After pointing out yesterday that in 2006 the median monthly payment for housing in Louisville was $847 I was curious about what friends in other cities across North America (we don't deny our Canadian friends!) are paying. So I asked them:

- "1-bedroom, maybe 700 sq ft, in Seattle: $1100/mo."

- Los Angeles: "I live in an area adjacent to the Hollywood Hills (nice, but not super-high end) and I pay $2600/mo rent & ~$200/mo water. Two bedrooms, one bath, semi-poorly maintained condition (is a craftsman cottage built in 1912), original floors and moldings, crazy wiring, on a nearly double-sized lot w/ big garden and medium-sized koi pond.

Most people in the area seem to think I either have a reasonable deal or a good deal based on the market in LA.  I feel like I'm getting a little hosed, but then again I don't need quite this much space (don't need two bedrooms, for example). The cost of purchase has not dropped enough yet to make home ownership an option.  All the houses on my block that have gone on market since I have lived here have been at least $1mm, most closer to $1.75 mm."

- "Average home price for a detached single family home in Vancouver - $616,496 (as of March 08). That price is for a dump.

It's not unheard of for people here to spend upwards of 30% of their monthly income on housing."

- "We pay $1500 for a 4bd 2ba house in not-so-great neighborhood. Used to pay $750 for a 1bd 1ba carriage house in hip uptown 'hood (Minneapolis)."

- "In Indianapolis we paid $1000 for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in a "nice" apartment complex in a neighborhood completely devoid of character, in walking distance to nothing."

- "Our townhouse: 3BR/2BA, 1900sqft, 1st ring 'burb, ~$200k. Smaller house with same # BR/BA ~10% more in Minneapolis, ~same in St. Paul."

I live in what I consider to be the greatest neighborhood in Louisville. On my street there is a house for sale. It's a large Tudor (2800 sq feet, 3 bedroom, 2 bath) with a fenced backyard (including a hot tub) in walking distance to retail shops, restaurants, a great coffee shop, bread shop, hardware store, etc. It's listed for $285,000.

I personally pay less than $1200 for house with 3BR/1.5BA, a library/office and a non-scary basement (very, very important) in the aforementioned best neighborhood in Louisville.

 

1. Name and what you do for a living?
Zach Wyer and I work as an Associate Marketing Manager at Yum! Brands.

2. How did you end up in Louisville?
Born and raised in San Diego, completed school in Arizona, and found work with Yum! which brought me to Louisville.

3. What did you think of Louisville before you moved here (if anything?)
There are tons of stereotypes about Kentucky (not so much Louisville in particular) - that it's still all country, nobody wears shoes, everyone has a thick drawl, incest runs rampant as do banjos, over-alls are the only fashion, and fried chicken and bourbon is the staple.  There are some positive associations as well, such as the Derby, Slugger, KFC, Ali, and bluegrass music.

4. What preconceptions did you have about Louisville that have changed since moving here?
I didn't expect to find much of the aforementioned stereotypes, but also didn't expect to find such a vibrant night life, music scene, and variety of restaurants.  

5. How do you like living here?
It's very nice and centrally located.  It seems that we're 5 hours from everything in Louisville.  If I were considering a family at this point in my life, I think it would be ideal, with all of the parks and children activities.  Since I'm more into the going out and partying scene, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that side of things as well... especially living in the Highlands.

6. What's your favorite thing about Louisville?
You mean besides the bourbon and fried chicken?  Definitely the people.  I've always heard how nice people are in California, but they're only cool if you know them or know them through someone else.  Louisvillians will smile and say "hello" in passing, strike up random conversations, help you with loading your car, etc.  That said, an interesting dynamic exists - you can spark up a conversation with anyone and get along nicely over a beer or two, but native Louisvillians have entrenched circles of friends that they tend not to break out of on a longer term basis.  I'm way social and make lots of friends at bars and in soccer, but never hang out with them beyond these venues.

7. What is Louisville missing (for my money it's a good creperie)?
Professional sports

8. What's the one thing people should know about Louisville?
Most of us wear shoes.  And cost of living makes this a wonderful location.

9. What's your favorite restaurant in Louisville?
I should probably say KFC, Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut, but I'm going to have to go with Jeff Ruby's on the high end meals and Nio's for tapas style plates.

A recent Bizjournals.com study comparing housing affordability in the top 50 metropolitan areas nationwide showed that Louisville, with a No. 11 ranking, is one of the least expensive markets in which to own a home.

