Tag: Diversions

Travel

Your $7,075 ticket to ‘Hamilton’ makes the Louisville airfare to NYC look cheap

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

Ticketmaster copyYou’ve just scored a ticket for this Saturday night at the hottest musical on Broadway — “Hamilton,” which today got nominated for a record 16 Tony awards. How much? $7,075 per ticket, not including a $1,203 service fee to reseller Ticketmaster (orchestra, row T, seat 28).

Alongside that, your last-minute airline ticket is a bargain, although you’ll need to fly economy, because business and first aren’t available on a non-stop flight.

Where: New York City. When: Friday to Sunday. Airline: United. Route: Louisville to Newark. How much: $740 for economy. United reservations.

Related: “Hamilton” official website. The luxurious Plaza Hotel has rooms available at $1,025 a night — a 19-minute walk to the Richard Rodgers Theatre; reservations. And here’s TripAdvisor’s New York City page.

Wish List

You can never have too many all-occasion note cards — like this Kentucky artist’s

Kentucky artist Marianna McDonald draws gorgeous pastels of landscapes around the state, some of which she features on a set of note cards. I bought these yesterday at her booth at the just-concluded Cherokee Triangle Association annual art fair in the Highlands; $12 for a set of four. Here’s one, called “East Family Sister Shop.”

unnamedMcDonald’s studio is at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill.

Related: Admission to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft will be free for one year after its June 4 reopening.

Food and Dining

Fried green tomatoesLast night in Fontleroy’s restaurant. Fried green tomatoes: blue crab, roasted corn chow chow, and Comeback sauce. $13.

The restaurant’s Facebook page serves as its website, where it describes itself as a “modern southern kitchen offering our region’s hottest food trends. Local and seasonal offerings paired with original artisan libations.”

Named after Louisville Mayor James Fontleroy Grinstead, the restaurant opened last fall at 2011 Grinstead Drive in the Highlands. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday; breakfast and lunch only on Mondays.

Fontleroy’s is also on Yelp, plus Open Table and TripAdvisor.

Wish List

Only Parkside sells that cool bike Will Arnett rides in Netflix’s new series ‘Flaked’

Despite the generally meh reviews, I’m still warming up to the new Netflix series “Flaked,” mostly because I liked star Will Arnett so much during his earlier turn in the hilarious “Arrested Development.”

Arnett plays Chip, a recovering alcoholic struggling to rebuild his life in the southern California beach community of Venice; the eight-episode first season launched last month. Arnett’s character can’t drive anymore, so he tools around on a bicycle so ubiquitous, its brand — Linus — ought to be featured in the main credits.

nXpjTmM2I recognized it right away (even if other people didn’t) because I’d seen it on display at Parkside Bikes on Bardstown Road when I was cycle-shopping a year ago. I loved its looks then and now, although I opted for a Specialized instead. Arnett rides the $429 Roadster Classic, according to props and wardrobe spotter The Take. The manufacturer shows it in three colors, including Venetian blue — closest to what Arnett rides, albeit with an old, wooden Coke crate strapped to the handlebars:

Will Arnett linus

Linus bikes aren’t easy to find. Parkside is the only dealer in Kentucky — indeed, it’s one of only nine within a 200-mile radius.

I like Parkside — and apparently, I’m not the only one. Owner Ben Botkins added a second location last June, at 2509 Grinstead Drive near Cherokee Parkway, nearly six years to the date after opening the Bardstown store. The two outlets will have different focuses, Botkins told Business First. The original store will cater to casual riders looking for new or used bikes, while the new one will target “performance” riders who are often out on mountain trails, riding dozens of miles or competing in races.

Related: Parkside bikes on Facebook, and on Yelp. Plus, more about bike shops across Louisville.

Travel

The New York Times thinks Louisville only has two hotels

Scores of local hotel owners with more than 17,000 rooms available can be forgiven if they’re smarting about The New York Times‘ latest update to its popular “36 Hours in…” travel feature. The new version about Louisville highlights restaurants (Butchertown Grocery) and shops (Evan Williams Bourbon Experience) that weren’t in business the last time the paper visited, in 2011. But one thing remains the same, even if the rates have gone up: The editors are recommending the same two hotels.

Last week’s feature: “Near Main Street’s Whiskey Row, the 21c Museum Hotel houses 91 rooms as well as a contemporary museum and the restaurant Proof on Main. Rooms from $269. The landmark 1923-vintage Brown Hotel offers spacious rooms and an opulent lobby bar to return to after day’s end. Rooms from $199.”

…vs. 2011’s: “Consistently ranked as one of the world’s top hotels, the 21C Museum Hotel is a destination in itself. Open since 2006, 21c features an innovative, locally sourced restaurant and over 9,000 square feet of exhibition space featuring such artists as Kara Walker and Chuck Close. 21C’s 90 rooms start at $200. Opened in 1923, the Brown Hotel provides a more traditional experience. The lobby bar has been a hangout for residents and stylish visitors for decades. The hotel’s 293 rooms, some of which fall on the smaller side, start at $180.”

Pictured, top: Conceptual artist Serkan Özkaya‘s 30-foot-tall version of Michelangelo’s David, which 21c’s owners commissioned and installed in front of the hotel in 2011.

Related: TripAdvisor has reviewed nearly 100 Louisville area hotels. The Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes a list of its own. Here’s the New York Times‘ Louisville travel page, and all the paper’s 36 Hours features.

Diversions

On Kingdom’s new coaster: ‘clutching my safety harness extra tight during that 100-foot drop’

Kentucky Kingdom opens Saturday, and this year’s big attraction is the new $8 million “Storm Chaser” steel roller coaster — the amusement park’s fifth coaster. Business First‘s Marty Finley survived a test ride yesterday, reporting: “While I’m not scared of roller coasters, I have never been an enthusiast and found myself clutching my safety harness extra tight during that 100-foot drop.”

Watch this point-of-view video (but maybe not on an empty stomach!):

To be sure, the new coaster isn’t the only fresh feature this year. (Courier-Journal). So, what’ll it cost to get inside for day tickets?

  • Adults: $44.95 general admission
  • Children: $39.95 (less than 48 inches tall)
  • Seniors: $39.95 (those 55 or older)

With those prices, a season pass at $59.95 is a steal.

Related: The park’s history, starting with its original 1987 opening, has seen coaster-like ups and downs, too.