Poll: Where do you do your food shopping ?

I agree, Mark. Even with all the bitching and complaining I've done about the bridge over the last several months, I have to laugh when people around here complain about "everyday" traffic in Louisville. At its worst, our traffic would be considered a good day in Atlanta or any other city of comparable size. I can't count the number of hours I sat virtually motionless for more than an hour on I-20, trying to get home after work (this was pre-1979 when the East/West rail line opened). The surface streets were often just as bad as the interstates in those days.

Shelbyville Road traffic is a piece of cake in comparison.

Whole Paycheck is only if I'm in the area.

...And somehow manage to navigate the Mall/Plaza/Watterson traffic on Shelbyville Rd.. We were down that way on Saturday afterrnoon...Ohhhhhhhhhhh Myyyyyyyyyyyyyy God. I have no idea how all-ya-all deal with that mess on a regular basis.

I manage to sneak in from Browns Lane and Bowling Blvd.

I grew up, and learned to drive, in the Chicagoland area. I also spent some time in Boston. Driving along Shelbyville Rd, during rush hour... piece of cake.

These comparisons of how Louisville's traffic compares to traffic found in other cities crack me up. At the end of the day, I live in Louisville and not these other cities. And when it comes to Louisville traffic - and not the traffic found in cities that are not Louisville - the Shelbyville Road traffic is something I'd rather not deal with.

It might not be *that bad.* And it might not compare to the 8-mile, rush hour backup I saw in the D.C. area. But it is rather annoying - so I avoid that area.

Whole Foods, Target, Kroger in order of priority. Occasional trips to Trader Joe's, Lotsa Pasta, and Rainbow Blossom for specialty items the others don't have.

As to Shelbyville Road traffic, it's not terrible as big cities go, but it's bad enough for Louisville. On Saturday afternoon, the right lane eastbound was backed up from the Watterson to Hubbards Lane, mostly with people trying to get into Trader Joe's.

These comparisons of how Louisville's traffic compares to traffic found in other cities crack me up. At the end of the day, I live in Louisville and not these other cities. And when it comes to Louisville traffic - and not the traffic found in cities that are not Louisville - the Shelbyville Road traffic is something I'd rather not deal with.

It might not be *that bad.* And it might not compare to the 8-mile, rush hour backup I saw in the D.C. area. But it is rather annoying - so I avoid that area.

This. Is. Brilliant. Thank you.

[Robin Garr]

It might not be *that bad.* And it might not compare to the 8-mile, rush hour backup I saw in the D.C. area. But it is rather annoying - so I avoid that area.

It happens that my fun and business pathways take me through the St. Matthews area fairly frequently, and I apply pretty much the same strategy to driving in high-traffic areas as I did when I lived in NYC and in LA: Avoid the bad spots during rush hour if I can. But I took it that Steve was talking about a 24x7 no-fly zone. Based on my experience, that just doesn't make sense.

What are people's favorite Ethnic markets? Any place to get fresh tortillas here?

Do a search on this site . . . there have been many threads here (and you can search the Courier-Journal archives, but they tend not to keep the "good stuff" for some reason) on ethnic groceries. I remember many Asian & Latin, with some European. Of course you can get anything you'd ever want or can dream of at Jungle Jim's, but that's a 90 minute drive to Cincinnati so we don't go enough to have checked it off!

[Robin Garr]

Do a search on this site . . .

Here's my most recent, November 2010. It might need a little updating by now.

http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/think ... louisville

It's interesting to think about the difference between Rochester NY - where we lived for 35 years - and Louisville, to which I returned 6 years ago. Rochester is the home of, by far (and not just my own opinion), the best super market in the country. At their flagship store,which was as close to our house there as Whole Foods or Kroger are now, there are cheese, charcuterie, health food, tea, florist departments as good as any small shops in Louisville. There are cafeteria style/ carry-out hot foods: Asian, Sushi, Indian, Italian, vegetarian - with comfortable seating. There is a sit-down, make-it-to-order counter for 'gourmet' food. It is the first place we visit when we go back. When I see Krogers making changes, I assume they have been studying the Wegman's style - but they don't even come close. Not only is Wegman's well-stocked and well -run, it is incredibly good to its employees (usually ranked in the top 5 places to work in the country). It is a wonder.

