Be Excited, Be Be Excited

One of the billboards on the Interstate going into downtown Cincinnati advertises housing in "One of Cincinnati's most enthusiastic rental communities!"

From a marketing standpoint, I can see the segment. They're after the post-college crowd, young adults with large reserves of disposable income and an irrepressible jonesing for a lifestyle that resembles a ensemble sitcom. I sometimes encounter these unreasonably optimistic creatures at my local fake Irish bar. Their spirited chirping invariably interferes with the proper digestion of my Guinness, and I end up reading the same page of Adam Smith over and over again.

"Hi Keli!"
"What's up Kerrie!?"
Etc.

Perhaps they can find a place for their enthusiasm at this new rental property, where they can barbecue on the community patio and drink Mojitos - or get a group together and hit Chipotles.

Or whatever it is they do.

And there are, unfortunately, a few rental communities in the city with quite the opposite problem. The trash-trail of Cheetos Flamin' Hot packages and discarded White Castle wrappers that surrounds some broken-down apartment buildings bespeaks a pronounced lack of enthusiasm on the part of the residents. And nobody feels a fun sense of togetherness about the police visits at 3AM that involve a shirtless man explaining his story while a wife or girlfriend hollers nearby, restrained by friends and relatives.

So let's not be too hard on that youthful market segment with more liquidity than sense. They certainly help with the tax base. And it takes all kinds to make a city - tinker, tailor, pimp and player - even those who are prone to unnecessary, 20-something excitement.