walkability; but I get the sense that closer in the city isn't what you're after.

What about just going up the road to Oakley?

[Chemistry_Guy]

You won't find another Hyde Park Square in Cincinnati because Hyde Park is an old neighborhood that developed before the interstate. More modern development (especially outside of 275) is so tied to transit and parking that a walkable neighborhood with both high end retail and housing is not feasible. Other older nice busdiness districts like Mariemont,Mt. Lookout, Mt. Adams, Montgomery, and Madeira do not have the physical space to expand to something like Hyde park, and places like Oakley simply do not have the housing stock to attract the affluence. In my completely uneducated opinion, the area of the city with the most potential to give Hyde Park a run for its money will be in Columbia-Tusculum or the Riverside Drive portion of Eastern Avenue, although this is just speculation based on potential, not a prediction.

[Bopfletch]

goyguy,

You have some good posts, but you are really off on carrying the Wyoming is snooty conversation over to this post, but since you did....

...it is apparent to me that you have not sold a house recently otherwise you would understand. And no one said it was casually dropping by, we tried to set something up for over a week. If you are selling your house you make time to show it.