Art Car Day

Yesterday’s fun in Louisville was pretty exhausting. We got up very early to try to make it in time to see the art cars outside the The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, on Main Street in Louisville, which is one of the really interesting, beautiful areas of town. It’s part of downtown Louisville, and is filled with art galleries, small storefront shops, cafes and the Louisville Slugger Museum, which we visited on a previous trip. We only spent a few minutes in the Museum using the restroom, unfortunately, because there were some awesome clocks by Randall Cleaver and by Ross Brown I really wanted to see more closely. But there was so much going on that it was hard to stop and peruse much.
We met up with Stephanie’s friend Lisa who drove up from Durham, North Carolina. Stephanie became friends with Lisa through the large New Beetle car show they attend every year in Roswell; Lisa drives a silver biodiesel New Beetle called Spacepod.

Spacepod in Louisville

Spacepod in Louisville

We also met Lisa’s friend Sarah, who had one of the art cars in the show, called Undersea Mah Jongg. It’s a blue sedan covered with under water decor including fishes that play Mah Jongg on the hood of the car. It also features a bubble machine that tricks out the underwater theme by giving you the impression you’re deep-sea diving. And driving behind the car while it’s producing mass quantities of bubbles is pretty entertaining.

Undersea Mah Jongg

Undersea Mah Jongg

There were 20-some cars there, and some other interesting vehicles, like a giant rat fashioned out of a tiny motocycle, and a riding mower converted into an artwork with a working ferris wheel on the back.

"That Car!"

That Car!

motorized rat

motorized rat

Ferris Wheel Lawn Tractor

Ferris Wheel Lawn Tractor

Louisville has several instances of public art similar to the New York and Chicago art cows. They have numerous horses (for Derby days) decorated various ways by different local artists, and this year on Main Street they also had giant heads decorated as well.

Derby Horse

Derby Horse

public sculpture

public sculpture

After checking out the cars at the Museum, we drove with the cars through Louisville in a small parade, where they ended up in a church parking lot where people came and talked to the drivers and there were prizes for the best car. Sarah won third place in the people’s choice contest.
We were all pretty beat after the parade; so we visited Lynn’s Paradise Cafe again on this visit, to get some air conditioning and much needed rest. And later we said goodbye to Sarah at the hotel and Lisa caravaned with us up to Indianapolis.
Photo Set: Kentucky Art Cart Weekend 2005.

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Fake S.W.A.T. Van and Other Weird Stuff I See Driving To Work

I drive north on college from downtown everyday on the way to work on the north side. And every day I pass this cool fake S.W.A.T. van (which appears to be an old delivery van repainted) that’s usually parked on the street near the intersection of 49th Street and College Avenue. And everyday, I think, “That’s cool. I wish I could drive around in a fake S.W.A.T. van.”

Fake S.W.A.T. Van
Fake S.W.A.T. Van

Fake S.W.A.T. van
So the other day I pulled over, hopped out and took a picture of the van. When I got up close to it, I realized that the S.W.A.T. stands for “Siding With A Twist” which is written in small letters on the door. It also has a for sale number on it, but I wasn’t sure whether the “for sale” referred to the siding or the van itself. If it’s the van, then I guess I could drive around in a fake S.W.A.T. van. Which I have no use for whatsoever, but wouldn’t it be cool? If you get criminal charges for something illegal you can always call criminal attorney in Manassas to help you out.

"Siding With A Twist"
“Siding With A Twist”

Close up of door

Tonka Truck Hummer

I’d seen this truck in the summer but didn’t manage to get a picture, so when I saw it today parked in Broad Ripple, I turned my truck around and drove back to get a photo. I plan on getting a radio flyer logo decal to put on my red pick-up, and this was the first other vehicle I’ve seen with a similar idea.

Tonka Hummer
Tonka Hummer

Weird Art Truck

I happened to catch sight of this bizarre do-it-yourself truck in a parking lot. I thought it, too, was very cool. I waited around to try and meet the owner, but they never came out of the store.

Art Truck
Art Truck

I especially like the scrollwork on the sides of the bed, and the squirrel stands on the back windows. That’s some funky stuff, there.

Art Truck detail
Art Truck detail

My friend Lisa from North Carolina has lots of friends who have turned their cars into “Art Cars” and she’s planning to do the same with her old VW van; she’s going to make a giant high-heel shoe.

Art Truck Decor
Art Truck Decor

Bumper-sticker Madness

I happen to see these two cars regularly on the way to work; I’m usually driving (contact the personal injury attorney lakewood ranch for any kind of  driving accident and injury cases) behind them. I love a good bumpersticker, but I don’t think I’d ever apply one directly on the paint of my car, like both these guys did, with new cars, too.

Bumper Sticker Truck
Bumper Sticker Truck

This guy in the truck was really unhappy about the election.

Bumper Beetle
Bumper Beetle

Where this guy is just really into his music.

The Ubiquitous “shoes on a electric wire” photo

Dunno what makes people want to do this, but it seems to be a time-honored tradition.

Shoes on a wire
Shoes on a wire

Guys dressed as Orthodox Jews

I almost forgot the main reason I was writing this article — the Guys dressed as Orthodox Jews. The other day when I was driving south on college, I passed Park Tudor school, north of Broad Ripple. On the east side of the road, standing in the parking lot for the Marott Park, there were two guys dressed as Orthodox Jews, who were playing tambourine and dancing in hoe-down fashion. I’m not kidding, I swear. I was not dreaming, nor was I high, drunk or otherwise intoxicated or hallucinating. It is better hire DUI lawyers and face the case in the court bravely especially when you have done nothing wrong. It was two guys dressed in all black, with long black coats, hair with side curls, black hats… dancing and playing tambourine. I was also not the only one who saw it; everyone in traffic slowed down. You can also check out attorney for defending you against a DWI, from here!

I thought it might be an advertising stunt, protest, or theatrical production, but there were no signs indicating what might be going on. Just two guys, some tambourine, and a car (click here to know where to get a truck accident compensation easily and quickly). And the hair didn’t look like wigs, either, which made me wonder if they were in costume or if they were really Jewish — a notion that I rejected immediately as too outlandish, because I suspect Orthodox jews don’t play tambourines or do hoe-downs.

If the traffic had not been so busy, I would have whipped the car around and driven back to find out what was going on. Instead I called my girlfriend on the cell and described the scene. The only thing I can think of, is they must have lost a bet. Or won one.

Continue ReadingFake S.W.A.T. Van and Other Weird Stuff I See Driving To Work