I am having a hard time scraping my butt out of bed. No matter how much I stare at my cottage cheese ass in the mirror, I somehow can't gather the drive to put on the ol' sneaks for a run around the block.
Okay. A run would be ambitious. I can't even muster the strength to go for a leisurely stroll.
Yesterday Central Kentucky was blessed with a truly exquisite day. The temperature was hovering in the mid 70s, the sky was the most incredible azure blue dotted with pure white clouds as puffy as cotton candy. It was almost as if I could reach up and pull off a piece to taste.
I decided around 11 that it would be practically sacrilegious for me to laze around in bed in light of the gorgeous day, so I picked up some clothes off the floor of my bathroom, threw on some sandals, grabbed my keys and sunglasses and skedaddled out the door.
No plans, no agenda. Not even a final destination in mind. I was just gonna give the ol' body a bit of what it had been craving.
I love walking in downtown Lexington.
The city has a remarkable charm about it... a little bit of history, a little bit of class, a little bit of grit and a whole lot of hospitality. On my days off I love walking downtown and sitting in either Triangle Park or at the corner outside Starbucks on Broadway to watch the people passing by. Standing at the intersection of Main and Broadway makes me feel the tiniest bit cosmopolitan, with the cars whooshing by, the sounds of horns. It's all very "urban." Well, okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.
Anyway. I set off for my walk not really knowing where I was going. It being a Friday, I decided I wanted to stop in all the places that are closed when I'm not working... like Sam's Hot Dog Stand.
I'd heard of the reputation for years but had never squeezed it into my culinary exploits, until yesterday.
Wow. What a hot dog. For like two bucks I got a dog with onions, kraut, mustard, and relish. All I needed was a baseball game and a bag of Cracker Jack. The dog gave me the kick I needed, and I spent the rest of the afternoon ducking into all sorts of cute shops downtown.
Then it hit me.
Sweet. Sweet. I need something sweet.
The craving whacked me like a ton of bricks, totally affecting every following decision. Do I go in this store? Do they sell candy? Maybe they have baked goods? I was on a mission to find something ooey gooey... a cardinal sin, so to speak, at least where the South Beach Diet was concerned.
I walked and walked and walked. I walked by or in 7 different spots I thought might have satisfied my need for decadence. I wasn't gonna cave in easily, whatever I sunk my teeth into was going to be well worth the search.
After blocks of soul searching and weighing my options, I settled on a caramel nut brownie at Starbucks (the second one I had visited.)
And so after hours of exploring Lexington's less beaten paths, and probably burning 150 calories, I decided to cap the day off with a light mocha frappuccino and a caramel brownie. Grand caloric total: 720.
Maybe I should reconsider my physical endeavors. At the rate I'm going, this walking thing could be bad for my diet. Really bad.
2 comments:
I love walking around Lexington. There are some amazing churches and old office buildings.
I dig coffee drinks too. But I usually stick to Common Grounds - Starbucks is a little too Republican for me.
But a big problem with Lexington - and the entire country, for that matter - is transit. People complain about traffic, but they won't ride the bus. People will cry for roads to be widened, and then get upset when their yards are taken when THEIR road is widened.
Lexington needs to take bold steps to reduce traffic, reduce air polution, and plan for future growth. Lexington and its citizens need to embrace public transit. Instead of always voting down proposed tax hikes to fund Lextran, vote YES. Instead of riding your car when a bus can take you there, RIDE THE BUS. Instead of paying insurance, property taxes, and repairing your car, SELL IT and RIDE THE BUS.
OK, i'm done.
Though from Ohio originally, I'm living in Louisville, KY at the moment. I've actually been wanting to see Lexington as I have only been there when I was too young to remember much. But I wasn't sure what the best sights to see are. Any ideas? I was there when I was younger, and I have a picture of me standing next to a giant pink elephant. It's in front of some diner, but I can't see the name. Any chance you know of it? :)
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