Beginning at Fountain Square, the heart of the city, the book rolls out to the riverfront, then back downtown and outwards, eventually to the locations outside of the city center.

Essential Cincinnati highlights include: Roebling Suspension Bridge, Fountain Square, Union Terminal, Music Hall, and Carew Tower, Mount Adams Incline, the canal, and Old Main Library.

The book shows many stark changes; historic ballpark Crosley Field is long gone, while Over-the-Rhine is a neighborhood that was pretty tough and dirty and has been upscaled to a trendy neighborhood, particularly Vine Street. For Star Wars action figure aficionados there is no greater place of interest than the former Kenner Toys factory in the Kroger Building.

Sites include: Albee Theater, Shubert Theater, Arnolds Bar, City Hall, Post Office, Nasty Corner, Taft Museum, Enquirer Building, Sixth Street Market, Union Terminal, Lincoln Park, Rookwood Pottery, Eden Park Reservoir, Gwynne Building, Contemporary Arts Center, Baldwin Piano Company, Convention Center and the Plum Street Temple.