TRJF's 4,000-Mile Road Trip!!!

[TheRealJoeFish]

Day 4: Louisville, Kentucky

The shortest drive on my trip was the 90 miles from Cincinnati to Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville is not the capitol of Kentucky, though it is certainly its most significant city. The 30th largest city in the U.S. (about 600,000), Louisville is sort of right on the edge of being a major city in the country. It was rather similar in feel to Cincinnati. I wandered around the riverfront for a while - taking in the Muhammad Ali Center and stumbling upon some sort of festival - and then ducked down to the south side of town for a luck at Churchill Downs, the most famous horse racing track in the U.S.

Pictures:

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Here's the outside of the Muhammad Ali Center. Opened in 2005, it has received increased interest since his passing earlier this year.

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There he is: The Greatest. You shouldn't have to ask "the greatest what?" He was The Greatest. He was born in Louisville in 1942, and became perhaps the most significant athletic figure in U.S. history.

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I promised certain members of this forum a selfie highlighting my neckbeard. Touristy tourist is touristy.

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More Ali.

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Ali was an artist, both inside and outside the ring.

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Another famous Louisville native: Katniss EverdeenJennifer Lawrence!

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Sixth Avenue, a main thoroughfare.

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I stumbled into an international festival at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts! There was a lot of international food, and a live band playing Zimbabwean music.

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Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby!

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Churchill Downs is the final resting place of Barbaro, one of the greatest racehorses of all time. After winning the Kentucky Derby in 2006, Barbaro broke a leg in the Preakness Stakes while going for the Triple Crown. He passed away the following January, and was laid to rest just outside the entrance to the track. I still remember that, in the 2008 election, I voted for "Barbaro the Dead Horse" for county commissioner.

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Indianapolis, Indiana tomorrow! I've been there before, and it's Labor Day, so I don't think I'm going to do too much in the city, maybe just walk around a park or two. Regardless, I'll have pictures and a first-hand account!