6/20/17
Today was another absolutely jammed packed day - I thought I had built in some rest time today, but that didn't happen... everyone is unconscious at the moment and I'm up typing the journal and making sure things for tomorrow are lined up. I thought with two teenagers on the trip I'd be going to sleep with them still doing whatever, but no - I've outlasted every one every night so far. It's pretty funny.
So what did we do today? First and foremost - breakfast. Eating out on vacation is one my favorite things. I love finding unique restaurants that I could never get at home. This morning we tried Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar. The french toast had rave reviews on Yelp so I had to give them a shot. Mama also had the french toast - she loved it, I didn't care for it too much. The cream cheese center was too much and the sauce was... well not for me. I ate enough of it, but not really my cup of tea, the coffee they had on the other hand was delicious. Their OJ was also fresh squeezed, though I wish they would have refrigerated the oranges before squeezing them or something as it was luke warm :(
After breakfast, which no one raved about, we went down to catch the hop on and off trolley. On our way we hit a bit of traffic where a tractor trailer had misjudged the turn, went up on a curb and got stuck under the bridge. That was one thing... the funny thing is that the beggars were playing traffic cop. It was quite humorous.
Once on the trolley our first hop off was Lafayette Square. We walked around, took some pictures of the square, the federal building and Gailier Hall before meandering back to the bus. One thing to note was we made a brief stop at the convenience store to get drinks and the guy was so funny. He was ignoring a gentleman at the door, I assume a regular beggar, and was mumbling to us. But he was funny - with a smart ass sense of humor. When I asked where the closest public bathroom was he said "Go to the hotel next door, just walk in and pretend you are a customer, no one will tell you no". He was right of course... but the look on his face after his transactions with us thus far just made it hilarious to me. I have no idea why, but I will remember him for quite some time.
So I went to bathroom at the hotel and off we went back to the bus. What interest me about the dynamics of this group is that Kaylee and Amanda are always walking ahead of us. Which is fine, they are young girls who want to chat about whatever young ladies talk about without us "adults" in range, but they don't know where they are actually going. So I'm constantly having to yell - stop - right - or something to that effect. I prefer that over them behind us as I would worry I lost them, but it just amuses me (most of the time).
Once back on the bus we listened to the commentary for a bit before hoping off to take the Garden District tour which is included in our ticket price. I want to remind you at this point, that it is pushing upper 90s and my mother is right there with us. Step for step. You have to admire her and Thank God for oxygen tanks that make it possible. Without them, there is no way she could do this.
Speaking of O2 let me digress for a second. She has an oxygen concentrator and it is giving an error column replacement needed. So I call the local Lincare to get them... they don't carry them! What the frack, why have a portable O2 concentrator you can travel with and not carry the equipment in all of your locations to handle issues? This is why we went with a nationwide company... UGH! I was able to get her some portable tanks, but I'm a bit worried about having them in the truck due to the heat. I may use them tomorrow and then return it... but then what will she use in the other cities. Have a day to figure this out -- any nurses/medical staff that want to chime in, given Lincare is about useless, I would appreciate it.
Ok... back to our regularly scheduled travel blog. The Garden District tour was an hour walk around the neighborhood looking at the homes and being told about the architecture and the history. I found the guide to be fairly interesting and the pace was not so much that it tired us out, but the heat was extreme. After the walk, which was extremely nice, we rode down to Jackson Square for a bite to eat.
We ate at a restaurant called Gumbo Shop and it was really good + the A/C worked! We relaxed, enjoyed our meal and told stories with the waiter. I really did enjoy it, but it had to end and the heat beaconed.
We went over to Jackson Square and visited the St. Louis Cathedral. It was quite pretty on the inside and well worth a visit if you ever come this way. We then meandered around the square and relaxed for a bit before going over to Cafe Du Monde. This place is supposedly famous and these "french doughnuts to die for". They taste like funnel cakes and not even good funnel cakes. So we ate most of it, then headed back toward the bus.
Unfortunately, we had just missed it so there was a 30 minute wait. We could have walked it, but I think everyone was done for so we looked at tourist shops before waiting in a shady area for it to return. Once returned we got on the bus - rode back to our car and came home for a much needed rest.
We stayed here for a few, then Amanda, Kaylee and I left to go get some stuff at Walmart while Mama slept. When we got back she was up getting ready so we all did the same. I could have handled a nap myself, but alas, I can sleep when I'm dead.
After we got all dolled up I called an UBER to take us down to Bourbon street. I wanted to be able to drink, but more than that I just wanted to relax and not try and find parking at night in a party town. We first went to Preservation Hall to watch the 9 O'clock performance. With an age restriction this is one the few places that I knew the girls could enjoy the music...
While we waited we chatted with a local bouncer that was near our line and generally had a good time cutting up and trying to not swelter. The facility itself has no air and limited seating so it wasn't the best experience, but at the same time it is supposed to be a throwback to the old Jazz clubs so ... Mama was able to sit outside in the hall and hear it perfectly + it was cooler out there as there was a fan, so win. The three of us all went in and out, sitting some in the hall, then standing and watching. I don't think Kaylee enjoyed it, but Amanda seemed to - even if it was not what she had envisioned. I thought the music was good, excellent in fact, but the venue needs to get over itself and get some seats and an A/C - vintage is only good for some things.
Once the performance was over we walked the girls down a section of Bourbon street itself. This is of course known as the wild city and even though it was only 10 o'clock and a weekday the girls got to see plenty of what Bourbon Street is. I would have liked to have went into a bar and listened to some music - maybe next time. I must say I thought there would be more street music to listen to, I was hoping the nieces could experience more of that, but didn't see it tonight. Maybe tomorrow... we shall see.
I then asked what they wanted to do - sleep, walk more, or go eat. 1 said eat, 1 said sleep and 1 didn't really answer so eating it was. I had another restaurant picked out, but it was too fancy for a quick bite so we ended up at a place called Royal Cafe. It was a little pricier than I had planned, and not what everyone wanted once we got there, but they walked off when I was trying to choose a restaurant so I vetoed the right to complain and we decided to stay there and get a bite.
The hamburgers people got seemed good. I got a Gumbo and it was good, but what I had at lunch was better. Once we had finished eating it was 11 pm and they were closing down. I grabbed an UBER and we are now safe and sound in the hotel.
It was really a great day, but super busy. They are saying rain tomorrow - pray it holds off for us please. We welcome the breeze, but the rain can stay :)
Good night blogland - sleep well and thank you for joining us on this journey.
Monday, June 19, 2017
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Texas Adventure Day 2
6/18
Today was a extremely full day - it started at 8:30 and it's 12:41 AM on 6/19 as I'm typing this, but it was really good overall.
First we got up, got dressed and were ready to start packing the truck by 8:30. This was my first day packing it solo and it was a job and 1/2, but I did manage to successfully put the jigsaw of our luggage together and while there may have not been room for even a small insect when we were done it fit. I did have to get a gentleman to help me pull the straps down for the truck bed cover, they take a ton of upper arm strength that I just do not have.
The same gentleman that helped with that also apparently wanted to pursue a further relationship with Amanda, he thought she was cute. However, she declined and the day went on... LOL. What it is to be a teenage girl again and have guys hit on you. I don't miss being a teenager, but there aspects that would be nice to go back and repeat - hee.
Well, anyway after the rebuff we went into the dining area to grab some breakfast. It looked OK, but I really wanted a sit down place and the food just didn't look appetizing so we decided to go out. I had a restaurant option pre-chosen from my research so we checked out and were on our way. Now keep in mind we are in Selma, AL this morning. The deep south and apparently they are the definition of the bible belt, because everything was closed this Sunday morning - including my chosen restaurant.
So we diverted to a fast food joint called Jack's. It was actually pretty good and the coffee was decent. I was having a rough morning due to not sleeping well last night and the coffee put some much needed "goodness" in my morning and made me where I could be tolerated by the others.
We then left and headed down to Brown Chapel AME Church and King Monument. They were people entering to have church and it is right across from some apartments with people out on their porches so we felt a little out of place, but I felt it important to see these historical places. Selma has one of the most known acts of violence against black people and it should be remember so that it will never be repeated. I think it's important to honor those protesters sacrifice and see the places that were important to them. So uncomfortable or not we got out of the car to see the outside of it and take some pictures.
This church is where the Selma to Montgomery march was organized. It was a key organizational hub for the black rights movement. The outside of it is brick with some white brick and it isn't a particularly pretty structure, but it is important none the less. The gentleman handing out bulletins to the church goers was nice enough to give us one as we were passing and invited us in. Now keep in mind we are in shorts and flip flops, but he still invited us to attend his service. That is what all churches should be doing. We politely declined, but the impact he made was substantial. I didn't feel uncomfy anymore and he knew we were there to honor the history.
Once we left there we headed over to Old Live Oak Cemetery. We spent a good 30 minutes meandering the grounds, each going about our own way. This cemetery is so pretty! The moss on the trees, the old headstones, it is just amazing! I loved walking around taking pictures of it and could have spent more time there if the bugs weren't so bad (even with bug repellent).
Upon leaving the cemetery we drove to Church street. I got out and took pictures of a few of the churches as they were very pretty while the others rested in the A/C of the car. We then went down to the Old Train Depot end of water street and took some pictures. The entire town is closed on Sunday so it was deserted - it felt like a ghost town. Some of the stores were also out of business and empty which helped with this feeling. We walked down to the river front park and took pictures in of the Edmund Pettus Bridge from side and also played on the playground (which was quite funny).
We then drove down a bit and I got pictures of the St. James Hotel, which as an interesting structure. However, when I got back in the car and drove a bit further - I had not taken pictures of the Hotel, but some other building entirely as this as the hotel so I stopped again. It was rather funny - now I have pictures of some random building and the hotel :)
Our last stop in Selma was the bridge itself. Where the protesters were so brutally attacked for demanding their rights in a peaceful way. We took some pictures and there was a man their explaining history so we chatted with him a bit. We also bought a book he was selling on the history of Selma, if for no other reason than he was man enough to stand out in that heat without withering to sell his books.
I had planned to go to the museum but it was closed. By extension we accidentally missed seeing the voting rights monuments and park attached to the museum :( I would like to have seen them. We then left for lunch, but being Selma on a Sunday it was closed so we decided to eat sandwiches at our next destination and moved on.
We drove to Old Chawba. Old Chawba is the original capital of Alabama and it was a major port town. Now it is nothing but architectural ruins and depressions in the ground of what used to be. No one really knows why it was abandoned which is why I wanted to see it. When we got there we checked in with the visitors center and then had a picnic in front of a really old church. The church looked like something out of a witches movie and the niece's had a good time joking about it.
