Entertainment

Baxter Avenue Theatres - Compared to its former awesomeness, Baxter Ave. kind of sucks now. They used to play a whole lot of art, indie, and foreign films, and they did so well at that that they drove the only other such theater in town, the Vogue, out of business. Then they decided that they'd be better off showing a bunch of mainstream bullshit movies that you could see anywhere else in town. So now Louisville has no outlet for a lot of really great films (though U of L's Floyd Theater is trying to fix that; see below). However, Baxter Ave. still gets points for showing some pretty cool midnight movies (and for being close to my house).

The Floyd Theater - Located in the Student Activities Center at U of L, the Floyd Theater is making an effort to fill some of the film void left by Baxter Ave.'s selling out. They show an ecclectic mix of new and old films, and at $2 for the public and $1 for students, their prices can't be beat!

First Friday Gallery Hop - What could be better than riding a free trolley around downtown and stopping to look at art and drink free wine? I hate to say things like this, but alas it is true for right now: this is one of the not-frequent-enough times that Louisville feels like a real city.

Lyndon Lanes - 8119 New Lagrange Rd, (502) 425-7895 - They have no Web site and I'm okay with that; I'm a sucker for places that seem untouched by time, and Lyndon Lanes is definitely that. It's just a little bowling alley tucked into the affluent East End, but it remains divey and full of charm. I've been bowling there with my dad since I was a kid.

Old Man - You might think that I'm only mentioning Old Man because they're Neil's band, but you'd be wrong! It's true that I'd never heard of them before Neil and I started dating (which is no surprise; I've never been that into the local music scene), but once I started listening to them I realized that they're really good and that I'd like them no matter who they are! You'll check them out if you know what's good for you.

The Public Radio Partnership - Louisville has some of the best public radio anywhere, including WFPK (a wide variety of music), WFPL (talk, including NPR), and WUOL (classical music). I adore the PRP and feel really good about the fact that I give them money. They're fantastic.

The Rudyard Kipling - True, it is a restaurant (and it has good food), but I've never gone there just to eat. The Rud's primary draw is its performance space, where I've seen a variety of acts from Old Man to John Wesley Harding. It's fallen on hard financial times of late, so I encourage you to go support it!

Tioga Falls - This is one of my favorite places to hike. It's not terribly long or arduous and the falls are beautiful.