Monday, 20 October 2008 @ 5:45pm.
I returned to Michigan from Louisville, Kentucky yesterday. I had a lovely visit! A lot of little things made the visit a good one from the digital welcome at the airport for conference participants upon arrival to folks with “Southern Hospitality” to small touches around town like historical markers, art sculptures, and tidiness. I attended the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR). I presented a paper, attended various panels, networked with scholars from multiple disciplines (e.g., Political Science, Sociology, and Theology), met people from all over the world (e.g., U.S., Brazil, and South Africa), attended a touching memorial seminar for past SSSR President Dean Hoge, and even managed to squeeze in a little time to see downtown Louisville. I enjoyed a walk near the Ohio River in particular.
I was fortunate to stay at the classic Seelbach Hilton, which is conveniently located near Fourth Street Live. This street is not long, but is packed with dining, entertainment, and retail options. The place isn’t cheap, but I did find some good deals such as J. Gumbo’s. Try any of their big bowl meals and if you have room, order the bread pudding. If you head to Fourth Street Live on a weekend night, be sure to bring some ID as security can only let those 21 and older in to the area. The Seelbach Hilton itself has been around since 1905. Though small, the hotel has a grand feel to it. I enjoyed the conference proceedings in the traditional rooms and liked the shared room where I spent evenings. My roommate and I agreed, though, that the beds and pillows were much too soft for our liking.
On one day, I went to the Brown Hotel, specifically to its J. Graham’s Cafe for the famous “Hot Brown,” which was invented in 1926. As a vegetarian, I wouldn’t normally go straight to a meal with turkey or bacon, but I was told it was t-h-e thing to try and my experience in Louisville wouldn’t be complete without it. I can be a “social meat-eater,” so I decided to go for it. Think of a dish with roasted turkey breast on thick pieces of white bread, smothered entirely with cheese, topped with two pieces of bacon, garnished with a couple of tomato slices, and baked to a gooey loveliness. No chips/fries or salad or anything else, just you, the Hot Brown, and a fork and knife. I was sorely disappointed that I did not have any room to try the legendary Derby pie, though!
I also went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and had a ball. 
In my opinion, the museum had two fantastic must-sees: very old memorabilia (like original Babe Ruth bats!) and a pitching cage where a Major League Baseball player (I picked Roger Clemens) throws a 90 mph ball in your direction. Thank goodness visitors don’t actually have to swing; you just stand by while a little clown of sorts gets clobbered by the balls. Did you know that real batters only have two-tenths of a second to decide whether to swing or not? After checking out the museum, I took a tour of the factory. It was pretty cool to see bats of all kinds being made, especially the pink bats for charity.
I also stopped by the Cathedral of the Assumption, which is the cathedral mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. Had it been the season, I would have liked to visit Six Flags or seen the Kentucky Derby. I can only imagine how fascinating it would have been to see a live thoroughbred race given that I got excited just from watching the video for “Big Brown.”
