Kentucky Derby USA

“Honestly, the day didn’t start out great, and I was worried about our overall experience if we had to last all day there, because the Derby is a really long day … but then, something good happened. I’m happy to report that Dave’s old coworker from California who was working at the Derby was able to bring us down to a nicer area with an indoor/outdoor set-up, and this spot was just awesome. We spent most of the second day in this new spot, the First Turn Club Dining, and this was just totally excellent. The food was elevated, the space was fancy, the bathrooms were immaculate, and we could be inside to stay warm, or walk outside to a patio that came right up to the track. This is where we watched the actual Derby race (in ponchos), just feet from the horses and jockeys racing by in the rain.”

“We spent all day during the Kentucky Oaks here, and the weather was beautiful, mostly, outside of one 15-minute severe-weather moment. This was a great way to soak up the racing, the betting, the food and the drinks with some sunshine and some breeze. We arrived before the first race and stayed all day until the last race in this same spot. We even made some friends at a nearby cocktail table who helped us choose the winning horses.”

“Here’s where I’ll get real: The public bathrooms in this area were actually not nice at all, which was a disappointment. They were constantly out of toilet paper or paper towels and some of the sinks didn’t work either. I was actually pretty surprised that the facilities were as outdated as they were, based on how fancy everyone was dressed and how much it costs to access this area.”