Just got back from vacation in Europe, and when most people asked me where I was from, I'd say the United States. "That's general," they'd say. "Heard of Kentucky?" I'd ask. Some never had. Others knew about our bourbon -- Maker's Mark, in particular -- or were familiar with the Derby. Mostly, the conversations went like the one I had with Sam, the guy working behind our hotel's front desk in Amsterdam.

"We're from Kentucky. Heard of it?"

"I've heard of your fried chicken!"

In London, though, the UK's version of ​InStyle​ magazine had Louisville native Nicole Scherzinger on its cover. KFC and bourbon and horse racing. Add Pussycat Doll to the list.