The Queen City responds

Inquirer staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick created quite a stir in Cincinnati with his Touch 'Em All column that appeared in Monday's Inquirer.

He compared the two fine cities, stating that both Cincinnati and Philadelphia have much in common.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's sports editor said Fitzpatrick was "a blessing," bringing increased sports traffic to its website, rivaling that of Reds playoff coverage.

"He gave us one more day of good numbers," Barry Forbis said. "Please thank Frank for us."

Here are a few things Fitzpatrick wrote about the Queen City:

The problem is that Cincinnati appears to have taken our bad ideas and made them worse. I give you goetta and the riverfront. Goetta is a lot like scrapple, which is to say it's an amalgam of whatever is swept off the slaughterhouse floor. But while Philly's mystery meat is confined to a fried breakfast side, here it's an all-day staple.

Then there's the portion of the Queen City that borders the Ohio River, a body of water the indigenous Native Americans called "place where driftwood, the homeless, and drab concrete converge."

Far be it from a Philadelphian to criticize any other city's urban waterfront, but Cincinnati's appears to have been devised by the architect of Riverfront and Veterans Stadiums on a bad day.

Here are some of the responses that appeared on the Enquirer's website Monday:

Halladelphia wrote:

We haven't gotten around to building a jail inside our stadium the way Philly did at the old Vet. We weren't the city where some fat slob got in trouble at the ballpark for using projectile vomit as a weapon against another fan.

I look for Philly to be the second city, after Detroit, to get up over a million people, then fall back below it. Maybe they've already pulled off that trick. I just know they've been losing population for decades at a rate worse than other cities. There are some neat things to look at there, but they are all 200 years old.

EyemustbeNutz wrote:

He seems like a very sour soul who doesn't understand or like tradition, heritage, or local custom. He'll probably die a lonely old man.

Meathooks wrote:

As someone who grew up in Philly and moved to Cincy for college and beyond, better to be here than there. Enjoy that 4.6 percent city wage tax and hour-long commute to go 10 miles. Philadelphia is Latin for "residents with no class."

oakleyrat wrote:

At least we're not Cleveland.

EmSul80 wrote:

There are ignorant, classless heathens in every city. All Mr. Fitzgerald has done is publicly prove that he is one of them.

Redsfanx wrote:

Frank Fitzpatrick is just another rude, obnoxious Philly fan with his little sarcastic article about the Queen City which he knows nothing about. You're riding high now but it won't last forever. Keep in mind the Phillies are the first major sports franchise to lose 10,000-plus games. The "best team money can buy" will knock you off your perch in the W.S. You don't like the steamboat? How about that tinker bell at the Bank?

And finally ...

An e-mail from a faithful

Cincinnati fan:

I would just like to say how much I disliked your article detailing your trip to Cincinnati. I am sure you have already received several e-mails from disgruntled Cincinnatians and based on the way you described us, I am sure you have just dismissed us all as ignorant rednecks that are without the style and class of your East Coast breed.

Well, this Cincinnatian was raised by a Pennsylvanian. My father grew up in Harrisburg, and I spent much of childhood visiting family in both Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, my father passed away on October 7, 2008, only weeks before the Phillies clinched their World Series win. It was heartbreaking for our family that he was not with us to enjoy this victory after being such a loyal fan his entire life. My family continues to root for the Phillies, despite the fact that the city we grew up in has entered the playoffs.

After graduating from Michigan State a couple of years ago, I actually planned to move to Philly. I chose to move home because of my father's illness and have very much enjoyed reexperiencing Cincinnati as a young adult. I find your review of our great city to be not only unnecessarily negative and inaccurate but extremely shallow. Since I don't follow the Inquirer or your column, I would hope that this is a fluke in your abilities as a journalist to accurately describe something. And if not, then I hope Philadelphians have already dismissed your column as ridiculous and not worth reading.

My father loved Philadelphia far more than he ever loved Cincinnati, but I know if he were still here, he would find your article to be an embarrassment for the Inquirer and the city of Philadelphia.

Sincerely,
Andrea Enders