The Calm Before the Storm
For anyone in the tourism business in Ohio, the months of January and February are the calm before the storm. Anyone thinking of vacation migrates to Florida or other warm environs during the winter months. Often attractions, museums, restaurants, and tour companies take advantage of slow traffic to revamp programs and plan for the influx of spring visitors. All is relatively quiet, but not for long. In Cincinnati, once talk turns to Reds Opening Day baseball, the calm season abruptly changes as hibernation ends and the busy tourist season begins.
Winter has been a little more exciting than usual around Cincinnati this year. We are moving into one of the biggest weeks in local sports history. It has been 33 years since the Cincinnati Bengals last played in the Super Bowl, but they will return to play in the NFL’s championship game on February 13, 2022. This off-week between the playoff games and the Super Bowl serves as the calm before the storm. Media attention will build throughout the week, pre-game events will start happening around the venue in Los Angeles, and parties will be planned. Everything culminates on game day when more than 100 million viewers around the world tune in to see the Bengals and the Rams go head to head. Cincinnati fans hope for the best, but no one really knows what to expect.
Not only are we feeling the relative calm before the Super Bowl, but as I write this article we are also experiencing the calm before a winter ice and snow storm in Cincinnati. Forecasters are telling us to stock up, plan to stay home, and anticipate power outages. Even though it seems so calm right now, with temperatures in the 40’s and a light rain, no one knows what will happen next. Just what can we expect with this storm?
For many Super Bowl viewers around the world and for many travelers considering a 2022 vacation, Cincinnati is an unknown city somewhere in the United States, a quiet little town, relatively calm. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is where the spotlight always shines. No matter where you live, you know that Los Angeles and Hollywood and California mean celebrities and beaches and movies. By Super Bowl Sunday, we know the excitement around the football game will be at a fevered pitch with magnified attention on every detail, backstory, and play. The spotlight will shine on both Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Which team will make the most of it? Which city will exit the calm and ride the storm to a whole new level? We think Cincinnati may just turn out to be the winner in more ways than one.
If Cincinnati grabs your attention, make plans to visit soon. Use the calm season to scroll through The Cincinnati USA Official Travel and Tourism Guide. You might come for the football or baseball, but stay for the food, the arts, the tours and attractions, and the Midwest hospitality. Hope to see you in 2022!