VIews of Louisville, Kentucky

Made a visit to my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and nearby Southern Indiana during the week of April 4. A very interesting town and a neat mix (like Richmond, VA) of old and new. I have posted many photos on my Photo site as well to check out, but seen here at left and along the bottom are five photos (five from Southern Indiana will be in my next post). At direct left is the H+B factory, the home of the famous Louisville Slugger. They have been making baseball bats virtually since baseball has been played. The giant bat outside the factory is actually made of metal, but don't think there is one bigger anyplace. Nice museum inside there!
Photo at left is The Belvedere. It has a good view of the river, but going to save that for my Indiana section. Statue is of General George Rogers Clark who is considered the founder of Louisville. Some of the big buildings of the city can be seen in the background. Like Richmond, VA the Ohio River is a big part of the city and a great focus of many fine activities. The big airshow and fireworks display "Thunder Over Louisville" will pack close to a million people on the river later this month but it is just one of many events held in Louisville. Derby Week (which is actually longer) is the big local event, it is worth checking out. A number of events are held around the Kentucky Derby.
Building at right is the KFC Yum Center, the new arena which is the home to the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville is a big hotbed (along with the University of Kentucky in nearby Lexington, KY) of college basketball. The arena replaces long used Freedom Hall and is one massive place. I did get a photo directly inside, but was not allowed to see the arena floor itself. It is right downtown and just off the "Second Street Bridge" (or as it is also known the "George Rogers Clark" bridge. Charlotte built a new arena for the NBA Bobcats, but this one is one massive undertaking. Wish they had the same luck building new bridges, the project to build two one ones remains stalled.
I liked this photo with the clouds reflecting. Its a bank building, and again one of the newer ones in the city (though a few years old now. Louisville is a real mix of the old and new and has some amazing places to see around town. Some of the more unique new buildings include the Humana Building (part of which can be seen at the far left in this photo) and quite a few museums downtown. I went to one while I was there, the Louisville Science Center to see the Star Trek Exhibition, quite a few original items from the tv series (all of them) and the movies based on the show. It was a really neat display. A great many people live and work in the downtown area. Sports is a big part, they also have a very nice and new ballpark for the AAA baseball team, and there is also Cardinal Stadium out near the sprawling University of Louisville campus for the football team which was built a few years ago and not long ago expanded. Louisville is a really good sports town, though geared more toward minor leagues and especially college sports. Always something to see and do there.
Along with the new is the old, this is a look at the old buildings along Main Street in Louisville. Love to see these old places, nice to have lived in cities which have a real since of history, and a desire to preserve it. Many of the old buildings are reworked and are the home to businesses as well as people. Richmond is also good at keeping the past, but Charlotte is more of the mindset of "lets tear that down and build a new thing there" sort of pattern. In that regard Louisville shares a lot with that other river town which is the capital of Virginia. I believe (by a narrow margin that Louisville is still the largest city in the State of Kentucky, it is for sure my favorite in the state.

Farewell to my Father (July 20-July 27)

Got terrible news from my brother on July 18, my father passed away in Southern Indiana at age 73. A great man who took care of me for many years, and gave me the tools that made my life was it has become. He loved trucks (worked for a number of truck lines) travel and adventure, and liked to laugh. His passing makes the world a less interesting place indeed. My wife Patty left from Carolina, while I drove from Richmond to Louisville. During my time there went to some of my favorite places in the city and remembered good times with him. As he took care of me, I took care of his final arrangements for his time to be spent with Mom, who went ahead of him a few years ago. Photo at left was taken at Cherokee Park in Louisville, a beautiful place in the "other" River City.
Went to a lot of places where I grew up, and thought of things we had done together. Felt strange as with most visits home I spent a lot of time with him, we would drive around (he was big on driving...liked to get out in the car and just look at things...guess that is where I get that from) and the Louisville and Southern Indiana area has a lot of interesting sites. Like with Richmond it is an area big on history, and keeps its history close and current. I will have a few more photos on my photo page shortly. This was taken in Jeffersonville, Indiana which is a very fine city there with a lot of historic sites to check out.
Last photo is the view of the Ohio River from the Indiana side, and the new "Yum Arena" which will be the new home of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team (the building that is getting the nickname "The Toaster at center). The visit was a time spent with my wonderful wife Patty, family from all over (we are all widely scattered), friends of mine, and many people I have not seen in years. He had quite the send off and would have been pleased at how many family and friends came to say goodbye to him. Sad, but also wonderful as well at how sad events bring so many people together. While it is sad that he is gone, I am left with many wonderful memories, and have tried to pass on the many things he taught to my family. He had a great impact on those who knew him, and the people he knew were the better for knowing him. I could not have asked for a better father and consider myself fortunate to have been his son.