We then drove into the city. I don't know what I was expecting, but there were only a few ruins - most of it was fields with signs telling you what was there. I was a little disappointed in it, but then I think about the fact that this was a thriving city, a state capital, and this is all that is left of it? It amazes me - even if I did want to see a falling down building or two. One of the things that made me sad was the "new cemetery". It is in disrepair and needs some upkeep and for them to remove some junk (bleachers, etc...) that has been put back there. I hope whomever is running the park does that quickly.
After driving around the city a bit more we headed on to New Orleans. When we went to leave we realized there was no signal for the phone, therefore no GPS. I am very lucky that I printed the Google Map directions and also had the AAA directions so we were able to make do. Kaylee navigated and I drove. I'll be honest it was a little unnerving without the GPS or my music (I hate silence in a car with people - I hear all every small sound they make), but we did it and I was really grateful to God for giving me the foresight to print some directions.
Once we were back to the GPS land Mama mentioned we should avoid 10 and go 90 if we want to see something other than interstate. So I looked at the map and thought it would be about 30 or 40 minutes out of our way to pick up 90 out of GulfPort MS so we started driving that way. I think I probably miscalculated that time, but the experience was worth it.
When we got to GulfPort the view was so nice and the beach so white. We stopped - walked the beach for a few - stuck our toes in the warm water and just enjoyed ourselves for a few minutes before heading on. We drove 90 for about 20 miles before it started getting too dark to see anything and then I followed the GPS to the quickest way to our hotel. By this time it was 8:30 PM and everyone was ready to be out of the car.
So we arrived here around 9:30 or 10, unloaded and proceeded to do the nightly routine. I was organizing while the nieces got showers and as I sit and type this everyone else is snoozing. I seem to be the only night owl in the bunch. I kept Kaylee up with the light :( Hope she is OK tomorrow... I moved the floor next to the bathroom after I got a shower and stuff so hopefully this little bit of light isn't bothering her. I'm about to cut it off anyway - it's after 1 AM here and I need sleep myself. Tomorrow we explore New Orleans and we start our day promptly at 9.
Sleep well blogland.
Today was a extremely full day - it started at 8:30 and it's 12:41 AM on 6/19 as I'm typing this, but it was really good overall.
First we got up, got dressed and were ready to start packing the truck by 8:30. This was my first day packing it solo and it was a job and 1/2, but I did manage to successfully put the jigsaw of our luggage together and while there may have not been room for even a small insect when we were done it fit. I did have to get a gentleman to help me pull the straps down for the truck bed cover, they take a ton of upper arm strength that I just do not have.
The same gentleman that helped with that also apparently wanted to pursue a further relationship with Amanda, he thought she was cute. However, she declined and the day went on... LOL. What it is to be a teenage girl again and have guys hit on you. I don't miss being a teenager, but there aspects that would be nice to go back and repeat - hee.
Well, anyway after the rebuff we went into the dining area to grab some breakfast. It looked OK, but I really wanted a sit down place and the food just didn't look appetizing so we decided to go out. I had a restaurant option pre-chosen from my research so we checked out and were on our way. Now keep in mind we are in Selma, AL this morning. The deep south and apparently they are the definition of the bible belt, because everything was closed this Sunday morning - including my chosen restaurant.
So we diverted to a fast food joint called Jack's. It was actually pretty good and the coffee was decent. I was having a rough morning due to not sleeping well last night and the coffee put some much needed "goodness" in my morning and made me where I could be tolerated by the others.
We then left and headed down to Brown Chapel AME Church and King Monument. They were people entering to have church and it is right across from some apartments with people out on their porches so we felt a little out of place, but I felt it important to see these historical places. Selma has one of the most known acts of violence against black people and it should be remember so that it will never be repeated. I think it's important to honor those protesters sacrifice and see the places that were important to them. So uncomfortable or not we got out of the car to see the outside of it and take some pictures.
This church is where the Selma to Montgomery march was organized. It was a key organizational hub for the black rights movement. The outside of it is brick with some white brick and it isn't a particularly pretty structure, but it is important none the less. The gentleman handing out bulletins to the church goers was nice enough to give us one as we were passing and invited us in. Now keep in mind we are in shorts and flip flops, but he still invited us to attend his service. That is what all churches should be doing. We politely declined, but the impact he made was substantial. I didn't feel uncomfy anymore and he knew we were there to honor the history.
Once we left there we headed over to Old Live Oak Cemetery. We spent a good 30 minutes meandering the grounds, each going about our own way. This cemetery is so pretty! The moss on the trees, the old headstones, it is just amazing! I loved walking around taking pictures of it and could have spent more time there if the bugs weren't so bad (even with bug repellent).
Upon leaving the cemetery we drove to Church street. I got out and took pictures of a few of the churches as they were very pretty while the others rested in the A/C of the car. We then went down to the Old Train Depot end of water street and took some pictures. The entire town is closed on Sunday so it was deserted - it felt like a ghost town. Some of the stores were also out of business and empty which helped with this feeling. We walked down to the river front park and took pictures in of the Edmund Pettus Bridge from side and also played on the playground (which was quite funny).
We then drove down a bit and I got pictures of the St. James Hotel, which as an interesting structure. However, when I got back in the car and drove a bit further - I had not taken pictures of the Hotel, but some other building entirely as this as the hotel so I stopped again. It was rather funny - now I have pictures of some random building and the hotel :)
Our last stop in Selma was the bridge itself. Where the protesters were so brutally attacked for demanding their rights in a peaceful way. We took some pictures and there was a man their explaining history so we chatted with him a bit. We also bought a book he was selling on the history of Selma, if for no other reason than he was man enough to stand out in that heat without withering to sell his books.
I had planned to go to the museum but it was closed. By extension we accidentally missed seeing the voting rights monuments and park attached to the museum :( I would like to have seen them. We then left for lunch, but being Selma on a Sunday it was closed so we decided to eat sandwiches at our next destination and moved on.
We drove to Old Chawba. Old Chawba is the original capital of Alabama and it was a major port town. Now it is nothing but architectural ruins and depressions in the ground of what used to be. No one really knows why it was abandoned which is why I wanted to see it. When we got there we checked in with the visitors center and then had a picnic in front of a really old church. The church looked like something out of a witches movie and the niece's had a good time joking about it.
We then drove into the city. I don't know what I was expecting, but there were only a few ruins - most of it was fields with signs telling you what was there. I was a little disappointed in it, but then I think about the fact that this was a thriving city, a state capital, and this is all that is left of it? It amazes me - even if I did want to see a falling down building or two. One of the things that made me sad was the "new cemetery". It is in disrepair and needs some upkeep and for them to remove some junk (bleachers, etc...) that has been put back there. I hope whomever is running the park does that quickly.
After driving around the city a bit more we headed on to New Orleans. When we went to leave we realized there was no signal for the phone, therefore no GPS. I am very lucky that I printed the Google Map directions and also had the AAA directions so we were able to make do. Kaylee navigated and I drove. I'll be honest it was a little unnerving without the GPS or my music (I hate silence in a car with people - I hear all every small sound they make), but we did it and I was really grateful to God for giving me the foresight to print some directions.
Once we were back to the GPS land Mama mentioned we should avoid 10 and go 90 if we want to see something other than interstate. So I looked at the map and thought it would be about 30 or 40 minutes out of our way to pick up 90 out of GulfPort MS so we started driving that way. I think I probably miscalculated that time, but the experience was worth it.
When we got to GulfPort the view was so nice and the beach so white. We stopped - walked the beach for a few - stuck our toes in the warm water and just enjoyed ourselves for a few minutes before heading on. We drove 90 for about 20 miles before it started getting too dark to see anything and then I followed the GPS to the quickest way to our hotel. By this time it was 8:30 PM and everyone was ready to be out of the car.
So we arrived here around 9:30 or 10, unloaded and proceeded to do the nightly routine. I was organizing while the nieces got showers and as I sit and type this everyone else is snoozing. I seem to be the only night owl in the bunch. I kept Kaylee up with the light :( Hope she is OK tomorrow... I moved the floor next to the bathroom after I got a shower and stuff so hopefully this little bit of light isn't bothering her. I'm about to cut it off anyway - it's after 1 AM here and I need sleep myself. Tomorrow we explore New Orleans and we start our day promptly at 9.
Sleep well blogland.
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Texas Adventure Day 1 Part 2
6/17/17
Well we didn't stay in. Kaylee and I visited some while Mama and Amanda slept, then we woke them up at 6:30 and headed out.
We drove down to a neighborhood we had passed, parked and walked around. There was one building that looked like it may have been an inn at one time. It was obviously empty and in disrepair, but it had a quality to it. A eerie feeling that was fascinating. The other houses in the neighborhood had been redone and were old Southern Mansions that have been brought back to life. The area was obviously historic as there were placards marking historic homes and some with signs explaining the history, but people gave us odd looks as we were walking around. I'll be honest despite the very clean neighborhood and the fancy houses I was very watchful of my people and our surroundings - It didn't scream safe neighborhood, but it should have from looking at it. Just a feeling I guess - or maybe it was the run down houses/businesses right down the road we had passed... not sure. Despite my "feelings" we had no incidents and enjoyed looking at the houses. The bugs had started to come out in the dusk though and they were biting so we headed on out.
We stopped by Walmart, where I did purchase a replacement cooler. It seemed each of us had at least one item to buy. But, let's talk about this Walmart. The construction looked new, but it wasn't as large as the one we have at home. The isles were dirty - I mean stuff strewn everywhere and well just in disarray. They had 3 checkout lanes open and they were backed up down the isles... it was ridiculous!
One thing waiting in line did give me time to notice though - every one seemed to know everyone. All around me people were greeting each other and having brief conversations before going about their day. It is something you don't see many places and it warmed my heart.
We then grabbed some fuel for the truck and headed back to the hotel. We did our Bible Study time together, chatted a bit and now I sit and type in this freezing cold hotel room (thanks to Mama) as the girls and her sleep, or at least try to.
I also have enjoyed the nieces today. I have of course known them all their lives, but they are becoming young women now and it's nice to get to know that part of them. The grown part that tells stories and has interest I can relate to. I hope they enjoy the trip and I hope we continue to get to know one another as adults.
Its time for me to join the rest of the team for some shut eye. Sleep well blog land.
Well we didn't stay in. Kaylee and I visited some while Mama and Amanda slept, then we woke them up at 6:30 and headed out.
We drove down to a neighborhood we had passed, parked and walked around. There was one building that looked like it may have been an inn at one time. It was obviously empty and in disrepair, but it had a quality to it. A eerie feeling that was fascinating. The other houses in the neighborhood had been redone and were old Southern Mansions that have been brought back to life. The area was obviously historic as there were placards marking historic homes and some with signs explaining the history, but people gave us odd looks as we were walking around. I'll be honest despite the very clean neighborhood and the fancy houses I was very watchful of my people and our surroundings - It didn't scream safe neighborhood, but it should have from looking at it. Just a feeling I guess - or maybe it was the run down houses/businesses right down the road we had passed... not sure. Despite my "feelings" we had no incidents and enjoyed looking at the houses. The bugs had started to come out in the dusk though and they were biting so we headed on out.
