Discovering Louisville

Bern’s family has been in town, and for the next week I’m going to write about the adventures that only took 2 days to create, but are boundless in pictures and explanations.

Vicky and Marty (Bern’s mom and step-dad) love to check out STUFF.  They, like us, enjoy looking at junk and antiquing.  On a whim, we took them by the “House of Statues and Junk” that we see when riding on Frankfort Avenue.  

Jerry Lotz, or “Worm” (his childhood nickname) or “Mr. Peach” (as he’s been called in town), is a man who likes collecting anything and everything.  He was outside when we drove up, and he kindly told us his story.

When he was a little boy of 8, his mom asked him if he wanted to go “junkin”, and he fell in love with a statuette of a half naked woman.  For five weeks, he mowed lawns and did other types of manual labor, all the while, thinking about his lady.  When he returned back to his antique mart, his lady had a big fat SOLD sticker on her, and as he put it, “I never got over it, and now when I want something, I just get it.”

Some of Lotz’s collection:

Lotz will sell some things, but his collection is mainly for him to enjoy and share to people who are curious.  He told us that because he doesn’t have a wife, he can buy whatever he wants.  I really like this guy.  He’s just out enjoying life and having fun.  He told us he likes things that are really odd sizes, not proportional to the size they SHOULD be, or just plain large.  He likes to build things himself, and adds his own finesse to his collection (like doctoring up his old vehicles) as he sees fit.

Lotz, aka “Worm”, by his home:

Below:  Nixon as the Statue of Liberty, made by Lotz.

An old caboose that Worm HAD to have with the old toilet in the center of the car:

If you have anything cool, large, strange, or just plain weird, he’ll probably buy it from you.  He’s a self-proclaimed picker who gets the luxury of delivery.  He’s one heck of a guy, and he has the craziest house I’ve ever seen.  Go and see it!

Jerry Lotz, 502-897-6031, 1734 Frankfort Ave., Louisville KY

PS - the icing on the cake?  He gave us old cans of Billy Beer as a parting gift!  These are cans that were never cut.  What a guy!

Last night, my husband and I got really hungry for Vietnam Kitchen.  This restaurant has been constantly recommended, and we finally had a night open to go out.  To get there from our house, someone told me to “Go down 3rd Street really far”…so we looked at a map, found it, and did just that.

However…Vietnam Kitchen just happens to ONLY be closed on Wednesdays.  So…we went to ValuMarket instead.

We have heard SO MUCH about the Iroquois ValuMarket location because they have a HUGE international section.  It’s pretty awesome. 

We found a lot of interesting food items:
“I’ll take some SHITO, please.”

SSS is for Amy and Anne Kisabeth (Super-Sonic-Silent clap)

Candy, anyone?

A beautiful box:

Another can that sucked me in:

My husband thought this lady was special:

He has a thing for cute girls on food labels, as seen by his first love after me:

Sometimes I wonder if he’d actually leave me for the SunMaid Raisin Girl…hmmmm.
But I digress.  
I liked the bag of Fant because I thought (in passing by) that it was a bag of Farts.

We ended up driving for a bit, and we found other things that struck our fancy.
Bern really loves the idea of this chain:

He likes how the “Now Frying” sign needs a space between letters:

ERYING?
He also wants to go to Rubbies:

We also drove to the Ken Bowl.  I think I’m in love with this building:

The old Kenwood Drive-In behind the bowling alley is pretty romantic to boot:

Do I smell a future Lebowski Fest at this location???  
We eventually found some food, but my plan is to get back to Vietnam Kitchen, and FAST.

I hung out with new friends Valerie and Erin last week, and they reminded me what girl friendships are made of. 

Tomato soup with goat cheese, avocado, and honey liquor…

Dogs…

and hula hooping…

More on hula-hooping when Valerie lets me know about the next hoopie event.  In the meantime, I’ve got a borrowed hoop made by Val (she made all of them in the pictures), and I’m working on that butt bump and the overhead twirl.  Love Love LOVE quality lady time.

Note:  I also believe that girl friendships might be about sundresses.   Erin and Val must have gotten that memo…although every girl I have met in Louisville has a great collection.  I guess I’m off to the shops!