Rankings were based on the percentage of median monthly income in 2006 that was required to meet the median housing payment per month, which consisted of the median mortgage per month and the median property-tax payment per month.

Number 11 sounds pretty good right? It sounds even better when you translate that info into an actual dollar amount. The median total housing payment per month during the time studied was $847 in Louisville.

 

1. Name and what you do for a living?
Todd Mundt Director of New Media Strategies and WFPL Morning Drive host, Louisville Public Media

2. How did you end up in Louisville?
It was the job - I had the opportunity to do something I liked at a group of successful stations, and it was also a chance to work with a couple of former colleagues of mine from Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor. It was too good to pass up.

3. What did you think of Louisville before you moved here (if anything?)
Before November 2006, our first visit here, I had no preconceived notions about the city. Two annual trips to Louisville, with friends giving the obligatory tours of the downtown, Highlands, and Old Louisville were eye-openers. We loved the architecture - homes and buildings - and we got a whiff of the "weirdness" of Louisville, which was quite a draw.

4. What preconceptions did you have about Louisville that have changed
since moving here?
I think if I had one preconception, it was that Louisville was "The South" and as someone who is somewhat liberal, very much gay, and who feels a strong affinity to the cities of the northeast (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, DC), Louisville would have been the last city on
my lost of possible homes. But after a couple visit, I "got" the whole north/south thing about Louisville. It's unique.

5. How do you like living here?
We love it. People are so friendly, and it's a much more generous flavor of "friendly" than we're accustomed to in the Midwest. The pace of life here seems right, the city is a manageable size. It feels like home, which has to be a pretty decent compliment.

6. Has Louisville been a good place to do business?
Looks to me to be a good community for public media - a lot of smart, well-educated people here... and three solid public radio choices on the FM dial. I'm optimistic.

7. What's your favorite thing about Louisville?
The thriving local businesses. Yes, the chains are thriving, too, but I like that there seems to be a strong commitment here to supporting local establishments. A close second is a walk on any warm Friday evening down Bardstown Rd.

8. What is Louisville missing (for my money it's a good creperie)?
*More wine bars and wine stores even better wines. Wine culture is growing here... and that will raise demand for wine selection that goes beyond the obvious. This is only a matter of time. We could also use an intelligent approach to wine shipping laws for a change, but
that's a job for Frankfort.
*More restaurants with chefs who think local and seasonal. I want to see more of these folks at the farmer's market on Saturdays and I want to see more local farms on the menu.
*A more exciting downtown - but we can feel the momentum... it's coming.
*A good creperie (hi Michelle!)
*Um... could Blue Dog deliver directly to my house?

9. What's the one thing people should know about Louisville?
That it's so surprising; that it's not easy to pigeonhole. I realize that's two things, but I made it into one sentence.

10. What's your favorite restaurant in Louisville?
We've only been here about six weeks, so all of this is subject to change. Of course, a foodie's list is always changing. But allow me to hand out a tray of awards:
*See-and-be-Seen Destination: Proof on Main
*Commitment to Local: Park Place on Main
*Best easy lunch/dinner/whatever: Falafel House
*Most Immersive, Thought-Provoking Dining Experience: 610 Magnolia and Le Relais (tie)
*Jack Fry's: a category of its own
*Mayan Cafe: eating here is just plain exciting.

Each July the Forecastle Festival brings a diverse group of musicians, artists and activists to Louisville. This year's festival should be no different with performers such as Method Man, Dr. Dog, Del McCourry Band, The Photographic and a boatload of others (full lineup), as well as artists and representatives from activist groups.

Tickets for the festival go on sale this Wednesday April 28, 2008.

Forecastle Festival
July 25-27, 2008
Louisville, Kentucky

1. Name and what you do for a living?
Lindsay Rajt, Assistant Manager, Vegan and Factory Farms, PETA

2. How did you end up in Louisville?
I moved here because Kentucky Fried Chicken is based in Louisville, and at the time I was a campaign coordinator and my main focus was our Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign, in which we're calling on the company to raise chickens more naturally and to slaughter them using more modern, less cruel methods (as per the advice from their own animal welfare advisors, five of whom have resigned out of frustration with the company's lack of progress.) I'm still working on the campaign into addition to other responsibilities, and sadly, KFC hasn't stopped the worst abuses of chickens raised and killed for their buckets.

3. What did you think of Louisville before you moved here (if anything?)
I'd been visiting Louisville regularly before moving here for campaign purposes, so I already knew about the delicious vegan fare, beautiful architecture, and warm and progressive nature of the city, especially in the Highlands area.