We stopped by Walmart, where I did purchase a replacement cooler. It seemed each of us had at least one item to buy. But, let's talk about this Walmart. The construction looked new, but it wasn't as large as the one we have at home. The isles were dirty - I mean stuff strewn everywhere and well just in disarray. They had 3 checkout lanes open and they were backed up down the isles... it was ridiculous!
One thing waiting in line did give me time to notice though - every one seemed to know everyone. All around me people were greeting each other and having brief conversations before going about their day. It is something you don't see many places and it warmed my heart.
We then grabbed some fuel for the truck and headed back to the hotel. We did our Bible Study time together, chatted a bit and now I sit and type in this freezing cold hotel room (thanks to Mama) as the girls and her sleep, or at least try to.
I also have enjoyed the nieces today. I have of course known them all their lives, but they are becoming young women now and it's nice to get to know that part of them. The grown part that tells stories and has interest I can relate to. I hope they enjoy the trip and I hope we continue to get to know one another as adults.
Its time for me to join the rest of the team for some shut eye. Sleep well blog land.
Texas Adventure Day 1 Part 1
6/17/17
Today we embarked on our girls adventure to Texas. It's me, Mama and two of my nieces - Kaylee and Amanda. I'll try as always to journal our adventures here.
We began packing the truck at 8:15 and it took 30 minutes to pack it up. Jack had to bring out his engineering degree to get it done... I pray I can pack it back up tomorrow. It took a feet in spacial relations and I'm not all that great at that, wish me luck.
We then left, stopped to get some ice for the cooler and then grabbed a quick bite to eat. We ate at Chick-fil-A and Kaylee's parents and the hubby joined us. Chick-fil-A was awesome as always, but I still had to go grab some Dunkin before heading out on our adventure.
And then we were off - 9:55, a whole 5 minutes earlier than my agenda :)
We then headed to Lagrange GA for the first stop in our adventure.
We ate at Mighty Joe's Pizza. It was good... the options in Lagrange weren't all that and this was one of three I had narrowed our list down to. The pizza was good, but I've had better. What I found funny was the other's reactions. Here are some examples:
Today we embarked on our girls adventure to Texas. It's me, Mama and two of my nieces - Kaylee and Amanda. I'll try as always to journal our adventures here.
We began packing the truck at 8:15 and it took 30 minutes to pack it up. Jack had to bring out his engineering degree to get it done... I pray I can pack it back up tomorrow. It took a feet in spacial relations and I'm not all that great at that, wish me luck.
We then left, stopped to get some ice for the cooler and then grabbed a quick bite to eat. We ate at Chick-fil-A and Kaylee's parents and the hubby joined us. Chick-fil-A was awesome as always, but I still had to go grab some Dunkin before heading out on our adventure.
And then we were off - 9:55, a whole 5 minutes earlier than my agenda :)
We then headed to Lagrange GA for the first stop in our adventure.
We ate at Mighty Joe's Pizza. It was good... the options in Lagrange weren't all that and this was one of three I had narrowed our list down to. The pizza was good, but I've had better. What I found funny was the other's reactions. Here are some examples:
- Amanda - Ordered Cheese Pizza. Just cheese??? I now know she is truly odd :) LOL
- Amanda - The fact the TV wasn't centered in the wall or the fact the picture frames were not straight drove her insane! It was so funny.
We then headed to the Biblical History Center. I'll say it is a great idea - a remake of biblical places so that people have an idea of how people lives. Sample crosses like what Jesus was really crucified on, etc... There was a lady giving a tour, but she was going to depth and almost preaching so we walked away and did a self tour. We enjoyed seeing the items and taking pictures. Kaylee and Amanda are quickly learning, if they didn't already know that Mama and I love to take pictures. The facility was interesting, but at the same time it felt touristy or fake? Which of course it was - they were recreations of things, not the actual things so I'm not sure what I was expecting. However, it was a nice stop to stretch our legs. And it was interesting.
The one thing that irritated me was they have a real museum part with real artifacts from Israel. There is no sign saying no pictures so I was taking some - without the flash and was gotten on to. If they don't want pictures, put a sign!
Anyway - I think it was a neat experience, but not one I would care to repeat.
We then headed toward Selma. However, first we had to stop to get some more ice for the cooler (we may end up buying a new one as this one doesn't keep ice frozen long at all). We are trying to drink out of the cooler vs paying convenience store prices for drinks, etc...
We are now in Selma and resting a bit at the hotel. The hotel is nice, but the A/C is leaking and the carpet is wet. They only have a room that is smaller so we are opting to put towels down... it will be ok for one night. We may rest here all night or we may go explore some of Selma tonight before settling down - I'll let you know what we decide in part 2 :)
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Nashville Day 4
5/28/17 (5/31/17)
This post is technically for Sunday 5/28, but I was too tired when we got home to write it so here it is a few days late.
Sunday was really a fabulous day - tiring, but fabulous. We really packed it in. First thing we got up, packed our stuff and left the BNB for the last time. It really was a nice place to stay, it had a few minor issues, but overall it was nice. I had planned today, but the rest of the week went a little different than originally planned so we pivoted and changed our agenda.
First we went to breakfast at American Cafe in the Grand Ole Opry Resort. We really wanted to see the place and so we killed 2 birds with one stone, breakfast + sight seeing. Breakfast was nice, we sat next to a waterfall and generally enjoyed the food and ambiance. Afterwards we walked through the resort and looked at their indoor conservatories. It was amazing - we didn't get to see all of one of them due to an Indian wedding, but that was neat to see in itself. Their dress is so elaborate and pretty - It was a gorgeous wedding.
After leaving there we drove downtown to do a second day on the Trolley. Below are a few of the sites we saw:
1) We stopped and took a better picture of Tootsies - the bar where Loretta Lynn's husband and others used to hang out while they performed.
2) We went into Ernest Tubb's Record store
3) We went to see the outside of the State Capital and the War Memorials they have in the park outside of it. The grounds are really pretty and they have several statues that are interesting. They also have the tomb of James K Polk, whom my father claimed was a relative - who knows if it's true.
4) We went into the Farmers Market for a snack and walked some more of the Centennial Park. By this time Mama was getting pretty tired. Also, when we got back on the Trolley our bus driver was hilarious. she asked what I had to eat and I told her a hot dog... she said "with all of that international food, you had a hot dog? " Yep - I said! She was a hoot, you would have had to hear her. She had road rage with the local traffic and was generally entertaining to listen too!
5) By time we got back to our car it was roughly 5 PM so we started home.
We stopped by Bryan's on the way home, it's a bout 1/2 way and visited him for a bit. I am amazed every time I see him and Jack together how much they look alike. It was good to see him and the kids, who have grown like weeds and will be adults before I know it.
Around 10:30 we left his house, grabbed some dinner at Waffle House and then I drove us on home. We got here about 2:30 AM on Monday and rested most of the day. Overall it was a fabulous trip and we made some great memories.
I hope you enjoyed trucking along with us via the blog. If you ever get the chance to go, I do highly recommend the city...
This post is technically for Sunday 5/28, but I was too tired when we got home to write it so here it is a few days late.
Sunday was really a fabulous day - tiring, but fabulous. We really packed it in. First thing we got up, packed our stuff and left the BNB for the last time. It really was a nice place to stay, it had a few minor issues, but overall it was nice. I had planned today, but the rest of the week went a little different than originally planned so we pivoted and changed our agenda.
First we went to breakfast at American Cafe in the Grand Ole Opry Resort. We really wanted to see the place and so we killed 2 birds with one stone, breakfast + sight seeing. Breakfast was nice, we sat next to a waterfall and generally enjoyed the food and ambiance. Afterwards we walked through the resort and looked at their indoor conservatories. It was amazing - we didn't get to see all of one of them due to an Indian wedding, but that was neat to see in itself. Their dress is so elaborate and pretty - It was a gorgeous wedding.
After leaving there we drove downtown to do a second day on the Trolley. Below are a few of the sites we saw:
1) We stopped and took a better picture of Tootsies - the bar where Loretta Lynn's husband and others used to hang out while they performed.
2) We went into Ernest Tubb's Record store
3) We went to see the outside of the State Capital and the War Memorials they have in the park outside of it. The grounds are really pretty and they have several statues that are interesting. They also have the tomb of James K Polk, whom my father claimed was a relative - who knows if it's true.
4) We went into the Farmers Market for a snack and walked some more of the Centennial Park. By this time Mama was getting pretty tired. Also, when we got back on the Trolley our bus driver was hilarious. she asked what I had to eat and I told her a hot dog... she said "with all of that international food, you had a hot dog? " Yep - I said! She was a hoot, you would have had to hear her. She had road rage with the local traffic and was generally entertaining to listen too!
5) By time we got back to our car it was roughly 5 PM so we started home.
We stopped by Bryan's on the way home, it's a bout 1/2 way and visited him for a bit. I am amazed every time I see him and Jack together how much they look alike. It was good to see him and the kids, who have grown like weeds and will be adults before I know it.
Around 10:30 we left his house, grabbed some dinner at Waffle House and then I drove us on home. We got here about 2:30 AM on Monday and rested most of the day. Overall it was a fabulous trip and we made some great memories.
I hope you enjoyed trucking along with us via the blog. If you ever get the chance to go, I do highly recommend the city...
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Nashville Day 3
5/27/2017
I didn't sleep well last night so I woke up grumpy and edgy. I'd like to say I got past it as the day wore on, but I'll be honest that it overshadowed the day and I was constantly trying to control my reactions that were way over the top at any little thing. Jack was also not at 100% as one of his kidney stones has decided to make itself known. However, despite these issues we made it a great day.
First we got up and went to Another Broken Egg. We had to wait 30 to 40 minutes so Mama sat inside on a bench, I hung around outside and Jack went to get us some sunscreen. Once we were seated service was extremely slow and didn't really get better through the meal. That being said the Cinnamon Roll French Toast is still worth it. This one was a little drier so Charleston still wins for the best, but it was good. Mama got something she hated, but refused to let me send back and Jack's bacon had to be remade due to being burnt beyond recognition. I had to track down waiters to get it fixed and was fortunate enough that the guy I asked for help went above and beyond to get it taken care of... or waiter well, I hope it was an off day and he is more on his game tomorrow.
After breakfast we bought our Trolley tickets and headed out. The first thing we wanted to get off and see was the Ryman. The media introduction they did was fabulous - it was informational, but also extremely entertaining. I loved it. The rest of it was neat -- it didn't really grab my fancy, but I think it was the mood hanging over my head more than anything. We got our picture made on the stage and walked the pew areas - I will admit it is amazing to be in the same building that you know the greats of country music performed in.
