Our next stop was The World's Second Most Awesome Art Market where, with no tats to show (well, Cindie's single small, tasteful one was covered by her turtleneck), we definitely felt old. But the facility where it was held, Louisville Glassworks, was a real find.
It's home to three glass studios, including one for architectural glass (plus they have a mobile studio - how cool is that?). It sponsors a variety of workshops, including an upcoming BYO - Blow Your Own . . . Beer Mug workshop. The gift shop was sorely tempting (they also have an online store). A jazz club serves tapas on the lower level, upper floors apparently house condos and a boutique hotel, and our server at the Carolina Shrimp Co. told us they sometimes host rooftop parties.
The afternoon was still young, so next we decided to check out 21c, the "museum-hotel" whose owners are supposed to be bringing the same concept to downtown Cincinnati (adjacent to the Contemporary Arts Center and across from the Aronoff in the old Metropole Hotel). I thumbed through Velocity (the free weekly Louisville entertainment tabloid we'd picked up at lunch), for an address for Cindie's GPS. But as we neared the place, I saw something that made me take notice.
On the corner we spotted Proof on Main, the hotel's much touted bar/restaurant, and knew we must be in the right place. Housed in converted tobacco and bourbon warehouses, the hotel is part of a thriving new art gallery row on West Main Street that I will definitely make a point of exploring further on another visit to Louisville.
Upon walking through these doors at the 21c, you pass a check-in counter, but are essentially in the first of several gallery spaces. The museum is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting 21st century art (hence its name), some of it interactive and media-driven. Even the bathrooms (which came in second in the 2008 Top 10 Best Restrooms in America list - yes, there is such a thing), are unique, as we learned from a patron as we walked the hall. The men's urinal is just on the other side of that hall; there is one-way glass so the men can see out but the women can't see in - although they don't necessarily know that.
So what about those red penguins? We just had to ask. And we learned the owners were at an art show in Italy when they were captivated by the red penguins shown by the Cracked Art group. They bought 40 or 45 afterward, most of which are perched on top of the building or above the entrance. "But we have about a dozen we play with," the concierge told us. Repeat clients who they know have a sense of humor might discover a red penguin in their shower. Or a couple getting married might be greeted by a pair dressed in wedding dress and tux. He said the owners plan to commission more penguins for their Cincinnati hotel, although they will be in a different color. For more photos of the penguins, a video of the hotel's annual birthday pajama party, and more, check out their facebook page.
With a little more time to kill before we could check into our more affordable suburban hotel, I suggested a drink at either the Seelbach or the Brown. Cindie opted for the Brown.
Built in 1923 and recently renovated, the Brown Hotel is the essence of old Southern opulence in Louisville. We made our way to the lobby, where the bar prominently displayed an array of bourbons. I'm not much of a Bourbon drinker. But when you're in Louisville, at a place like the Brown, that is simply what one does.
Unless you're one of the young men who sat down next to us. "I've driven all the way from New Jersey to have a real mint julep," said one. They said they were on their way to Utah, tasting their way across the country to Utah. Since their last stop before Louisville was the Woodford Reserve distillery, we weren't sure whether the tasting focus of their extended road trip was food or drinks.
But they did order a Hot Brown, which was invented at the Brown hotel. I was tickled to read in the wikipedia entry that Bobby Flay failed to prevail when he challenged the hotel's chefs to a Throw Down. Sometimes it's best not to mess with tradition.
Next stop: Lilly's.
I'll get to the red penguins. But to recap my fine - and full - weekend of art and dining, it's probably best to start at the beginning.
My best-friend-since-the-8th-grade Cindie always did a lot of traveling with her mom. Beach trips. Colorado & New Mexico trips. Trips to historical sites. Sometimes just mid-day lunch getaways without their husbands. Attending the annual art and craft show in Louisville, Kentucky Crafted, was an early March favorite. Cindie's been soldiering on since her mother passed away in August. When she asked me to go with her this year, of course I said yes.
Kentucky Crafted included an impressive array of visual art and artisan crafts - photography, jewelry, woodworking, glass, some exquisite baskets. So what did I buy?
I have a great fondness for wooden spoons. These are made of reclaimed wood, well-shaped and well-seasoned - unlike those dry white machine-made things I find most places. I've always admired similar ones when cooking in Cindie's kitchen, and I know they work well. That oval-looking walnut item at top left is a bowl-scraper.
Turns out there was also a food aisle at the art show, with many free samples to be had. Barbecue and hot sauces in abundance, preserves and pickled items of many stripes, several booths offering up chocolates and other sweets - many featuring bourbon, a signature Kentucky ingredient.
