One of the biggest appeals of coming to Boston College is its proximity to downtown Boston. We all love going into the city and exploring the sights, like Newbury Street, Boston Common, and Faneuil Hall. But guess what? We collegiettes™ come from literally all over the world! We grew up in one home our whole life or moved to dozens of new places. We were raised in small towns and huge cities! Just because we are in Boston doesn’t mean we can’t see the rest of the world. This is a series to introduce us to the many unique and interesting places that we come from, better known as home.
Going to Boston College means meeting a lot of people from a lot of different places.  So naturally, the question comes up in every introductory conversation, “Where are you from?” This is my favorite moment in meeting someone new, and call me selfish for it- but I love bragging about my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. The first thing that happens when I enlighten the lucky listener of my origins is a look of surprise that will undoubtedly spark across their face, followed by a phrase similar to, “What?! Are you being serious? I’ve never met anyone from there!” After the initial shock comes the questions addressing the validity of all the stereotypes anyone has heard about the Bluegrass State: “Do you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken every day? Do you wear shoes? Are you married to your cousin? Do you ride horses?” (For your general knowledge: No, Sometimes, No, Yes, respectively). At this point, I can cunningly steer the conversation towards all the reasons why my hometown is everything you wish your hometown could be.Â
The Superiority of the South
 The term “Southern Hospitality” has never meant so much to me as it does now since I’ve relocated to the Northeast. I will be the first to admit, I took the kindness of strangers for granted while living below the Mason Dixon line, where I can smile and wave to every person I pass without being creepy and neighbors are more like family. Just the small things- like the waitress referring to me as “Hunny” at my favorite local restaurant (we’ll get to food later) or the lack of honking and flicking off I’ve witnessed in Boston that leaves our streets peaceful, safe, and actually drivable. And while the South can conjure up images of the confederacy and backwardness for some, Louisville’s location in northern Kentucky is the happiest of mediums. As lead singer of My Morning Jacket and fellow Louisvillian Jim James eloquently stated, “It’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of New York or L.A. It has some Southern romanticism to it, but also a Northern progressivism, this weird urban island in the middle of the state of Kentucky… For us, Louisville and the surrounding areas are the center of massive creativity and massive weirdness. The place has its flaws: You move away, but you’re always going to come back.”
Small Town, Big City
Louisville has been referred to before as the biggest small town there is. Even with a population of over 850,000, it is no surprise to see a friendly face while running errands around town. Now I may have been exaggerating a little when I said “Big city,” but we do have skyscrapers (13 of them!) in Historic downtown and all the perks of a big city. The art scene is amazing with the entire NuLu section of downtown devoted to galleries, good eats, and the Actor’s Theater, which plays host to the Humana Festival every year- meaning us Louisvillians get to be the guinea pig audience for the newest critically acclaimed plays, many of which land on Broadway. And while we may not have the big department stores like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, the Highlands area is filled with funky and affordable boutiques and, once again, good eats.  Just a few steps outside the world of bars, concert halls, art, and restaurants, you’ll find what gave our state our name: bluegrass. The horse farms outside the city are beautiful rolling hills topped with barns that look more like Victorian mansions lined with white fences. Drive just a little further outside the city and you’ll find yourself at Red River Gorge, world renowned for rock climbing and hiking and boasting a 78-foot natural bridge made of sandstone. In short, you don’t have to decide between cultured beauty or natural beauty, Louisville offers both.
The Derby
Yes, I am devoting an entire section to a two-minute horse race. But contrary to popular belief, it’s so much more than that. You know that feeling you get right after Thanksgiving that follows you through the entire month leading up to Christmas? Well, that’s the feeling every Louisvillian has in the month leading up to Derby. While going to the race track for some gambling, drinking, and brunch is a common Saturday activity, it doesn’t hold a candle to the second Saturday in May when all eyes turn to our town to watch the thoroughbreds run for the roses. In the month before our own personal Christmas, the Derby festival gears up with all sorts of races: the hot air balloon race, marathon, bed racing (it exists: picture beds on wheels around a track with four people running behind), steamboat race… the list goes on.  Then comes the start of the real drinking activities so that we can train ourselves and build stamina for the day of the actual event. We have next the world’s largest firework show, Thunder Over Louisville, the “eat, drink, and be merry” Chow Wagon, and the Pegasus Parade all leading up to Christmas Eve, also known as Oaks. Oaks is the Derby for girl horses, or fillies, and it’s hosted the Friday before Derby. I can say with confidence that this is the only city that shuts down its entire school system for a horse race. You read correctly, all schools are closed the day before Derby so families can make their way to the track or respective parties to place their bets on the filly’s race.  Now, stay with me, while you may think we would be exhausted from our entire month of partying, you would be far mistaken.  Whether hanging out with Queen Elizabeth and other celebs in the grand stands or mud-wrestling with the red-necks and red-neck wannabes (my preference) in the infield, you will be sure to find yourself with mint julep in hand and surrounded by 160,000 of your closest friends. Somewhere amidst the haze of Mardi Gras beads, big hats, and port-o-potty races, one can find themselves holding a collective breath for what has been called the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.
The Food
You’ve heard me mention the food throughout this article, but I need to explain myself further regarding just how good the food in Louisville is. As a foodie, I make it a point to talk to the locals of any place I visit to get the scoop on the best food in town, so I would consider myself a well-prepared judge in all things cuisine. So I will say, in the most objective and least-biased way possible, that in all my years and in all my travels, I have yet to find a city, town, suburb, or village that has food that can beat the eclectic, unique, local food of Louisville, Kentucky. And not only do we have the best of the best, we have enough restaurants to keep finding new bests of the bests, even after 21 years of residency. We have something for everyone, so whether you’re craving local organic, down-home comfort (check out Lynn’s Paradise Café, Lynn herself even won a Bobby Flay throwdown), or world cuisine, we got you covered around the clock- so even if the craving hits in the wee hours of the night, you don’t have to settle for a McDonald’s drive-through. All that food making you thirsty?  Don’t pay $2.50 for a bottled water, Louisville’s tap water was ranked number one in the country.  Mmmm tasty.
A List of Cool Things I Didn’t Get To
- Louisville slugger bats: every MLB team has them
- Local Celebs: Rajon Rondo, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Cruise
- Bourbon: take a tour of the distilleries making up the bourbon trail
- Basketball: Unparalleled March Madness, we rally around college ball due to lack of a pro team
Photo Sources:
http://www.pulsarwallpapers.com/r_nature_wallpapers_20_night_cityscape_beauty_862_louisville_skyline_kentucky_42179.html
http://www.uechi-ryu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=201045
http://www.wornthrough.com/2009/05/05/jockey-silks-and-spectators/
http://justamodernguy.com/?p=113
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