From my mom’s place in Springfield, Ohio, downtown Dayton is just a short 25-minute drive, but somehow, we had never spent any time there. But this year, we made it our mission. We were going to devote a full day to Dayton, and we were going to love it! We were sure of it!
Dayton is a much bigger city than Springfield, with the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Ohio (after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati). It’s most well-known as being the birthplace of aviation, because it was in Dayton that the Wright brothers were born and did most of their work.
Dayton is also home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a major economic force in the area, with over 27,000 employees. Every so often, a huge bomber will fly over Springfield on its approach to Wright-Pat (as it’s almost always referred to). The planes are cool, but I’m always reminded that Dayton would be a primary target if the US was ever invaded. The air base was the scene of the Dayton Agreements, which ended the Bosnian War in 1995, and there’ve also been rumors that it might be concealing something… alien. Unfounded, of course! Complete hearsay!
Another reason I’ve always had a fond spot in my heart for Dayton, is because it’s home to one of my favorite bands of all time, Guided By Voices. When I was a teenager in Bluffton, OH, and discovered that there was a rock band just down I-75 that was being breathlessly reviewed in Rolling Stone, and which even Kurt Cobain listed among his favorites, I bought their cassette and quickly became a lifelong GbV fan.
I’m just setting the scene for why I was so excited to explore Dayton. Despite it being so close, I had only ever visited for specific events; a ballgame, or a concert, in and out, without really getting to know the city itself. So I couldn’t wait to devote an entire Saturday to seeing what Dayton’s vibe was all about. Maybe I’d even meet GbV’s frontman Robert Pollard! The sun was shining, and it was gonna be an amazing day.
We parked near the Oregon District, which is known as Dayton’s cultural hub, with its best bars and restaurants (this neighborhood was also the scene of a heinous mass shooting in 2019 in which nine people were murdered). The first thing we noticed about the Oregon District was a distinct lack of people. Despite it being lunch time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, there was just almost no action. Maybe the bars heat up at night? Well, let’s head downtown, and check out the scene there.
If anything, the scene downtown was even more desolate. We walked up Main Street, down First Street, wandered into the gorgeous Arcades, checked out the upcoming acts at the striking Schuster Center, and it really could have been a fulfilling, fun day. But there were no people! I shouldn’t exaggerate, obviously there were a few people, but in a city of this size? There were extremely, extremely few people. Nobody must live in downtown Dayton. Maybe it’s more bustling on a weekday?
I don’t know, but we realized that we were making excuses for Dayton… maybe it really is cooler on a weekday or on a Saturday night. But as we walked along the river, discovering that sadly even the city’s famous water display was off for the season, we had to admit that Dayton hadn’t done much to entertain us. It’s frustrating, because the city is actually quite impressive, as you’ll see in these pictures.
So many Midwestern American cities are revitalizing themselves… it’s even happening in Springfield, with new restaurants sprouting up, and more housing being made available downtown. With just a little effort, Dayton could become a really desirable place to live, and we hope it makes the effort. We’ll be back, for sure — the city is too close to Springfield, and has too much to offer, to stay away. Maybe next time, we’ll find a few more people milling about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjdWaxG_Nhw