4. What preconceptions did you have about Louisville that have changed since moving here?
I really didn't know what a small town trapped in a big city's body it is in many ways. I'm constantly running into people I know, but without running out of new things to see and do.

5. How do you like living here?
I adore it and it's my favorite place yet--this coming from someone who's lived in DC, New York, Minnesota, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, and Virginia.

6. Has Louisville been a good place do business?
Louisville is full of caring people and our activist base for the KFC Cruelty campaign is always growing. People here are compassionate, and when they find out that KFC is allowing birds to go into scalding hot tanks of water (intended for de-feathering) while they're still conscious they're absolutely horrified and they go elsewhere. Of course, there are a lot of people interested in food that isn't pumped full of drugs like those KFC suppliers feed to chickens, and even if they aren't ready to go vegetarian, most people agree it's not right for animals to suffer needlessly when there are alternatives. It's a wonderful local climate for a campaign like KFC Cruelty.

7. What's your favorite thing about Louisville?
The great vegan food, beautiful parks and architecture, cultural events, local business community, and progressive politics.

8. What is Louisville missing (for my money it's a good creperie)?
A really good independent theater would be amazing, as well as a good spot for vegan pancakes and waffles--they're so easy (and cheap) to make it boggles the mind they're not all over the place.

9. What's the one thing people should know about Louisville?
It's not what you think!

10. What's your favorite restaurant in Louisville?
Ramsi's--I love the festive atmosphere, the huge variety of vegan dishes and dishes that can be made vegan, and a chance to eat outdoors or be approached by a 70-year old magician! Waiting inside an independent bookstore doesn't hurt, either--of course for dessert Ray's Monkey House on Bardstown Road is where it's at.

1. Name and what you do for a living?
Todd Pritts.  Visual Director for FarmOut Studios.  My job is to consult and execute multimedia strategies for clients looking for new media expertise.  In a nutshell, that means I get to play on a computer for 10 hours a day and get paid to do it.

2. How did you end up in Louisville?
Living and working in Chicago, I always dreamt of starting my own business.  Chicago is a great town that's full of opportunity, but with little-to-no starting capital and little-to-no experience with starting a business, I knew I needed a place that had "flexibility."  We looked at medium-sized cities that had creative markets.  Indianapolis, St Louis, Cincinnatti, Louisville, and Nashville were all on the list.  

At that exact same time, Louisville had just gone through with the merger.  My prediction was that because of the great cost of living, location, and now being an official medium-sized city (similar to a Charlotte, NC) that bigger business will start to find its way here in the next 10 years.

So my wife and I packed up our things, and moved to Louisville.

3. What did you think of Louisville before you moved here (if anything?)
My wife has family that has lived here for some time.  We weren't completely in the dark about Louisville, but really never knew the ins and outs.  Of course, the preconceived notions of "Kentucky" were all anyone could talk about.  My friends in Chicago half-expected that I'd be a hick within a year of living here.  I'm proud to say that after 5 years of living here, I don't have a mullet, and there are no cars in my lawn.

4. What preconceptions did you have about Louisville that have changed since moving here?
The town is more sophisticated than I had thought on certain levels.  I think social events like the St James Art Fair, IdeaFestival, etc... were a surprise to me.  But my biggest lesson in business (and in life) is that talent alone doesn't get you places.  Its' a people game.  That's something I never would have thought I'd learn from a city.

5. How do you like living here?
I love it.  We own a home for the same price per month that we were paying to rent a 2-bedroom Apt in Chicago.  I tell friends in other cities that if something is a 10-minute drive away, it only takes you 10 minutes to get there!  Its easy lead a "good life" here.  

6. Has Louisville been a good place to run your business?
Louisville has a great cost of living compared to Chicago.  That's important because during the slow times in the first year of business, a lower cost of living will allow you to survive longer.  I sold my first business and started FarmOut Studios about a year ago.  If it is any testament to Louisville's "people-network" I have not had to print a business card yet and have a more-than-healthy string of business coming through the door.

7. What's your favorite thing about Louisville?
    1. I love that I'm not a stress case here
    2. No matter what you get involved in I seem to meet great people
    3. Golf is affordable
    4. Trees

8. What is Louisville missing (for my money it's a good creperie)?
I'd say a Pro Football Team.  Football is a universally loved sport, and we would be smack dab in the middle of some great teams (Colts, Bengals, Titans, Rams) so great fan turnout from other cities as well as new rivalries would sprout.  Either that, or a Jamba Juice.