After that we sat and had a snack/drink before heading back to our Trolley stop. The Trolley was late, which annoyed me, because well everything annoyed me today. I called to see where they were right as they pulled up. There were only 3 seats (not together) and we grabbed them... We proceeded to ride and listen as the driver gave us bits of history about what we were seeing. The rain came and so we decided to continue to ride vs. getting off and just listen. After a while we did eventually get off and eat lunch. We ate at a restaurant called the Urban Cookhouse and it was fabulous! I had a steak sandwich and oh.... it was delicious. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip! They didn't have table service, but still it was sooo good.
After lunch we hopped back on the Trolley and rode back to the area where our car was. We bought the upgrade for the Trolley so we can use it again tomorrow, bought some souvenirs and headed back to the BNB.
Once here we got cleaned up and dressed before heading out to catch our show at the Grand Ole Opry. We had to go pick up our tickets first at a Vacation Place I bought them from and once we did that we were on our way.
We had to park quite a ways out and after the rain it was extremely muggy, but all in all it wasn't so bad. Once there we grabbed some snacks and headed to our seats. We were seated on the first floor on the very last row. You think they would be bad seats, but they were really quite good! And the show, oh the show was so good. We saw the following acts:
The show was incredible and by time it was over the grumpy cloud had lifted.
We left the show and went to grab a bite to eat at Caney Fork. This is a restaurant that serves wild game type food and it was pretty cool. Mama and I split the seafood platter and I had my first frog leg. It tasted like twangy chicken - I liked it. The food overall was good, though they need to improve upon their crabcake. The service was stellar and the atmosphere was fun, especially given how tired we all were. They have this indoor pond with huge catfish that we just sat and watched during dinner, I loved it.
And after that we called it a night. I would have loved to have gone dancing, but I'm just too tired and Jack probably didn't feel like it even if I wasn't... so here I am 12:15 on a Saturday night/Sunday evening barely holding my eyes open so I can type this. Yep I'm getting old See you all tomorrow, sleep well blogland.
I didn't sleep well last night so I woke up grumpy and edgy. I'd like to say I got past it as the day wore on, but I'll be honest that it overshadowed the day and I was constantly trying to control my reactions that were way over the top at any little thing. Jack was also not at 100% as one of his kidney stones has decided to make itself known. However, despite these issues we made it a great day.
First we got up and went to Another Broken Egg. We had to wait 30 to 40 minutes so Mama sat inside on a bench, I hung around outside and Jack went to get us some sunscreen. Once we were seated service was extremely slow and didn't really get better through the meal. That being said the Cinnamon Roll French Toast is still worth it. This one was a little drier so Charleston still wins for the best, but it was good. Mama got something she hated, but refused to let me send back and Jack's bacon had to be remade due to being burnt beyond recognition. I had to track down waiters to get it fixed and was fortunate enough that the guy I asked for help went above and beyond to get it taken care of... or waiter well, I hope it was an off day and he is more on his game tomorrow.
After breakfast we bought our Trolley tickets and headed out. The first thing we wanted to get off and see was the Ryman. The media introduction they did was fabulous - it was informational, but also extremely entertaining. I loved it. The rest of it was neat -- it didn't really grab my fancy, but I think it was the mood hanging over my head more than anything. We got our picture made on the stage and walked the pew areas - I will admit it is amazing to be in the same building that you know the greats of country music performed in.
After that we sat and had a snack/drink before heading back to our Trolley stop. The Trolley was late, which annoyed me, because well everything annoyed me today. I called to see where they were right as they pulled up. There were only 3 seats (not together) and we grabbed them... We proceeded to ride and listen as the driver gave us bits of history about what we were seeing. The rain came and so we decided to continue to ride vs. getting off and just listen. After a while we did eventually get off and eat lunch. We ate at a restaurant called the Urban Cookhouse and it was fabulous! I had a steak sandwich and oh.... it was delicious. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip! They didn't have table service, but still it was sooo good.
After lunch we hopped back on the Trolley and rode back to the area where our car was. We bought the upgrade for the Trolley so we can use it again tomorrow, bought some souvenirs and headed back to the BNB.
Once here we got cleaned up and dressed before heading out to catch our show at the Grand Ole Opry. We had to go pick up our tickets first at a Vacation Place I bought them from and once we did that we were on our way.
We had to park quite a ways out and after the rain it was extremely muggy, but all in all it wasn't so bad. Once there we grabbed some snacks and headed to our seats. We were seated on the first floor on the very last row. You think they would be bad seats, but they were really quite good! And the show, oh the show was so good. We saw the following acts:
- Mike Snider
- The Railers (a new group)
- Suzy Bogguss - I didn't know her but later did research and now I'm a huge fan.
- Connie Smith - Wow, what a voice! Even at her age it was still fabulous.
- Tracey Lawrence !!!!
- Bobby Bare - Love him.
- The Whites - Not so much
- Ray Stevens - he is so funny! He is opening a place here and I'd love to come back and check it out.
- Opry Square Dancers
- Riders in the Sky - these guys were so funny.
- Ronnie Milsap - This made my night. He didn't perform the songs I really wanted him to, but still such a treat!
The show was incredible and by time it was over the grumpy cloud had lifted.
We left the show and went to grab a bite to eat at Caney Fork. This is a restaurant that serves wild game type food and it was pretty cool. Mama and I split the seafood platter and I had my first frog leg. It tasted like twangy chicken - I liked it. The food overall was good, though they need to improve upon their crabcake. The service was stellar and the atmosphere was fun, especially given how tired we all were. They have this indoor pond with huge catfish that we just sat and watched during dinner, I loved it.
And after that we called it a night. I would have loved to have gone dancing, but I'm just too tired and Jack probably didn't feel like it even if I wasn't... so here I am 12:15 on a Saturday night/Sunday evening barely holding my eyes open so I can type this. Yep I'm getting old See you all tomorrow, sleep well blogland.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Nashville Day 2
5/25/2017
We continued our adventure today in Nashville. First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance. We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe. It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100. That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.
After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit. The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning. We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:
1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens. The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew. His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back. They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.
We spent about 4 hours here - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer. By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings? Yea, I didn't either - I do now.
We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out. Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out. So we came home, had our snack and laid down. Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.
We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish. Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon. Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN. It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it. It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly. We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside. That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11. I loved it! So worth the $6 entry fee.
All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own. We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun. I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.
Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had. As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp. We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that. Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down... Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants. I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.
Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong. This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night. The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self. Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this. Love it! Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant? Walked! Just love it!
After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber. First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown. It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks. This bar is just cool. It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good. We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission. During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch. The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much. The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.
Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman. Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack. The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people. We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies. The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.
So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM. That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night. I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.
Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.
We continued our adventure today in Nashville. First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance. We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe. It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100. That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.
After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit. The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning. We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:
1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens. The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew. His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back. They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.
We spent about 4 hours here - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer. By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings? Yea, I didn't either - I do now.
We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out. Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out. So we came home, had our snack and laid down. Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.
We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish. Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon. Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN. It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it. It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly. We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside. That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11. I loved it! So worth the $6 entry fee.
All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own. We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun. I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.
Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had. As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp. We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that. Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down... Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants. I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.
Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong. This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night. The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self. Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this. Love it! Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant? Walked! Just love it!
After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber. First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown. It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks. This bar is just cool. It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good. We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission. During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch. The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much. The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.
Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman. Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack. The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people. We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies. The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.
So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM. That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night. I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.
Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Nashville Day 1
5/26/2017
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Nashville Day 0
5/24/17
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Atlanta Day 2
I could have sworn I wrote a journal about the rest of our Atlanta journey, but I can't find it if I did so I'm writing this a few weeks later. My memory now is better than it will be years from now, but I still wish I could find the original journal entry - sorry!
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Atlanta Day 1
This was handwritten on 4/3/17. I'm just now getting it typed up and into the blog :)
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
Sunday, February 19, 2017
NY Day 3
2/19/17
NY Travel Journal - Day 3
Today we did quite a few things, but we also rested. It was just the right combination of both - tomorrow I leave Jack up in the Big Apple to work while I go back to GA. He will be busy all week and I'm not an explore NY on my own type of girl + I've seen about all I really "wanted" to see. So what did we do today?
Well, we got up and went to La Bonbonniere. It is a complete hole in the wall, but Trip Advisor said it had one of the best French Toast in NY and they were not wrong. The food was great and the service was quick, which was a blessing because we were running a tad bit behind.
After breakfast, we headed to the 9/11 Museum. I'm glad I went - they did a good job making it a combination of educational and a memorial. That being said - I have no desire to ever go again. It's one of those one time only moments - I cried, I thought about where I was on that day and I remembered. They have a room where they read and show the victims name on a wall and then a family member verbally shares a recorded memory. I don't know how many hours it takes to go trough all the names - I only made it through 5 names before my heart required me to leave. The last one was a 4-year-old little girl. I don't understand hate and evil - I don't get it. I don't understand a belief so fanatic that I would kill thousands. I don't understand and I hope I never do.
After the museum we went and saw the memorial itself - I think it is pretty and moving in its own right. Once we saw it we headed back into the World Trade Center Oculus. This is a very weird alien looking building where all the trains come into - it is also a mall type facility. that being said the food choices are limited and there isn't seating. It is modern, uninviting and weird. We were ready to sit and I wanted a bite to eat so we hopped n the train and went to the next station which was City Hall.
Upon arriving we walked through the park toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Once through there were food vendors so I grabbed a Chicken Gyro and we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes.
Once I had eaten and we had a few minutes off of our feet we decided to take the walking path that goes onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was super busy, but I had fun and we took a lot of pictures. I thought the Bridge itself was pretty and well just the experience was worth it. I hope the pictures turned out, my lens is not wanting to autofocus - hope it is the lens and not the camera. I'll play around with it when I get home and if necessary ship it off for repair :(
After walking partially across the bridge we turned around, grabbed the metro and headed back to the hotel. We took a slight different walking path back to the metro and took pictures of City Hall, a courthouse, and some other really cool buildings. Some of the architecture you find in NYNY is surprising. You expect skyscrapers but then you find an old world, European style buildings that are breathtaking in a completely different way.
Once back at the hotel we took a nap. I needed it and while I hate that we wasted part of the day, it made it so that we could enjoy the evening.
After the nap, we went back out to Time Square but walked our way there - stopping as we saw fit to shop and meander. Once there we waited in line for over an hour for the Star Dust Diner. They have aspiring Broadway singers working there and they sing while you eat. It was fun and the food was also good. We had Guac as an appetizer, then we both had burgers and fries. After dinner, we got a milkshake and just sat for a few minutes. It was worth the wait!
After dinner it was 9:30 so we headed back to the hotel. My legs hurt from the walking I'm not used to, but the weekend has been fabulous. Jack has been here with me and we've been with each other vs. on our phones. It's been great. I fly home tomorrow afternoon so I get to start my day slowly tomorrow which is also going to be great!
It's been a great time and I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time, I'm ready to be away from the crowds.
