If Oprah can dedicate an entire hour to her favorite things, I can certainly use this small piece of LEO real estate space for mine. Louisville can stand up to the biggest cities when it comes to drinking, and we all should take time to be thankful for that. Here are the people, places and things around this city’s nightlife that I am grateful for.
People: Terri and Sandy at Dundee Tavern; bartender Maryanne from The Back Door; all my regulars who tip at R Place Pub; the six people who read this column; the bar owners still fighting the smoking ban; boys who buy me drinks at bars (all two and a half of you); laid-back bartenders; friendly strangers; strangers willing to lend a smoke; and strangers willing to lend a ride home … after Thunder Over Louisville (Cribstone Pub people, you rock!).
Places: Outlook Inn; Flanagan’s; Willy’s; Molly Malone’s; O’Shea’s; Wick’s; Cahoots; BW3’s; Bearno’s; The Back Door; Highlands Tap Room; Dundee Tavern (shocker); Shenanigans; Third Street Dive; ADI; The Monkey Wrench; BBC; Highland Coffee (we have to sober up sometimes); Seidenfaden’s; Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot; Dutch’s; Phoenix Hill; Saints; Gerstle’s; Headliners; Stevie Ray’s; R Place Pub; Jim Porter’s; Charlie’s Tavern; Joe’s Older Than Dirt; Norm’s; Bambi Bar; Jimmy’s On the River; Coyote’s; Rich O’s; Rick’s Double T; Patrick’s; and all the rest of the pubs and taverns sprinkled throughout our fine neighborhoods that I have yet to visit — I look forward to meeting you in 2007.
Things: Maker’s Mark; Woodford Reserve; crisp, cold Bud Light on draught; Guinness; locally brewed beer; cheap prices; no covers; Dundee Dip; taxis; the tall beer glasses at BW3’s; Rich O’s stuffed mushrooms; dancing at Club Flanagan’s; short lines at the bar; a napkin to put my drink on; local bands; Outlook Inn’s juke box; Wick’s cheese pizza; the St. Patty’s Day parade down Baxter Avenue; pub crawls; Derby Eve; Thanksgiving Eve; Halloween costume contests; and, last but not least, hangovers — if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t stop drinking.
What are your favorite things? Tell me about them at [email protected]