♥ Chuy's ♥

I am from Texas. San Antonio, to be exact. And, like any good Texas girl should, I LOVE good Tex-Mex food! Unfortunately, since moving to Louisville, I have been deprived of anything resembling the Tex-Mex that I grew up with and have come to know and love. It saddens me that locals here think that El Nopal...or Los Sol Aztecas...or El Mundo...or any other "Mexican" restaurant around here is good! My first (and lasting) impression of the Tex-Mex food here in Louisville is that it is just bland. There is no spice or zip to any of the ingredients. Now, please don't get me wrong. Despite being from TX, I don't like things too spicy. So when I say there is no spice....there is NO SPICE!

Anyway, imagine my excitement when it was announced that we would be getting a Chuy's restaurant here in Louisville!

Chuy's (pronounced "chew-ee's") is a Tex-Mex chain straight from the homeland...Austin, TX. Granted, it was opened in the 80s by two Gringo's (that's white folk), and each location has tropical decor and comes complete with an Elvis Shrine (a personal favorite detail), but I was excited nontheless! I have never been to a Chuy's in Texas...in my humble opinion, it was kind of at the lower end of the totem pole when surrounded by other amazing Tex-Mex places. However, seeing as how I've been so desperate for some delicious ooey-gooey enchiladas, I knew that this new Louisville Chuy's had to at least be better than El Nopal...

The restaurant just opened yesterday, so you better believe that my dad and I wanted to be among its first visitors! We went for lunch today, and I ordered the meal by which I judge every Tex-Max place...cheese enchiladas. They weren't perfect, but boy oh boy, were they 100 times better than the alternative! And...get this....there were spices!!! So much so that I broke into a spice-induced glisten and felt my nasal cavities open up! Haha!

There is still another restaurant I have been told to try. It is called La Rosita and is a small, hole in the wall restaurant located in Clarksville, IN, just across the bridge. I'm still curious about La Rosita, and will probably go one day, but for now, I'm just happy to have Chuy's in town!

P.S. Double snaps for them...they just employed over 170 people in Louisville!

(Please excuse these HORRIBLE cell phone pics...its all I had on me at the time!)

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♥ Farmington Historic Home/Farmington Harvest Festival ♥

This afternoon I went to Farmington Historic House for the annual Harvest Festival.

It was an unseasonably warm day, which made me sleepy, so I didn't stay long. This is a great little festival for families, but there wasn't much for me to do. I took a walk through the house, which was interesting, walked around the grounds for bit, looked at the booths that were set up, and then called it a day.

A little history of the Homestead.

A shady lane leading to the house.

The house was beautifully decorated. Photos were not allowed inside, otherwise I would have a bunch here! There was a tour guide in each room giving info and history on the items and decor. I learned that back in the day, home owners were taxed based on the number of doors that they had in their home. The fact that this home had multiple "closets" (enclosed cupboards with shelves) with doors demonstrated that they were very wealthy and wanted to show it off. Wallpaper was also a luxury, and this home had several rooms that were wallpapered.

It didn't feel like it outside (90 degrees!!!) but some of the trees are starting to show signs of Fall!

The back of the house...love that porch!

Live music.

Pumpkin painting....someone else has my initials!

The foundation of an old cabin that once stood on the property. It is unsure if it was used by the family or if was occupied by slaves that worked on the farm.

Making wax candles.

Making linen. Did you know that linen and linoleum both come from the flax plant?!?

 Looking at a pet rat...ewww!

 Pony rides for the kiddos.

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♥ St. Thomas Seminary ♥

The area of Louisville where I live is called St. Thomas. It is located just off Seminary Road. I've always thought the location was ironic considering that I was somewhat of a seminary groupie back in San Antonio (several of my closest friends are in or have attended seminary!). Sadly, it never occurred to me to put two and two together that I might be living on land that was once the home of St. Thomas Catholic Seminary! (Photos from http://www.parish-without-borders.net/sts/)

First class of 1952

A few weeks ago, when my dad and I were at the Fork, Cork & Style festival at Churchill Downs, we sat next to a woman and her daughter and struck up some small talk. We were discussing what parts of town we each lived in, and she then told us that there actually was a St. Thomas Seminary that occupied the land at the corner of Brownsboro Road and Seminary Road. I decided to do some of my own research via the internet to see what else I could find out about it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find much info. All I was really able to learn from my Google search was that St. Thomas Seminary was opened at 7101 Brownsboro Road in 1952. It was eventually torn down in 1970 and in its place came the present day apartment complex, housing development, and nursing home.

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♥ Goose Creek Diner ♥

Goose Creek Diner is a little hole-in-the-wall neighborhood joint known for its down-home Southern cooking. My dad is having knee surgery tomorrow, so I wanted to take him out tonight to help him relax a little. Goose Creek Diner is one of his favorite restaurants in town, and it is just a hop, skip, and a jump from home, so that is where we went.

The diner is famous for its fried green tomatoes, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, and friendly service. I didn't take any photos on our visit, so these are all pulled from a Google search.

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♥ Cave Hill Cemetery ♥

As I was driving around town today, I realized I was close to Cave Hill Cemetery, so I decided to stop in for a bit. Cave Hill is a HUGE historic cemetery. It is beautiful...rolling hills, stone quarries, a 55 foot deep cave (apparently once used as some sort of prison waaaaaaay back in the day...), a spring-fed lake with ducks and geese, huge, shady trees. There are statuesque stone monuments and huge marble mausoleums.

The first time I visited Cave Hill was in the middle of Fall when all the leaves were changing. Talk about gorgeous! The colors weren't quite as vivid this time, but I have a feeling the trees won't be too colorful this year anyway due to the heat and lack of rain this summer. Anyway, many local photographers use Cave Hill as a location for some of their photo shoots because it is so peaceful and beautiful. Of course, like many cemeteries, Cave Hill is said to be haunted, but I didn't see any ghosts during my visit. I did, however get lost! The roads are so curvy and hilly that its easy to get turned around! I did eventually find my way out. (Thank goodness! I did not want to spend the night in there!)

Cave Hill was once farmland owned by the Johnson family. The city of Louisville purchased the land with the intentions of building a railroad through the middle of it, but they were thwarted by the stone quarries. In the meantime, a brick house on the property became known as the Pest House, and was used to quarantine people who were contagiously ill. The need for a burial place nearby became apparent, and as such, Cave Hill Cemetery was founded in 1848. In the prosperous Victorian era, the cemetery expanded and became home to many impressive monuments. It is the final resting place of such people as George Rogers Clark and Harland Sanders (The KFC Coronel), as well as hundreds of unknown Civil War soldiers.

 

 

 

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