This afternoon, Bernhardt and I went to Schnitezelberg to meet our impressive friend Will at Hauck’s Handy Store to witness the 40th Annual World’s Championship Dainty Contest.  

What happens at a Dainty Championship is simple…and great.  Only people 45 and up are allowed to play.  They take a mop handle, whack a whittled down broom handle (your dainty), and then bat the dainty down the street to try and win the world record of 145 feet, 6 inches.  See Sunday’s News for video detail (sorry about the 30 second ad before the clip).

All types came out for the championship.  Nuns (behind orange net) came to bless the dainty:

Old men with awesome beards came to cheer:

And even cute babies came:

(probably for the amazing bologna sandwich/pickle deal)

Even Mr. Hauck was out!

Our worlds collided when friends met friends who knew friends:

So we all left together and had a bowl of the best bar chili in town (according to Will) at Check’s Cafe in Germantown.  I will totally go back for more - it was great, and cheap ($3.25 per bowl, and a fine supper for me).  Note:  you order and pay at the counter, you get your fork in the kitchen, and you order your chili with pasta.  They also have fine chili-cheese fries.

Below, a terrible picture of a fine bowl of chili and hidden pasta.

We agreed it was a Paul day in Louisville.  So, hint-hint, Scooper.  Come out with us soon!

Today, Valerie, Erin, and I went to Zen Tea House’s Tai Chi and Mediation Retreat at the owner CoCo’s peaceful home.  

Below is the first thing you see when walking into CoCo’s entryway:

We got up bright and early and started with two hours of Tai Chi at 8am this morning.  Ok.  So we were totally late (20 minutes) because we got lost, but we quickly jumped in.  What I learned during my first attempt at Tai Chi:

1) I have a big butt.  Well…I already knew THAT.  But it was funny because the instructor was trying to be very sweet about what nature gave me.  ”You have a lot of THAT,” she said while gesturing towards by butt, “and it doesn’t help you with this.”

2) Because the movements are very precise,  I would find them, then lose them because my tush totally wants to stick out, thus bending my back.  We all took time in front of our reflections, watching ourselves make the movements and tucking in our backsides when we needed to.  So…I learned how to keep it super tucked.

3) In a low squat, a good way to make sure you’re in the correct position is to watch your butt from between your own legs.

So…Tai Chi ended up being all about the booty and precise movements.  Indeed.

After exercising, we had some cucumber and mint infused water, and then we settled in for a 45 minute meditation.

After meditating, which felt great after all of the exercise, we were served a yummy vegetarian lunch.  Below is the glass noodle salad and my almost gone mushroom, celery, and bok choy soup.

The salad all mixed with some hot sauce:

Me, scarfing down noodles…it’s hard with chop sticks!  I could totally go veg if I could cook as well as CoCo does.  

CoCo, bringing us over some fish flavored lettuce leaf:

The view from CoCo’s breakfast nook:

The bottom of the bowl:

Dessert:

Then we went swimming in her pool to end the day.

All I can say is wow.  Wow.  I feel…alive.  

This retreat is happening every week day for the next two weeks.  If you want to go, check out the events page at the Zen Tea House, and make your reservation.  It’s FREE, people.

As we left Valerie and I discussed how unique it is to hang out with someone as caring and as giving as CoCo.  It seems odd that such a beautiful day could be offered - Americans are paranoid people, and it’s not like I’m inviting strangers over to my place…and yet, we live in a special city where awesome things like this happen, and it’s great.  You just have to be willing to try something new.

So, hurry up and get down here, Uncle Kenny.  This is totally something for you.

Today, I got my hair cut at Paul Mitchell the School - Louisville, as suggested by my great-banged friend Valerie.  She went there, and I LOVE her hair, so I requested Mandy, the giver of said great bangs.  I was a little nervous - I mean, it IS a student cutting your hair, but I bravely walked in realizing that today I was the school project.

They make you sign a waiver when you check in.  It’s a green paper stating, “I, ____________, realize that I am having a student cut my hair…blah blah blah…” - basically, a disclaimer on their part if anything sad or bad happens.

