Louisville is Great: If You Have Never Left
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9/29/2015
These comments got me thrown off of City Data forever. In my naiveté, I thought differences of opinion were tolerated and even appreciated on these types of sites. I guess George Orwell and Aldous Huxley knew what they were talking about.
Try to read this post with some objectivity. I know how defensive folks from Louisville get about any criticism posed towards the city. However, remember without any critical analysis, a city never progresses. In addition, in order to truly evaluate a place, you need to have spent some time living elsewhere. If you have resided in Louisville your whole life, were educated nearby, and have all your connections in this one place, you are unable to objectify what life is like in this city.
I am compelled to move back to Louisville for financial reasons that are too convoluted to describe. I have allowed myself 6 months to a year back before I launch myself to a more salubrious environment, hopefully somewhere in Europe. I know the Louisville protectors will exclaim, "Get out now!" Yet, hold your vitriol until you address my extensive reasons for disliking your city of Louisville, Kentucky. I believe I can be objective having lived in New York City, Washington D.C., Madison, Wisconsin, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati.
Reasons for Disliking Louisville:
1. The sorry infrastructure causes problems familiar to a third world country. I wondered why so many homes have personal generators. When there is a simple rainstorm, the electricity will go out. It happens all the time. It is reminiscent of the Caribbean and Mexico.
Flooding is a constant issue along the Ohio River. This doesn't happen on the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River. Why can't Louisville utilize engineering that has been around for more then a century to alleviate the issue? Oh, be prepared for cable and Internet service to be interrupted when there is a rainstorm. Remember, Louisville is in the Caribbean and you must be patient. The roads and highways were constructed with no forethought. Thus, there are traffic jams when there isn't enough population to cause any traffic backup. The traffic lights aren't timed and they hang from flimsy cross street wiring. The traffic lights also malfunction often during storms.
2. The poor educational system creates a huge intellectual gap. This will drive folks here up the wall, but many people are very poorly educated. Their speaking, writing, and analytical skills are sub par. This fact causes numerous problems. Folks do not communicate well and they have difficulty-understanding nuance. Services are poorly done and explanations have to be repeated constantly. As a result, there is a complete lack of excellence emulating from Louisville. The buildings are poorly constructed. The efficiency of everything is compromised. The electricians, plumbers, HVAC, IT developers, teachers, attorneys, physicians, etc. for the most part are not intellectually in tune, and are behind in what they know. Although you will never get anyone in Louisville to admit it, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky are not stellar academic institutions and rank in the bottom, nationally, in most areas.
3. There is a lack of class mobility in the city that effects class relations. The lower classes are angry at the upper classes, and the upper classes have disdain for the lower classes. Socio-economic lines are entrenched, and they do not mix. This also effects race relations, which are poor. Racism and ethnic myopia are very rampant in Louisville. Since we live in a fairly affluent community, tradesmen see nothing wrong in over charging us. When I asked a particular plumber about the ridiculous charges, he said, "Hey look where you live, you can afford it. Louisville also has an established oligarchy that controls the city politically and economically.
4. Louisville is very parochial. People want to know what high school you attended and what sub-division you live in, in order to place you on a "scale of importance." By the way, this city loves sub-divisions. Homogeny, in all its forms, is respected and worshipped. Homes, by and large, look alike and try not to swerve from the norm. The homes are built for size and not for any sense of style or aesthetics. Modern architecture is hard to find and does not go over well. The city tries not to control development. It is almost like the Wild West, as structures arise with no sense of the surroundings or urban scape. Its supposedly "Bohemian" area, known as the Highlands, is a hodgepodge of parking lots, tattoo parlors, antique stores, music clubs, fast food joints and restaurants and lounges. Its walkability is nil, since there is no urban planning. You try and walk it, but used car lots and broken sidewalks do not make it easy or pleasant.
