Ruth and the sunset at the island of Dhiffushi, Maldives.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31st.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Finally, a visit to downtown Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is all about the horses. But the famous and popular Kentucky Horse Park is located a fair bit outside the north end of the city, and often many travelers and tourists don't spend much time in the city itself.

And we were exactly the same. We have been through, to, or around Lexington a couple of times before. But we had never made it downtown!

So yesterday we hopped on the Lexington city bus for the cash fare of $1.00 ($1.31 CAD) and it only took the one bus from where we are staying to do the 35 minute ride to downtown. A short walk away from the main transit station was Thoroughbred Park, so we made that our first destination.

Opposite the main transit station is this huge mural of Honest Abe.

Race to the finish!

Who won? Photo finish?!

Ruth, with the foal statue.

Thoroughbred Park has a lot of plaques paying tribute to the many people who had a hand in making Lexington the horse capital of the world... including Bing Crosby, and Queen Elizabeth II among many others. Kind of interesting to read the plaques.

We wandered to the central area to find the tourist office.

The old courthouse, under re-construction.

It turns out that the old courthouse building has sat empty for a number of years, but the decision was finally made to renovate it and it is going to be the home of the Visitors Centre when it reopens.

The top is already finished.

Lexington isn't a very big city (population about 320,000), and as such it doesn't have a very big downtown. And there's no river running through it, or bridges to see. But it has a certain charm and it's a very clean city. No trash, and no trashy looking graffiti. We like that! 

The wall art that it does have is true art... lots of murals!

Ruth, with Lyn and Emilie at the Visitors Center.

We always stop in at the visitors center in any city we go to. They have tons of info on the local area, and if you don't have much time they'll point you to the important sites.

Us, with the Blue Horse.

Lexington is the heart of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, the home of legendary horses and world famous bourbons. In the early spring there is a hint of blue in the grass, prompting early settlers to dub the region, "the Bluegrass".

Hidden just below the surface of our rolling hills lies an ancient limestone shelf that acts as a natural filter. The water that passes through this massive filtration system feeds the soil and grasses that grow strong horses unlike anywhere else in the world. (Those same waters produce the best bourbons in the world, too!)

Although no one has real evidence that blue horses exist, there are many tales of sightings across the region from legions of true believers. Legend has it that a horse called "Big Lex" turned blue from grazing in nourishing bluegrass pastures his entire life. Perhaps he found the very source of these limestone rich waters. Be on the lookout for a big blue horse as you drive around the backroads that are home to hundreds of horse farms in the area -- you might just see the legendary blue horse yourself.

The Christmas decorations are out.

Not many people around!

We seemed to notice that... there aren't many people around even on a beautiful day.

We went and walked around the historic section up by Transylvania University. Lots of old homes and big trees.

Another mural.

The old Lexington Public Library.

Old homes.

Side street.

Another old home.

We always look for a view when we're visiting a city. Lexington doesn't have many tall buildings... the tallest is a blue office tower. We wondered if we could get a view from there and the girls in the visitors center said they have an office on the 21st floor. So they called over for us and got us inside! Thanks ladies! The receptionist Donna let us in to get some photos.



Another mural.

Back at the elevator, I said to Ruth... "let's see what's on the top (31st) floor".

There were a couple of offices, and we went to one and opened the door. Another receptionist was there and we said we had a funny request. She led us through their boardroom and to the balcony! Hey, you never know if you don't ask!

View of Lexington from the 31st floor.

From there. we walked over to the University of Kentucky.

 Decorated for Christmas.

Scenery along the way.

Ruth, and the giant Christmas tree.

University of Kentucky Library.

View looking back at downtown. 
We had been at the top of the tall blue building.

Inside the university library, they have a quilt exposition.

Took the bus back home, and there was a party waiting for us!

Ruth's birthday flan!

Our friends had a little party last night celebrating Ruth's birthday! What a good day we had, and with beautiful Lexington weather. Today, that's continuing with a forecast high of 63F (17C) and more sunshine!

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32 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday Ruth. Very sweet of your friends. Lexington is a beautiful city. Love all the murals.

