OK, raise your hands if you find yourself thinking a lot about other cities when your own hometown of Louisville is one damn amazing place you admit you sometimes overlook.

We’d raise our hands but we’re typing this indictment of ourselves, so just count us in with this admission: Sometimes we all forget about what’s right under our collective nose and need outside reminders of just how cool that is.
To wit: Food & Wine magazine and AOL.com recently shared a lot of love for the Ville and its restaurants with their millions of readers.

Free advertising rocks!

AOL’s piece gave 15 reasons why Louisville is a great place to start a road trip, and F&W allowed 610 Magnolia chef Edward Lee to share his favorite spots in NuLu, which he calls one of the “10 Best Foodie Streets in America.”

What with all the incredible weather we’ve enjoyed of late, who needs more reasons to enjoy a staycation? Park your car at the heart of the any good restaurant strip—Baxter Ave., Bardstown Road, Frankfort Ave., NuLu (East Market), Schnitzelburg or Main Street (Main and 2nd Street seems to be the new epicenter for the area, though Proof and St. Charles Exchange beckon you to 7th)—and then start walking.

Stop, get a bite, a cocktail and walk some more.

And if you are drinking adult beverages, consider patronizing another great business: City Scoot. No sense ruining a great staycation with a stop at “the gray bar visitor’s center” on Jefferson.

No charge to stay there, but it’s expensive as hell getting out! And we hear the food sucks, too.