Mandy was sweet as pie and really awesome.  She’s a phase one student, so when I got there, she had a teacher with her.  We went over the kind of cut I wanted, she told me what she could do, her teacher seemed pleased, and then left her to it.  At one point, Mandy needed help, so she got her instructor and was talked through part of my cut.  They worked slowly through it - nothing was messy or hasty about it - they were very professional.  It was honestly a really cool experience; I got to help a student learn her trade, and the icing on the cake was that it was only $10 for a wash, cut, and blow-dry.

This is me before (a few days ago, to be exact):

and this is me after hanging with Mandy:

I think everyone should go to the school at Paul Mitchell.  It’s cheap, the people are nice, they take their time, they listen to you, and it’s a unique salon experience.  If you decide to go, ask for Mandy, and tip her a lot because she’s a cute little pregnant person.

Location:

156 North Hurstbourne Parkway
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 583-1018

Open Mon-Thu 9am-10pm; Fri-Sat 9am-4:30pm

Full service salon and beauty school that provides the most advanced cosmetology training possible. Programs specialize in hair, skin, makeup, and nails. - From the owner

A few weeks ago, Bern and I went and played bingo with some folks I’ll refer to as “Team Awesome”.  They told us to be at the Bardstown Road American Legion at 7pm sharp for some sweet bingo playin’, and we were there.

To break it down:

1) We played 12 cards at a time, but you can play more if you want.  The 12 card costs $7, and you get around 8 cards of 12 with that (so the card you see above has about 8 sheets underneath it for more games).  If you’re a first timer, you’ll also need to buy a dabber for $1.  It will last you many Thursdays.  My set up is above.  And no, Jim Yates, that is not a glass of pee…it was a $1.25 light beer.  They also had homemade popcorn. 

Below are dabbers at work.  To the tune of Montell Jordan, “This is how we dab it”.

2) The Pickle Jar:

An old man asked me if I knew what a pickle jar was.  ”Yes,” I said, “I love pickles.” - - - not that kind of jar.  Basically, you buy the “Pickle Jar” stamp for $1, and if you get bingo on the assigned pickle jar numbers (there were 3 that night), you win a lot more bingo money.  You’re nuts if you don’t buy into the pickle jar.

Our friend Andrew won bingo on the pickle jar, something very rare.  When you win bingo, you yell “BINGO”, raise your hand, and an old person working the floor will come, verify said “bingo”, and will get your winnings for you.  Unfortunately, no one told us we had to tip the moneyman, and Andrew’s old man stayed behind him with a big frown and his hand out.

 ”Aren’t you gonna tip me?” he asked Andrew.  We all thought it was a joke and laughed, but he was serious.  He wiggled his fingers, and in a panic, Andrew handed him a 20-dollar bill.

(Below:  Tricia becomes aware that the old man isn’t joking)

It was a cryin’ shame.  

Will danced a dab dance to cheer us all up, and in the end, our table was the winningest  table of them all!

3) A note:  there are MANY ways to get BINGO. It’s seriously nerve-wracking the first time you play.  I was afraid someone would beat me up if I miscalled my bingo, and most of those people had osteoporosis…if that tells you anything about how weak I am or how tough the elderly truly are…

When we left, an old lady with no teeth said that we were really loud.  I didn’t think that we were THAT loud…I think she was just jealous because we rocked bingo SO HARD.

Will I go back?  Yes.  Will I win $1000?  Yes.  Because it’s totally a possibility there…and that pot should be mine…or someone’s in Team Awesome…because we’re quick and loud.  So…come on, you guys.  Let’s go back.  

We just moved to Old Louisville about 3 weeks ago, and since then, I have a list of things to do, eat, and see.  I have only eaten at two places in the neighborhood so far, and this is what I have learned:

Ermin’s Bakery.

1) Do not get coffee here.  It’s gross.

2) DO get the macaroons here.  The coconut and chocolate tastes like heaven.

3) The crab casserole is good, but two people can barely finish one piece…and it’s REALLY buttery, but in that amazing granny way…basically, eat it if you want to poop grease and have a tummy ache while fondly remembering the taste that caused it all.

4) Everyone who works there is really fantastic - and they seem to have been there forever, which adds to the exciting “this is my sweet little neighborhood” ideal in my brain.  

5) The cookies are yummy.  And I don’t like cookies unless I’m in the mood, and I wasn’t in a cookie mood that day…and then I WAS in a cookie mood (after I ate a sample).