NY Travel Journal - Day 3
Today we did quite a few things, but we also rested. It was just the right combination of both - tomorrow I leave Jack up in the Big Apple to work while I go back to GA. He will be busy all week and I'm not an explore NY on my own type of girl + I've seen about all I really "wanted" to see. So what did we do today?
Well, we got up and went to La Bonbonniere. It is a complete hole in the wall, but Trip Advisor said it had one of the best French Toast in NY and they were not wrong. The food was great and the service was quick, which was a blessing because we were running a tad bit behind.
After breakfast, we headed to the 9/11 Museum. I'm glad I went - they did a good job making it a combination of educational and a memorial. That being said - I have no desire to ever go again. It's one of those one time only moments - I cried, I thought about where I was on that day and I remembered. They have a room where they read and show the victims name on a wall and then a family member verbally shares a recorded memory. I don't know how many hours it takes to go trough all the names - I only made it through 5 names before my heart required me to leave. The last one was a 4-year-old little girl. I don't understand hate and evil - I don't get it. I don't understand a belief so fanatic that I would kill thousands. I don't understand and I hope I never do.
After the museum we went and saw the memorial itself - I think it is pretty and moving in its own right. Once we saw it we headed back into the World Trade Center Oculus. This is a very weird alien looking building where all the trains come into - it is also a mall type facility. that being said the food choices are limited and there isn't seating. It is modern, uninviting and weird. We were ready to sit and I wanted a bite to eat so we hopped n the train and went to the next station which was City Hall.
Upon arriving we walked through the park toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Once through there were food vendors so I grabbed a Chicken Gyro and we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes.
Once I had eaten and we had a few minutes off of our feet we decided to take the walking path that goes onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was super busy, but I had fun and we took a lot of pictures. I thought the Bridge itself was pretty and well just the experience was worth it. I hope the pictures turned out, my lens is not wanting to autofocus - hope it is the lens and not the camera. I'll play around with it when I get home and if necessary ship it off for repair :(
After walking partially across the bridge we turned around, grabbed the metro and headed back to the hotel. We took a slight different walking path back to the metro and took pictures of City Hall, a courthouse, and some other really cool buildings. Some of the architecture you find in NYNY is surprising. You expect skyscrapers but then you find an old world, European style buildings that are breathtaking in a completely different way.
Once back at the hotel we took a nap. I needed it and while I hate that we wasted part of the day, it made it so that we could enjoy the evening.
After the nap, we went back out to Time Square but walked our way there - stopping as we saw fit to shop and meander. Once there we waited in line for over an hour for the Star Dust Diner. They have aspiring Broadway singers working there and they sing while you eat. It was fun and the food was also good. We had Guac as an appetizer, then we both had burgers and fries. After dinner, we got a milkshake and just sat for a few minutes. It was worth the wait!
After dinner it was 9:30 so we headed back to the hotel. My legs hurt from the walking I'm not used to, but the weekend has been fabulous. Jack has been here with me and we've been with each other vs. on our phones. It's been great. I fly home tomorrow afternoon so I get to start my day slowly tomorrow which is also going to be great!
It's been a great time and I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time, I'm ready to be away from the crowds.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
NY Day 2
2/18/17
NY Travel Journal - Day 2
Well, today was jammed packed. We got up at 8:45 AM and just got back to the hotel at midnight! I'm tired, but it was a great day filled with lots of things... If it's ok with you I'll journal them here :)
First, we got up and went down to Tick Tock diner. This was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. I had the strawberry pancakes. The wait staff were funny and the food was good. We then meandered down to the NY Public Library. On the way, we walked through Bryant Park. It was quaint and peaceful. They have an ice skating ring and I enjoyed watching the people skate. I want to try it but I don't want to get all icky on this trip so maybe another time. After the park, we made it to the Libary. This building is an architectural marvel. It is so ornate and pretty with carved ceilings, paintings, sculpture. It is just incredible. I really enjoyed meandering around in it.
We also go to see the stuffed animals that inspired Winny The Pooh while at the library, which was kinda cool. At this point, they look like really old, sad, stuffed animals.
On a side note I'm taking a photography class and now am shooting fully manual. I was determined this trip to stick with it and I have. It has certainly forced me to learn alot, quickly. NY is ever changing - you go inside its one lighting situation, take a picture on the street another, take another of the tall buildings, different lighting. For every lighting, there are several adjustments with my camera I have to make - NY is the perfect place to force yourself to do it! You aren't going to get it one way and just ride the smooth pony, nope - every 10 minutes of shooting, different situation! It is frustrating because I'm just learning, but I'm trying to be patient with myself. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures on my computer when I get home.
But I digress - I'm here to talk about NY, not my lack of camera skills. After the library, we went down to Rockafeller Center. It is basically a mall with ice skating - that being said - we enjoyed it. We got a sandwich, sat down and watches the skaters. We meandered the halls and just had a good time. Upon leaving we went out the main entrance and I am so glad we did or we would have missed some of the most beautiful, story-telling murals I've seen in quite some time - they were breathtaking.
Upon exiting Rockafeller we headed down to St. Patricks Cathedral, which is just WOW! Jack sat inside and just enjoyed the place while I wondered around and took lots of pictures. It is an absolutely beautiful building - architecture that compares to many of the cathedrals in Europe. Magnificent - I also loved that I saw many people praying. So often when Cathedrals are open for visitation they become just tourism destinations so it was nice to see this one being used for prayer.
We then meandered down and saw another church from the outside that was very pretty. And then we ended our day with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park. It was expensive for a 45-minute ride, but it was nice to get off of our feet and we saw more of the park than we could have walked today so I'll count it a win. Our tour guide was Irish and I loved hearing the lilt in his voice.
One our ride was over we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for our night at the theater. We got rested for a few, got dressed and were gone again. We had dinner at Sardis. The food was great - I had Penne Pasta with Chicken and Jack had the steak. Both were fabulous! We had cookies for dessert - I don't recommend those. Our waiter was fabulous though and he made sure we had plenty of time for our show. I really liked how attentive he was and it was just an awesome experience. The restaurant itself has caricatures all around of famous people -- they are all signed so I assume they have all paid the restaurant a visit. I recognized a few faces, but most I did not. I'm so out of the loop.
We then headed down to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. The show was fantastic. I loved the twist of the story and the singing was incredible. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it! I loved it. Not sure I loved it enough to buy tickets again, because well, they weren't cheap. But it was an experience I'll treasure.
We then meandered around Time Square for a few, grabbed some cheap travel souveniers and headed home. I will say the Metro here sucks! The signs are confusing and half the time there isn't a sign. It is frustrating for me but makes my husband furious. After a couple of mishaps, we are here.... if I had one piece of advice for NYNY it would be to get consistent signs that make sense at all of the Metro Stops and to have the lighted maps inside all of the trains. But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they have bigger fish to fry!
Overall, we are enjoying the trip. I'm glad to be off my feet for a bit and plan to go to sleep very soon as tomorrow will be another big day! Sleep well dear friends.
NY Travel Journal - Day 2
Well, today was jammed packed. We got up at 8:45 AM and just got back to the hotel at midnight! I'm tired, but it was a great day filled with lots of things... If it's ok with you I'll journal them here :)
First, we got up and went down to Tick Tock diner. This was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. I had the strawberry pancakes. The wait staff were funny and the food was good. We then meandered down to the NY Public Library. On the way, we walked through Bryant Park. It was quaint and peaceful. They have an ice skating ring and I enjoyed watching the people skate. I want to try it but I don't want to get all icky on this trip so maybe another time. After the park, we made it to the Libary. This building is an architectural marvel. It is so ornate and pretty with carved ceilings, paintings, sculpture. It is just incredible. I really enjoyed meandering around in it.
We also go to see the stuffed animals that inspired Winny The Pooh while at the library, which was kinda cool. At this point, they look like really old, sad, stuffed animals.
On a side note I'm taking a photography class and now am shooting fully manual. I was determined this trip to stick with it and I have. It has certainly forced me to learn alot, quickly. NY is ever changing - you go inside its one lighting situation, take a picture on the street another, take another of the tall buildings, different lighting. For every lighting, there are several adjustments with my camera I have to make - NY is the perfect place to force yourself to do it! You aren't going to get it one way and just ride the smooth pony, nope - every 10 minutes of shooting, different situation! It is frustrating because I'm just learning, but I'm trying to be patient with myself. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures on my computer when I get home.
But I digress - I'm here to talk about NY, not my lack of camera skills. After the library, we went down to Rockafeller Center. It is basically a mall with ice skating - that being said - we enjoyed it. We got a sandwich, sat down and watches the skaters. We meandered the halls and just had a good time. Upon leaving we went out the main entrance and I am so glad we did or we would have missed some of the most beautiful, story-telling murals I've seen in quite some time - they were breathtaking.
Upon exiting Rockafeller we headed down to St. Patricks Cathedral, which is just WOW! Jack sat inside and just enjoyed the place while I wondered around and took lots of pictures. It is an absolutely beautiful building - architecture that compares to many of the cathedrals in Europe. Magnificent - I also loved that I saw many people praying. So often when Cathedrals are open for visitation they become just tourism destinations so it was nice to see this one being used for prayer.
We then meandered down and saw another church from the outside that was very pretty. And then we ended our day with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park. It was expensive for a 45-minute ride, but it was nice to get off of our feet and we saw more of the park than we could have walked today so I'll count it a win. Our tour guide was Irish and I loved hearing the lilt in his voice.
One our ride was over we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for our night at the theater. We got rested for a few, got dressed and were gone again. We had dinner at Sardis. The food was great - I had Penne Pasta with Chicken and Jack had the steak. Both were fabulous! We had cookies for dessert - I don't recommend those. Our waiter was fabulous though and he made sure we had plenty of time for our show. I really liked how attentive he was and it was just an awesome experience. The restaurant itself has caricatures all around of famous people -- they are all signed so I assume they have all paid the restaurant a visit. I recognized a few faces, but most I did not. I'm so out of the loop.
We then headed down to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. The show was fantastic. I loved the twist of the story and the singing was incredible. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it! I loved it. Not sure I loved it enough to buy tickets again, because well, they weren't cheap. But it was an experience I'll treasure.
We then meandered around Time Square for a few, grabbed some cheap travel souveniers and headed home. I will say the Metro here sucks! The signs are confusing and half the time there isn't a sign. It is frustrating for me but makes my husband furious. After a couple of mishaps, we are here.... if I had one piece of advice for NYNY it would be to get consistent signs that make sense at all of the Metro Stops and to have the lighted maps inside all of the trains. But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they have bigger fish to fry!
Overall, we are enjoying the trip. I'm glad to be off my feet for a bit and plan to go to sleep very soon as tomorrow will be another big day! Sleep well dear friends.
