Louisville Impressions – Part 16, the last part

It’s been a great experience to work and live in Louisville, KY.

I am very grateful to my employer for giving me the position and for understanding that it is just not the right fit for me.

I am grateful to the Brown Hotel, Louisville Relocation, and The Crescent Center for wonderful places on which to lay my head at night.

I am thankful for all of the wonderful area restaurants, most especially Safier Mediterranean Deli on 4th Street (and to the staff at the Brown for recommending it my first night in town.) The vegetarian choices are many and the tastes are wonderful. I will miss this eating establishment very much indeed. Bistro 301 should not be missed either – wonderful portabella sandwich and so much more.

I’m not much for bars, but the one in the crossover at the Galt House on 4th should not be missed. With a great view of the Ohio River, the fish tank bar (yes complete with all kinds of fish), and the bird aviary (with finches and more) you will be delighted.

I am indeed thankful for the Kentucky Backroads store on 3rd Street – I found a much needed sweater there and they turned me on to the best bourbon truffles; I will miss those as well.

The mayor is doing many wonderful things with the city and for all who live and work there all the time I hope this continues. I am thankful to have been able to see how it is in 2008 – maybe I will return in a few years to see what’s changed.

Thank you to all in Louisville who have helped me out in any way – my co-workers, the staff at the Visitor Information Center on 4th Street, friendly neighbors, people who smile and say “hello” whether they know you or not.

I’m most thankful to have had the entire experience, but happy to be heading home. Louisville, I wish you well.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Impressions – Part 15

As of this writing, Hilary Clinton is the projected winner here in Kentucky. 79% of the votes have been tallied, she is ahead 68% to Obama’s 32%.

I heard earlier that Mrs. Clinton was going to be only a block or two away from where I am residing. I’m not going out celebrity hunting, but it’s cool to think she is so close by. Mr. Obama was in the city very recently as well. And on Sunday last, Ron Paul was at the Palace Theater which is just across the street from where I’ve been working!

Heading home to MA for the weekend; can’t wait for Erin’s graduation and to see the rest of the family and my friends. Next update will most likely be next week, after Memorial Day.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Impressions – Part 14

It was a beautiful weekend, weatherwise. I spent most of Saturday outdoors, both taking photos and stopping to read (The Power Of Now) on the numerous benches in parks around the city. It was a good photo shoot (sadly only have the P&S camera here now) and the walking / reading was very relaxing.

I still cannot get over how much of the city here has empty storefronts and crumbling buildings. It does seem that some areas are being worked on, but it’s going to take a very long time, IMHO, to bring the city back to life.

The news yesterday reported that GE is going to close their appliance factory here; this is the third large employer in the area – the others being Ford and Colgate (just across the Ohio River in Indiana) – to announce closing their doors. No matter how good the meteorological weather is, there is a major cloud over the financial future of the city and it surrounds.

I can see that there are lots of arts related projects in the works, but sadly this type of business will not replace as many jobs as the above mentioned manufacturing facilities will be eliminating. The hostess in a local restaurant is planning to move back to the northeast with her husband where currently jobs are more plentiful; she sited these same factory closings as a major reason why.

Next weekend I’ll be heading back to Boston to attend my niece’s college graduation from U Mass, Amherst – go Erin! I’m looking forward to seeing her launched into the next phase of her life. More on that next time.

Until then, peace to all, Judi

Louisville Impressions – Part 13

Last week I was in Tampa, FL, for work. It was hot and steamy. While there I had a chance to snap a few pics of birds and flowers in the marshy area behind the hotel. Now I’m back here in the cool, rainy, windy spring of Kentucky.

When I came here I thought it would be warmer than the Boston area where I’m originally from. Wow, was I wrong about that. It seems like bad weather settles in here frequently, I guess because of the city’s location next to the Ohio River.

It’s late and I’m tired so that’s it for tonight. Please come back again soon.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Impressions - Part 12

Last night there was a spectacular sunset. This came on the heels of an afternoon of downpours and the running of the Oaks on a very muddy track.

During the night it poured again, around 4:30 AM. Fortunately it stopped before sunrise.

Today was Derby Day. The city was like a ghost town. Almost everything was closed after 2:00 PM. Did find one coffee shop open on Market St., stopped in for an iced tea.

I was home in time to watch the Derby from the time the jockeys mounted through the end of the race. My pick, Denis of Cork, came in third – not bad at all. The winner was Big Brown, one of the favorites. I guess it is rare for a horse that starts in the 20th gate to win, but this is exactly what happened. His trainer or owner, in fact, picked that gate on purpose so he wouldn’t be tangled up in the mess on the inside of the track.

The very sad news was that the second place horse, the only filly – Eight Belles – fell just after the end of the race. They determined she had 2 broken ankles, so had to put her down. This was just the most shocking news. It’s just such accidents as this that make me think about whether we should allow racing of any animals for our entertainment; I’m not sure this is what the universe intended.

