Paducah, KY

Cassidy: I once picked up a brochure for Paducah, and it has stayed in the back of my mind ever since. At the spur of the moment, Ben and I hopped in my car and drove there to see what type of adventure awaited. 

Cassidy: After arriving in Paducah, our first stop was the Midtown Market to pick up some sandwiches for lunch. Ben and I both opted for the Johnny Appleseed sandwich: turkey, apples, white cheddar, bacon, lettuce (or lack thereof, if you're me), and poppyseed dressing on sourdough. 

Ben: If you haven't had a sandwich with fruit on it before you need to stop what you're doing and eat one immediately.

Cassidy: I am a big advocate for fruit on sandwiches. 

Ben: On guard is this green-eyed box office boy. He watches over the town of Paducah. The locals swear that they have seen him move around town after dark. He's always back in the same spot come sunrise, but in a slightly different position from the day before.

Cassidy: And here we have a completely made-up legend from Benjamin Neal. But really, this green-eyed box office boy did watch over my car while we explored Paducah. 

Ben: Down on the waterfront there is a very large flood wall and on the other side of the wall are...

Ben: A lot of very well done murals.

Ben: Each mural is intricately painted and it's definitely worth checking out all of them.

Cassidy: Tucked away in downtown Paducah sits the Maiden Alley Cinema. I can guarantee this spot would be my local hangout if I was a resident Kentuckian. According to their website, this little gem screens independent films (they were getting ready to start showing Anomalisa the day after we went) and hosts special events. Since there weren't any movies showing while we were there, I had to admire the theater from afar. 

Ben: Why does this town have such an awesome nickname as the "atomic city?" Well because in 1950 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission chose this town as the site for a new uranium enrichment plant.

Cassidy: Since we went to Paducah on St. Patrick's Day, naturally we had to visit a park to go four leaf-clover hunting. We didn't find any clovers; however, the real luck came when we scored some awesome deals at the Dippin' Dots Treatery. I stuck to my trusty mint chocolate chip dots (which were half-off for St. Patrick's Day), and Ben tried out a cotton candy Dippin' Dots milkshake. Both were A+. 

Ben: In fact... the Dippin' Dots headquarters is in Paducah.

Ben: There's also a very cool old Coca-Cola plant in town that is now a brewery, a tea shop, and apparently a place to do yoga on the second floor. The building has some great architecture on the inside and looks really good on camera. 

Cassidy: When in doubt, take photos in front of a wooden wall. 

Ben: For dinner we decided to eat at Bob's (Home Of The Fiesta Burger).

Cassidy: If you know me, you know that I absolutely live for places like this. Bob's Drive-In serves classic Americana fare with a twist. Their "fiesta" burger is smothered in chili, and it is as glorious as it sounds. 

Ben: This was really a great place. The employees were nice and the food was just what we wanted. It's a little drive-in fast food restaurant (very similar to sonic, but a lot more retro). There was plenty of outdoor seating and a little playground off to the side. Also, this place looks perfect on camera.

Cassidy: Oddly enough, this is the first time I've ever been to a non-chain "drive-in" type restaurant. It is set up exactly like Sonic, where you can order from your car or at the front. 

Ben: We both ordered a classic Bob's Fiesta Burger to chow down on in Cassidy's car (it came with a side of fries). We were starting to wish that we lived in Paducah to be closer to this beautiful roadside drive-in.