Day 2: Canton, OH and Louisville, KY

Miles driven to-date: 1,019
States visited to-date: 7
Giant billboards on highway reading "Hell Is Real": 1


We began the day by visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The building was sort of old but had a lot of interesting memorabilia and information. The newer wing was really nice and we watched a movie about training camp and the journey through an NFL season in the large theatre there. Steve almost broke out in hives when they showed a video of athletic trainers at work during camp. He kept mentioning how he thought it was a travesty that the Hall did not have an exhibit on the 2000 New England Patriots athletic training staff; he is considering writing a harsh letter to the museum curator.

We then drove a couple of hours before stopping for lunch outside of Cincinnati at a place in "Roadfood" that is known for its chili - Blue Ash Chili in Blue Ash, OH. Apparently, chili in this part of the country consists of spaghetti noodles, meat sauce, and (if you so desire) onions, cheese, and beans. It was pretty tasty though nothing compared to Mom's great version of this dish! Then we hit the road again to arrive in Louisville in the early evening. I went to the gym while Steve went for a run to get a lay of the land. He came back quite impressed with the interesting neighborhoods he found in Louisville - he thinks a quick run is a great way to become familiar with a new city.

We're staying (using points!) at a Hampton Inn right downtown, so the location is ideal. Dinner was of the healthy variety ~ ice cream and cake from another "Roadfood" favorite, a place called Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen in the eclectic Bardstown section just outside of downtown Louisville. I tried the creme brulée ice cream . . . we kept thinking of how much Jesse would have loved the place. We also remarked on how the sun didn't set until 9:30pm now that we are so far west in the Eastern time zone. Steve was especially impressed by the neighborhoods on the outskirts of downtown Louisville and the fun little restaurants and bars we saw. I think he wants to move here.

After "dinner" we went to the Seelbach Hotel, a famous old downtown hotel that has hosted 9 presidents, F. Scott Fitzgerald (he wrote about it in "The Great Gatsby"), and was a favorite hangout of Al Capone. It was clearly a local landmark and we enjoyed wine at the bar. We then strolled along Fourth Street Live, an area of shops and restaurants between the Seelbach and our hotel. Today was a great day (no traffic problems!) and we're both having a wonderful time. Tomorrow we are going to the races at Churchill Downs and then head to Nashville . . . thanks for checking in, we hope you enjoy the blog so far!



The outside of the Hall of Fame.


One of the most moving and interesting exhibits was about the involvement of NFL players and personnel in various world wars; they had Pat Tillman's jersey and uniform on display.


Steve was thrilled to discover a whole exhibit on athletic trainers in the NFL!


There was a photo in this exhibit of the two trainers Steve worked with while at the Patriots.


Fourth Street Live in downtown Louisville . . . just a few minutes away from our hotel.