In many ways, Cincinnati is a Southern city. The summers are as hot and slow as the lazy waters of the Ohio River, where gigantic barges of Appalachian coal chug downriver between the city’s skyline on one side and stately Kentucky mansions on the other.

Young lovers hold hands along the shore, sharing a double dip peach ice cream cone, and welcoming the occasional spray of cool mist. Women stroll along the arcade at Carew Tower, admiring the distinctive Rookwood pottery fired in local kilns. And couples in formal dress attend operas and symphonies at the austere Music Hall.