9. What's the one thing people should know about Louisville?
That it's the biggest "small-town" you'll ever see.

10. What's your favorite restaurant in Louisville?
That's like asking who your favorite band is, or what's your favorite song.  Each, of many answers, has a reason and a category.  For Mexican, I love El Mundo.  For everyday chow, Cafe Lou Lou is fantastic.  For Sunday football and cheering on my Bears, Lonnie's is the only place in town.

I could go on, but you get the point.  :)

Not everyone is lucky enough to be from Louisville. Wait, that sounds pretentious so strike that. Not everyone is lucky enough to be from Louisville. Many folks enjoying life in Louisville aren't originally from here. A lot of the talented and creative folks living and working here now hail from elsewhere. I thought it would be interesting to get some thoughts and perspectives on the city from people who have relocated here so I'm asking some of them. The first in this series of Relocation Stories will run later today.

I promise I'll stop writing about 21c soon. Just as soon as the downtown hotel stops getting fawned over that is. The April 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler puts 21c on "The Stay List: 150 Hotels You Will Love."

According to Editor Keith Bellows, there is no greater letdown than a hotel that isn't original and fails to exhibit any understanding of its cultural context. Hence the creation of National Geographic Traveler's "Stay List" that celebrates 150 hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region that are among the best at blending location-inspired architecture, ambience and amenities, eco-stewardship and an ethic of giving back to the community. Backed by extensive research, including input from local experts and seasoned travelers, in-depth questionnaires to more than 600 nominated hotels and detailed follow-up by magazine staff, the list showcases overnights that range from rustic to luxurious, dirt cheap to splurge. Yet all the featured hotels cherish a sense of place and offer a sweet night's sleep. Organized by country, state and city, this is a list that travelers will refer to repeatedly.

The Sundance Resort (yes, that Sundance) also made the list. Not bad company. I haven't seen the magazine yet so I haven't read the feature but Business First says:
 

The list, included in the publication's April issue, features hotels with a "sense of place" - those that incorporate details of local surroundings, respect the environment and contribute to the community.

21c, which opened in 2006, is a 91-room boutique hotel that includes 9,000 square feet of art exhibition space. Guest rooms feature mint julep cups, iPods with custom music and HDTV flat screen televisions.

National Geographic Traveler said 21c's Southern roots are expressed through the mint julep cups and the locally grown food in the hotels' restaurant, Proof on Main.

The hotel also holds free art exhibits and educational seminars for the community and used reclaimed wood and other eco-friendly materials in its construction to reduce its environmental impact.

IdeaFestival, that bastion of innovative ideas and big thinking that happens each September in Louisville has announced that a brand new $100,00 design prize will be given away at the 2008 festival.

The Curry Stone Foundation (CSF) has just announced the establishment of the Curry Stone Design Prize, an ambitious annual award of $100,000 for "...exceptional emerging designers with extraordinary design projects or ideas that contribute positively to living conditions for broad sections of global humanity".  This international award will be presented beginning in 2008 at the annual IdeaFestival in Louisville, Kentucky. The Prize, developed in partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Design, is being supported through CSF established by UK alumnus Clifford Curry and his wife H. Delight Stone, of Oregon.  IF is excited about the establishment of the Curry Stone Design Prize, it's involvement with the Festival and the opportunity it presents to greatly expand the international design content at the event.

Continue reading $100,000 Global Design Prize to Be Awarded in Louisville.

OK fine the actual title of the article last month in The Economist was "Rise of the super-mayor" but Rise of the Rock Star Mayor would have been so much more fun. In any case the article talked about Louisville's mayor Jerry Abramson and the important work he's been doing.

JERRY ABRAMSON'S domain is six times bigger and contains twice as many people as it did in 1985, when he first claimed his city's top office. The longest-serving mayor in Louisville's history now oversees not just urban areas, from the old rubber plants to the newly hip Butchertown, but suburban subdivisions and farms. And still Mr Abramson's influence grows. It now extends almost as far as it is possible to see from downtown's National City Tower; it even reaches across the Ohio river into southern Indiana.

What has he being doing that makes him a rock star super-mayor?

streamlined public services and accelerated the redevelopment of downtown Louisville. The city's core is dotted with new museums. A planned cluster of towers designed by OMA, a fashionable architectural practice, will be Kentucky's tallest.

This USA Today article looking at hotels with impressive art is a couple months old but I'm just now seeing it. Forgive a girl for not reading USA Today, well, every day.

Cities as varied as New York, Nashville and Tacoma, Wash., now boast of hotels in which the fine art is so fine that they could almost double as museums.