    Take care, be safe.

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    1. Thank you very much for the birthday wishes. It was very sweet of them to help celebrate my birthday, we all had a wonderful time together.

      Lexington is definitely a pretty city. Someone mentioned the other day, that it has more of a big town feel to it rather than a small city and it is very true. We loved the murals too and this was only a few of them.

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  2. Happy Birthday Ruth!
    May you have many more living this wonderful lifestyle you both Enjoy!
    We'll have to add Lexington to our must see list.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Thank you Rick and Kathy!

      We definitely thought it was a worthwhile stop. Just make sure to see the downtown area, the Kentucky Horse Park, one or two of the race tracks as well as a bourbon distillery or two while you are in the area. There are also some wonderful areas just outside of the Lexington area which we will show you over the next couple of days.

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  3. Happy Birthday Ruth! Lexington does look like a nice clean pretty city

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    1. Thank you! :-)

      Yep, we thought it looked like a wonderful little city, enough to say that we could easily live there if we wanted too. It's not too big, it's clean and it doesn't take long to get to the country where there are some beautiful places to hike and it doesn't seem overly expensive.

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  4. Happy Birthday RUTH! Continue enjoying life the way you do and sharing with us your beautiful experiences. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you Mina!

      We will continue for as long as we can, no worries there. :-)

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  5. A perfect way to spend a birthday! Happy day Ruth, and many more...

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    1. Thank you Peter! And, it was a perfect day. :-)

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  6. Happy Birthday Ruth glad you enjoyed your special day! The flan looks delicious enjoy. Lexington looks like a nice place to visit someday. We have been to Kentucky a few times on our way to Tennessee but never really stopped. Must do so next time we travel. Enjoy your stay. Love reading your daily posts!

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    1. Thank you Brigitte! I did enjoy my special day.

      The flan was delicious and there was even some leftover to bring along with us today.

      Looks like next time you are through the area you will have to make a point of stopping in for a nice look around.

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  7. Awesome tour of Lexington. How cool you got in the building for an excellent view of the city. We really enjoyed our visit too.

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    1. Thanks, glad that you enjoyed it. We almost always try to ask at any tall building in a city if it is possible to go up to the top. It's not often that we are turned down.

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  8. Happy birthday, Ruth. Wishing you many more!

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  9. Nothing better than being on the road for your birthday. Hope your day is extra special.

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    1. Yep, that is for sure and it was extra special being able to spend it with good friends.

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  10. Happy Birthday Ruth!! I love how you guys got to the top of the tower and didn't settle for 21 floors. You don't get there if you don't ask.

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    1. No truer words. The view from the 21st floor was still a good one though! ;-)

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  11. Happy birthday!!!!! Enjoyed your Lexington blog and photos. What a beautiful city!

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    1. Thank you Connie and Barry! Glad you enjoyed the posts, it's not hard to do when you have pretty things to see and take pictures of. :-)

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  12. In most U.S. cities you rarely find people on foot. Fun using public transit, you can enjoy the scenery.

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    1. I guess it depends on the city because you definitely see lots in cities like New York and LA but then they are really tourist meccas no matter what the season. I am sure during the summer months the downtown area is much busier. There was certainly more activity in the university area though.

      Yes, we like to take the public transit in cities, it sometimes can be an adventure in itself! Lexington's system was efficient, clean, inexpensive and friendly.

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  13. Happy Birthday, Ruth. Hope Kevin gave you a big Birthday kiss! Your friends must think you're pretty special to prepare such a beautiful flan.

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    1. Thank you Dee and yes, Kevin gave me a big birthday kiss! ;-)

      I guess they must, but then we think they are pretty special too.

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  14. Great tour, it has been a really long time since we were downtown.

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    1. Thank you Chuck and Anneke, I wonder if it has changed much since you were here?!

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  15. Looks like you had a lovely birthday, Ruth; happy belated! The flan looks delicious!

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    1. Thank you Emily! I had a wonderful birthday and yes the flan was as delicious as it looked. :-)

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