Hartog’s Den

I have always lived out West, and the bulk of the country east of Denver remains a mystery to me in terms of geography and culture. My view of Kentucky in particular was not a kind one, and I realize now that it was far from correct: I envisioned a barren, flat wasteland populated by toothless hillbillies who farmed the dusty land and married their cousins. Silly me, I know now that this description actually applies to Oklahoma and Tennessee (just kidding). Of course, I was quite certain that this view couldn’t be too far off, despite the fact that I didn’t even know that Kentucky bordered Ohio until I arrived there.

So when business called me to Cincinnati (another place I had never been), and I heard that I would be staying across the river in someplace across the river called Covington, Kentucky, well… to say the least I wasn’t expecting much. But despite harsh preconceptions, I have emerged from the bluegrass state pleasantly surprised. I was impressed at the urbane riverfront nightlife, the variety of ethnic food, the street cafes and bistros, the small live jazz and blues clubs, and friendly openness of a people I once was convinced were narrow-minded and backward.

So allow me to let you in on one of America’s seldom-explored destinations. For an inexpensive and fun-filled getaway, try (of all places) Northern Kentucky.

For one, it is beautiful country; deciduous forest grows thick and lush on endless green rolling hills, and the Ohio River (which, ironically, is owned by Kentucky) cuts a blue swath through some of the prettiest hills. I would very much like to come back for all the seasons, particularly autumn; I suspect that the photographer in me would revel in the color displays that can be seen here in the fall.

For the evenings during the earlier part of the week I was mainly looking for places to hang out in Cincinnati, on the Ohio side of the river. While the Queen City was certainly much better than I expected (again, that isn’t saying much), I hesitate to say that I was delighted. The James and I did manage to find a fairly good middle eastern restaurant at 6th and Vine that served hookah (see my earlier post on the subject), but besides that I can’t say that there was all that much. I think I would have preferred my much smaller hometown of Boise, Idaho for quality hangouts. I do concede that I had a very limited time to explore the area, and had not been advised by any locals on the subject of fun things to do; that said however, Cincinnati still has some convincing to do before I think of it as a fun place to go.

That Wednesday however was my birthday, and with The James’ departure that afternoon to head back to Arizona, I had resigned myself to spending my joyeux anniversaire far from home, family, and friends. On a whim, I decided to explore the Kentucky side of the river. My secondary camera, an old Pentax ME Super, was strapped around my shoulder, on the off chance that something interesting could possibly be found in a dull place like Kentucky. It turns out that I seriously underestimated the photo opportunities; my two remaining rolls of film rapidly disappeared over the next few days, and I found myself wishing for more.

On Covington’s simultaneously quaint and hip Main St., I ran across a sign for live jazz on the rooftop of Chez Nora, a small restaurant and live music bar. Curious, I stepped in… I didn’t step out until last call. Jazz singer Beckah Williams was singing that night, and boy, for a short blonde she could belt it. I was just sitting in the corner, finishing up my crawfish étouflée and enjoying the music, when the bartender walked up with a fresh pint.

“Thanks,” I said. “But I don’t remember ordering this.”

“The lady third from the left bought you this drink sir.”

Huh? Glancing over towards the bar, I noticed three fairly good-looking, middle-aged women smoking and chatting with the other bartender. Shrugging, I grabbed the pint and wandered over.

And that’s how I met the self-proclaimed “Covington Barflies,” who spent the next three days showing me all over the Kentucky side of the river, mainly in Covington and the hip “Levee” riverfront district of Newport. I can’t even remember the total count of beers, shots, jazz musicians, banjo players, marlboro smoking over makeup-ed bartendresses (“you from around here, sugar?”), and lovely photos over the river occured in those days.

The highlight of the trip was by far the bluegrass bar I went to on the last night. Walking in wearing khakis and a polo only intensified how out-of-place I was in a bar full of either white or black folks, guys in tight jeans and tucked in flannel shirts, gals in pretty dresses… very pretty. (And by the way, for the record, the southern accent is so hot it’s not even fair.) The momentary awkwardness was totally worth it though… I ended up joking with the band and learning (vaguely) how to dance, their style. I’d recommend the band highly by the way, The 23 String Band, out of Cumberland Valley, KY.

So all in all, I had a raucous good time with some very friendly people. Though I stuck out like a sore thumb and got some interesting looks (what’s this yuppie South Asian kid doin here with a goddamn camera?), people were on the whole very welcoming and eager to have a good time. The scenery was beautiful (especially the old churches in central Covington), the curries were delicious, the hookah flavors were varied, the cajun cooking nearly blew my mouth off, and the jazz was even hotter. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself. Oh yeah, and call me up when you’re going, I can pack quickly.

More photos from my adventures can always be found at Adventures of a Quantum Cowboy.