Friday, February 17, 2017
New York
2/17/16
New York Adventure, Day 1
I'll be brief tonight as I need sleep. I awoke this morning in GA, packed while Jack worked and we left the house around 11:30 headed to the airport. We received a message our flight would be delayed so we detoured for some lunch first.
We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a good lunch, although it was boring as Jack was listening to a work call while we ate. We then headed to the airport only to find our flight was further delayed. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things though I was anxious about having to reschedule out of Atlanta.
We took off an hour and half late from Augusta, but when we arrived in Atlanta we found out that flight had been delayed too. This was a huge blessing to us as it meant we actually could make the flight. We made our way to the gate and as I went up to ask the ticket agent to sit me next to Jack (without paying out the nose) we found out Jack got upgraded to 1st class - Yay for him. That of course meant I could not sit next to him. He offered me the seat, but I fit much better in the coach seats so I went on back and by back - I mean the way back. I might as well have been in the tail.
My seat partner was nice, but there was a gentleman behind us who had a breathing issue. For anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with noises. Any kind of noise - people chewing, breathing, cleaning their fingernails - it just drives me insane or makes me angry depending on the moment. Not the guys fault by any stretch of the imagination, but 2.5 hours of that was not something I foresaw being a pleasant flight. I texted Jack and begged for his noise cancelling head phones. He was kind Aden brought them back to me - problem solved!
We then landed in Newark, got our bags, grabbed and Uber and headed into the city. Our Uber driver was super nice and even brought me my phone after he dropped us off as I had stupidly left it in his car. We checked in at the Holiday Inn - downtown Manhattan - corporate discount - $130ish a night! Can you say WOOT WOOT! :)
After dropping our luggage in the smallest room this side of the Atlantic we promptly headed out for Pizza. We ate at NY Pizza Suprema and it was fantastic. You go through a line - get your slice and then sit down and eat. It was loud and they expected you to know how it all works. Which is how I picture NY as being in general. This is not typically my cup of tea, but when in Rome...
After dinner we walked down to Time Square - enjoying the ambiance, but I'll be honest. I was cold, tired and just ready to come back to the hotel. So we headed back - hoping to grab the Subway and get out of the wind. Can I just say that I remember the NY Subway being easier to navigate? Maybe it was because we are tired, but it was all very confusing. Anyway - we are here now. Safe and warm in our bed. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day.
Sleep well blogland.
New York Adventure, Day 1
I'll be brief tonight as I need sleep. I awoke this morning in GA, packed while Jack worked and we left the house around 11:30 headed to the airport. We received a message our flight would be delayed so we detoured for some lunch first.
We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a good lunch, although it was boring as Jack was listening to a work call while we ate. We then headed to the airport only to find our flight was further delayed. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things though I was anxious about having to reschedule out of Atlanta.
We took off an hour and half late from Augusta, but when we arrived in Atlanta we found out that flight had been delayed too. This was a huge blessing to us as it meant we actually could make the flight. We made our way to the gate and as I went up to ask the ticket agent to sit me next to Jack (without paying out the nose) we found out Jack got upgraded to 1st class - Yay for him. That of course meant I could not sit next to him. He offered me the seat, but I fit much better in the coach seats so I went on back and by back - I mean the way back. I might as well have been in the tail.
My seat partner was nice, but there was a gentleman behind us who had a breathing issue. For anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with noises. Any kind of noise - people chewing, breathing, cleaning their fingernails - it just drives me insane or makes me angry depending on the moment. Not the guys fault by any stretch of the imagination, but 2.5 hours of that was not something I foresaw being a pleasant flight. I texted Jack and begged for his noise cancelling head phones. He was kind Aden brought them back to me - problem solved!
We then landed in Newark, got our bags, grabbed and Uber and headed into the city. Our Uber driver was super nice and even brought me my phone after he dropped us off as I had stupidly left it in his car. We checked in at the Holiday Inn - downtown Manhattan - corporate discount - $130ish a night! Can you say WOOT WOOT! :)
After dropping our luggage in the smallest room this side of the Atlantic we promptly headed out for Pizza. We ate at NY Pizza Suprema and it was fantastic. You go through a line - get your slice and then sit down and eat. It was loud and they expected you to know how it all works. Which is how I picture NY as being in general. This is not typically my cup of tea, but when in Rome...
After dinner we walked down to Time Square - enjoying the ambiance, but I'll be honest. I was cold, tired and just ready to come back to the hotel. So we headed back - hoping to grab the Subway and get out of the wind. Can I just say that I remember the NY Subway being easier to navigate? Maybe it was because we are tired, but it was all very confusing. Anyway - we are here now. Safe and warm in our bed. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day.
Sleep well blogland.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 7
11/25/2016
Home!!! I'm laying in my own bed as I type this - feeling my own soft pillows. Oh, the goodness.
Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous trip, but there is nothing like home. So what happened today? Other than the obvious travel?
We slept late at Donald's and then visited with the family a bit this morning, heading out around noon. We traveled through Atlanta with intentions of staying with Hapaw tonight before heading home tomorrow. However, on our way their we both realized - we were ready to be home. So, we pivoted.
We stopped by Hapaws and visited. She wasn't feeling well so we went to grab a bite to eat (given she wasn't up to eating) and told her we would be back. We had a fabulous meal at The Trading Post in Villa Rica. By time we got back to Hapaw's, Jack's Mom and Step-Dad were there.
We visited them some more and then headed out around 8 for home. The trip home was uneventful, though there were police everywhere, and now our journey is over. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next adventure, but for now we are glad to be home with our kitties and our bed.
Special thanks to Pet Sitter of Grovetown for taking care of the babies for us. They are no where near as needy as they have been when we traveled in the past so I know they got good loving.
Til next time dear Blogland - sleep well.
Home!!! I'm laying in my own bed as I type this - feeling my own soft pillows. Oh, the goodness.
Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous trip, but there is nothing like home. So what happened today? Other than the obvious travel?
We slept late at Donald's and then visited with the family a bit this morning, heading out around noon. We traveled through Atlanta with intentions of staying with Hapaw tonight before heading home tomorrow. However, on our way their we both realized - we were ready to be home. So, we pivoted.
We stopped by Hapaws and visited. She wasn't feeling well so we went to grab a bite to eat (given she wasn't up to eating) and told her we would be back. We had a fabulous meal at The Trading Post in Villa Rica. By time we got back to Hapaw's, Jack's Mom and Step-Dad were there.
We visited them some more and then headed out around 8 for home. The trip home was uneventful, though there were police everywhere, and now our journey is over. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next adventure, but for now we are glad to be home with our kitties and our bed.
Special thanks to Pet Sitter of Grovetown for taking care of the babies for us. They are no where near as needy as they have been when we traveled in the past so I know they got good loving.
Til next time dear Blogland - sleep well.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 6
11/24/16
Thanksgiving Day, a day of reflection and thanksgiving. That is the holiday - for me, it was a day of good food, exploration, and visiting of the family.
Yesterday we spent the day resting and visiting with family. We spent the night with Donald & Tina and woke with a house filled with family. Amie and Tyler are here along with Amanda so we had many to catch up and visit with.
We ate Thanksgiving dinner around noon. Tina prepared it and she did an excellent job, the food was great and I'll be honest - it was nice to not to cook it :) It was nice to rest and just enjoy a big meal. But more than the food, the people were amazing. It was nice to visit and relax with family.
After dinner, we went exploring. First, we traveled to Cumberland Falls - it was gorgeous. The water was down, but the falls were still awesome. We went hiking a bit and even climbed into some caves. Even Aimie went hiking (she's 6 months pregnant). It was funny. We went down to the beach - which I think would be under water most of the time. There were a couple of great spots for photos and I had fun snapping photos.
We then drove down to the dam but passed a Lama and a goat farm on the way. That was pretty cool - there was this one Lama that pranced - awesomeness. A prancing Llama. So funny.
We then wondered down to the to the dam and enjoyed the lake and view before heading back to Donalds.
Once there we visited some more, played a lively game of spoons and settled down to watch some old fashioned, TV :)
Hope your Thanksgiving was just as incredible.
Thanksgiving Day, a day of reflection and thanksgiving. That is the holiday - for me, it was a day of good food, exploration, and visiting of the family.
Yesterday we spent the day resting and visiting with family. We spent the night with Donald & Tina and woke with a house filled with family. Amie and Tyler are here along with Amanda so we had many to catch up and visit with.
We ate Thanksgiving dinner around noon. Tina prepared it and she did an excellent job, the food was great and I'll be honest - it was nice to not to cook it :) It was nice to rest and just enjoy a big meal. But more than the food, the people were amazing. It was nice to visit and relax with family.
After dinner, we went exploring. First, we traveled to Cumberland Falls - it was gorgeous. The water was down, but the falls were still awesome. We went hiking a bit and even climbed into some caves. Even Aimie went hiking (she's 6 months pregnant). It was funny. We went down to the beach - which I think would be under water most of the time. There were a couple of great spots for photos and I had fun snapping photos.
We then drove down to the dam but passed a Lama and a goat farm on the way. That was pretty cool - there was this one Lama that pranced - awesomeness. A prancing Llama. So funny.
We then wondered down to the to the dam and enjoyed the lake and view before heading back to Donalds.
Once there we visited some more, played a lively game of spoons and settled down to watch some old fashioned, TV :)
Hope your Thanksgiving was just as incredible.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 4
11/22/2016
Today was another adventure. Donald and Tina picked me up around 10 AM and we headed toward Mt. McCloud, however, we took a scenic route up HWY 25. It was a drive along a creek/river that also had train tracks running along it, very peaceful. It took about an hour to get to our destination. Mt. McCloud is a privately owned mountain and you must have reservations to stay, at the restaurant, or live there to enter. Upon driving onto the mountain you are met by a nice gentleman who asks your business and then lets you on your way. Our reservations were not until 1 PM and it was only noon, so we had a bit of time.
We drove past the restaurant (up one lane winding roads again) to an overlook that was staggering. You walk out over rock jetties that have to be 100s of feet in the air and just look out. You could see the train tracks and I bet it would be neat to watch a train meandering along. The leaves still had a good bit of red to them so it was quite a view - a couple of weeks ago, at the height of the changing leaves, I bet it was breathtaking.
We then drove back to the restaurant area. We walked out onto the balcony and the view was incredible. Just staggering - it was a little hazy, but even with that - just gorgeous. We then went in and the restaurant wasn't busy (at all) so they were able to seat us early. The prices were exceptionally reasonable, the food good, and the view amazing! We watched an airplane fly by at almost our same height. They say in the mornings the clouds settle in the valley and you look out over them, I can only imagine.
The waitress was nice and allowed us to look at the lodging they rent out. The rooms were fantastic!!!! Big, great views, jacuzzi tubs, rocking chair front porches. Just amazing! They also are only $195 a night for a top room - you can't even begin to beat that. Jack and I are coming back, you can believe that! He didn't get to see it today due to working and I can just imagine him sitting on the balcony looking over the clouds. Other than hiking there isn't much to do on the mountain so I can see it being a day or two at the most, but we are totally going to make the trip again. I can't wait.
