I took my first ever trip to Kentucky in 2010 or 11. I was down there for work, and was staying in Frankfort. We were busy all day each day, but had our nights free. I tend to be an explorer, I like to experience the local area whenever I'm somewhere new. I was 40 at the time, in great shape from running and weight lifting. My travel companion was much older, out of shape, and not interested in leaving the hotel. That was fine with me, he and I were work friends, with nothing in common otherwise.
We were staying right in the heart of Frankfort at the Capitol Plaza. The hotel was nice enough, and had a great bar. Our first 2 nights, the bartender was a cute 30-something blonde. She was knitting a sweater in between serving drinks. Yes, literally knitting a sweater behind the bar. And her day job was as a geologist. She never went into details about what it entailed, but I do remember being fascinated by some of the things she said about it. I fully accept that she could've been making the geologist thing up, but of all things to pick, geology? Really? There are way more interesting things to lie about, so I'm leaning towards the side of believing she was telling the truth.
Either way, I really enjoyed talking with her, and she was also responsible for my love of bourbon. I was never a "brown liquor" guy. I loved beer, and the occasional vodka/rum/tequila drinks, but never any kind of whiskey. Upon finding out about my disdain for such things, she stood a glass in front of me of what I believe was Eagle Rare if I'm remembering correctly, over ice. It was on her, so I figured why not and tried it. I'm not sure what happened, but it was like drinking a glass of heaven. And from there, I never looked back. Bourbon was my drink of choice.
She and I never hooked up, or had interest in any way of such a thing. She was a really sweet person, and a part of what made my first time in Kentucky an enjoyable experience. She was also the one who made me aware of the local bars and restaurants, most memorably The Dragon. It was only a few blocks away, well within walking distance. And also had pub poker nights a few times a week. That was very appealing to me, as I loved playing poker back then. I decided I would head there and check it out.
The next night found me wandering into this quaint Kentucky dive bar. It had an atmosphere all it's own, and a certain kind of charm that I believe exists only in that part of the country. A pretty big crowd for a weeknight as well. The place wasn't small, and pretty packed. I got a spot at the bar and ordered some food, and of course a bourbon. I got the details about the poker tournament, and signed up to play. It was free of course, with no money or prizes to win, just standing in the pub league if you were a member. I wasn't, I was just going to be playing for fun. It was about another hour away, so I decided to mingle a little.
I am from the northeast, not far out of New York City, and I have the Jersey accent to prove it. As you can imagine, that was sort of a novelty in the bar, and was the starting point of a few good conversations. The people were all friendly and engaging, and I was having a good time. Then I came across a group of three, two guys and a woman, all in their mid to late 20s. She was a bit gregarious, openly flirting with the guys, and they seemed unsure how to handle it. She was very pretty, about 5'6", long straight brown hair, thin, very pretty smile, brown eyes, and what were probably B cup breasts. She was wearing a denim mini skirt, wedge sandals, and a short sleeve button shirt over a white tank top.
I found out her name was Chrissy. I got the other two names as well, but I didn't care. I was only interested in her. We got to talking and found out they were all there to play poker as well. We struck up a conversation about that and other general interests, and I learned that Chrissy was a single (allegedly) mom, with a two year old. The kid was with her mother, as this was her night out. She always tried to make the most of her time whenever she could. It seemed obvious to me that tonight that meant going home with the two guys she had attached herself to. Good for them, I thought, though slightly jealous to be honest.
