Destination: Louisville

Ever since our dear friends Charlie and Liz moved to Louisville, Kentucky four years ago, Judy and I have hoped we'd be able to visit them there. Finally, everything fell into place and we made the long-awaited pilgrimage to see our soul-mates. And in every respect, the trip lived up to our expectations.

Shortly after our mid-day arrival on Tuesday, we ate at an Indian buffet. Outstanding, and I tried several new dishes. Right next door was an Indian market, and Judy and Liz were in hog heaven. Judy's big find was ginger root at fifty cents a pound (compare to over three dollars most places). She splurged and got five cents worth. Liz's was twenty-two cents! Not to be outdone, I got four pounds of almonds for twelve dollars, about half price from our local stores.
Here we are: The Four Musketeers, about to take Louisville by storm. This was near one of the many parks where we would enjoy leisurely walks (stay tuned for a special post about Louisville parks).

Louisville is a town of iconic places, people, and things. We breakfasted one morning at Lynn's Paradise Cafe. It's an eclectic and far-out eatery with outstanding fare. Just right for an eclectic blogger.
Interesting trivia: Maggie Baker, a Farm Life and Union Pines alumna, and classmate of Amanda and Sally, once waited tables here for three months. Wow! Whaddya think of that, girls?

Note the mannequin legs on the wall behind us. There was no end to this sort of decor. At least, not the usual end.

I persuaded Charlie and Liz to cut up a little.

Judy and I needed no prodding to follow suit.

One local personality is Jerry Lotz, collector of all things. Passersby are free to inspect his indoor/outdoor menagerie.

You name it, Jerry's got it. And he came down from his rooftop patio to give each of us a can of the famous Billy Beer. No beer included-- these were cans from a Louisville brewery that was commissioned to market the beer that former president Jimmy Carter's brother made world-famous in 1976.

Speaking of icons, Jerry had several local ones placed in the sidewalk beside his home. From left to right these three are Winchester Rifles, L&N Railroad (Louisville & Nashville), and Louisville Slugger (baseball bats).

This town is full of surprises. You may not know what Jug Band music is, but it started in Louisville. Historical plaques were on every hand.

The Louisville Slugger bat company can hardly be missed by downtown drivers. The town's minor league baseball team is also called the Bats, which has an added significance-- Kentucky is a state of underground caverns inhabited by the leathery mammals (not the ball players).

Evidence of the music scene and other aspects of a booming social life were especially noteworthy on 4th Street downtown.

Bike trails are everywhere, and the mayor and others strongly support the addition of more. Even bikes that are past their prime can express an artist's sense of the open road.

This vet was greeting passersby at the Hard Rock Cafe.

The old-timey trolley-style bus was a reminder of just how old the city is. It was founded by George Rogers Clark in the Revolutionary War era.

Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a favorite son of the city. Other famous residents are Muhammed Ali and Pee Wee Reese. Portraits of them and many others adorn lampposts and faces of huge buildings.

We also dined at a Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant, Cafe Mimosa. Good eating! And a great place to cool off and converse for a while.

We were delighted to get to visit Brent and Jane, Charlie and Liz's son-in-law and daughter. We had a wonderful time with them and did a lot of catching up.

Brent took this one so I could squeeze into it. Looks like Liz posed us, if you ask me.

A town as old as Louisville is bound to be very diverse, and that includes architecture. If you've been to Charleston, SC, does this evoke memories of Rainbow Row? And look at those three "outsiders," with heads bobbing along hedge-high.

Any open space between buildings or houses was likely to be filled with lush gardens, benches, sculptures, or fountains. Very inviting and relaxing.

Local artists have also preserved days-gone-by with murals on the facades of old buildings.

This train track is very near Charlie and Liz's apartment. I know it's not an L&N, but if you know me, you know I can't resist trains. Toot Toot.

Our final meal in Louisville was at a Greek restaurant called The Pita Hut. Not to be confused with . . . well, you know. It was a terrific buffet and Brent and Jane were able to join us since their school had ended for the summer the previous day. I tried Baba Ghanouj (prounounced bah-bah guh-NOOSH). Kind of like hummus, but made with eggplant instead of chickpeas. Very spicy, but I liked it on the crackers or pitas. And yes, I have five witnesses that can verify that I ate it. Gimme a break.

This post barely scratches the surface of all we did on this trip. Upcoming blogs will feature the outstanding city parks of Louisville, a famous waterworks, a famous cemetery, and Carter Caves State Resort Park, where Judy and I spent a night both going to and coming home from Louisville. So we're not saying goodbye to our friends just yet. Stay tuned!