The folks from Jim Beam think so. A few key pieces of evidence that back
their hypothesis:
"With the rising costs of gas and food, destinations like Las Vegas and
Miami aren't always practical," said Bernie Lubbers, Louisville native and
Knob Creek Whiskey Professor. "Louisville offers an affordable guys-only
getaway that blends heritage, entertainment, sports and spirits to have the
guys talking for years to come."
Among the highlights on a Louisville man-cation:
-- Muhammad Ali Center -- Find greatness within as you watch legendary Ali
fights On-Demand and revel in the aura of a living Olympic champion
-- The Louisville Slugger Museum -- Experience history in-the-making as
you stroll through the factory where world-famous Louisville Slugger
bats are created
-- Jim Beam Distillery -- Discover what The Stuff Inside means to you on
the self-guided tour of the distillery process. Sample the rich,
distinctive tastes of Jim Beam Black(R) Bourbon and Knob Creek(R)
Bourbon in the historic T. Jeremiah Beam home, and walk the distillery
grounds to experience the 213 year Jim Beam history
Apartment Therapy needs to start an Apartment Therapy: Louisville branch posthaste. In the meantime
we'll just quote them swooning over 21c.
A hotel isn't usually the first place we look for cutting-edge
contemporary artwork, but 21c is not your average inn. The Louisville,
Kentucky hotel uses original art throughout the building and guest
rooms. There's lots to be learned from the way they integrate art and
interior design.
I have some friends in Los Angeles who I've been telling to come visit for a while now. They keep saying they're coming but they haven't shown up yet. Now that their own hometown newspaper is telling them how great Louisville is though I expect to see visitors' itineraries in my inbox any day now.
We had come partly to see the well-regarded 32nd annual Humana
Festival of New American Plays at of Louisville. Because I'm an Ohioan
- Cincinnati - who was born in Louisville, I wanted to find out what
was happening downriver along the Ohio.
Overall, I discovered an intriguing, funky scene and a good-humored,
pop-culture-savvy populace . . . plus more. Louisville has an
avant-garde, contemporary-art edge. In 2003, the city and county
governments merged, increasing Louisville's population to 694,000 from
256,000. Now there seems to be a fresh, invigorating self-image - the
"Possibility City," it calls itself.
I'm going back to Louisville for the 7th annual Kentucky Art Car Weekend
(Friday and Saturday), sponsored by the Kentucky Museum of Art and
Craft and featuring a parade of hand-decorated vehicles, among other
events. The Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center, a partly open-air
converted meatpacking plant, will turn into a drive-in theater for one
night and host a party on another.
Beyond this week's Art Car event, I also hope to make it here from Sept. 25 to 27 for IdeaFestival, now in its ninth year and offering presentations by creative thinkers and problem solvers from around the world. And maybe again Nov. 21 to 23, when the Mellwood hosts its third annual Good Folk Festival, featuring outsider visual artists and "primitive" musicians such as Daniel Johnston.
And who knows what other festivals, cool events and art installations will be revving up in 2009? In Louisville today, anything seems possible.
Charles Cowdery from Chicago Spirits Examiner has an idea for you:
With high fuel prices affecting summer travel plans, many people are considering vacation destinations closer to home.
May I suggest America's whiskey country?
Yes, yes you can Mr. Cowder.
I visit the area primarily because
of the whiskey distilleries, but there is a lot more there to enjoy.
Louisville has long styled itself the Gateway to the South. The area
has much history and a unique regional culture.
Although
whiskey has been one of Kentucky's main products since the 18th
century, local boosters have only recently recognized its tourism
potential. The Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau has just
launched the
Urban Bourbon Trail to complement the
Kentucky Bourbon Trail recently
created by the Kentucky Distiller's Association and Kentucky Department
of Tourism. They're both following the lead of the Distilled Spirits
Council and its
American Whiskey Trail.
Clearly Mr. Cowder is a man of deep knowledge and wisdom.
Downtown Louisville is booming restaurants and galleries and
a group of dedicated investors aims to make sure that boom continues and that more and more businesses that are useful and attractive to "the creative class" open up in downtown Louisville.
The purchase of Wayside Christian Mission's properties will be a
catalyst for East Market Street to coalesce into a destination for
Louisville's emerging creative class -- a hub for the arts, cuisine,
locally produced food, the green building movement, commerce and retail.
That's the quickly evolving vision of the main investors involved in
recasting East Market Street's art galleries and restaurants district
as a larger zone dubbed "NuLu."
Those investors, in several partnerships, include Los Angeles-based
actor and Louisville native William Mapother, contractor Tim Peters and
filmmaker Gill Holland and his wife, Augusta BrownHolland.
With the pending purchase of the Wayside property 10 buildings total
from 800 E. Market through 820 E. Market all of the pieces of a
dramatic redevelopment puzzle are now on the table, waiting to be
assembled, Holland said.
East Market already has great shops and restaurants (including a brand new bakery that looks divine) so I can't wait to see what other cool stuff all this development brings.
Big Red & Shiny, an online magazine dedicated to the arts scene in New England has
discovered there is actually art outside of the north east corridor, specifically in Louisville.
The author really dug shows at Zephyr Gallery, Gallery NuLu and 21c and had nice things to say in general about the arts scene in Louisville but I particularly like that she described Louisville as
a city reshaping itself around the arts.
I like that idea a lot.
U.S. News and World Reports has done its annual Best Hospitals Report and
Jewish Hospital in Louisville turned in some might fine scores as it has been doing for years. There's a lot of information in the report and I'm not going to read it all so please allow me to instead just quote a
Business First story about it:
Of the 5,453 hospitals evaluated for the 2008 report, 170 received
scores high enough to qualify for rankings in the 16 specialty areas.
Also ranked were the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in
Lexington and St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Covington.
Jewish Hospital was ranked among the best in heart and heart
surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; and respiratory disorders. This is
the fourth year in a row for heart care, three years in a row for
respiratory disorders and second year for neurology/neurosurgery.
The story is mostly about biking in general but they give a nod to the good work we've been doing in Louisville to encourage more cycling commuters.