Hmmmm…the moral?  It’s a special place, but maybe just for sweets and fountain coke.  I DO like living so close to a bakery.  It’s romantic.

1st and Oak Store(Old Louisville) 1201 S. 1st Street, Louisville, KY,40208    Phone:502.635.6960

*All food made “in house” at Old Louisville location. *Deliveries are done from main location as well.

Hours of Operation:

Mon. -Fri7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.Sat8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Sun9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Third Avenue Cafe.

1) We had the best waitress ever. I was in a weird “I don’t know what I want” mood, and she was nice to me (thank you, lady).  And she knew what was in EVERYTHING, and was very caring, as far as letting us know what was vegan and what was not.  All of the staff seemed very knowledgeable.  

2) The burger is a nice happy hour special.  If I remember correctly, it is $6 between 4 and 6 o’clock.  It’s a great deal.

3) Their chips are special and hearty.

4) They have vegan friendly fryers.

5) They make great cheesecake.

6) Everything is homemade on the premises.

7) It is closed on Sundays.

1164 S. Third Street Louisville, KY 40203
585-CAFE (585-2233)

I am obviously not vegan, but I appreciate good vegan and vegetarian food.  I would totally take my silliest, pickiest vegan friend here, no problem.

I think it’s because we were there during Family Gallery Adventure Time.  If you don’t like screaming children, go after 1PM and cross your fingers.  I usually like the sounds of laughter and fun, but amplified in this space, it felt like nails on a chalkboard.  This made me a little sad, because in quiet museums, I always want more sound…

Will I ever find gallery happiness?

That being said…I’m willing to give it another go.  I might even pop into The Bristol Cafe for some chili wontons next time.  

Note:  Admission for the WOW exhibit is free - a plus.  Parking in the garage is cheap, but you can totally find road parking (note to self for next time).

I also hear that the events at night are a nice way to hobnob.

2035 South Third Street Louisville, Kentucky 40208
502.634.2700 speedmuseum.org

Wow picture courtesy of The Speed Museum.

This past Saturday afternoon, I, with three of my new lady friends, went to the Zen Tea House’s tea meditation.  Check out the room:

 I have to say, this was probably one of the first times all summer that I truly relaxed.

What they do:

1) You are talked through the process over a yummy cup of cucumber or peach infused water.

2) You go through 2 sets of meditations.  During your meditation, you are given a tea cup.  

When a bell rings, you can either keep the cup near you as a symbol of mental clarity, or you can push your cup away.  If you are clear, you are given a lighter tea.  If your brain is feeling a little too active, you get a darker tea.

3) You don’t have to worry if you’re feeling unclear and your cup is pushed away.  The meditation and the pushing or keeping of the cup is just for acknowledgment and nothing more.  Plus, either way, you get great tea.

I was energized after the meditation, so us girls went and got some food downstairs afterwards.  I got the avocado and tomato spring rolls, which come with a side of veggies marinated in vinegar and a touch of sugar…

I felt changed after this lovely afternoon full of contemplation and delicious food.  There are two more tea meditations this summer, and a very intriguing Tai Chi retreat that I will be hitting up this Friday.  All of this is FREE.  So…GO, I tell you!

Zen Tea House
2246 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40206

Phone:  502-618-0878
Email us at:  zenteahouse@insightbb.com

All meditation photos courtesy of Zen Tea House.

Ever since we moved to Louisville, I find myself getting lost in Cherokee Park.  At first it was literally lost…once I just drove around, once I just walked around in a panic, once my friend Beth got us out with her i-phone GPS, and once I was led out by a group of roller bladers around my dad’s age.  I’ve learned that in order to get out of Cherokee Park, you simply need to make a lot of lefts, and eventually you hit Bardstown Road.

I’ve been trying to conquer this park (and my bad sense of direction), so at home I look at the map a lot and try to memorize the layout.  Lucky for me, my husband has a photographic memory, so when we found the little stream with the rocks by Seneca Drive, we were able to go back a second time.

When we found this place, kids were playing, dogs were in the water, and we had Belva with us, so we kicked off our shoes and got in to rock hop!  It…was…amazing and SO funny, because Bobo is terrified of the water, but now he’s getting over his fears.  This second time, he sloshed around with only a tiny amount of trepidation.

