My Old Kentucky Home

Ya'll, I'm starting to get sad about the idea of leaving Kentucky.  Though it started out rough, it has been a great year.  I was impatient when my friends told me that it takes a year to feel comfortable in a new place, build a community of friends, and feel settled in your niche.  Turns out, everyone was right.  And after a year, I'm really going to miss this place.

Sunday Funday

Instead of saying goodbye to the weekend, push through and keep the party alive before succumbing to the inevitable workweek.  Here are a few pics from a few of the most recent Sunday Fundays and the New2Louies I enjoy them with.

 A round of frisbee golf at Iroquois Park means 18 holes of me getting par* for the course while the pups run out their energy in the woods.
*Becky rules: Simply finishing a hole is a good showing for my frisbee skills so I figure that it counts as "par" to get my frisbee in the metal bucket.

 Brunch with a menu consisting of my classic scrambled eggs, Johnny's XXX coffee, hibiscus sweet tea & bourbon, summer berries, and a good Sunday morning playlist.  Mobilize to Cherokee park for a hike on the trails while Lulu chases chipmunks.  And finish off the day with a local artisan festival.

Backyard barbeques with steaks, grilled veggies, PBR beer bread, and a shotgun... or two.

Sunday Funday INDEED.

Derby in Review

In case you didn't know, horse racing is a big deal in Kentucky.

And despite the warnings about the chaos in the Infield, I dressed impeccably.  Nothing but class.

The Oaks almost didn't happen because of a torrential thunderstorm.

But NOTHING could spoil our fun.  

Derby at the Downs is the biggest event I have EVER seen.  Two hundred thousand spectators from the world around and I barely even saw a horse the entire day.

New2Lou ladies representing Louisville's finest twenty somethings.

And the men.

Stay around long enough and there's always a door that opens... Sometimes it's the door to the track and you get to stand on it.  Apparently Muhammad Ali was the last one to make it happen... Until ME.

And even if all your horses come in last...

At the Derby, we're all winners!

Yelp!

I attended the "soft" opening/whiskey & beer back tasting party at Haymarket Whiskey on Market tonight sponsored by my friend Rachel and Yelp of Louisville.  We sampled 3 local whiskey/bourbons (for those who don't know, whiskey/bourbon is like rectangles/squares... all bourbon (squares) is whiskey (rectangles), but not all whiskey is bourbon.) paired with local beers.

As with any grand opening there was tons of swag to give away.  I lucked out with a t-shirt that says "The kind of turkey you want at Thanksgiving: Wild Turkey".

We finished the night with a local's game of name-that-place.  Each with a post-it on our heads of a local destination, we could ask one question and guess the location.  Here's how my questions went:
1. Am I a place you can eat/drink?  Er...yes, no, well kind of, yes.
2. Am I an athletic venue? No.
3. Can you stay with me? Yes!
AM I 21c HOTEL/MUSEUM?!?!  YES!!!
... And then I won $50 to Avalon!  Whoop!

Haymarket Whiskey will be a great place downtown to see small bands and convene in the early evening for a drink and to catch up with friends.  With lots of potential and an owner with big sights for the future, Haymarket needs only to expand its clientele.

Address	331 E. Market St., Louisville, KY 40202 · Get Directions
Phone	1 502.442.0523
Website	Add Website
Status	Open until 2:00 am.
Hours	Mon - Sun: 4:20 pm - 2:00 am

Grand Opening

Within one block of my house in Clifton there are many grand openings:

Comfy Cow Ice Creamery

Pie Kitchen Cafe

Quest Outdoors (re-opening)

Just down the street:

Trader Joe's (long awaited and coveted!)

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

My ears are burning

Looked what popped up on my google reader:

Recent North Carolina transplants Becky and Whitney Draper find a spot to chill and chat.

From the city of Louisville

Funny story: So I was being utterly candid with a new friend in Louisville one night over drinks.  I was saying that I am doing all the right things-- I am throwing myself into work, I adopted a dog, I am meeting new friends, and trying new things, but I have yet to have the same ushy gushy feelings about Louisville that I do about Chapel Hill.  I'm out there, "But if Louisville likes it, it needs to put a ring on it."

About a week later, we were hanging out again and he handed me a very formal looking envelope.  I wondered if I was being served... Er, am I being arrested for my horrendous parallel parking skills?  But it wasn't an envelope at all... it was a letter, from one of the town's greatest representatives, personally welcoming me to "The Ville" and promising that this fair city would do its best to put a metaphorical (because let's face it, we're in a recession and every penny counts) ring on it.  It, being me.

And tonight I received the "ring", if you will, from my good friend.  It was "a token to help remind you of home, because I know what it's like to be in a new place and how comforting a taste of home can be."

If I live in a city that breeds not only horses, but friends that are sincere enough to track down political figures, and strangers that are kind enough to personally welcome a newbie to town, then I'll be right at home in no time.  Until then, I'll work on my parking, I promise.

St. James Court Art Show

The St. James Court Art Show is one of the biggest fine craft/art shows in the country, going strong for over 50 years.  Nestled in the historic neighborhood of Old Louisville, the St. J Art show hosts over 750 artists/vendors from all over the country.  It's such a big deal that schools cancel class the Friday of the show so that students can appreciate the culture and experience.

 I caught this painter in true Bob Ross form making a happy little home for a bunny in his scenic mountain view.  While navigating the crowd was sometimes difficult (there are over 300,000 attendees every year!), it was well worth it just to get a taste of the pumpkin bread.

 Today is the last day to hit up the fair.  Head south on 3rd St and you'll start hitting the vendors at Magnolia.    Dogs and strollers are welcome.  Bring your artistic eye and don't forget your appetite!