Bob Neumeyer(sp), a.k.a. Neumy, was interviewing jockeys and owners after the race – seemed strange to see this Boston sports guy here on TV in Louisville. Wasn’t he on WBZ? You Bostonians please feel free to comment.

So the city will be back to normal tomorrow, now that all the Derby Festival events are over.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Impressions Part 10 (April 26, 2008)

It was so windy last night, the Balloon Glow was cancelled. This morning it was still windy and wet, so the balloon race has been postponed; they’ll try again this evening.

There’s a marathon/mini-marthon going on this morning. Check out the site for the event here: http://derbyfestivalmarathon.com/
7:25 AM – Derby Festival Marathon Wheelchair Division begins. Looks like there were 8-10 entered in this division.

7:30 AM – Derby Festival Marathon Runners Division begins. TV announcers are saying there are 12,000 entrants. There are 4 runners who’ve been in it 35 times – since the first one in 1974. One of these entrants is 73 years old.

Think I’ll go try to see some of it, more later!

Continued:
I walked south to Breckenridge, got to see some of the early, low number runners – even got this shot of the man wearing #1.


Not many people were out watching, but it was only 08:30 and cold and damp. After cheering some of them on, I stopped for breakfast, then did my grocery shopping at Kroger.

After putting the groceries away, I went out again and headed north to Chestnut St. Here the runners of the full marathon were on their way to the finish line. I followed along the route until I got to the end on Market St.

Coming from Boston, and fighting hoards of people to be near the finish line on Boylston St., it amazed me that so few people turned out here to watch. There were empty seats in the bleachers and open spots along the rail. Maybe it was more crowded earlier when the first runners were arriving, but it sure wasn’t evident by the time I got there.

It was fun to be so close and cheer people on; couldn’t be a better time to be in Louisville!

Until next time, peace to all, Judi

Louisville Part 9 and More

Happy Earth Day! Hope you take the opportunity to show your love for your “mother” and do one new thing that will help the planet. For instance, as your light bulbs need replacing, why not replace them with compact fluorescent ones? Or consider recycling even the tiniest pieces of paper, every little bit helps.

After work tonight I went to the Tuesday night exercise class taught by the young woman who works in the gym. Tonight’s session was called “Butts and Guts” and wow did we work ‘em. Since I haven’t worked out for over 4 weeks, I fear major muscle rebellion by the morning. It was fun, for something that seemed to be killing us!

The weather was great yesterday and even better today – spring is finally here! Flowers have popped open all over the place and it’s comfortable to be outside without a coat on – my kind of weather.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Part 8

On Friday last, April 18, as most of the world now knows, there was a 5.4 earthquake in New Salem, Illinois. It was fairly early in the morning. I was up and packing the last items I was going to take home for the weekend.

First the closet doors rattled, then the mirror on the bureau began to shake; at that point I headed for the doorway as I’ve been in an earthquake before. Out here one expects tornados and even other bad weather – but until now I had no idea that this area is sitting on a very large fault line! There was no damage here, and as far as I’ve heard, no one was injured even nearer to the epicenter.



The visit home was great, although far too short. The weather was great, the flights to and from were uneventful, spent time with most of the people I care about, ate some seafood (even by the ocean!), and slept in my own bed for 2 night – whoo hoo!





After arriving back in Louisville, I decided to try the bus system to get from the airport to my local abode. I did have to wait about an hour, so got dinner while I waited, had a great experience on the bus. The airport route has a stop right at the end of my block, what could be better?

It was back to work today, and yearning for the next trip home. Miss you all.

Peace, Judi

Louisville Part 7

Yesterday was the event that kicks off Kentucky Derby season – 3 weeks filled with 70 events. Thunder Over Louisville began at 3:00 PM with an air show. There were civilian and military aircraft flying over the Ohio River and the city until about 9:30 PM. The last of this show included planes with fireworks shooting out of their wings – spectacular. Sadly I was not in a position to get any shots of this as I was in the crowd heading towards the river and just couldn’t stop; my impression is it was like watching birds flying with comets trailing from their wings.

The event continued with a 30-minute fireworks display that rivaled the Boston 4th of July event on the Charles. Some of the items were shot from the 2nd Street Bridge, including the shooting of Howitzers for added thunder! The waterfall-type show near the end was just amazing.

The weather prediction for the event was 30-50% chance of rain, but thankfully it held off. It was extremely cold, however. Good thing I flew here with wool lining in my raincoat, a knitted hat-scarf, and lined gloves – I wore them all over several other layers. Checking out some weather information on line, it’s been colder and messier here than in Boston the last few days. Hope you’re enjoying the weather where you are.

Today it’s been raining for several hours and it is still in the 40s. The area is under a freeze watch for the next couple of nights – hello, people, it’s April 13th. At home I’d be starting to turn the garden and put in some of the cold weather crops; isn’t this part of the county in a warmer planting zone? Oh, well, soon enough it will be hot and we’ll be complaining about that, right?

