As a vegetarian, I'm usually limited to pretzels, fried potatoes and a liquid diet (beer) at Cincinnati's street festivals. Not at Taste of Cincinnati! This year, I left as stuffed and happy as my bratwurst-loving boyfriend.

Buy Cincy spends many a weekend in Northside at the fabulous local restaurants (Melt, Slims, Honey...) and the eclectic businesses (ShakeIt Records, Bughouse Video, Casablanca Vintage Clothing Store...). Add some of the city's coolest bars (the Comet, the Gypsy Hut, and of course, Northside Tavern), and you've got a great place to play.

Soon, we'll be hanging out there on Wednesday nights, too, when the Northside Farmers Market opens for the season.