On living alone, cont'd

There has been a stiff learning curve with the whole "living alone" thing. If you saw my previous post, then you'd know that I was somewhat lost with how to adapt to the quiet. In the past two months, I've grown a lot and came up with a list of Do's & Don'ts of Living Alone:

DO do (yes, I'm aware I just wrote do do) things that you would normally do if other people were around*, i.e. if you would normally close the bathroom door, then close it. If you would normally sit at the kitchen table for a meal, then sit there.

*Note: this does not apply to wearing pants.

DO get a dog! Lulu was a great choice for me! I had wanted a dog for a long time. She keeps me company and changes up the monotony of being inside. We go for walks twice a day and always go running in Cherokee park on my days off. She's something to look forward to at the end of my workday. Although she makes life a little less lonely at home, she does not take away the fact that I miss home, family, and friends. If anything, I miss them more because I want her to meet everyone!

DO invite company over. If your house becomes too much of your domain then you're likely to feel imposed upon when friends come to visit. Have your safe haven, but welcome guests and entertain frequently because it really will make your house feel like home.

DO eat real food. TV dinners don't count, chips and salsa doesn't count, a bowl of cereal doesn't count. Eat foods that are fresh from the ground and require a bit of preparation. Go to the local farmer's market (and carry your own bags!) or plan out a weekly menu of culinary treats.

DO save for a rainy day... or a plane flight home. There's nothing like a little retail therapy or a weekend trip home. There's definitely nothing like a hug from your Mom & Dad.

DO keep up with your hobbies. Do the things you love most. Try new things that you've always wanted to do but never had the cash flow or time. Take a class, learn a language, paint, join the climbing gym.

DON'T put things off until later... Advice given to me by one of my best friends, Jordan. He said if you get in the habit of leaving things until later then your house will become a disaster area and more work in the long run. Wash your dishes once you use them, empty the garbage when it's needed, make your bed in the morning. Good advice!

DON'T stay inside all day. Sunlight has a direct effect on mood and health making you perkier, sun kissed, and more able to absorb that bone-strengthening calcium. The grass is prettier than your dirt-stained carpet, and the Carolina blue sky always makes me smile.

DON'T get sucked into social media. Facebook, twitter, and the blogosphere are not your friends. In fact, they're probably detrimental to your outlook on your life and they distort your perception of reality. Go find real life friends and leave the status updates to people baking cookies with their 10 cats on a Friday night.

DON'T get a gun. You're more likely to injure yourself or someone you love with the gun than an intruder. I've met more people in Kentucky that have a firearm (or seven) than people that don't have one. To me, it's more dangerous. Instead, pick a safe part of town with lots of neighbors and lock your doors.

I'm no expert, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job at balancing home life with work life with social life. There's still a lot to learn and explore, but I'm slowly getting the swing of things.

New2Lou

I ran into the founders of New2Lou at Vint last night. They made the formation of a bar night that has hundreds of followers sound so simple to contrive. And when they heard about my blog and the idea behind being a "local townie" they were so excited because they've been looking for more newcomer bloggers.

It's important to have a list of "must haves" for transplants that are starting fresh without knowing anyone in town. I'm definitely one of those people and while I'm still exploring the city, I've come up with a few superlatives that are essential for any new Louisvillian.

Best areas to live (based on wanting to live where you're social, minimizing car transportation, and having a young, hip vibe with unique homes/apartments/businesses):

-Frankfort Ave (Crescent Hill/Clifton)

-The Highlands

-St Matthews

-Downtown

-Old Louisville

-Germantown

Best radio stations:

-91.9 My favorite with lots of up-and-coming artists and old favorites. Wagon Wheel was playing when I first turned to it so I knew it had to be a good station. You'll hear lots of VH1 You Oughta Know artists, jazz night, and bluegrass day.

-102.3 The 90's and today. Hearing an old GooGoo Doll's song or Blues Traveler come on after Beyonce or Lady Gaga is so refreshing and fun. I'm always a fan of the Top 40 from previous decades because pop culture is timeless and the nostalgia pulls you back to a time when you were more naive, life was less complicated, and your fashion sense was disastrous.

-98.9 Top 40 will never steer you wrong... errr... not too wrong at least.

-107.7 Classic Rock, because without Journey, I might have stopped believing. Rock fist.

Best Outdoor Seating:

-Vint (Frankfort Ave)

-Grape Leaf (Frankfort Ave)

-Meridian Cafe (St Matthews)

-Molly Malone's (The Highlands)

-Ramsi's Cafe on the World (The Highlands)

Best Southern Food:

-Frankfort Ave Beer Depot (I mean, they have corn hole in the back yard and you can get PBR by the pitcher. No contest.)

-Mark's Feed Store

-Homemade Ice-Cream & Pie Kitchen

Best Parks/Outdoor fun:

-Cherokee Park

-Seneca Park

-Waterfront Park

-Louisville Zoo

-The Red River Gorge

-Mammoth Caves

That's just a sip of the flavor of Lou; there's so much more! I hope that all of the New2Lou townies find this blog and that it helps guide them in their first experiences in town. I have only been here for two months so I'm still uncovering tons of awesome things every day.

Stay tuned-- there's lots more from this new local townie!

Meetup

Hi! My name is: Becky

I relocated from: Chapel Hill, NC

Been here for: 2 months

Last night was my first New2Lou event for recent transplants. Louisville is notoriously a "clique-y" town and can be hard to infiltrate. I met a number of Louisvillians who were at their first meetup as well and we all commiserated on how hard it can be to be a Yo-Po (young professional) trying to meet people in your free time.

The Happy hour was at Proof On Main and is the bar to the 21c Museum Hotel which houses an art gallery in the lobby. After touring the art gallery (which stretched all the way to the bathroom), we fb'd one another and headed off for the night.

With locals enjoying happy hours great locales, I might stay a "newbie" for a while.