A Big Weenie And A Bigger Stick

Not that I'm the most thorough planner in the world but I have a pretty good idea of what I want from this adventure. However, sudden and delightful surprises can lurk around every corner. My buddy Dave a.k.a The Silver Fox a.k.a The Freak years ago hipped me to Skyline Chili. It's an Ohio based restaurant chain that serves uber tasty chili, hot dogs, and assorted fried crap! It's awesome! Unfortunately it's not readily available in NYC. So whenever Dave travels to his native Dayton, Ohio he brings back a trunkload of of the stuff. I'm a four-way guy... spaghetti under the chili... which is under a fistful of shredded cheddar cheese... which is under a smattering of chopped onions. I always end up with halitosis but hey, it's delicious and I live alone. It makes me so, so happy!

So Friday night I'm hangin' in Louisville with Kevin. We had completed our booze run... bourbon, rum, assorted mixers, Fuller's ESB (a tasty English ale) and had just ordered dinner (he's a single dad with little affinity for the culinary arts). On the way to pick up the food I saw a vision in the form of a giant inflatable chili dog! An inflatable chili dog emblazoned with the Skyline Chili logo! As I stared rapt... all the street lights, building lights... anything that required illumination... suddenly went dark. It was completely black as far as the eye could see. Save for a soft, gentle spotlight on the inflatable slice of heaven. And there was music... like a chorus of angels singing to the gods. The spotlight cast a tender glow on my face... revealing a tear.

When excited I am apt to say things in threes... "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god", "We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go", "Can we huh? Can we huh? can we huh?" Kevin, in a simple and assuring tone said "OK we'll go for lunch tomorrow." Which we did. Which made me happy... very very happy. The following day I gobbled my four-way and a coney (a mini wiener with chili and cheddar)... order was restored.

I've said many time to The Silver Fox that one of my goals was to someday sit at a Skyline Chili and feed. I had no idea there were branches in Kentucky. I stumbled across one, got terribly excited, and checked another item off my bucket list.

After lunch we drove to Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs Probably the most famous horse race track in the world and home to the Kentucky Derby. It was fascinating that more than a few gamblers preferred to watch races on an enormous video screen rather than walk a few steps to the track and see it live... very strange.

Then Kevin showed me downtown Louisville. There's been a concerted effort to revitalize the area in the hopes of attracting business interests and increasing tourism. The improvements are evident but frankly it was a bit too quiet and uneventful for this New Yorker. One downtown attraction I really dug was the Hillerich & Bradsby Museum and Factory. Baseball players from Little League to the Major League use the bats produced here. I swung and missed countless times using them. In front of the building there is a stories high bat leaning against a building.

The ride home was marked by foul language and girl watching. The most fun I had all day...