We then left the mountain and went another way home. We went through a small town and stopped at an antique toy/junk store. My brother loves this kind of stuff and I found the store interesting. It's not organized very well and you can get lost in it, but the owner was kind. I bought a couple of small pieces for Mama's Christmas village.
We then headed back to Donald & Tina's house. By the time we got back it was close to 4 PM and we had made a complete day of it. I took a short nap while I waited for Jack to arrive.
He got to Donalds around 6ish and we had a fabulous dinner that Tina made before retiring to the living room to chit-chat about this and that.
Now we are back at the hotel about to call it a night. Jack is taking 1/2 a day off tomorrow and we will then stay at Donalds vs. the hotel, because he will not need the internet speed/phone to work. Donald and Tina have the internet, just not fast enough to do VOIP that Jack has to have for his job...
Anyway, that was today's adventure. Have fun blogland and I'll see you tomorrow.
Today was another adventure. Donald and Tina picked me up around 10 AM and we headed toward Mt. McCloud, however, we took a scenic route up HWY 25. It was a drive along a creek/river that also had train tracks running along it, very peaceful. It took about an hour to get to our destination. Mt. McCloud is a privately owned mountain and you must have reservations to stay, at the restaurant, or live there to enter. Upon driving onto the mountain you are met by a nice gentleman who asks your business and then lets you on your way. Our reservations were not until 1 PM and it was only noon, so we had a bit of time.
We drove past the restaurant (up one lane winding roads again) to an overlook that was staggering. You walk out over rock jetties that have to be 100s of feet in the air and just look out. You could see the train tracks and I bet it would be neat to watch a train meandering along. The leaves still had a good bit of red to them so it was quite a view - a couple of weeks ago, at the height of the changing leaves, I bet it was breathtaking.
We then drove back to the restaurant area. We walked out onto the balcony and the view was incredible. Just staggering - it was a little hazy, but even with that - just gorgeous. We then went in and the restaurant wasn't busy (at all) so they were able to seat us early. The prices were exceptionally reasonable, the food good, and the view amazing! We watched an airplane fly by at almost our same height. They say in the mornings the clouds settle in the valley and you look out over them, I can only imagine.
The waitress was nice and allowed us to look at the lodging they rent out. The rooms were fantastic!!!! Big, great views, jacuzzi tubs, rocking chair front porches. Just amazing! They also are only $195 a night for a top room - you can't even begin to beat that. Jack and I are coming back, you can believe that! He didn't get to see it today due to working and I can just imagine him sitting on the balcony looking over the clouds. Other than hiking there isn't much to do on the mountain so I can see it being a day or two at the most, but we are totally going to make the trip again. I can't wait.
We then left the mountain and went another way home. We went through a small town and stopped at an antique toy/junk store. My brother loves this kind of stuff and I found the store interesting. It's not organized very well and you can get lost in it, but the owner was kind. I bought a couple of small pieces for Mama's Christmas village.
We then headed back to Donald & Tina's house. By the time we got back it was close to 4 PM and we had made a complete day of it. I took a short nap while I waited for Jack to arrive.
He got to Donalds around 6ish and we had a fabulous dinner that Tina made before retiring to the living room to chit-chat about this and that.
Now we are back at the hotel about to call it a night. Jack is taking 1/2 a day off tomorrow and we will then stay at Donalds vs. the hotel, because he will not need the internet speed/phone to work. Donald and Tina have the internet, just not fast enough to do VOIP that Jack has to have for his job...
Anyway, that was today's adventure. Have fun blogland and I'll see you tomorrow.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 3
11/21/2016
Today was quiet but really nice. I got up around 8:30, got dressed and ate breakfast with Jack at the hotel.
Jack then went to work (in our hotel room) while Donald and Tina picked me up to go visiting. We drove to Corbin KY and walked around the town. It is a tiny town but has its own charms. There is an old train depot with a pretty cool mural painted on it and a couple of old train cars. The town itself was decorated for Christmas and the shops were cute.
We then drove over to London KY and wondered a bit. Tina went to a bakery shop and got some really good deals on snacks for my nieces/nephews that are coming later in the week. And then we went to lunch... now we were going to a restaurant that had good food, but we pulled up to a gas station. I was obviously confused by this and thought a mistake had been made, but no. The restaurant is in the gas station and you know what? They had really good food - teach you to never judge a book by it's cover. I had veggie soup and a grilled cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We also ran to Walmart for a few things and then went back to their house to just relax, which was awesome in itself. I laid on the couch, chatted, played with the dog and well just was. Do you know how nice it is just to be? Their home is pretty in the daytime - there are mules and horses in a pasture next door who came to say hi. I didn't get my camera out today (other than my cell phone) but one day this week I'm going to spend some good time taking pictures with them!
Now during all of this today I have also been fighting with Verizon, can I just tell anyone that will listen - I love Verizon's coverage network, but I hate Verizon. Anytime you have to contact them it is an ordeal. Well, Mama is in TX and yesterday suddenly her phone decides "I need to be reactivated". She went to Verizon yesterday and they replaced her SIM card but needed her apple ID and password. I reset it yesterday afternoon for her, but when she went to reactivate the phone yesterday evening it wouldn't work. So I asked her to go back to Verizon today. She gets there and the guy tells her that isn't her apple ID (has too many letters) and she just needs to buy a new phone to fix it. Needless to say, I told her not to buy said phone and that I would handle. So I call Verizon using 611 on my phone and the kind lady said what I expected "No you don't need a new phone - let me help you get in touch with Apple to fix this." So she connected me to Apple who verified her Apple ID and password were all good and there are no holds on her account. So I have her try it again - I have her try it while I'm on phone w/ her in one ear and Apple on another phone in another ear - can you say fun? Well - no dice because she couldn't connect to the cellular network and has no WIFI where she is. So the only option is to go back to Verizon.
So she goes back.... and the guy says "you need a new SIM card". He calls me to get authorization (something not done yesterday when they replaced it) and says he will get it going. I'm called 15 minutes later -- it's Mama saying that he says she needs a new phone, this one won't work. So I tell her to let me speak to the store manager. I can hear him saying "why" to which I reply, let me speak to the store manager... Suddenly he says "here it works" and all is well. Can you say SCAM???? I'm so going to call corporate about that store when I get a few minutes, they were obviously trying to take advantage of an elderly lady! UGH. Anyway, that took up at least an hour of the day, maybe 2, but she has her phone now and all is right in HooVille.
The day overall was really nice and once Jack was off he came over to the house and we had an excellent meal of BBQ sandwiches Tina made and then chatted, played cards and relaxed some more.
Tomorrow we plan on driving over to McCloud Mountain to take in the scenery and just well - relax some more. Hope your holiday week is going fabulously as well.
Today was quiet but really nice. I got up around 8:30, got dressed and ate breakfast with Jack at the hotel.
Jack then went to work (in our hotel room) while Donald and Tina picked me up to go visiting. We drove to Corbin KY and walked around the town. It is a tiny town but has its own charms. There is an old train depot with a pretty cool mural painted on it and a couple of old train cars. The town itself was decorated for Christmas and the shops were cute.
We then drove over to London KY and wondered a bit. Tina went to a bakery shop and got some really good deals on snacks for my nieces/nephews that are coming later in the week. And then we went to lunch... now we were going to a restaurant that had good food, but we pulled up to a gas station. I was obviously confused by this and thought a mistake had been made, but no. The restaurant is in the gas station and you know what? They had really good food - teach you to never judge a book by it's cover. I had veggie soup and a grilled cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We also ran to Walmart for a few things and then went back to their house to just relax, which was awesome in itself. I laid on the couch, chatted, played with the dog and well just was. Do you know how nice it is just to be? Their home is pretty in the daytime - there are mules and horses in a pasture next door who came to say hi. I didn't get my camera out today (other than my cell phone) but one day this week I'm going to spend some good time taking pictures with them!
Now during all of this today I have also been fighting with Verizon, can I just tell anyone that will listen - I love Verizon's coverage network, but I hate Verizon. Anytime you have to contact them it is an ordeal. Well, Mama is in TX and yesterday suddenly her phone decides "I need to be reactivated". She went to Verizon yesterday and they replaced her SIM card but needed her apple ID and password. I reset it yesterday afternoon for her, but when she went to reactivate the phone yesterday evening it wouldn't work. So I asked her to go back to Verizon today. She gets there and the guy tells her that isn't her apple ID (has too many letters) and she just needs to buy a new phone to fix it. Needless to say, I told her not to buy said phone and that I would handle. So I call Verizon using 611 on my phone and the kind lady said what I expected "No you don't need a new phone - let me help you get in touch with Apple to fix this." So she connected me to Apple who verified her Apple ID and password were all good and there are no holds on her account. So I have her try it again - I have her try it while I'm on phone w/ her in one ear and Apple on another phone in another ear - can you say fun? Well - no dice because she couldn't connect to the cellular network and has no WIFI where she is. So the only option is to go back to Verizon.
So she goes back.... and the guy says "you need a new SIM card". He calls me to get authorization (something not done yesterday when they replaced it) and says he will get it going. I'm called 15 minutes later -- it's Mama saying that he says she needs a new phone, this one won't work. So I tell her to let me speak to the store manager. I can hear him saying "why" to which I reply, let me speak to the store manager... Suddenly he says "here it works" and all is well. Can you say SCAM???? I'm so going to call corporate about that store when I get a few minutes, they were obviously trying to take advantage of an elderly lady! UGH. Anyway, that took up at least an hour of the day, maybe 2, but she has her phone now and all is right in HooVille.
The day overall was really nice and once Jack was off he came over to the house and we had an excellent meal of BBQ sandwiches Tina made and then chatted, played cards and relaxed some more.
Tomorrow we plan on driving over to McCloud Mountain to take in the scenery and just well - relax some more. Hope your holiday week is going fabulously as well.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 2
11/20/2016
Day 2 of our journey was such an adventure; we turned a typical 3-hour drive into well 8 :) It was awesome.
First, we slept late and then meandered over to Fireside Restaurant. A local breakfast place near our hotel that had awesome reviews; reviews that were well deserved by the way. I had the french toast, which was really good. Not as good as that one in Charleston (yes I'm still going back just for the French Toast), but good never the less. The coffee was fresh and the service was top notch. I enjoyed it's laid back, sunny atmosphere and considered it the perfect way to start the day.
We then headed over to CVS to get me some heating stick on pads for my back, which was killing me before heading on. Let me just say - these things are pretty awesome. It's now 10:30 PM and my back, while still painful, is 100 times better than it was this morning after sleeping on the firm mattress at the hotel. Well, anyway, back to the adventure. By this time it's roughly noon and we decide to go see the Elk in Maggie Valley; about an hour out of the way --- but we won't have to backtrack. We came to see the Elk back in 2009 and really enjoyed it so we figured we'd go again.
