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I just got back home from Lexington that was used as a stopover on the way home to Maryland. I find that its a nice city for attending college. Its downtown has lots of historic buildings and feels closer to a Midwestern city than a Sunbelt one in terms of architecture and layout, and while there aren't as many big chains, has a plethora of restaurants. I ate at Pies & Pints and enjoyed their pizza and found that Triangle Park and the Cheapside plaza with live bands are decent places to hang out on a Friday night. Shopping isn't too great as you might expect given the demographics, but The Square is a decent little place. Coming in from the west on Route 60, I was surprised how quickly you go from thoroughbred farms to suburbia. There's always Louisville or Cincinnati, both less than 90 minutes away if you want bigger city excitement.
But overall, Lexington is a nice stopover point off of a couple major interstates and while I didn't visit any horse farm, is something I'd highly recommend to visitors. I noticed that accents weren't nearly as thick and drawly compared to Nashville where I came from, and sort of compare it to Fredericksburg, VA in that its basically in the South, but isn't drastically so, sort of a mingling of Dayton with Knoxville.
Finally, one question I would like is of Louisville and Cincinnati, how often do you head out of town to visit those to get your "bigger city fix?", and which of those do you prefer?
Thank you for the kind words and you are a very astute observer. I visit Louisville frequently because I still have family there. Besides Lexington, Louisville is one of my favorite cities. Cincinnati is alright - I have been there quite a bit also, but nowhere near as much as Louisville. (My parents took me to Cincinnati every summer to visit Kings Island when I was a kid - and likewise I took my son there quite a bit also when he was a child.)
Which part of Maryland are you from? I use to live in Baltimore for awhile as a young adult, it's where I met my husband (he was a police officer there - he loves to tell people that he had to arrest me for public intoxication and fell in love, but that is not true, lol.) My husband is a native of Baltimore. I was born and grew up in Louisville, but have lived in a few other places - but I have only kind words to say about Louisville.
My husbands work has landed us in Lexington (when we first moved here in the late 1980's, I liked it because it was so beautiful, but I was use to living in larger cities, so it was a bit of culture shock at first, over the years
I have really grown to love Lexington though. Any more I am happy in a city the size of Lexington, but I am older and more of a homebody than when I was younger - visit Louisville to see family mostly.
I was surprised when I was there, how close Washington DC really was to Baltimore.
I lived in the Dundalk section of Baltimore County when I was there....but that was a long time ago!
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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When I was a teenager in Lexington we split trips between Louisville and Cincinnati. Cincy pro sports teams are popular in Lexington but people feel a closer cultural connection to Louisville. There's a bit more to do in Cincy (bigger museums, bigger zoo, bigger theme park, Newport Aquarium, IKEA, etc), I'd say Cincy is slightly more popular for day trips but far more Lexington people move to Louisville than Cincy.
I just got back home from Lexington that was used as a stopover on the way home to Maryland. I find that its a nice city for attending college. Its downtown has lots of historic buildings and feels closer to a Midwestern city than a Sunbelt one in terms of architecture and layout, and while there aren't as many big chains, has a plethora of restaurants. I ate at Pies & Pints and enjoyed their pizza and found that Triangle Park and the Cheapside plaza with live bands are decent places to hang out on a Friday night. Shopping isn't too great as you might expect given the demographics, but The Square is a decent little place. Coming in from the west on Route 60, I was surprised how quickly you go from thoroughbred farms to suburbia. There's always Louisville or Cincinnati, both less than 90 minutes away if you want bigger city excitement.
But overall, Lexington is a nice stopover point off of a couple major interstates and while I didn't visit any horse farm, is something I'd highly recommend to visitors. I noticed that accents weren't nearly as thick and drawly compared to Nashville where I came from, and sort of compare it to Fredericksburg, VA in that its basically in the South, but isn't drastically so, sort of a mingling of Dayton with Knoxville.
Finally, one question I would like is of Louisville and Cincinnati, how often do you head out of town to visit those to get your "bigger city fix?", and which of those do you prefer?
Great assessment. I totally agree. I think Louisville has a better foodie and art scene having lived in both cities. And a more fun nightlife scene with bars open until 4 am.
At this point, Cincy and Louisville waterfronts are probably equal.
The main difference between the two is the size of the suburbs (there is not Mason in Louisville) which is in Cincy because of substantially more Fortune 500 companies.
Cincy thus has more white collar jobs. Both cities have an older, industrial, blue collar feel outside their trendy hoods.
Both have great architecture, strong neighborhoods, and lots of Catholic churches and picnics.
Cincy has more name brand shopping ala Saks (Louisville just has Saks off 5th) and obviously, pro sports.
I am not sure if Cincy has more "amenities...." only different ones. Louisville probably has just as many major museums, they are just different. Louisville has the Slugger Museum instead of the Aquarium, and the Muhammad Ali Museum, instead of the Freedom Museum.
Louisville's trump card is better college sports, the Derby, Churchill Downs, and the KY Derby Museum.
Cincy's trump card is pro sports and a larger metro with more of a corporate base.
The cities live very similar in many ways, especially day to day in their urban neighborhoods.
Louisville is going to be more friendly than Cincinnatti in my opinion. There are major historical connections between MD and KY, especially as the Catholics were driven out of MD in the late 1700's. The Great Catholic family migration happened and a lot of families in KY (such as mine) has deep connections with MD. I have a Patriot in my family line from Rockville, MD that was a part of this family migration as were others. He owned property which is now a part of snowden river parkway near Columbia, MD.
I have lived in MD for 15 years and was born and raised in KY. I currently live in TX. MD and KY are very similar.
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