The past three days we’ve been busy hosting my sister, her husband and their two boys in Cincy. They came down from the Chicago area to visit us for Memorial Day weekend. We loved spending time with them, showing off our home turf, and exploring uncharted Kentucky territory that was new to all of us in the warm and toasty 90+ degree heat. In the past three days we chowed down at a fabulous Mexican restaurant with an equally fantastic view on the river between Newport and Cincinnati, visited the Churchill Downs grounds and museum, watched a few live horse races, experienced the festival-like atmosphere and tasted a slew of treats at the annual Taste of Cincinnati foodie fest, cooled off at the Children’s Museum and The Museum of Natural History and Science, introduced our guests to some classic Cincy favorite eateries – Hype Park Pizzeria and Skyline Chili, visited with famous retired racehorses at the Kentucky Horse Park, and walked to the ice cream shop down our street to savor some delicious homemade UDF ice cream (their peach ice cream is totally out of this world!) while enjoying each others company. Here’s a photo sampler from the weekend (as always, click to enlarge):
A cloudy Friday night view of Cincinnati's Mt. Adams from Newport, KYI love this view of downtown CincyFestive flowers with a gloomy river backdrop at Don Pablo's Mexican KitchenColorful cafe lights and a river view. Who could ask for anything more?A cheery close-upKim, Tom, Lochlan, Declan and balloon horseHome to the Kentucky Derby and obligatory Mint Julep made with traditional Kentucky bourbon in Louisville, KYA handsome horse gearing up for a race. Their muscles and grace amaze me.Churchill Downs scenic groundsLoading into the portable stalls for the start of the race....and they're off!Trying on a jockey suit at the derby museumWith the memorial statue and remains of the famous racehorse Barbaro, who fought so hard to live and win in 2007A memorable day at Churchill DownsTons of food boths AND shade at Taste of Cincinnati - a foodie's dream!For entrees I sampled Lovin' Spoonful mac n' cheese - which was just okay - and Bella Luna's prime rib canneloni and lobster ravioli (pictured above), which were absolutely incredible! They both won some major "best damn" awards last year and they were so worthy of the win! Sadly, my belly was full and I had to bypass samples of crab cakes, gyros, sushi, potato cakes, roasted corn, and more. There's always next year!For dessert I couldn't decide between a raspberry cloud (last year's best damn dessert winner), Bella Luna's blueberry chocolate chip bread pudding, chocolate covered raspberry cheesecake, or this turtle cream pie from Izzy's. The turtle cream pie won out and was a tasty, rich, cold treat, but next year I'll try something new and different. Ted and I also got our frozen lemonade and funnel cake fix for the year!Fat, happy, and poor - the best way to leave a "Taste of" event!Kim tried one of my favorites - Chicago Gyro! and Tom opted for a chicken adobo taco, which was another one of last year's winners. Both were deemed messy but delicious.At the Children's Museum Lochlan dove into the water works area with glee. He also grew quite attached to the construction workers scene and grocery store setup!And Declan learned to drive. They boys also crawled through the woods, played in a sand pit, toured a cave, walked through Cincinnati's ice age, and explored the ball pit. One of the coolest things about spending your first year in a new house? All the awesome stuff that springs up that you didn't know you had. We have gorgeous rose bushes in our side yard - who knew?Ted testing an interactive display at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park. Really, I just like the pattern of the lighting in this shot.Some miniature horses who were playing a game of chaseTed and a sweet new friendAt the Hall of Champions we got up close and personal with four very famous retired race horses - Cigar (who has grossed the most money of any racehorse, coming in at just under a cool $10 million), Mr. Muscle Man, Da Hoss, and Funny Cide.Lochlan took his first pony ride on GizmoI stopped to enjoy some beautiful blooms in the shadeDeclan relaxed in the strollerWe marveled at the rolling hills and white picket fences of the Kentucky farmsA good time was had by all!And Ted and I got to experience some cool things in Kentucky we hadn't seen before.
We had a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, thankful for the gift of freedom, and hope you had the same!
