Best of Both Worlds: Living Between Greater Cincinnati and Florida

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I am currently living in the best of both worlds- Greater Cincinnati and Florida. I was born and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have been living with my parents for over 29 years of my life. We have two wonderful family houses. My parents are close to 70 years old and they have been taking remarkable care of me. Friendly and compassionate caregivers typically assist me with my personal care needs and outings when my parents need so much break from caring for me. Some of these caregivers are my friends. One day, I will live in Florida permanently and become a homeowner with 24/7 care or move into my friend's house. I am totally capable of living independently. Living independently gives me the freedom to enjoy my life with my wonderful friends and caregivers. 

I started living in South Florida for up to 6 months a year at the end of year 2021 (I was 25), (The law says I am a legal resident of Ohio and I can live in Florida for up to 6 months a year. Florida residents must live in the state for more than 6 months each year). Therefore, my parents bought their second family house in the region. They told me about their plan to live in Florida during the winter and spring months because they dislike cold and snowy weather in Greater Cincinnati as much as I do. I was expressing excitement about it but sometimes I felt sad that I would miss Cincinnati while being in Florida. My parents gave me an opportunity to explore and discover something new that would become my new interests and meet new friends/caregivers. (In fact, I have visited Florida 3 times before starting my Florida life- I went to Disney World in Orlando 3 times (twice as a kid and the third time when I was 22). I visited Daytona Beach as a part of my Disney trip when I was 9 years old.) 

When I first came to South Florida, I started falling in love with the family house which features a huge heated pool and my own bedroom with a computer desk and the region. I had positive expressions of my new life in South Florida. I discovered something that became my new interests and met new friends and caregivers including my bestie named Laura. I thought Laura sounded like a perfect person to become a caregiver and later became my best friend. She shared her story and background with me. She immigrated from Colombia and she now lives in South Florida. She is my age. When I listened to her experiences, I discovered that we both have a lot in common and I started falling in love with her culture. That’s how we began our friendship. Thanks to my parents and my bestie, my life was changed so I continue dividing my life between Greater Cincinnati and South Florida. I call two regions “Best of Both Worlds”. I can also travel anywhere outside of my family residences. (In fact, I absolutely love traveling which is one of my favorite hobbies and one of my passions. Traveling means I explore wonderful adventures and build many unforgettable memories with fashion and culture opportunities. I am working on future posts about travel on my blog- Stay tuned!)

I am sharing similarities and differences between Greater Cincinnati and Florida (Naples, FL is my Florida family residence). These regions are both my favorites. Let’s see the description and experience of the 2 regions. 

Greater Cincinnati

  • Cincinnati is a major city in Ohio which is located in the southwest bordering Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky. Ohio River is located between Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati is known for its 19th-century architecture and it is the third-most populous city in Ohio. The city is famous for its culture, history, and food. It is the home of the NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the MLB team, the Cincinnati Reds. I am a huge fan of both teams.
  • Climate: cold/chilly winters, mild and cool, sometimes warm in the spring, warm and hot in the summer, and early warm, later cooler in the fall. Snow would appear during the winter months, occasional snow would appear during the late fall and early spring. (In fact, I am so sick of cold and snowy weather so I would not be in Cincinnati during the weather, lol.) 
  • Popular places and attractions: Over-the-Rhine, Jeff Ruby's Fine Steakhouse, Skyline Chili, Graeter's Ice Cream, LaRosa's Pizzeria, Montgomery Inn: The Rib King, Kings Island (amusement park), Newport On the Levee, Downtown Cincinnati, Cincinnati Zoo, and Kenwood Towne Center (shopping mall) 
Florida
  • Florida is the U.S. state known as the Sunshine State. Florida is divided into three regions - North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida. It's the southernmost part of the continental United States. Florida is famous for its beaches, warm climate, and cultural destinations. The iconic parts of the state are Southwest Florida (Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades), Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, and Palm Beach County. The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.  
  • Naples, Florida is a small luxurious resort city on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida, known for its white sand beaches, golf courses, high-end shopping, and arts and culture. It's also a popular retirement destination. I currently live in that city as my Florida family residence. 
  • Climate: tropical and warm climate. The warm weather occurs all year round. Snow wouldn't appear during the winter months. The dry season would occur from November to May and the wet season would occur from June to October. Summers are generally hot and wet. The hurricane generally affects the region during the wet season. There should also be a few chilly/cool days each year. 
  • Popular places and attractions: Beaches, Downtown Naples (5th Avenue South and Third Street South), Tommy Bahama (the original restaurant on Third Street South), Tin City (Naples), Mercato (Naples), Sugden Regional Park with a lake (Naples), Naples Botanical Gardens, The Boathouse on the Naples Bay (restaurant), Skillets (breakfast/brunch restaurant), Everglades National Park, Zoo Miami (Miami), Worth Avenue/Clock Tower (Palm Beach), Busch Gardens (Tampa), Disney World (Orlando), and local global restaurants, I would like to explore further places and attractions around the region in the future. 
I declared that Greater Cincinnati and Florida are the "Best of Both Worlds". That means I can divide my life between two worlds. This is the best thing I do.... I truly care about both worlds. Also, I can travel anywhere outside of my worlds for family and friends' events, fashion events, exciting adventures, etc. In my opinion, South Florida has more restaurants than Greater Cincinnati. I guess South Florida has over 13,000 restaurants while Greater Cincinnati has over 3,000 restaurants. South Florida has a warm climate all year long whereas Greater Cincinnati has a warm climate from mid-spring to mid-falll! Greater Cincinnati and South Florida are the same worlds to embody my love of fashion, adventure, culture, nature, and socialization. But I have two different fashions based on my worlds - Iconic Fashion (Greater Cincinnati) & Tropical Paradise Fashion (South Florida). I will describe two different fashions in the new blog post... Stay tuned! 

What do you think of my two worlds? What are your favorite places in Greater Cincinnati and South Florida? Please leave your comments below. 

🩷 Marisa     

Resources:
Visit Cincy: Greater Cincinnati's Tourism Guide https://www.visitcincy.com/
Visit Florida - Official Tourism Guide https://www.visitflorida.com/
Florida's Paradise Coast: Naples | Marco Island | Everglades https://www.paradisecoast.com/
The Palm Beaches - Palm Beach County Tourism Guide https://www.thepalmbeaches.com 

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