Louisville, for instance, has the 91-room 21c Museum Hotel, opened two years ago by developer Steve Wilson and his wife, Laura Lee Brown,to showcase some of their $10 million contemporary art collection. It includes Text Rain, an interactive video installation by conceptual artists Camille Utterback, an American, and Romy Achituv, an Israeli.

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says the 21c is sparking interest around the world, and it is boosting Louisville's profile as its downtown area undergoes a massive makeover with lofts, condominiums and new towers.

"It creates a buzz," Abramson says. Visitors "walk away with a feeling that Louisville's becoming much more of an edgy community than what they'd originally perceived."

At 21c, Wilson says, he has sought to balance serious, provocative works with whimsical works. The Wilsons don't want theirs to become one of those boutique hotels that "can get so cool, they're almost inhospitable," he says.

Of course USA Today isn't the only one fawning over the art at 21c, Epicurious recently did as well.

Though there are only two Louisville companies on this year's Fortune 500 and a total of four on the Fortune 1000 we've got the basics covered: health care, food and booze. Seriously, we're the big business headquarters of everything you need.

Health care giant Humana is strong at #98, Yum! (the brand that gives the world KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) comes in at #253, Kindred (more health care) ranks at #518 and last, but certainly not least Brown-Foreman, those kinds souls that bring us many great beverage brands including Woodford Reserve, Finlandia and Jack Daniels, comes in at #823. 

Sonja Kassebaum recently came down from Chicago to attend the American Distilling Institute conference in Louisville. She's planning to write day by day about her time in Louisville. On the first day she ate and drank at Proof on Main and it was good.

I'll write more about drinks at Proof in another post, but on this night we had a fantastic dinner (I had the bison tenderloin, it was excellent). The restaurant is connected to the 21c Museum Hotel, and connecting them is a small art museum (part of the hotel's collection). Its a really interesting space, with some great contemporary art.

Since Sonja is in the spirits industry I'm curious to read more about her cocktail experience at Proof and other locations around town.

Doug Frost from Epicurious was recently in Louisville and seems to have been most pleasantly surprised with the art and accommodations at 21c Museum Hotel.

I'm not a fan of the hipster hotel: tiny rooms, tinier bathrooms, lots of attitude at the front desk and ear-splitting house music in the lobby. Well, at least that's been my experience all too often. The 21C in Louisville (that's Luhville to you Yankees) was far better than I feared. The music was okay, the attitude was minimal, I could actually walk around my bed and the lobby was filled with art. Not wanna-be art but actual, real, cool, contemporary, intelligent art. Some edgy Louise Bourgeois (she's more fun when she's not predictable); a riotous mixed media piece from the Cuban duo Guerra de la Paz; inflatable sculpture from Max Streicher; some Jock Sturges photos; and a Bill Viola video that's more installation than video. For me, Viola's 2002 Guggenheim installation called "Going Forth by Day" was one of the greatest video works I've ever seen.

Downstairs there are some Andres Serrano photos and many more cool pieces. How about a room full of Kara Walker? Yeah, that's in Louisville, you snots.

He seems to have liked the food he found at the bar in 21c as well.

The bartender suggests baked octopus for a bar snack. Baked octopus? Really? In Luhville? "It's our top seller," he explains. Really? I order it and I understand why. It's good, earthy, tomato-y, tangy, barely spicy. It's real tasty with my Tanq and tonic.

Glad we could surpass your expectations Doug. Thanks for visiting.

Louisville has just been crowned the winner of Bushmills Irish Whiskey's "Twin City of Bushmills in America" contest.

In celebration of its 400th anniversary, the whiskey company searched for a city that resembles the town of Bushmills, Ireland, in terms of pride in history and heritage, craftsmanship and hospitality.

Boston, Mass., and Portland, Maine, were the other finalists in the competition.

I knew we were hospitable and a city full of pride, history and the whole lot but I confess to being a little surprised that we won this. Boston has us beat in terms of size and the quantity of Irish and Irish-American residents so I'm pleased to see us, a little bit of the underdog, bring home the prize.

Bushmills master distiller Gordon Donoghue will present Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson with a $40,000 grant, which must be used for preservation and advancement of the city's traditions and culture, and for programs that promote responsible drinking.

Well done Louisville.

Update: The BBC gives a bit more information about the contest and Louisville's victory.

The city was picked after an online poll marking the 400th anniversary of the original licence to distill granted to Bushmills, home of one of Ireland's famed whiskey producers.

