Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Lessons from Louisville

Some friends of mine and I recently took a short trip over on down to Louisville. We had a great time and recommend it for anyone who likes lush, verdant rolling hills, plenty of bourbon and other libations and folksy accents. One thing you won't get: good recommendations from the staff on fourth street. Here are a few of the lessons I learned.
1. Don't go to fourth street unless you're in your mid 20s and like dancing on the bar. It's hard to balance up there.
2. Don't ask the staff where a good "dive" bar is because they will tell you to go to the dueling piano bar next door. Not the same thing.
3. If you're looking for a clean taxi, ask for Captain Ron. He's the best.
4. If you have money to spend on fancy drinks, check out Proof downtown and The Silver Dollar further out. Both excellent.
5. If you don't have money to spend on fancy drinks, go to the place across from The Silver Dollar. Look for the tiger mural or follow the toilet smell.
6. The Maker's Mark tour is worth it. It's on a beautiful farm-like setting and is very idyllic.
7. The Evan Williams' tour is jealous of the Maker's Mark tour. Not a bad tour, but they tried too hard to compare themselves to Maker's Mark.
8. The fireworks to kick off The Derby Festival are some of the best I've ever seen. Three words: Bridge Fireworks Waterfall.