48 Hours (or Less!) in Kentucky

Sunday, March 20, 2022


When I saw that Jimmy Eat World was touring with Dashboard Confessional & not coming anywhere near Cleveland, I knew I had to hit the road. It's been two years without live music, & my last show — less than a week before I started to quarantine — was a Dashboard show in Pittsburgh.

The closest show on this tour was Louisville, KY, which is a five-hour drive. It's a 4.5-hour drive from my childhood best friend, Christina, who lives in Cleveland, TN, so we met in the middle! She has a 3-year-old daughter & was thrilled for a quick getaway.

I took three days off work & drove down to Kentucky on a Tuesday. We didn't have time to do much, but here were some highlights.


Wandering downtown Louisville

I got into town nearly 24 hours before Christina did, & I didn't make a single plan, so I just spent my time meandering around the area. We stayed at Hampton Inn Downtown Louisville, just on the outskirts of downtown, & I spent that first night eating amazing tacos at the bar at Merle's Whiskey Kitchen & having a couple solo drinks at O'Shea's.

Enjoying the street art

Louisville has a lot of street art, & I took as many photos as I could, just hunting them down & documenting them all. One of my favorites was a pumping station  covered in a nature-themed mural by artist Whitney Olsen. And here's a confession: I've started playing Pokemon Go again. I didn't even know people still played! But it's gotten a lot more fun since I was last into it, & exploring Louisville looking for art and Pokemon was honestly a great way to see the city. 

Burritos, coffee, & other adventures

Even though I was off work & on vacation, I had a freelance piece to write. I wanted to find a cafe to settle in to, so I stopped into the Louisville Visitor Center to ask for a rec. (I hoped I could also buy a snow globe for my collection, but no dice.) 

They pointed me to Melba's Culinary Canvas, a creative little spot with pastries, coffee, & a full lunch menu. I ordered a latte & a burrito the size of my forearm, which was reaaaally good, but because it's a restaurant, I felt like I'd worn out my welcome when I finished eating. I relocated to Heine Brothers for more coffee & to finish my writing. 


The Surviving the Truth Tour

You guys, this show was just so good. The venue, the Louisville Palace, was absolutely gorgeous, we had second-row seats (except for the chairs added to the orchestra section), the crowd was incredibly enthusiastic & largely respectful, & of course, the music was just completely mind-blowing. It's possible that I've never seen either band perform better. 

At the end, I bent down to make sure nothing had fallen out of my purse, & I found a guitar pick with Jim Adkins' signature on the back. How did that get there??! It felt like a gift from the universe, honestly. Or maybe from Dave


Much-needed time with my BFF

The most important part of the trip, though, wasn't the music — & that's saying a lot because I loved the music. It was getting to spend one-on-one time with Christina, without responsibilities or errands or other life things getting in the way. 

It was a really easy drive for both of us, & I think we'd both like to do it again. I'd also go back for another show at the Louisville Palace, if anything good came through — but who needs an excuse to meet up with their best friend?! 

Next time I go, though, I'm making a couple of trips along the way. I'm dying to stop at Traders World, a gigantic-circus themed outdoor flea market in Lebanon, OH, & Jungle Jim's, a 200,000-sqaure-foot international market in Cincinnati. All the more reason to go back!

Have you ever been to Louisville? What should I do or see next time I'm in town? Do you have any travel plans coming up soon?

1 comment:

  1. Love Louisville!
    We live near STL and try to make it there once or twice a year! I’ll have to add Melba’s to my list for next time!

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