Favorite Places To Waste Time

The Centsational Girl is having a party and I’m joining in the fun!  Who doesn’t love a good party?!

There are so many things I love about living in Lexington, Kentucky.  I grew up in Southern California so living here is quite a change for me.  I enjoy having all four seasons and being surrounded by beautiful horse farms.  Sure I miss the beach, but there’s something really special about living in a town with such a rich history.  Of course I love going to Keeneland (a day at the track is always fun!).

Keeneland

                                            

You may not know this but much of the movie Secretariat was filmed there.  Lexington is also nearby a number of bourbon distilleries which are really fun and interesting to tour.  Maker’s Mark is one of our favorites located in Loretto just about an hour and half from Lexington.

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Known for their wax top when you visit you can actually dip your own bottle (although you have to be 21).

While Kentucky is known for its bourbon there are some wineries here too.  Without a doubt our favorite winery in Kentucky is Jean Farris.

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You seriously must go and read the story behind this winery here, and then if you are ever in Lexington you have to make Jean Farris dinner reservations.  The food is unbelievable!  We visit them quite often and are members of the wine club as well!

While horse racing, bourbon tours, and great dining make living in Lexington absolutely wonderful; my favorite places to waste time in this town are not so obvious.

This might look like just an ordinary strip mall.  At first glance if you didn’t know any better you might just drive right by.  What a mistake you’d be making!  These two stores are unique and fabulous.  Hitting them both up in the morning is my idea of a great way to start the day!  Coffee Times Coffee House is without a doubt the best coffee place.  They roast and flavor their own coffee.  My personal favorite from the espresso bar is the Mexi-Cappuccino which is espresso, steamed milk (non-fat for me), and Mexican spiced cocoa topped with whipped cream (but I usually take mine without the whip).  It is heavenly!  They also have a cute little gift shop and they’re connected to favorite spot numero dos – Street Scene.  It is the coolest little vintage shop.  I love the way the store is styled and the inventory is constantly changing.  They sell everything from vintage clothing and accessories (their jewelry is always awesome!) to sofas, coffee tables, and well you name it and they have it.  It’s hard to go in there and not buy something.  There’s just too much good stuff, but even if you are just window shopping it makes for a fun place to lose yourself in time (if you have time to kill that is) with a great coffee in hand, of course.  😉

On the morning I snapped the above hipstamatic pic, this guy was my shopping buddy (our vet’s office is right across the street).

This is Prince.  Named for the greatest artist ever.  😉

Which is just so fitting because my third favorite place to waste time is the Wellington dog park (Lexington has quite a few dog parks around the city).  We don’t usually bring the dogs with us; but instead we load the bikes up in the back of the swagger wagon (yeah- we’ve got one) and head out there to ride around the trail.  The dog park is a great place for “bike riding beginners”.  The kids absolutely love it.  The hub and I love that we don’t have to worry about cars pulling out of driveways like we do in the neighborhood.  It’s a nice place to spend some time outside together as a family.

Yeah you guessed it.  The girl rides that one.

He is at one with the trail.  🙂

Busy perfecting his “tricks”.