March in Louisville, KY

Back from a visit to see family and friends in Louisville, KY and also have a few photos here of the "other" river city. Photo at left is of Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. Louisville is where this journey started from; a road that took me from Kentucky (actually Indiana right across the river) to North Carolina, and now to Richmond, VA. Louisville reminds me a great deal of Richmond...one reason being that it is a river town (nickname "The River City"). Home of the Kentucky Derby, in a few weeks the Kentucky Derby Festival will be in full swing. On these shores Thunder Over Louisville will happen; a massive air show and fireworks display.
Louisville is a big sports town; featuring mostly minor league sports and the University of Louisville. The building under construction at left is the new arena for U of L which will replace Freedom Hall (which was in use since 1956) at the Fairgrounds. The new Arena will be state of the art and is one massive building. Sure it will also have other uses such as concerts and other events, and I am looking forward to seeing the inside when it is completed sometime later this year (at least that is the plan). It is right at the foot of the Second Street Bridge, one of three that span the Ohio River from Indiana to Kentucky. More are planned, but still in the works.
Louisville like Richmond likes to rework buildings. Many buildings are put to other uses and these I believe are an example of that (though also could be planning to tear these down). Former warehouses, they were mostly restaurants and nightclubs. Spent many hours listening to music in The Soundstage, Eddie Donaldson's, and City Lights in these buildings which are also very old by the way. Unlike Charlotte, Louisville is a city which recycles the past, and that makes for a very interesting town.
I like how it has a history beyond a few years ago.

This ballpark is the home of the Louisville Bats, the AAA team. Some years ago they set a minor league attendance record with over a million when they were at the old ballpark at the fairground. Using the old front of the building that was there, they built a ballpark downtown, and this is a really nice place to catch a game in the spring or summer.

As I mentioned, Louisville recycles. This is the Humana office building, which was formerly the Belknap Hardware building (Belknap went out of business a few years ago) and Humana took it over. You see a lot of that as I have noted, many old buildings are converted to such uses as condos and new businesses. It is usually a fun town, with a lot of things going on both on the river, and downtown. I also enjoyed this trip visiting sights on the Indiana side, right across the Ohio River. Like with Louisville, Indiana is a good mix of old and new, with a lot of things to see and explore. It is a fun place to visit, a not bad place to live, and a great American town. I had a fantastic four days there, and am looking forward to my next visit.

My Other River City: Louisville (October 11-15)

Spent a few days in Louisville this month, it is my hometown, and a very interesting town as well. Enjoyed visiting family and friends and also wandering around interesting places. Louisville and Richmond have a great deal in common, both being older cities (though Richmond is much older by far), but both being cities that keep a connection to the past. Louisville though has been through a number of hard times. It was once an industrial city, but many of the old industries have gone South or to other countries. It often works to re-invent itself. One such re-invention was the creation of the entertainment complex called "Fourth Street Live". It was created out of a downtown shopping complex called "The Galleria" which failed to catch on.
Louisville is the home of the Louisville Slugger and this is the factory where they are made. They used to be made just a few years ago in nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana after being moved from Louisville some years prior to that. The bat outside the factory is actually made of steel, but its pretty impressive and can be seen from a great distance (including from Indiana). The factory offers tours and has many historical items there. Louisville is also the home of the Louisville RiverBats AAA baseball team. What REALLY is the most important sport in Louisville though is basketball; though it can be either the Louisville Cardinals of U of L, or the Kentucky Wildcats of U of K. Basketball talk is a year round event in the city. Hockey was popular for a while, and so was Arena football, but for now both are gone. Horse racing especially around the first Saturday in May is also a major event of "some" local importance. For two weeks around that event, Louisville celebrates the Kentucky Derby, and that is a great time to visit with a host of events.

Much like Richmond, Louisville celebrates the old. These buildings on Main Street are used, and date to the late 1800's-early 1900's. Louisville likes to find new uses for old buildings (unlike Charlotte which likes to tear down even not so old buildings....Charlotte is constantly changing with very few buildings older than 1950). Old factories are condo developments, new businesses, or even nightclubs. At this corner is a very interesting hotel which features art as a draw inside. Many small and interesting places to eat can be found along Main Street, as well as a number of museums: the Louisville Science Center, an Arms Museum, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and further down the road many newer buildings. Louisville is a mix of the past and the present; without neglecting either. It is a home to many interesting bands, and has a very lively music scene. NRBQ, My Morning Jacket, and Days of the New are among the bands that have called the Louisville area home.


Above all, like Richmond, Louisville is a River City. This is Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. From here you can see downtown Louisville. At the far left under the cranes is the new Arena going up (which will be the home of the Louisville Cardinals) and you can see the Belle of Louisville steamboat docked in front. Many events are held along the riverfront from air shows to concerts, to festivals of all types. Some changes do not come easy. Louisville has three bridges that run from Indiana to Kentucky and has been trying for almost 30 years to build two new ones. Lawsuits have kept that just a dream. Change is often difficult in the city. Though I have been gone for some 11 years, it still is easy for me to find my way around with very little change. (Unlike the Charlotte region where when I have not visited areas for just a couple of months find myself marveling "when did they build that?"). Louisville is a city where the old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is really true. One thing for certain though, its a great place to visit, and I look forward to my twice yearly wanderings around the town.