Kentucky Stopover

One of my favorite places in the great US of A is the state of Kentucky. Our plane descended through the clouds and a spread of green grass and white fences materialized below us. When I think of Kentucky, I think of horse racing and old money. The scene that I saw below me confirmed those thoughts. Every once and a while, my wife and I end up with a long space of time between flights. We usually spend that time sitting in the airport. But not always.

There are two terms to know: layover and stopover. What’s the difference? The way I think of it is that a layover is a space of time between flights in which you don’t have any time to do anything fun, i.e. leave the airport. That space of time may vary depending where you are. If the airport is close to attractions, the higher the chance of doing something fun. Generally, if we have over six hours between flights, that gives us plenty of time to leave the airport, explore, eat dinner, and came back through TSA security to catch our flight.

Layover= less time

Stopover= more time

We had about eight hours in Lexington, KY.

Large swaths of green and mown, grassy fields lay below us, each lined with a tall white fence. Enormous (and expensive) barns sat at the edge of each field. And horse ran about. I was quickly falling in love with Kentucky.

We needed a quick attraction to pass the time. The Mary Todd Lincoln house fits the bill. This large home in central Lexington makes a great historical sight that won’t bore you. Little shops and great dinning are right around the corner. And it was a $12 Uber ride to boot.

We called our Uber to take us back to the airport after a terrific day in Lexington. Just then, a car barreled up to the curb and a lady called out my name. We climbed into the car. She then began to ask us how to get to the airport. And for the next 10 minutes she dodged cars, held her phone to look at the map, called her husband, then informed us that we were her very first passengers. Eventually, we just got out of the car and ordered another Uber.

This time, the driver was the best Uber experience we’d ever had.

“Have you ever been to Lexington before today?”

We told him no. And, with a shocked look on his face, he took as on a tour of the area, including the beautiful Keeneland Racecourse. He dropped us off at the airport with a smile. We had the worst and the best Uber experience that day.

If you have a few hours and the chance to get out of the airport, do it. You will not regret a proper stopover.

anthony forrest