More Louisville

The Mohammed Ali Center is a museum dedicated to the life and aspirations of the boxer born Cassius Clay.  Like Ali it is beautiful and a bit overblown. 

 The architecture is lovely and the exhibits well done but they get repetitive.  We would have liked a bit more of the young boy and less of the same story told over and over of the great fighter.  Cassius began fighting at a young age when he wanted to beat up the kid who stole his bike.  He reported it to a police officer who said beating up was a bad idea but learning to box might be a good idea.  That officer was Joe Martin who became Clay’s first coach.

Displays are full of photos, videos and excerpts of his poetry which is pretty good.  “I am the greatest,” is repeated in every section of the museum.

Clay won the gold medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics but returned to the USA as a lesser citizen, a black American.  In searching for a better identity, he converted to Islam and took the name Mohammed Ali.  In reading his story, it is understandable that he rejected the white Christian world and sought a place that he found better.  He used his life and much of his money to help his people and promote peace.  With that view, he refused to be drafted in the US Army and be sent to Vietnam.  He was charge with draft evasion and his World Championship was taken away.  His conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court and he resumed his boxing career.  Diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he continues to support his causes of peace and equality.

The museum has a collection of LeRoy Neiman paintings of Ali. 

Back on the streets of Louisville, we enjoyed looking at the architecture, a mixture of modern, deco and Victorian.

Remember when states/cities had painted symbols all over town?  Well this area is definitely horse country.  This horse, made of horseshoes, was in the Louisville Slugger Museum.

These are all over town.

Glassworks and Flame Run are open to view and enjoy.

And, lest we forget, this is the land of bourbon as evidenced by the Evan Williams giant pour. 

We are now headed to DC (and Bennett).  The drive through West Virginia and Maryland is gorgeous, hilly (they call them mountains) and green.  Through one narrow drive along 70 in Maryland, we could put our left hand out the window and almost touch Pennsylvania and the right out the other side and almost touch West Virginia.