Belated Greetings from the 502! I had every intention of posting yesterday but got caught in a whirlwind of errand after errand and a super fun St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Life is good!

The fact that the Louisville area code is one digit away from Portland’s 503 seems to be more than an interesting coincidence, as they have a very sisterly feel to them: open, friendly, creative, lovely river cities, of which, if you haven’t noticed, I am a rather big fan.

This is Butchertown in NuLu, our most excellent home away from home, with that top photo our abode, a 125 year old building on Main Street. Take a look at those giant doors; the ceilings were twelve feet high. We walked and walked under mostly sunny skies, the rains only coming in earnest, with a most spectacular downpour, on our way to our next destination in Indiana. Heaven!

We ate and drank v e r y well, with bourbon of some sort at nearly every meal. One place put it over pancakes(!), most others by the glass. The jelly jar was a bourbon slushie, a.k.a. the best adult version of a kids drink EVER.  Our favorite restaurants were Rye and Feast, with Rye having the most creative and delicious menu we’ve seen since leaving Portland (sorry, Pittsburgh! We’re still looking!). Those are the best rolls I’ve ever had the good fortune to eat, soft, buttery, wow. And that kind of wild looking mess with meringue? A banana crepe! A m a z i n g. Feast was crazy good barbeque and the home of the yummy slushie. It is wonderful to be spoiled by marvelous food and service, peeps. Indeedy.

The neighborhood is super cool, dare I say hip, and full of shopping (check out Why Louisville) and fun; Colonel Sanders and Abe Lincoln photo opportunities, squee-ee; an alley called Billy Goat Strut. Then there are the aforementioned eateries and really great architecture! My goodness, I love beautiful buildings. Oh, and murals and iron work! Choice examples lined the streets. It all makes me so happy. I want exclamation points everywhere! Then to see little bits of history, like the Thomas Edison brick house, and the world feels a bit smaller and more personal. I’m here, and he was here, and think of all we can be and do. It makes a body grateful for the privilege of travel.

More of Louisville on Friday, I hope!