Thursday, April 9, 2015
It was a challenge getting to Lexington. I was supposed to wake up at 2:30 am for a 5:03 am takeoff. Unfortunately, I woke up at 4am and basically flew out the door. I think I might have made my flight if the parking shuttle had just waited a second for me to get my car valeted. Also, it would have helped if the airline attendant actually had the plane wait for me. I just got there 15 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave, and the doors close 10 minutes beforehand. Bradley is not a large airport at all. I was rebooked as standby on a plane that was set to leave around 7am. Standby means you wait until everyone has boarded a plane and maybe they can fit you in. However, the flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Chicago. I am kind of glad I missed my flight because I might have been stuck there. I was on the phone with American Airlines trying to rebook when the guy told me there wasn't any flights that day. I told him that I must get to Lexington the same day. He found a flight that routed through Charlotte that left around 1pm. It was my own option, so I confirmed my seat. Once I got to Charlotte, I faced another 1 hour delay. I did not make it to Lexington until almost 7pm vs around 12pm when I was originally scheduled to be there. I was so exhausted from traveling all day long.
My friends and I stayed at Ramada . I chose this based on the price and the proximity to the event venue. Other perks is that there was indoor/outdoor pools, tennis court, wifi, breakfast, and parking included. There is also a Waffle House and gas station next door. April at the front desk was extremely nice and helpful. When we asked for recommendations for BBQ, April and another hotel receptionist said City BBQ without even letting me finish asking whether Red State BBQ or Lexington BBQ was better. I would definitely stay at that location again. City BBQ http://www.citybbq.com/ I ordered the pulled pork which was slightly dry. They had a nice selection of sides. I chose the macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. They had four different sauces. My favorite was the spicy one. I also had an unfiltered ginger ale with real ginger pieces in it!
Friday, April 10, 2015
Louisville Zoo
We were so excited that Nature Connects Lego Brick Sculptures opened on April 10th. It runs until July 5, 2015. It was really interesting to read the signs posted next to each thing. We saw King Louie, a rare white alligator in the HerpAquarium. He had an almost greenish cast to his coloring. We ate at Wild Burger in the Australian section. I was really impressed by the food. They had fancy toppings like beer cheese, green chili avocado, and etc. We went to the Wallaroo Walkabout with the wallabies, and kookaburra. They all stayed toward the back of the enclosed area. I wish they had come over. We decided to feed lorikeets. Even though the girl warned us that the birds were slowing down, we decided to purchase nectar anyway. I am glad we got to feed them. The one thing that bothered me was there was a mother who told her child it was okay to pet the bird while the lorikeet was eating. It’s not okay. How would you like to be petted while you’re eating? In the video I took, the bird kept looking up every time the kid went in to pet it. It would have been interesting to feed a giraffe too but alas the option was not available. The one thing I was concerned about was the giraffe licking my self-tanner off when I found out we could prior to going to the zoo. The gift shop had some great unique finds. If you know me, you know that I don’t usually purchase souvenirs aside from pressed pennies. I wish I started collecting postcards earlier. No time like the present to start!
Lexington Center is where the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Induction was held. There was a cocktail hour for the platinum ticket holders. We were there for maybe 10-15 minutes before we saw Brian come out. My friend and I couldn’t get near him, so we decided to wait for Kevin. It paid off because we were right in the front. Can I just take a minute and say how absolutely perfect the Richardson family is? Kevin told us he would be right back after he had gotten his drink. He came back and said, “Let’s do this!” I was ready and the first to take a picture with him. I didn’t want to take up too much of his time because I knew there were a lot of people waiting. I got to tell him congratulations. I wanted to take a picture with Leighanne because she looked like a goddess. She was talking to someone, and I didn’t to interrupt. Luckily I was waiting in that area because Brian came over, and I was able to snap a quick picture with him right before he went in for the ceremony. The one performance that stood out from the other inductees was Montgomery Gentry. It was like being at a concert! Of course, Brian and Kevin were last. When they were going to through the accolades in the video, I thought to myself: oh lord, we’re going to be here all night. BSB really just has some many distinguishments as a group and as individual artists. I really love the bluegrass rendition they did for Larger Than Life. I’m not really sure what happened to the after party though. After the ceremony we were able to catch Brian and Kevin once more. We also sang happy birthday to Keith (Kevin’s body guard.)
