Moving to Louisville this summer

[xthetylerx]

This summer I'm moving to Louisville to attend U of L. I've got some friends that live there that are giving me suggestions, but how's the political climate?

I'm sure its much more liberal than what I'm used to (Madisonville, over in Western Kentucky).

Any other suggestions dealing with the city would also be great.

Thanks!

[Roland99]

1. We're quite split just like the nation, really.

While we've had Democratic mayors and a strong liberal presence here in town, we're also home to Six Flags Over Jesus, aka Southeast Christian Church (construction costs well over $100 million and probably closer to $150 million).

There's a small group that meets at the Louisville Free Public Library downtown on certain Wednesdays that you might be interested in. Here is Mike Bailey's DKos diary:
http://mikebailey2000.dailykos.com/

Good luck with the schooling (and I hope you're a fan of football and basketball as we're going to be championship contenders in both next year! :D )

[xthetylerx]

2. Awesome

Are you serious?! $100-150 million to build a church?! What all do they need to get together?! I wonder how much they give to help feed the poor or aid the community? I hope its a similar number...but any church that would spend that much on construction doesn't give me much hope.

That meeting group sounds nice. I'm excited that the big city will undoubtedly have more groups and activities to be involved in that does Madisonville.

I'm already trying to acquire Louisville gear to ready myself for the sports. All one can find over here is UK stuff, pretty much.

Some keep warning me to be safe in the city. Is it really that much different from any other large city?

[Roland99]

3. As long as you avoid a couple of high-crime areas, you'll be just fine.

The downtown area is being revitalized quite a bit. There's nightlife, the waterfront park, high-rise condos, the Louisville Slugger Field (AAA baseball which starts up in about 2 weeks - yay!). If you're into Xtreme sports, there's a skate park downtown, too, that's even hosted some X-Games events.

There's a new Louisville group on MySpace (literally just started a week or two ago)
http://groups.myspace.com/louisvillelive

And here are the two weeklies that cover nightlife and other events around town (the LEO was founded by our current and new Congressman, John Yarmuth)

http://www.leoweekly.com/

http://www.velocityweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage


Oh, and as for the church (it's located just north of I-64 near Middletown - pretty much midway between me and my sister ;) )

Aerial View

[alfredo]

4. You will like Louisville. Make sure you hit the Bardstown road area.

And do go to Lynn's Paradise Cafe over on Barrett Ave. (Lynn is an old friend)

The Louisville region is pretty hip. You'll like it. There's a lot of hidden beauty there. I hope you get a chance to see some of the parks and old architecture.

[BridgeTheGap]

5. Many things to like about Louisville

smog isn't one of them!
Great music scene.
Good mass transit system.
As Alfredo mentioned - the parks (most designed by Frederick Olmstead.)
Also, the Falls of the Ohio park (National Monument?) just across the river from downtown.
St. James art fair (first weekend in October) is worth going to.
A lot of it depends on what you're into.
Politically - Democracy for America has an active group in Louisville - good people!

[alfredo]

6. Cave Hill Cemetery is a pretty a place too. The water tower on

Zorn is pretty good.

Then there is the museum of ugly: Dixie Highway in Shively.

http://www.mikelinnigsrestaurant.com/ Fish and long-necked beers.

[stevietheman]

8. add my vote for Cave Hill too... it's gorgeous n/t

n/t

[stevietheman]

7. Here's a list of attractions and events (from Wikipedia)

Link to Wikipedia article

Also, if you're into art and walking, we have the monthly Gallery Hop... nothing else in town is hipper than this right now, with the possible exception of our great crop of indy rock bands.

[alfredo]

9. Gallery hops are good for passing out fliers. In 2004 we found a lot

of volunteers and contributors for the Kerry campaign at the Gallery Hops in Lexington. The food and wine was great too.


Louisville has always had good music. With some luck you might even hear some ass kicking Bluegrass.

Bluegrass Brewing Company makes a half way decent Bourbon Barrel bear.


Are there still some old fashioned German bakeries left in Louisville? That's where you go after mass to fill up on empty calories. Some coffee and butter Kuchen is like heroin. Of course Christmas would not be Christmas without some Springeles.

And what is the name of the place on Bardstown Road that is famous for its buttercream?

[RedStateShame]

10. Get used to congestion.

I can't remember who it was that referred to Louisville's air quality as breathing in chicken soup, but that's about right. That having been said, the city itself is pretty fun, and I encourage you to enjoy our many fine eateries, pubs, and musical artists.

Edited for a spelling error.

[groovedaddy]

11. I've known people who never had allergies

moved to Louisville (and other places in Kentucky) and came down with allergies. Louisville can have very bad air quality & sits right in the pollen "capital" of the world, the Ohio valley. Take extra vitamin C and keep your a/c in good shape!

[proReality]

12. You'll love it!

I lived there for 10 years (now in Bowling Green) and miss the small town atmosphere incorporated within a fairly large city.

Enjoy!