More than 55,000 votes were cast, and Louisville emerged the clear champion.

Summer 2008 is lining up to be a great one for music in Louisville. First, favorite sons My Morning Jacket will be releasing their new album, Evil Urges, on June 10. MMJ will be touring in support of the new album and they've planned a massive 3 hour long show on August 16 on Louisville's Waterfront. The show will span the band's entire catalog. MMJ front man Jim James says "We haven't played Louisville in so long that we wanted to do a long show, really give people a lot of bang for their bucks."

Between the release of the new My Morning Jacket album and the August show Forecastle Festival will provide all the music, art and activism you could possible need to get you through the long, hot days of summer. Forecastle Festival is July 25-27 on Louisville's Waterfront and the lineup is far too grand for me to list everyone playing so I'll just list a few highlights:
Method Man
Ekoostik Hookah
Tortoise
Dr. Dog
Cabin
Ferdinand Fox
D.W. Box and One Long Song
Unwed Sailor

Apparently JanSport, the outdoor gear company, has something called a student ambassador program. That part isn't really important to our story though so I'm going to gloss over it. What is important is that some folks from JanSport are on an extended road trip visiting college and seeking out new ambassadors. They spent this past weekend in Louisville and experienced a bit of sensory overload and full belly syndrome from all their downtown eating adventures.

A few quotes from their dining experiences

"We ate some awesome Mexican"

"...real Kentucky brunch. This was awesome"

"Awesome biscuits"

I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb here to say they found the food in Louisville to be awesome.
 

If there is a single event that I can endorse whole heartedly, without reservation it would have to be the Southern Foodways Alliance's field trip to Louisville this July.

Louisville: Blue Grass and Brown Whiskey
We'll pay homage to Kentucky farmers, fry fish in Germantown, learn to play the game of dainty, and cook from the Blue Grass Cookbook.
July 11-13, 2008

An event called Blue Grass and Brown Whiskey? Come on. That's just too easy to get on board with.

Details on the event are few and far between thus far but be sure I'll share them as soon as I get them. If you're coming to town for this event I'll also share some other ideas for making the best of your time in Louisville including lots of foodie recommendations.

Oh and did you notice the dates for this event? Yep, it's the same weekend as Lebowski Fest. I don't mean to brag but I love living in a city that has Lebowski Fest and a Southern Foodway Alliance big deal field trip the same weekend. It's almost too cliched to say but I'm going to say it anyway, we really do have something for everyone.

F ar be it from me to be a traditionalist stick in the mud but if you haven't been to Lebowski Fest in Louisville then you can't really say you've been to Lebowski Fest.

The 7th Annual Lebowski Fest will be rolling into Louisville July 11 & 12. Tickets will be going on sale soon. Normally I'd be a little miffed that there's no date given to as when tickets will actually go on sale but when dealing with a festival revolving around The Dude I find my self cutting all kinds of slack. I mean come on how can I be all harsh when "This aggression will not stand, man."

We're incredibly lucky to have such outstanding restaurants in Louisville and we know it. Sometimes though it's nice to have a visitor remind us. Kate Hopkins of the well known food blog The Accidental Hedonist was recently in town and after breakfast at Lynn's Paradise Cafe she said

Oh Lord? Please send Seattle a breakfast like this.

We're glad you enjoyed breakfast in Louisville Kate. Come back again soon.

What do diners in Paris, Zurich, New York and Los Angeles have in common with diners in Louisville. If you said "hunger" you win nothing, if you said "dining in the dark" you win the imaginary grand prize.

Each September IdeaFestival brings world renowned speakers, thinkers, creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders from many fields and disciplines to Louisville. IdeaFestival isn't just a once a year event though. The organization offers interesting and thought provoking events throughout the year. The latest is a series of Lights Out Dinners.

The daring diners who attend the Lights Out Dinner at chef Peng Looi's Asiatique Asian Fusion restaurant on Bardstown Road will be asked to try something more than a little out of the ordinary: enjoying a multi-course meal without seeing it.

Diners will be blindfolded as they enter the darkened room reserved for the dinner, and enjoy a series of imaginative courses paired with wines and other spirits, all without setting eyes on them.

Chef Looi is not revealing the menu ahead of time, but assures participants he'll personally present each course and explain his approaches to scintillating ingredients, spices, sauces, temperatures, techniques, and the fine balance between sweet and savory.

Since I'm a bit of a picky eater I personally am a tiny bit afraid of the concept but I'm going to get over and head to one of these. I'll report back on my experiences.