The Silver Dollar (1761 Frankfort Avenue) is a restaurant I had been looking forward to visiting since a friend and I saw that renovations had begun on the old firehouse located at Frankfort Avenue and Pope Street. We had heard that Green House guru Gil Holland was involved and that the place was supposed to have a 1930’s honky tonk vibe, but that was the extent of any knowledge I had until I stepped through their doors last week.

Friday's F.A.T Trolley Hop, Louisville's once a month exploration of the unique Frankfort Avenue Corridor, will be an experience infused with French culture. Elizabeth Schaaf, owner Elizabeth's Timeless Attire, has filled her store with "Treasures from Paris," items she picked up on her recent Parisian buying trip. Elizabeth makes a yearly sojourn to Paris, and she's showing off her 2011 buys tomorrow night. Elizabeth's is known for its eccentricity, but when Paris comes into the picture, it goes to another level, for fashionistas at least.

I spent my 21st birthday in Chicago. It was rainy. We were hungry. And we knew a friend of a friend who said she was working at a Mediterranean restaurant downtown. But it turns out she wasn’t waiting tables. She was dancing around them – in a tasteful and partially-clothed, culturally-relevant manner, that is... And it was that evening that first introduced me to the genuine art of belly-dancing and taught me that it a) exists and b) is pretty stinking cool to watch.

As if the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop isn’t usually enough fun on its own, this month the normal outing gets a seasonal treatment with the “Halloween Hop.”

Friday (October 29th) from 6-10:30pm, business participants along Frankfort Avenue will decorate and hand out candy for the kiddos, along with offering specials and sales just for the evening. And here is a hint: dress up yourself and you are much more likely to cash in on some deals.