In the many-story lobby of the new Yum! Center

The great unanswered question remaining after my visit this morning to Louisville’s new arena – the KFC Yum! Center – is: are there enough toilets in the women’s lavatories?

In Jenni Laidman’s Perfect World, there would be twice as many women’s toilets as men’s. That planners  the world over fail to adopt this standard is just blinkered prejudice. But I couldn’t go into the men’s room for a full comparison, and I didn’t think to ask any of the men wandering around to go in and count for me, so the answer to this must wait.

My favorite things about the arena:

• The views. Huge windows mean big views of bridges, buildings, and the river. A single dead sparrow on the balcony suggests birds will not catch onto this right away.
• The Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame display on the walls on two levels. It’s simply fascinating to read.
• The fact that the arena was not named “The Bucket.” When Louisville attempted to lure an NBA team to town around 2001, word was Yum! Brands (then called Tricon Global) would buy naming rights and call any arena “The Bucket.” While this is certainly better than calling it the Tricon – whatever a Tricon is — it makes me grateful that Louisville is not home to a major toilet manufacturer.

 

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The Woodford Reserve Club

Jim Bunning -- today ending his U.S. Senate term -- in the Sports Hall of Fame.

I climbed to what I thought was the worst seat in the house. I didn't think it was that bad once I got used to thin oxygen.