Some Thoughts About Louisville

For a variety of reasons, I’ve been to Louisville a number of times over the last year and a half. I wrote this entry on last year’s Kentucky Derby, along with this entry on a Ray Lamontagne concert.

I paid Louisville another visit on Thursday and Friday, this time for another concert. I have a few thoughts I want to share about the trip:

1. Phoenix. Phoenix is the band I went to Louisville to see. They played at The Palace, an awesome venue (especially if you have second-row seats). The band was awesome, as was evident by the pulsating crowd. When the band played Rome, I think it may have been the best song I’ve ever experienced at a concert. The band had these Tron-themed lights everywhere, and the song just builds and builds, it has a great beat, and everyone in the crowd had their arms in the air. It was incredible. Also, at the end of the concert, the lead singer crowdsurfed for a few minutes. I watched him surf right on by me. You can listen to Rome here:
Rome – Phoenix
2. Irish Rover. The Irish Rover restaurant in Louisville serves, hands down, the best fish and chips anywhere. Crispy on the outside, flaky and fishy on the inside. I go here every time I visit Louisville. Here’s my plate:
3. Mac and Cheese. Confession: I’ve never eaten mac and cheese. Never ever. I never liked the idea as a kid, and the goopy fake cheese on Kraft boxes don’t appeal to me as an adult. If I want cheese and noodles, I want marinara sauce in between the two. However, as of Friday, I have eaten mac and cheese exactly once. A restaurant called Avalon served it just as most of you remember it from your childhoods: with chunks of lobster, a truffle reduction sauce, and crispy potato fingerlings on top. It’s the only way I eat my mac and cheese.
4. Bed & Breakfast: I’ve become a big fan of bed and breakfasts. They’re just so much nicer than hotels, more accommodating (better breakfasts, free drinks and snacks instead of the $5 Cokes you can get from those pressure-sensitive trays in most hotel rooms), and the prices are just about the same. I definitely enjoyed my stay at the B&B where I stayed in Louisville, but I’m not going to mention the name of the place because of a key lost opportunity. My friend and I were the only people to stay at this B&B on Thursday night, and we had the smallest room in the place. I think the B&B owners should have, hands down, upgraded us to a bigger room. This would have significantly improved our impression of the place and would have given us a story to share with others at no additional cost to the B&B. Do I expect to be upgraded? Not at all. But I think it’s one of the easiest things a business like a B&B can do to create a special memory and a story.

Overall, Louisville was great. If you’re planning on going to the Derby this weekend, make sure you check out my post first. You can bet on the Derby online here.