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Kentucky Horse Park
First thing we did was head to the barns to see the carriage horses. There was a really nice guy who took out the horses so we could pet them. We opted to add 45 minute trail ride to our ticket as well. It is the horse capital after all. This was my first time ever riding a horse. I have to admit I was a little nervous. I had a little trouble mounting the saddle and had to adjust myself. My horse’s name is Hildago. He got a little snippy with two of the other horses. Mostly Hildago knew where to go, but I had to direct the horse a couple of times when he went where I didn’t want him to go. He also decided to stop right before we got back. I had gently kick him to get him going. I didn’t know why until my friend told he stopped to go to the bathroom. Right before the end of the trail, Hildago also decide to trot which surprised me and I let out an “oh!” That prompted our guide, Kevin, to look and make sure I was okay. Hildago was just trying to catch up with the horse in front of us which kind of hurt. Hall of Champions was awesome because we were able to see some famous elite horses. We had a lady who worked in that barn tell us stories about the horse
University of Kentucky Go Big Blue! We had to make a pit stop here to get our UK gear and support Kevin’s favorite team. It’s a beautiful campus.
Parkette featured on Diner, Drive-ins, and Dives This is a retro 50’s diner in a garage. At first we were going to order from the drive in area, but we were having difficulty ordering from the voice box. We ended up eating inside. I had the Hot Brown Burger because we didn't have enough time to make it to the Brown Hotel in Louisville to have the original.
Cathedral Domain Camp I was a little emotional going to Kevin’s home where he grew up. It beyond beautiful. We made it before sunset. I wouldn’t suggest driving the back roads at night though. We missed the turn back to Lexington several times.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Tates Creek High School Brian’s high school. We failed to reenact the scene from BSB The Movie successfully lol It was also funny because there was a football practice going in the field as well. Luckily they didn’t see the fan girls trying to piggy back down the hill.
After my friends left, I wanted to go the Arboretum, but it was closed. I headed over to the Mary Todd Lincoln house not realizing it was also closed. Note that there is a huge parking lot in the back that you can park in for free. This is also near the downtown area. I passed the Visitor’s Center, but it didn’t open until noon. I decided to walk around until then. When it did open, the ladies there were very helpful. I asked them for suggestions of things I could do in 3 hours before heading to the airport.
Ashland Henry Clay Estate Mansion tour I do like taking in a little bit of history when I go out of town. Ashland is named because of the trees surrounding the property. Henry Clay was a huge influence on Lincoln. I thought it was crazy how small Nannette’s wedding shoes were.
I could not leave Kentucky without drinking some bourbon, so I went to Alltech because it was close by. It is also on the Bourbon Trail. I opted for the half tour because I didn't think I would have enough time for a full tour that would have run until 4pm. Bluegrass Sundown was amazing. I tried Town Branch Bourbon. I don’t remember the name of the other two types I tried. All of them burned going down the hatch. Normally I stick with clear spirits.
I went to the Kentucky Ale Taproom in the airport for a late lunch. It was not that busy when I first arrived. This a restaurant you seat yourself. It took a while for a waitress to greet me. She was pretty young, and I felt that she didn't really know what she was doing. I almost left because my food was taking so long! 30 minutes later I finally had my food and decided to overlook the amount of time it took to arrive. It was delicious. I couldn't wait any longer before my flight, so I decided to go over to the register to check out. I noticed that they had the dirty dishes in the service window with the new food. Even though I liked the food, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to this place for that reason. Honestly, I need a vacation from my vacation. It was nonstop for four days. We fit in so much, and I’m glad we got to do it all. My philosophy when it comes to traveling is experience as much as you can because you never know when you’ll be back.
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