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

[TheRealJoeFish]

Day 2: Charleston, West Virginia (Part 2: Downtown)
The Capitol is on the east side of Charleston; there's about a 2 mile mostly residential stretch separating the historic area from the commercial centers. Downtown Charleston was rather empty for the decent number of stores and restaurants (it looked to me like the sort of city that would be brilliantly vibrant if it could just convince about 10,000 millennials to move in).

Pictures:

---

This is where many of the people were. The Town Center Mall was the largest downtown mall east of the Mississippi when it opened in the early 1980s. It was nearly a quarter-mile long and has just under a million square feet of shopping space. I took some interior pictures but they don't really get the size across, so this will have to do.

---

---

There was a cute little concert going on at a riverfront amphitheater! I think it was actually the sound check for a bigger concert later, but they were playing for the couple dozen people who had gathered.

---

---

Bridge and river. South Charleston's on that side of the river.

---

---

The end of the planet's good old days: when people started drilling for gas instead of salt.

---

---

A thirty-some foot tall sculpture of (I think) a microscope in front of the Clay Center for Arts and Sciences!

---

---

And, to close out my Charleston day, I took in a ball game at Appalachian Power Park, home of the West Virginia Power (the Pittsburgh Pirates' Single-A affiliate).

---

---

I sat in the third row to watch the Power play the Greensville Drive (Red Sox Affiliate).

---

Enjoy!!! Cincinnati tomorrow!

[TheRealJoeFish]

Got it. Everyone loves Pittsburgh, no one likes Charleston.

Cincinnati coming soon

[Whateverist]

Beware of hurricanes.

[c172]

I lived 15 miles north of Pittsburgh,PA. for 9 years. The first 18 months were culture shock, but after 9 years, I dreaded having to leave.

I'm kind of curious about Cincinnati. I've only been to the airport (physically in KY). I want to try Cincy chili.

[TheRealJoeFish]

Day 3: Cincinnati

After Charleston, it was a 3-hour jaunt WNW to Cincinnati. I had never been to Cincinnati, and knew nothing other than that it was the third-largest of the three Big Cs in Ohio (300,000 people, smaller than Columbus and Cleveland) and that it was, culturally, far more Kentucky-Tennessee than Ohio-Pennsylvania.

Boy, was I blown away. To be fair, I only saw the riverfront area of downtown and the sports arenas, but I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful the riverfront park was. The river area of Cincinnati is my new favorite urban space, and I don't say that lightly: it was stunning. I was told that, as recently as 3 or 4 years ago, it was not nearly as nice, but in my time there (spent walking the riverfront park and taking in a Cincinnati Reds game) I was absolutely enthralled.

I'm in the MUHAMMAD ALI MUSEUM in Louisville right now, and the orientation video is about to start, so I'll post pics from Cincinnati and Louisville tonight!

[Edwardo Piet]

Okay, so, the all important question is...

Are you having a good time?

[TheRealJoeFish]

Okay, so, the all important question is...

Are you having a good time?

It's unbelievable. I can't stop smiling wherever I go. It has been perfect. Exactly what I was hoping.

Now, that's on day 4 of 28; who knows what I'll be saying on day 24 of 28? But, definitely, fantastic so far. I am *incredibly* relaxed and feeling great. A drive in the morning, exploration in the day, a relaxing hotel stay at night: each is incredibly liberating in its own way, and is exactly my idea of a good vacation.

[TheRealJoeFish]

Day 3: Cincinnati (Pics)

---

Bait and Switch! This isn't in Cincinnati; on the way from Charleston, I made a detour to Huntington, West Virginia. This is the famous "We Are Marshall" memorial.

For those who don't know the story from either college football fandom or the Matthew McConnaughey movie, on November 14, 1970, an airplane carrying 75 people, including 36 players and 9 coaches of the Marshall University football team and a number of Louisville's most prominent citizens, crashed on its way back to WV from North Carolina, killing all on board. Although the University initially planned to cancel the football program, the remaining players and coaches convinced the University to allow them to play on the very next year.

---

---

Here it is! Downtown Cincinnati, taken from the northern shore of the Ohio River.

---

---

Similar shot from inside a cute li'l garden!

---

---

The quiet side of the riverfront park, featuring one of the many bridges over the Ohio River. That is Kentucky on the other side. The Ohio forms the entire northern border of Kentucky and most of West Virginia and the southern border of Indiana and Ohio.

---

---

A weird cute little flying pig thing that little kids could ride in! It bounced up and down!

---

---

A little tough to see, a big pipe organ thing with a keyboard under it that lit up so kids could jump on it and play songs on the pipes!

---

---

Great American Ballpark, home of the MLB's Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are the USA's oldest professional sports franchise; the current team has existed since 1881 (there was an earlier team in Cincinnati, but they were kicked out of the league for selling beer and playing baseball on Sundays).

---

---

It was a very nice ballpark! I was in the second-highest row in the entire stadium, but right behind home plate; the view was fantastic!

---

---

Zoomed in on the view of the river past the outfield. Really nice! That is a restaurant in left field modeled after an old steamboat.

---

Louisville coming soon!

[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:

---

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

---

---

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.

---

---

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

---

---

More Ali.

---

---

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

---

---

Another famous Louisville native: Katniss EverdeenJennifer Lawrence!

---

---

Sixth Avenue, a main thoroughfare.

---

---

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.

---

---

Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby!

---

---

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.

---

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!

[TheRealJoeFish]

Day 5: Indianapolis, Indiana

From the 37th-largest state capitol (Charleston, WV) just three days ago, I find myself in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 2nd largest state capitol (behind only Phoenix, Arizona and just ahead of Columbus, Ohio). Indianapolis is the 14th-largest city in the United States.

It has a bit of a reputation for not having a whole ton to do, but I was able to keep myself busy despite the Labor Day holiday!

Pictures:

---

I first ended up in a cute little spot in northern Indianapolis, Broad Ripple Park. It was hosting some sort of little Labor Day festival with live music, food trucks, and antique/folk art type stands. Here is a not-particularly-great picture of it!

---

---

The park's cute little entrance display!

---

---

So that's how far I am from home: 643 miles!

---

---

The Indiana state Capitol building is right in downtown Indianapolis, with skyscrapers and such on three sides. This building was finished in 1833.

---

---

Another view of the capitol.

---

---

The birthplace of Lilly Laboratories. One of the most influential (and controversial, at times) pharmaceutical companies in the world, Eli Lilly & Co. was the first to market penicillin, the polio vaccine, and insulin.

---

---

Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. Unfortunately, the sun was directly behind, and there wasn't a good way to get a better shot without walking all the way around the stadium. Home of the 2012 Super Bowl.

---

ALERT: THIS NEXT PICTURE IS FOR LOSTY. THE REST OF YOU CAN LOOK AT IT, BUT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY IT.

---

MR NECKBEARD HIMSELF, the Colts' ANDREW LUCK!!!!!!

---

---

These sorts of wide eclectic streets were ubiquitous in downtown Indianapolis. Unlike most cities from the 1800s, Indianapolis was planned out prior to its construction, chosen in central Indiana to serve as the state's capitol.

---

---

Finally, late at night, Labor Day fireworks reflecting off the hotel pool as I rest my weary feet!

---

I'll be in Chicago the next two days, taking in the windy city (and a White Sox game)! I'll post pictures, of course, so check back in a couple days yo!