Don’t know what other events I may get to, but please come back often to check it out here.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Part 6

The weather has finally turned a corner it seems. Yesterday morning was in the 40s and I wore my raincoat with wool liner to the office. By evening I went for a walk wearing a skirt and sleeveless top and was just comfortable. Those who know me well know this means it was quite warm out! Today was about the same and temps in the 70s are predicted for the upcoming week. Too bad they are also predicting rain – been so much flooding here already this spring.

This coming Saturday, the 12th, is an event called “Thunder Over Louisville”. It will kick off the Derby festival season. There will be an air show during the day and a huge fireworks display at night. Stores all over the downtown area will be closing early or not opening at all that day. And since the 2nd Street bridge will host some of the fireworks, it will be closed at least part of the day as well.

In case you’d like to know more, here are some links to what’s going on here:

kdf.org
WHAS11
WLKY32
WAVE3
Derby 2008
Hosting a Derby party
The Mayor’s Health Initiative
Famous Muth’s Candy Shop
Muth's famous treat-The Modjeska

Peace to all,
Judi

Louisville Part 5

It will be two weeks tomorrow I've been here; time is flying by!

Massive amounts of rain last night, so much flooding this morning that school openings were delayed all over the area. Many vehicles were caught in flash floods. Roads closed all over the area. Seemed as bad as a blizzard in Boston for the disruption it caused. Picture on the news showed a pickup truck nearly covered to the top of the cab with water.

Shopped at a nearby gift shop this evening. While signing for my purchase the cashier offered me a bourbon truffle. Now I’m no bourbon drinker, but mixed with the chocolate it was awesome. Next time I’m in there I’ll pick up a box or two!

Planning to go play tourist again tomorrow, hopefully more photos and a longer update.

Peace to all, Judi

Louisville Part 4

I played tourist on Saturday and walked all over the city. Here's the latest:

- Waterfront area is in a sad state following recent flooding, part(s) of River Road are closed and walking was dangerous as the mud on the hardscape was slippery. They are working feverishly to get it cleaned up before the festival season begins.
- Lots of great photo ops here
- Wonderful food, if you get here check out Bistro 301 - I had the portabello sandwich and derby pie - yummmmm!
- Finally had a day warm enough to leave the coat off after work and it wasn't raining.
- Because it's downtown, found more places closed early - Payless Shoes closes at 7:00 PM.

Thanks for all of the fun, helpful, loving comments on previous posts. Great big hugs to all!
Judi

Louisville Part 3

Thanks to all for comments and email, you all rock!

Took a chance and went to Kroger while still light out - no problem, even found Silk Soy Milk and favorite brands of other items. People here are very friendly, many will actually look you in the eye and say "hello" even on the main streets.

That's it for tonight. Peace and hugs to all. Judi

Louisville Impressions Part 2

Still trying not to judge anything until more time goes by.

- I miss family, friends, librarians, familiar postal workers; Trader Joe’s, Johnny’s Foodmaster, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, whatever store has soy milk; knowing the bus/train system; trees, grass, flowers, other suburban nature opportunities.
- Work is very busy, especially for the first week. Worked until 7:30 last night. Left on-time tonight.
- Passed the fitness assessment, now can use the gym whenever I wish.
- Moved some of my items to the apartment yesterday, the rest this morning; this will be my first night sleeping here instead of the hotel. Will try to get pics in daylight; might be over the weekend.
- Have cable TV and Internet in apt., had same in hotel – I’m getting spoiled!
- Mostly unpacked and nearly ready to go to sleep!

Until next time – hugs and peace to all.

Louisville Impressions

Been here 3 days now, here are some of my first impressions:

- Lots of visual arts items around where I am staying – must take photos!
- Much of downtown closes down after 6:00 PM; even Subway wasn’t open to get a sandwich. Had dinner tonight at a Mediterranean (Middle Eastern really) deli – Vegetable Paradise – tabouleh, feta, and hummus in pita with lettuce, tomato, and pickle – delicious!
- No grocery stores nearby, will have to shop at Walgreen’s. One Kroger, I was told by a nice young woman, is a scary place to go. Suggested another store about 4 minutes away (but need a car to get there, she said not to walk it – again, too scary.)
- So far weather is just like Boston – cold, windy, and below normal. Higher temps predicted for the next few days.
- No smog.
- Lots of medical buildings in the area, plus Jefferson Community College.
- Theater just a couple of blocks away will soon have Celtic Women, The High Kings, and a couple of other interesting shows.
- There are some museums northwest of here – may be able to get there via bus.
- Full-time employees and the other contractors all seem very nice.
- Good cafeteria in building – grill special today was a veggie burger – of course I forgot about it by the time I got inside and ordered lunch! Duh!
- There is a small but well-equipped fitness center in hotel, a slightly smaller one in apartment complex, and a huge on in building where I am working (need to have a fitness assessment before you can use that one. With all my years at Jazzercise ™, should pass with flying colors.)