We love this spot.  If you like to swim, it gets a skosh deeper, and there’s even a rope swing.   The water is clear and beautiful.  There’s a playground and picnic tables close by.  It’s the perfect place to get lost.

The other evening, I met my new friend Valerie at the Zen Tea House on Frankfort Avenue.  I love it there!  It’s funny, because before I met her, I went to their website to check the menu, and I happened upon their events page.  Val and I decided that we’re both going to hit up their tea meditation clinic this Saturday at 2pm.  When we signed up, I almost hit the floor because their meditation and Tai Chi events are all FREE.

Zen Tea House has an amazing menu of teas, as well as some tastey looking vegan and vegetarian food.  Because we were meeting for tea and dessert (they have some GREAT vegan options), I had the Madagascar Vanilla Sunday Blend (great with cream and raw sugar), and we both got the green tea ice cream sandwich.  This sammy was not on the menu - Valerie is a regular, and I followed her lead - and OHHHH BOY, it was the best ice cream sandwich EVER.   (below: pretty Valerie and my GTIS)

 

The yummy green tea ice cream was housed between 2 gingery-molasses cookies, much like Malissa’s recipe from this old gem.  It made me totally miss the Missile.  

More on the tea meditations after the weekend.

Yesterday, my husband and I went on a day date.  For us, that means finding something to go DOOOO…that kind of thing.  Ever since we moved here, I’ve been waiting to see Colonel Sander’s grave with him.  We decided to go, but first we thought we should check out the Mid City Mall’s Nearly New Thrift Store.

Nearly New is located on the lower level of Mid City Mall, and it’s packed with goodies.

My friend Christina told me about this shop a while ago, so I have to give her the street cred.  It’s located in the mall’s old skating rink, so it’s huge, and I love looking around there.  I will say that the prices are steep (shirts are ten bones!), and I STILL haven’t found that special item that I want to buy there, but looking never gets old.  I WILL say that I always find a great dresser EVERY trip (too bad I already have my ideal), and the bourbon glasses are always nice.  By the by, they are hiring right now.

 

After Nearly New, we went to Cave Hill Cemetary to find the grave of Colonel Sanders as well as Harry Leon Collins (a magician with a supposedly cool statue by his grave).  We got to Cave hill at 4 PM, and much to our cha-grin, it closes at 4:30 each day, so our time was rushed.  Note - get a map on your first visit, and remember that the road with the line takes you all the way in and all the way out.  This cemetary is huge - great for a bike ride and a picnic - it sprawls for a couple of miles.  You can walk, bike, or drive through, the guards are nice, and the scenery is breathtaking.  We chose to drive this time around for time’s sake, and below is what we found.

(look at who was the freemason!)

It was a great afternoon, and we left with plans for a bike ride in Cave Hill very soon.  If you decide to have the same kind of date, I suggest you culminate with pizza at Papalinos on Baxter Avenue.  They cure their own bacon.  Enough said.

Nearly New, Cave Hill, and Papalinos Pizza are all in the Highlands area of Louisville, a neighborhood that can be both overwhelming and nice.

I’ve seriously been DYING to go to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort (about an hour from here), so I called them up, and they told me they do tours every hour on the hour Monday - Friday, from 9 - 4:30 pm.  In the meantime, I can watch them live view on their web cam.  Oh, Ron Wiltrout, how I wish you were in town!

(picture of the first 3 generation of Van Winkles, “Pappy” on the right, from Van Winkle Family Heritage page)

We stopped in Louisville, KY on our honeymoon roadtrip last June.  We stayed at The Roost Inn in the Highlands, and my husband and I walked around, ate good food, met really great people, and joked about how we should move here right away.  A year later, here we are.  Already, we have made some great new friends and are enjoying this new landscape that we call home.  

I decided to start this blog because we discover something really amazing every day…and in those cases, how can you not share?  I’m also writing this because before we moved to KY, I looked around for ANY Louisville blog to introduce me to my new city, and I didn’t find much of anything.  So this is for the fellow explorers, the friends who want to come and visit, and the people who are just plain curious about why Louisville is so awesome, and what they can do if they come here to visit or to live.

-SMG