Louisville, KY: Final thoughts on Ali’s city

Fun fact: Louisville, Kentucky was the hometown of Cassius Clay, otherwise known to the rest of the world as Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time. If you explore this city, you will see evidence of his former presence here by a street named after him, called Muhammad Ali Boulevard. You may also see various colorful murals of Ali painted throughout the city. Or you may see his pink childhood home on Grand Avenue. Muhammad Ali has definitely left his mark on Louisville and if you visit this city, it may just leave a mark on you. Taking the Old Louisville Architectural Walking Tour is a way for it to do just that. This tour really shows the beauty and the history of this city through its unique homes – ranging from gunshot style, to the ornate, and everything in between. You will hear stories about the people who lived in some of these homes, which really brings the city in it’s former glory, to life. This tour was probably the most interesting thing I did during my time in Louisville, and if you are like me and love architectural details, you will love this tour!

Louisville sunsets can be absolutely gorgeous! With the rich colors of red, orange and yellow along the horizon, despite being seen from a hotel window (at practically 9:30 pm no less on a July evening, since this city is on the westernmost edge of the eastern time zone), you may be in for a visual treat!

Although Louisville and surrounding cities throughout a large radius of this city are known for their various bourbon distilleries, two that I found notable during my time in Louisville, were Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co on N 10th Street in Louisville and Buffalo Trace Distillery (although this is located in Frankfort, KY – see previous post for more ideas to form a day trip to Frankfort). Peerless Bourbon had a unique taste resembling creme brulee to both myself and my companion and was absolutely smooth and delicious. Buffalo Trace, on the other hand, offers a nice bourbon as well, however the outside atmosphere at this distillery added to the tasting experience. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and make for an enjoyable afternoon to explore on a nice day. At the time of my visit, this distillery also offered ghost tours, as the grounds are said to be haunted. It appears that this tour was discontinued publicly, but ‘may’ be available by appointment – call them for confirmation if this is of interest to you. One of the unique products they sell at Buffalo Trace is a Bourbon Cream, which is comparable to irish cream liquor, except that it is made with bourbon. There are a vast number of other very good bourbon distilleries located throughout the state of Kentucky, many of which are accessible from the Louisville area and can be found on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The Bourbon Trail experience, along with the surrounding scenery consisting of miles and miles of pristine horse farms throughout the green, fenced- lined countryside, is a must for anyone that loves bourbon or whiskey AND the beauty of horses and nature!

Saying goodbye to my job experience in Louisville was bittersweet. Being the break-in job back into the world of MFM, it was a challenge, but at the same time, it paved the way for successfully tackling future challenges in my field. It also left me with some fond memories of this beautiful area. If you have the opportunity to explore this area either through a temporary job assignment or vacation – the summer (and I bet the spring and fall, as well) in Louisville will leave you with fun and beautiful memories!