Laundry: The bellhops at the Brown Hotel were kind enough to take me to the nearby “VanJames Coin Laundry Dry Cleaning,” where for the price of cleaning three pair of underwear at the in house laundry, I was able to wash three loads of laundry.
There I became an insta-celebrity, as the manager/owner interviewed me to find out where I was from and how I had found her Laundromat. I know that my story is confusing, but I’m pretty sure I told her I live in Germany but was staying here until I went to New York City. By the time I left, it had changed: I think I over heard her telling somebody that I live in New York City.
As I waited for the bellhops to show up in the van, I saw her pointing at me and telling somebody else all about me through the window.
Should you ever need a Laundromat in Louisville, this one was very clean and friendly and is located at the corner or Ormsby and 2nd Street.
The CVS Drugstore: I stopped by the drug store at “4th Street Live” and picked up some Sudafed. Since I last bought it in America, it has turned into a controlled OTC drug, so for fun I gave the man my German Driver’s License—he had to write down all my information.
The Connection: By reputation The Connection is one of the most fabulous gay clubs in the Midwest, and now that I have been there, I can agree. It was a very nice and fun gay club with an excellent drag show. Now that I’ve seen excellent professional drag shows in Budapest and Louisville, I am more sure than ever that Bullwinkle’s in Bloomington really is horrible. Saturday night Mateo and I stay until 3:30 or 4 dancing—it was definitely a fantastic workout.
The Hot Brown: The chefs at my hotel are famous for inventing the “Hot Brown”—a turkey and bacon sandwich concoction. I finally had one last night for dinner. It was quite tasty and now I feel like I’ve officially been to Louisville.
The Airport: I am about to leave for the airport again. New York City bound.
EWH! I can’t believe you ate a hot brown. All that melted cheese and the bacon … well, I’ve never managed to eat more than 25% – 30% of one.
I suspect the Hot Brown I had was both more expensive and substantially smaller than the ones you’ve had.
Mine wasn’t that filling–just tasty.
I’ve been to Louisville twice. On a Saturday in February 1998, Dan and I took a road trip there. I remember going to a great record shop on Bardstown Rd. (Ear x-tacy ?). Then, in August 1998, I was part of a large entourage that carpooled from Bloomington to go to the Connection Nightclub (Matt Wisely was with us too)
Jerry Faust: It was Ear X-tacy. Great store. I remember when it was barely larger than a closet. The owner does a lot to help local musicians.
Adam: I can promise you the Hot Brown you had was prepared with better ingredients than most places use for the dish. As I remember they also make it smaller.
I haven’t been to the Connection in years. I’m glad to hear its still going strong. A lifetime ago one of my volunteer jobs was to set up an HIV awareness booth and hand out condoms. In the late 80s Connections was the place to be weekend nights.