Tag: Diversions

Travel

With local Airbnb rentals this gorgeous, we should plan a Louisville staycation
Airbnb house
An amazing kitchen in a Cherokee Triangle home.

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

How big is the home-sharing vacation rental business here in Louisville? Industry leader Airbnb alone offers more than 300 choices across the city.

Our favorite is smack in the middle of tony Cherokee Triangle: an entire four-bedroom, 3½-bath home, with a kitchen we’d die for: “Dacor six-burner stove and double-oven, built-in refrigerator, microwave drawer, dishwasher, farmhouse sink, prep sink, custom floor -to-10-foot-high cabinetry, white marble countertops and 10-foot long island.” Nightly rate: just $500.

That’s right near the city-wide Airbnb average of $493 a night; at that rate, most are in the city center:

Airbnb map

Related: Here’s The New York Times’s Louisville travel page, including this just published update to its “36 Hours in Louisville” guide. Don’t forget the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and TripAdvisor’s picks, too.

Food and Dining

Bristol May 117:15 tonight, Bristol Bar & Grille in the Highlands.

A house salad of mixed greens with carrots, red cabbage, and cucumbers. Not very inspired, but it came with an entree. À la carte, just $4.

Part of the Urban Bourbon Trail, the Bristol is a mainstay of Highlands restaurants. Plus, it has a big, outdoor patio that’s quiet.

Address: 1321 Bardstown Road. Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Travel

Let’s grab a $6,600 Louisville-to-London plane ticket to see Jennifer Lawrence

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

With Louisville’s own Jennifer Lawrence tripping (hah!) the light fantastic last night in London, Boulevard thought it’d be fun to join the Oscar winner on the red carpet there.

Where: London. When: Friday to Sunday. Airline: Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Route: Louisville to Atlanta to Heathrow; Detroit connection on the return. How much: $6,648 for economy to Atlanta, then business class to London. Virgin Atlantic reservations.

Where to stay? Consider TripAdvisor’s No. 1 rated Hotel 41. It has an executive suite available for Friday and Saturday at $1,379 a night, including taxes and fees; reservations.

Related: Airbnb London properties. The New York Times’ London travel coverage, where you can read more about Westminster Hall and Big Ben; photo, top. Old Louisville’s Belgravia Court meets “Downton” creator Julian Fellows’ new London-based novel.

Real Estate

What Belgravia Court has in common with ‘Downton’ creator Fellowes’ new work

Julian Fellowes has just published a new book — Belgravia — which like Old Louisville’s Belgravia Court, is named for one of London’s most posh neighborhoods. Belgravia will be a serialized historical drama published as an app; it opens on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo at a ball thrown by the Duchess of Richmond in Brussels, according to Town & Country.

In Louisville, Belgravia Court property seldom hits the market. But at least one — 419 Belgravia — is now listed for $395,000, according to the Realtors association.

Photo, top: Belgravia Court’s famous Pink Palace. Map, below: how to get there.

Food and Dining

Le Relais logoWhat Boulevard would choose from the spring menu at one of our favorite restaurants, Le Relais:

  • Escargots de Bourgogne: snails in garlic herb butter. $11
  • House salad: Groganica greens, fresh goat cheese, strawberries, toasted almonds, herbs, sherry vinaigrette (half portion). $5
  • Steak frites: pan-roasted 9 oz. prime New York strip, pommes frites, spinach, bordelaise sauce, bone marrow butter (half portion). $22
  • Café Glacé: house-made coffee ice cream topped with espresso and served with Chantilly cream. $9

From the restaurant:
Situated in the historic airport terminal of Bowman Field, Le Relais offers a fine dining experience like no other in Louisville. You’ll find exquisite French cuisine, prepared with only the finest, freshest ingredients, combined with relaxed, first-class service and an intimate, 1940s art-deco interior reminiscent of the café from the movie “Casablanca.”

Reservations on OpenTable, or call 502-451-9020.

And speaking of Casablanca . . .

Food and Dining

julepIt’s the drink that prompted Ernest Hemingway to throw his glass against a wall. Even Teddy Roosevelt had a recipe of his own, according to Town & Country’s history of the Derby favorite.

To be sure, there are lots of variations on the traditional recipe. The Ralph Lauren-owned Polo Bar’s version is made with Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, muddled with strawberries and served in a glass etched with the clothing designer’s signature Polo pony motif, says Vanity Fair.

At Churchill Downs, nearly 120,000 juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend, according to the official Kentucky Derby site. Today, Derby Day, juleps are all across Twitter.