When I decided to move to Louisville, I knew two things for certain. First, this is the birthplace of Muhammad Ali, and that automatically makes it awesome. Second, with every ounce of energy within you, despise UK and be wary of wearing blue.
Having never traveled to the American Midwest before, let alone the southern Midwest, I had no idea what to expect of this small city-town - other than the fact that the KFC should be pretty good and that it was home to one of the best sports colleges in the nation.
As a newcomer, and an international newcomer at that, here are 5 things I've learned since moving to Louisville:
1) When it suns, it pours.
If it’s been sunny for four days straight, is it about to thunderstorm like you’ve never seen before? Absolutely.
When it’s early morning and the sky is still a smoky sea of grey, it seems like any old peacefully overcast day. That is, until you realize you're the only person in the street without a rain jacket, and everyone is shaking their heads as though you should have known better. Clatter of thunder. Instant torrential downpour. The sun has decided to take a day off, I see.
Why is my television suddenly beeping with a picture of a cloud in the corner? "Oh, you don't know?" the locals say to me. "Louisville has huge thunderstorms, that’s what all the beeping on the television is about: storm warnings. That's why all the roads under the bridges flood."
I know better now. Four days of sun and you spot a sky of grey? Grab an umbrella.
2) Louisville has its own set of road rules.
Coming from Australia, I'm used to sitting on the other side of the car and driving on the other side of the road, so naturally, driving was going to be a big change. But it wasn’t until I moved to Louisville that I realized the drivers don't play by the rules.
That’s just it, there are no rules.
Want to change lanes? No indicator used - just a random merge into the next lane.
A red light? Sure, go ahead and turn right anyway, that’s normal.
The most fascinating part, however, is that the entire city, despite the lack of abiding by general road rules, is actually on the same page. Someone changes lanes with no indicator, but the car behind it slows as though they were expecting it. The traffic lights read red, but the oncoming cars drive as though they're giving leeway for anyone about to turn onto the road.
It’s a whole new road game out here.
In Australia, failure to use an indicator when changing lanes will cost you a $141 fine. And not stopping at a red light? Well, that’ll be $397, thank you very much.
I like living in Louisville. It seems so much more...free.
3) Get into country music and get into it now.
Louisville has specific radio stations for specific genres of music!!!!
Now, I don’t have to sit through all sorts of ear bleeding melodies to hear the stuff I want. I just choose the channel that suits my style and sit back and relax. Who knew that the country music stations were going to be the best choice and have hardly any ads?! I didn’t. It took me too many 4th Street Live concerts feeling left out of the sing-alongs, a foreigner to the genre, before I realized I needed to get in on the country tunes. Now, I’m a number 1 fan of the guitar strummin', southern talkin’ jams, and it only costs $5 to see some of my favorite artists perform.
4) No joke, the water is unbelievable.
Being an athlete, water is my life. I’m obsessed. From practice, to running sessions, to walking to class, it’s an accessory I need it at all times.
Melbourne, Australia - a place I like to call home - has some of the best drinking water in the world, and hey, it’s even good for your teeth. So when someone told me that Louisville had won a national water taste test, I knew I’d found the place for me. No water filters, no plastic bottles to end up in a landfill, now it’s just me and my fresh, unbelievably clean, Louisville tap water to take on life and the 20 hours worth of preseason running in the blistering heat.
5) The food in this place is legit.
When I heard of chicken and waffles and bourbon BBQ, I was hesitant. To take it a step further, Louisville is home to a famous donut that has maple syrup icing and a strip of bacon on top? Hmm, not too sure about that one either.
I’d heard the hype surrounding the hot brown and mixed reviews about the mint julep, but it wasn’t until I began living here and venturing around that I realized the extent of what I was getting myself into.
My oh my, Louisville can do BBQ food and Louisville can do one hell of a taco.
I was suddenly food smitten and drooling around the city. Every corner has a new place to try, each cafe something new to offer. Everywhere are new combinations that I grew less and less afraid to try. From Doc Crows to Feast BBQ to Taco Luchador - well, actually any Mexican place around - I was sold, and very content.
For the summer, I’ve compiled a list of places to try. After all, what's better motivation for getting out of bed in the morning than looking forward to food that’s guaranteed to be awesome?
Louisville’s food scene keeps the locals happy and the visitors returning. I’d gladly encourage any fellow Australian to fly out purely for a turkey leg at the Derby or a feast at Mussel and Burger Bar, and it’s a two-day journey, so that’s really saying something.
Louisville, you have my five-star approval for food. That includes everything except the sloppy stuff mixed with bacon and cheese that you guys call grits. I have to draw the line at that one.