So what did I succomb to? Cheese, of course. I had to wait in line to sample Kenny's artisanal cheese. But one small cube of the smoked blue gouda convinced me buy a hunk. Cindie recommended the aged cheddar, and I decided to go for it too. Then she tasted the Tomme de Nena, a cheese neither of us had heard of before (or knew how to pronounce), motioned to me to try it, and I added it to my basket. At this point, I was short by just one cheese for the "buy 4 - get the 5th free" deal, so I selected the St. Jerome and got the bonus chive-onion Jack.
Cindie is a strategic traveler. She had scoped out the info that U of L would be playing a 2:00 basketball game at the same venue as KY Crafted - the ridiculously enormous KY Expo Center - which also that day had a home & garden show, a houseboat show, and some event involving cows going on. Thank goodness the Six Flags season hadn't started yet. We were glad we'd arrived early for KY Crafted. When we finished around noon, we were ready to eat.
So we headed to Carolina Shrimp Co., an unpretentious place Cindie & her mom had stumbled on once. An order-at-the-counter and they-bring-it-to-you-when-it's-ready place. A place with a roll of paper towel on every table in place of napkins.
We split this bowl of rich lobster bisque.
And an order of hush puppies.
Cindie loved her fried oyster po' boy.
I chose steamed shrimp - simple and perfectly cooked, with diced green pepper and onion, and a nice bit of kick from the shrimp boil seasoning.
The sky was blue, the sun was shining. The temperature was nearing 50, and we had just tasted the beach. I shed my winter coat, and we were ready to explore more of Louisville . . .
It's home to three glass studios, including one for architectural glass (plus they have a mobile studio - how cool is that?). It sponsors a variety of workshops, including an upcoming BYO - Blow Your Own . . . Beer Mug workshop. The gift shop was sorely tempting (they also have an online store). A jazz club serves tapas on the lower level, upper floors apparently house condos and a boutique hotel, and our server at the Carolina Shrimp Co. told us they sometimes host rooftop parties.
The afternoon was still young, so next we decided to check out 21c, the "museum-hotel" whose owners are supposed to be bringing the same concept to downtown Cincinnati (adjacent to the Contemporary Arts Center and across from the Aronoff in the old Metropole Hotel). I thumbed through Velocity (the free weekly Louisville entertainment tabloid we'd picked up at lunch), for an address for Cindie's GPS. But as we neared the place, I saw something that made me take notice.
On the corner we spotted Proof on Main, the hotel's much touted bar/restaurant, and knew we must be in the right place. Housed in converted tobacco and bourbon warehouses, the hotel is part of a thriving new art gallery row on West Main Street that I will definitely make a point of exploring further on another visit to Louisville.
Upon walking through these doors at the 21c, you pass a check-in counter, but are essentially in the first of several gallery spaces. The museum is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting 21st century art (hence its name), some of it interactive and media-driven. Even the bathrooms (which came in second in the 2008 Top 10 Best Restrooms in America list - yes, there is such a thing), are unique, as we learned from a patron as we walked the hall. The men's urinal is just on the other side of that hall; there is one-way glass so the men can see out but the women can't see in - although they don't necessarily know that.
So what about those red penguins? We just had to ask. And we learned the owners were at an art show in Italy when they were captivated by the red penguins shown by the Cracked Art group. They bought 40 or 45 afterward, most of which are perched on top of the building or above the entrance. "But we have about a dozen we play with," the concierge told us. Repeat clients who they know have a sense of humor might discover a red penguin in their shower. Or a couple getting married might be greeted by a pair dressed in wedding dress and tux. He said the owners plan to commission more penguins for their Cincinnati hotel, although they will be in a different color. For more photos of the penguins, a video of the hotel's annual birthday pajama party, and more, check out their facebook page.
With a little more time to kill before we could check into our more affordable suburban hotel, I suggested a drink at either the Seelbach or the Brown. Cindie opted for the Brown.
Built in 1923 and recently renovated, the Brown Hotel is the essence of old Southern opulence in Louisville. We made our way to the lobby, where the bar prominently displayed an array of bourbons. I'm not much of a Bourbon drinker. But when you're in Louisville, at a place like the Brown, that is simply what one does.
Unless you're one of the young men who sat down next to us. "I've driven all the way from New Jersey to have a real mint julep," said one. They said they were on their way to Utah, tasting their way across the country to Utah. Since their last stop before Louisville was the Woodford Reserve distillery, we weren't sure whether the tasting focus of their extended road trip was food or drinks.
But they did order a Hot Brown, which was invented at the Brown hotel. I was tickled to read in the wikipedia entry that Bobby Flay failed to prevail when he challenged the hotel's chefs to a Throw Down. Sometimes it's best not to mess with tradition.
Next stop: Lilly's.