But - and, yes, there is 'but'- Wegman's does subtle harm, I think, to the fabric of the city. It's hard to explain. There is not the spirit of small business, of 'buy local' (even though Wegman's is local; of a kind of 'fun of the hunt' we get here, of 'weirdness.' And I know of one chef in Rochester who says that Wegman's keeps Rochester from having any kind of food scene. People in Rochester are oddly conservative about many things. Why go out when you can just go to Wegman's?

All that said, if a Wegman's came here, would I be happy? Darn straight I would.

[Robin Garr]

All that said, if a Wegman's came here, would I be happy? Darn straight I would.

Wegman's is very, very good, and I wouldn't mind having one here even if I am a strong buy-local kind of guy. I thought their flagship was in Ithaca, though. Not so? Just a Cornellish misperception?

When I first saw Fresh Market, I thought maybe it was shooting for a Wegman's look, but in a Stepford kind of way. I also got the impression that Doll's remake, before their regrettable closing, was sort of Wegmanish, to the extent possible.

Personally, I like the variety of small sources here, Ken, too, and I've never found that going around to several stores is a pain. More often, I'll just work a stop at Lotsa Pasta or Burger's or whatever into a trip to do something else.

All that said, if a Wegman's came here, would I be happy? Darn straight I would.

+1 I grew up in Rochester and certainly agreed with your statement. It's probably the one thing on this the most about Rochester.

Here's an article on the flagship Wegman'shttp://www.boston.com/business/gallery/wegmans_comes_to_new_england/It was just a couple of miles from home.

Political note: This Wegman's is in the suburb of Pittsford. Wegman's all but abandoned the city several years ago, though they are expanding their East Ave store, which is in the Rochester equivalent of the Highlands. One of the main reasons I am happy to be back in Louisville is Metro Government. Rochester is a crippled, poor, dying city (there is literally a large hole in the center of town where the central shopping area used to be). The surrounding suburbs are thriving. There are 18 municipalities in Monroe County, each with its own police, fire, and school districts (that means individual school boards and school offices. Some of those districts have not many more kids than the one inner-city school where I taught). There is no feeling of responsibility or ownership of the city as a whole by the burbs - and they resent any pennies that go to it. Wegman's helps kids from the inner city if they work for them, but they give huge amounts of money to Catholic schools. The donut nature of Rochester (lots of fat encircling a hole) is something we come much closer to avoiding here in Louisville. Being able to flee to Wegman's rather than touch foot in the city for, say, ethnic food, is the Rochester way.

I personally like Mejiers better than Krogers but they don't offer the gas points like Kroger does so we do most of our everyday shopping there.

It might not be *that bad.* And it might not compare to the 8-mile, rush hour backup I saw in the D.C. area. But it is rather annoying - so I avoid that area.

It happens that my fun and business pathways take me through the St. Matthews area fairly frequently, and I apply pretty much the same strategy to driving in high-traffic areas as I did when I lived in NYC and in LA: Avoid the bad spots during rush hour if I can. But I took it that Steve was talking about a 24x7 no-fly zone. Based on my experience, that just doesn't make sense.

24/7 would be a bit of a reach...I was commenting (more or less) on what a zoo that area is on a Saturday afternoon (I assume it's the same during "rush hour", etc although I have no direct knowledge). To answer your previous question, yes...I've spent enough time in "big cities" (NY, LA, SF, Sydney, Auckland, Rome, London, Seville, etc, etc) to know that Louisville traffic doesn't compare...<shrugs>...I also know that I've postured my life and lifestyle to where I don't have to put up with any of it if I choose not to...and for the most part, I choose not to.

Friday night has become food night. We might eat leftovers - hate to waste food. First stop, Costco. If in the mood, we run into Liquor Barn (beer is food). Then on to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and/or World Market.
Mike usually grocery shops after school; Kroger or Meijer - I haven't stepped foot in the Meijer for 5 years or so. Favorite Kroger is the one in Prospect.
We have a Grasshopper pickup every two weeks at work. That's fun to look forward to.
And at least once a week, I'll run into the Paul's after work, the one at Holiday Manor.
And believe it or not, we don't cook that much.
Most of our food shopping comes from restaurant leftovers.
Also, we're not buying that much at each place either. One reusuable shopping bag usually does it for us wherever we go. I like food shopping. I don't really need anything else so that's a fun past time. If I weren't working, I'd hit the places in St. Matthews, like Lotsa Pasta, Seafood Connection, etc.