After two full days in Cincinnati we were ready to hit the road. Next destination: Louisville, Kentucky. Driving the main highway, you can get there in two hours. But we traveled the scenic route along the Ohio River and crossed over to Indiana—and didn't roll in Louisville until the late afternoon.
The first thing I learned in Louisville. I've been pronouncing it wrong. The "s" is silent and locals slur all the letters in the middle so it sounds more like lou-ville.
Budget
We stayed on budget and I feel like we did so much, hiking in a state park, getting ice cream, and filling up with gas. We've learned that the trick is to not spend too much on lunch. You need to eat at a place with counter, not sit-down, service.
Breakfast: $9.50 (Bonbonnerie Bakery)
Lunch: $7.77 (Hinkle's Hamburgers)
Ice cream: $6.89 (Blue Bell)
Admission: $5 (Clifty Falls State Park)
Gas: $39.93
Dinner: $60.37 (Lynn's Paradise Cafe)
Hotel: $71.31 (Best Western Plus Airport East/Expo Center, Louisville: Newly decorated rooms, outdoor swimming pool, free breakfast with fresh waffles)
Total: $200.77
Highlights
1) Bonomini Bakery
We started our day at this family-owned bakery in Cincinnati's Northside. The cases were filled with a dizzying array of baked goods: caramel turtle fudge brownies, miniature key lime pies, cinnamon coffee cake, three-tier cakes—all made from scratch. I later read online that some people say this 84-year-old bakery was the first to offer fanciful tiered wedding cakes. Before Bonomini simple pound cake was the tradition.
Cakes for breakfast? We were tempted but finally decided on blueberry scones with lemon icing.
2) Madison, Indiana
Our family of four ate lunch at Hinkle's Hamburgers for $7.77. In San Francisco, where you we live, it's hard to find a hamburger for less than $5, gosh, even $10. Hinkle's was a remarkable bargain, and the food was good. The hamburgers came with tasty finely chopped onions and melted cheddar cheese.
We stopped for a hike at Clifty Falls, just outside Madison. Here a gorge that was carved by glaciers thousands of years ago cuts through the earth.
Elevated wooden paths wind through a lush forest and over streams...
and under large overhanging rocks.
The actual falls were a trickle but still beautiful.
3) The Thompson family
What's the best part of every road trip? Visiting with friends who live along the route.
One of the top highlights of our trip will be our visit with the Thompson family in Louisville, Ky. Myrdin Thompson and I met while working in Washington, D.C., on a campaign for the UN Foundation called Shot@Life, a movement about investing in life-saving vaccines for children in developing countries. Myrdin is an amazing and passionate advocate for children—and she has lovely children of her own. They welcomed my kids and entertained them with Lego's and games of tag on the grassy front lawn.
4) Lynn's Paradise Cafe, Louisville, Ky.
You can't miss Lynn's Paradise Cafe. Out front a giant tea pot pours water into a tea cup overflowing with soap suds. A silver metallic moose is covered in zebra stripes, a horse wears wings and a set of Pixy Stix pipes are played with flip-flops. At this playful restaurant with wild and whimsical decor anything is possible.
Brightly-colored fake flowers fill the pots at Lynn's.
Diners are turned into forks and spoons at Lynn's Cafe.
A tree decorated with farm animal mobiles grows in the center of the restaurant.
Legs pop out of the wall and light bulbs hang over the windows.
A pair of trousers made from tea bags hangs from the ceiling.
Beer is served in a boot at Lynn's.
A beer meets a mint julep. (Yes, we're on a budget but we couldn't resist ordering a mint julep in Louisville.)
Salads are big, fresh and come with homemade dressings such as pumpkin seed vinaigrette.
Kid's menu? Of course! And the food is healthy. PB&J with a cup of fruit and milk.
5) Downtown Louisville, Ky.
After dinner, we drove to downtown Louisville that sits right on the Ohio. I always knew sunsets at the beach were beautiful but they're equally spectacular on the river.
We drove by Fourth Street, where you can go clubbing and listen to live music. If we didn't have kids, we would have stopped. It was bedtime!
We also drove by the Muhammad Ali Center. Ali is just one of the many famous people who grew up in Louisville; Whitney Houston and Diane Sawyer are a few others.
What's up next? Dale, Indiana, where we plan to visit Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home.
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