Between the bumbling pro-business mayor and the cottage industries built on the town's lone point of interest, I was going to say the comparisons to Jacksonville are staggering and then you had to go and dump on Jacksonville (rightfully so).
This was a lovely piece. I'd also like to mention, regarding your line about not "wanting to be a modern city", that being a "modern city" is no guarantee they won't still keep making the same mistakes, just on a larger scale.
I could be reading too much into your line, and there are plenty of arguments to be made about how a bigger city like Chicago or LA or Austin doesn't necessarily mean modern, but I think hoping that growing bigger and getting more resources means "getting your act together" is a false hope. In many ways, I think smaller cities have the best chance to try out new ideas in policy and practice that might never get a voice in larger metropolises.
A local example of that near where I live is that Durham, NC's Chief of Police was just poached by the city of Memphis after her success rebuilding a relationship between local police and the African American community that had been largely destroyed after decades of biased law enforcement. Hopefully she'll be just as successful in her new, bigger town, and hopefully her replacement here doesn't undo her successes, but I have to think a big reason she was given the chance in the first place was because Durham isn't huge yet. They've just been chosen for a future Google campus, and the "new" money from the north has been pouring into this area for years, but there's still time to try and get things ready before it's too late. But you have to have the right leaders in place to do that and unfortunately that isn't always the case.
Great piece. Absolutely captured the essence of the Derby and the city. As a resident of the city myself I think everything you’ve written here rings true.
I went to the first home game for Racing FC a few weeks back and even though the stadium was at about 1/3 capacity the environment was amazing. I decided to buy season tickets a couple days later. Very excited for the season ahead!
big shout out Scott, this rules. I did find it funny, as a Lexington native and current resident of a MUCH smaller town in northeast Tennessee, that you describe Lou as a "small town", although I completely understand why. also shout out to the twice-league-champions Louisville City FC, playing second division soccer.
Came here just to acknowledge the fantastic reference to The Good Place. Thank you for giving Stupid Nick’s Wing Dump the recognition it deserves.
Is your son gonna end up sounding like Bobby Hill in 5 years? Cuz that would be hilarious.
"soundtracked by the most beautiful song you can possibly hear on a May afternoon as long as you don’t listen to the actual lyrics"
Sir, 'Back Home Again in Indiana' will FIGHT you.
(But really, this was a fantastic piece. Loved this).
Between the bumbling pro-business mayor and the cottage industries built on the town's lone point of interest, I was going to say the comparisons to Jacksonville are staggering and then you had to go and dump on Jacksonville (rightfully so).
This was a lovely piece. I'd also like to mention, regarding your line about not "wanting to be a modern city", that being a "modern city" is no guarantee they won't still keep making the same mistakes, just on a larger scale.
I could be reading too much into your line, and there are plenty of arguments to be made about how a bigger city like Chicago or LA or Austin doesn't necessarily mean modern, but I think hoping that growing bigger and getting more resources means "getting your act together" is a false hope. In many ways, I think smaller cities have the best chance to try out new ideas in policy and practice that might never get a voice in larger metropolises.
A local example of that near where I live is that Durham, NC's Chief of Police was just poached by the city of Memphis after her success rebuilding a relationship between local police and the African American community that had been largely destroyed after decades of biased law enforcement. Hopefully she'll be just as successful in her new, bigger town, and hopefully her replacement here doesn't undo her successes, but I have to think a big reason she was given the chance in the first place was because Durham isn't huge yet. They've just been chosen for a future Google campus, and the "new" money from the north has been pouring into this area for years, but there's still time to try and get things ready before it's too late. But you have to have the right leaders in place to do that and unfortunately that isn't always the case.
Great piece. Absolutely captured the essence of the Derby and the city. As a resident of the city myself I think everything you’ve written here rings true.
I went to the first home game for Racing FC a few weeks back and even though the stadium was at about 1/3 capacity the environment was amazing. I decided to buy season tickets a couple days later. Very excited for the season ahead!
This is first-rate writing, Scott. I just loved it.
big shout out Scott, this rules. I did find it funny, as a Lexington native and current resident of a MUCH smaller town in northeast Tennessee, that you describe Lou as a "small town", although I completely understand why. also shout out to the twice-league-champions Louisville City FC, playing second division soccer.