It has been four years since I started my travels. During the four years I have visited the United States three times and each visit makes it painfully clear to me that as the years go by I have less and less in common with the country that was my home for 62 years.
I came back this year to tend to some personal matters…none of which I accomplished…and to drive the Lewis and Clark trail with my friend Joyce. I spent six weeks in Louisville, my home town, visiting friends, exploring and marveling at the change in appearance as well as mood.
Louisville is a river town first and foremost. The city started on an island in the middle of the Ohio River in 1778….Corn Island, which disappeared long ago in the 1937 floods that devastated the city. Today the river still continues to be the main focus as most of the energy and money for development goes towards the riverfront.
There are great old iron front buildings along Main Street (we have the second largest number outside of SOHO in New York) dating to a time when the river was lined with paddlewheeler’s and mule wagons hauled seed, tobacco, tools and hemp into the large brick warehouses that filled the space between Main Street and the river. Today the street is lined with restored buildings, theaters, performing arts centers and museums and the area that was once filled with warehouses is a grand park dotted with sculpture, restaurants and large lawns for concerts and fireworks. Louisville has an abundance of green space which is what makes it one of the more livable cities in America.
In the heart of the old district stands one of the newest and most innovative of the business offering…21C…a combination contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. It has been so successful that they have expanded to Cincinnati, OH and Bentonville, AK. It is easy to spot as you walk down Main St…..there is a life sized statue of David on a pedestal in front covered in gold leaf and the roof is lined with magenta plastic penguins….how could you miss it.
Further down the street is the famous factory where they make the Louisville Slugger baseball bats….again you can’t miss it look for the 3 story baseball bat leaning against the building.
Standing on the Belvedere overlooking the the cluster of modern buildings we are well represented by some of the major architects of the 20th century…postmodernist Michael Graves, modernist Mies van der Rohe and John Burgee who partnered with Phillip Johnson to make some of the most iconic skyscraper’s of the 70’s and 80’s
William Clark and his brother General George Rodgers Clark are part of the history of the city….the small town across the river in Indiana is named Clarksville after William Clark who lived there until he left on his great journey… and so it is fitting for my friend Joyce and me to start our road trip following the Lewis and Clark Trail from my home town of Louisville. We will be traveling the back roads and keeping off the Interstates as much as possible. This will allow us to get a sense of what is happening behind the scenes in small town America while we absorb the history of the Lewis and Clarks great journey of discovery. I will post about the trip in the next few weeks.
20 Comments
Dear Larry,
Lovely pictures. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wrote you a note and then saw you WERE blogging again.
Great….I love this post and will be reading your next posts too…
Question still is..
Where the hell have you been..I nearly gave up on you!!
I am alive and well and ready to start writing again. Look for post and thanks for being a loyal follower.
About time, thought you were dead
stay intouch
Jeanne
Welcome home, Larry.
Frank
That is a nice little synopsis of our home town.
Larry, please change my email to the new one above. I am phasing out the insightbb address.
well old pal, I guess it is about time you got your ass back to Cuenca.
Hello Larry,
Back again. Having known you for many decades Larry I would say that your “revelation” of less and less in common is nothing new. Like Bea Lilly said when playing Mrs. Mears in “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Searching…always searching…”
Good luck on the search. In my 65 years, I have learned that there are no answers.
So good to hear from you. Your home town looks beautiful. When you arrive in Portland, kiss the ground for me.
HI again Larry,
How about a timely Facebook posting this morning that seems amazingly appropriate:
Beware of destination addiction! A preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, & with the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.
“Searching…always searching…”
Robin
Robin,
Nice to hear from you. I agree with your quote…is there a pill or a shot to cure my malady. Never looking for happines…just new experiences.
Larry
YOu make Louisville sound like a great place to live. Is Thailand really the ultimate country of residence for you.
Good to see you back on the internet; was wondering what you’d been up to.
Done with Thailand and I am San Miguel de Allende currently. Russia in Sept and then to Tunisa for the winter. I fear that there is no ultimate country of residence.
Larry
Thanks – so good to hear from you. We look forward to your posts. Oh, by the way, we have changed our email to – gpcg2014@gmail.com
Thanks
I hope you are in Louisville to vote in November.
It’s time for woman Senator from KY.
Welcome back.
When R U visiting BOS?
I agree but will be in Croatia…would love to see the lady beat our current senator.
Welcome back to Louisville! Nice post. You should check out the Big 4 Walking Bridge while you’re here. Glad to see you are still traveling and well!
Teresa
Welcome back to the USA. We were wondering where you were now. What an amazing journey. Will you go back? I wonder which continent. Glad you are still healthy.
Hi Larry…….great to know you are blogging again….please do a St ‘Miguel one soon…