5. The people living in Louisville are not warm. They are genteel and polite, but this is more because of a lack of directness and candor. Politeness can veil what is real, as in a Tennessee Williams play. However, talking behind someone's back is considered fair play. I am a hugger and tend to be an emotional man due to my ethnic New York upbringing. Just try and hug a man in Louisville. The dudes jump out of their skin. Louisville is a very conservative community and does not like expressions of emotion or passion. Even the LGBT community is conservative. Flamboyance often is not tolerated in the city. Making friends, if you do not fit the norm or if you did not grow up here, is almost impossible.
6. There is a large military presence in the city. It is perceptible by the way certain folks interact with you. There are many military posts in Kentucky and Louisville’s HR departments favor folks who served in the armed forces. This is all fine and dandy if you want an abrupt, impersonal, ambiance in your life. It is not for me personally. Abstractions are not handled well, and there is a militaristic affect that permeates certain arenas. It is not my cup of tea as a person who appreciates intellectualism, culture, and the arts. Military folks can be highly intelligent, but that would not include much discourse or an enjoyment of a cafe style of life.
7. Louisville is an ugly city. Except for Main Street near the 21 C Hotel, the urban development is non-existent. Downtown is a ghost town at night, except for the homage to the generic called "Fourth Street Live." I once asked the bartender where all the cool people at the bar hang out. Her response was, "other cities."
8. I grow tired of what I call the "Louisville Stare." If you confront someone for doing something wrong or stupid, instead of responding intelligently, folks often will just stare at you wordlessly. I'll just give you a few examples:
a. My Mailman told me that I should be careful of all the Mexicans that might drive around the neighborhood. I said, "Do you mean all Mexicans are people to be wary about?" He stared at me for several minutes and then got into his truck and drove off.
b. The lawn service I hired kept driving over a wet valley with newly sodded grass planted. When I pointed this out for the third time, the dude took off his protective earmuffs and brought the dangling cigarette away from his mouth and just stared at me. After several minutes he rode off.
c. When I pointed out to my plumber that the newly built shower was not draining due to the lack of an incline, he just stared for a few minutes walked out never to be heard of again.
9. The dining scene is touted by everyone from Louisville. I have no idea what they are comparing the dining scene to. It's doesn't compare to New York, Austin, Cincinnati, Denver, Portland, Minneapolis, San Diego etc. I guess it's good compared to Lexington and Frankfort. However, there is no "real" Italian restaurant, one ersatz French restaurant, and most of the chefs trained at Sullivan University and cook the same "Southern" style of food. How many grits and fried chicken can you eat? Even the restaurants in Nulu are very pedestrian compared to other cities with the population of Louisville.
10. The most interesting folks I have met in the city are Baptist ministers. They are willing to converse philosophically and have some degree of critical analysis in their beliefs. However, as I have mentioned to them, there is a Christian "holier than now" ambiance within the city and surrounding areas. This self-righteousness can get very ugly.
11. While the "Actor's Theater" is well respected nationally, regional theater in the Louisville area is very "home spun." The art scene is non-existent except for the 21 C hotel. If you like crafty stuff, the city is good
The music scene is okay if you like the Blues, and Southern Rock. There is very little jazz, opera, and superlative classical available. Dance is non-existent for both ballet and modern except for what tours nationally. There is no sidewalk cafe scene where people can sit, drink, talk and wile away the hours in a European manner. That does not exist in Louisville. The culture is not Midwest. It is more of an amalgam of Appalachia and the South. Thus, the city does not have a Midwest work ethic. Lunch hours stretch out and a three-day weekend often becomes a four-day weekend. Time is flexible and if work starts at 8:00 AM, people will stagger in late.
12. I could go on and on, but I do have to do some work. The question may be asked that there is no city that would meet my needs outside of a major metropolis. That's not true. Here is a short list:
AUSTIN
DENVER
PORTLAND
SEATTLE
VANCOUVER
SAN DIEGO
MINNEAPOLIS
MILWAUKEE
PHILADELPHIA
CHICAGO (It is larger, I know)
MIAMI
BOSTON
NEW ORLEANS
CINCINNATI
SANTA FE
Phil | Prospect, KY