initial impressions: Louisville

 intriguing, with a lot under the off-season quiet surface

Louisville was quiet, downtown, in an early November mid-week. But there's a vibe that caught my attention; someone has thought through what visitors would want to know and what residents care about. Historical markers (and marketing markers) abound on the streets, with facts on everything from whiskey to the Ohio River "discovery" to the hangout neighborhood of Thomas Merton.

York, a slave accompanying Clark (of Lewis & Clark) on the expedition to the northwest, is honored prominently by the river with a statue and 3 plates filled with facts, realism, and story. The statue was erected in 2003, a good ways before it was cool to pay attention.

I want to know more of this story. And I’m grateful for those who share it.

If I needed to spend more time here, there would be plenty more to explore. It feels a good place to hang out in a park with a few history books and locals. And an old fashioned.