So off we went. We got to Maggie Valley and stopped at one of the gift shops. We were browsing and Jack had to go to the bathroom, so he asked the cashier. Her answer "they are closed for the winter". Yep, no bathroom for him. He left me to browse and drove down to the service station a mile or so back. I'm not sure why I find this so funny, but who closes their bathroom when the leaves are still red and falling? I mean they still have tourist, such as ourselves, flowing through. Anyway, he came back, we bought our trinkets and then headed to see the Elk.
As I said we came in 2009, but I conveniently forgot the trek to see them. It's often a 1 lane gravel road with switchback U-shaped curves. Max speed for most people 15 - for us in that big ole truck - 5 to 10 depending on the curve. The route up was pretty, it was intense, it was funny, it was just plain old fun! When I wasn't panicking thinking of certain death I was just having a good time.
We arrived at the Elk grazing ground an hour or so later (17 miles mind you). They were so pretty and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them, though I'll be honest it wasn't a passionate grab the right shot moment, just a fun time snapping pictures. I also got some shots of 3 wild turkey's who were hanging out. The brisk wind and the clear air - just an enjoyable afternoon visiting God's creations.
We then decided to go on our way. We had seen you could drive through the forest and come out closer to our destination so we did. By this time the GPS signal has long since been unavailable and well I can't read a map. Jack, on the other hand, knew what to do and we were mapping our way through a National Forest on one lane, gravel roads with bridges we weren't 100% sure weren't meant for foot traffic only. No cell or internet - just us, gravel and trees. It was exhilarating! 2 hours of fear, awe, and wonder. I loved it, but it did put us behind schedule.
When we came out of the forest and followed the signs for I40 the ramp was the most interesting thing. The off ramp really just went to this road, in the middle of nowhere. No businesses - nothing just a ramp into the forest. I've never seen anything like it - just amazing. Once on I40, we zoomed along until we both got a bit hungry. We stopped and ate at Cracker Barrell, there were local restaurants nearby, but I just wasn't in an experimentation mood. I was ready to eat and get on our way. So we did.
We arrived at my brother's about 8 PM and enjoyed a couple of hours visiting with them. Their home is beautiful. From what I could see given the late hour it's back aways off the road and he says I can see horses and stuff. I'll give you more details tomorrow, but the inside was just beautiful. He (and probably Tina too) have such a way with decorating. This 3 bedroom ranch home is like stepping into one decorated by a magazine. Antiques hung at just the right spot to accentuate them while at the same time making the home feel welcoming and cozy. We are staying in a hotel tonight - Wednesday due to Jack needing strong internet and phone for work. However, we are moving to Donalds for the remainder of our trip on Wednesday and I am actually looking forward to staying. Our room is decorated with the cutest little bears.
Anyway, that was our adventure today. I'll let you know what adventures tomorrow holds :)
Day 2 of our journey was such an adventure; we turned a typical 3-hour drive into well 8 :) It was awesome.
First, we slept late and then meandered over to Fireside Restaurant. A local breakfast place near our hotel that had awesome reviews; reviews that were well deserved by the way. I had the french toast, which was really good. Not as good as that one in Charleston (yes I'm still going back just for the French Toast), but good never the less. The coffee was fresh and the service was top notch. I enjoyed it's laid back, sunny atmosphere and considered it the perfect way to start the day.
We then headed over to CVS to get me some heating stick on pads for my back, which was killing me before heading on. Let me just say - these things are pretty awesome. It's now 10:30 PM and my back, while still painful, is 100 times better than it was this morning after sleeping on the firm mattress at the hotel. Well, anyway, back to the adventure. By this time it's roughly noon and we decide to go see the Elk in Maggie Valley; about an hour out of the way --- but we won't have to backtrack. We came to see the Elk back in 2009 and really enjoyed it so we figured we'd go again.
So off we went. We got to Maggie Valley and stopped at one of the gift shops. We were browsing and Jack had to go to the bathroom, so he asked the cashier. Her answer "they are closed for the winter". Yep, no bathroom for him. He left me to browse and drove down to the service station a mile or so back. I'm not sure why I find this so funny, but who closes their bathroom when the leaves are still red and falling? I mean they still have tourist, such as ourselves, flowing through. Anyway, he came back, we bought our trinkets and then headed to see the Elk.
As I said we came in 2009, but I conveniently forgot the trek to see them. It's often a 1 lane gravel road with switchback U-shaped curves. Max speed for most people 15 - for us in that big ole truck - 5 to 10 depending on the curve. The route up was pretty, it was intense, it was funny, it was just plain old fun! When I wasn't panicking thinking of certain death I was just having a good time.
We arrived at the Elk grazing ground an hour or so later (17 miles mind you). They were so pretty and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them, though I'll be honest it wasn't a passionate grab the right shot moment, just a fun time snapping pictures. I also got some shots of 3 wild turkey's who were hanging out. The brisk wind and the clear air - just an enjoyable afternoon visiting God's creations.
We then decided to go on our way. We had seen you could drive through the forest and come out closer to our destination so we did. By this time the GPS signal has long since been unavailable and well I can't read a map. Jack, on the other hand, knew what to do and we were mapping our way through a National Forest on one lane, gravel roads with bridges we weren't 100% sure weren't meant for foot traffic only. No cell or internet - just us, gravel and trees. It was exhilarating! 2 hours of fear, awe, and wonder. I loved it, but it did put us behind schedule.
When we came out of the forest and followed the signs for I40 the ramp was the most interesting thing. The off ramp really just went to this road, in the middle of nowhere. No businesses - nothing just a ramp into the forest. I've never seen anything like it - just amazing. Once on I40, we zoomed along until we both got a bit hungry. We stopped and ate at Cracker Barrell, there were local restaurants nearby, but I just wasn't in an experimentation mood. I was ready to eat and get on our way. So we did.
We arrived at my brother's about 8 PM and enjoyed a couple of hours visiting with them. Their home is beautiful. From what I could see given the late hour it's back aways off the road and he says I can see horses and stuff. I'll give you more details tomorrow, but the inside was just beautiful. He (and probably Tina too) have such a way with decorating. This 3 bedroom ranch home is like stepping into one decorated by a magazine. Antiques hung at just the right spot to accentuate them while at the same time making the home feel welcoming and cozy. We are staying in a hotel tonight - Wednesday due to Jack needing strong internet and phone for work. However, we are moving to Donalds for the remainder of our trip on Wednesday and I am actually looking forward to staying. Our room is decorated with the cutest little bears.
Anyway, that was our adventure today. I'll let you know what adventures tomorrow holds :)
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 1
11/19/2016
We are going to see my brother, Donald, for Thanksgiving this year. He lives in Corbin KY and this will be our first visit to his home since he moved there. If I'm honest this is one of the very few visits I've made to his home so I'm looking forward to it. We decided given it's a several hour drive that we would break the trip up so it would be at a leisurely, relaxed pace vs. rushed. So I set out an itinerary.
Step 1 - Let Jack sleep in a little bit given he traveled and worked all week. We ventured out around 10:45
Step 2 - Sunrise Grill for breakfast. This is a weekend tradition for us and well I needed coffee. Breakfast was great as usual, though had an interesting conversation with Jaycee regarding my new cleaning lady; time shall tell.
Step 3 - Chimney Rock Park - This is where it gets interesting. We were driving the truck and as you get closer to the park you must get off the interstate and onto curvy mountain roads. Jack was driving - I was having control freak out issues and he offered to let me drive. Can you just say Thank you, Jesus! Now don't get me wrong - Jack drives wonderfully, but you can't tell my nitwit brain that when we are going around a curve at a whopping 20 miles and hour and I see certain death in my future. Make sense yet? No - not to me either. So he lets me drive and we are on our way only... we weren't. We get about 20 minutes from Chimney Rock to stumble upon the fact the road is closed. No one can go to Chimney Rock at this time due to forest fires.
Step 4........ Yea that is where the itinerary got blown all to Hades and back so we pivoted.
Deviation Step 1 - Go back to find our way to Hendersonville (which is where our hotel is). It's about 30 to 45 minutes out of the way but the faithful Google Maps helps us find our way.
Deviation Step 2 - Check into the hotel early and ask for ideas. At this point, it's 3 PM and we aren't certain what we have time to do. The clerk was very helpful and gave us a brochure of holiday events. I'd like to speak about the hotel for a moment, if you forgive the digression, it's called The Cascades Mountain Resort. It's right next to the Hampton Inn we stayed at last time, but the rooms appeared bigger on the website, the reviews were good, and the price was reasonable. I have to say overall I'm impressed so far. Clean, spacious, huge indoor pool with slide, I'd recommend it if you are in the area. Only 2 negatives so far and they are fairly minor 1) Smell of chlorine in lobby / common areas and 2) Hot water exist, but it takes a while to find your room :)
So anyway we get into the room and sit. No plans, no agenda, just well - what now? I start looking at restaurants and Jack is looking at the holiday event brochure. and we decide - dinner and a play. Their decision made, we got this, we pivot rather well, yes we do. Onward and Upward - we are back on track, no more deviation - this is the plan, let's go.
Step 1 or 5 depending on how you look at it :) - Go to Hendersonville and walk around before dinner. Yea - great idea.... wait its 45 degrees. That's ok, you have a coat. Walk - look in shop - walk - look at shop - walk..... What are we doing? It's cold.... Let's go drive through town - who says we need to actually see in the windows :)
So we drive through Hendersonville. It's cute and if I had longhandles on under my jeans I bet I would have enjoyed it's ambiance, but well - no. So on to the next item on our agenda.
Step 2/6 - Dinner. Let's try something that looks different, something local. The steak house (Binions), Nah that looks too much like Texas Road House. Let's go to Never Blue. Reviews are awesome and the menu looks interesting. So we go in - sit down and order drinks. I order a Sangria and Jack a coke. I had a Sangria in Jamaica and thought they were good.... well apparently Sangria's in the US are different, because this was strong and had an after taste that would kick you in the groin. We look at the menu and suddenly what looked interesting on my phone just looks fancy and not terribly appetizing. So I do the unthinkable... I tell the waiter to give us a check for the drink and we leave. Yep, I paid $7 to take a sip out of a bad drink and leave. Where did we go you ask? Yea, you guessed it, Binions the local steak house.
The food was good I have to say as was the service, but I nailed it with the atmosphere. It's a local TX Roadhouse - not really my scene, but the steak was good - tender and juicy. They had shrimp cocktail as a side dish, which is unique, and their roles were the light wonderful yeast rolls like you used to get at Ryan's so overall - good deal.
Step 3/7 - Play - Now this we did right and I'm glad we missed Chimney Rock or we probably would have been too tired to consider this. We went to see A Christmas Carol at the Flat Rock Theater, the NC State Theater. It was opening night of the play and was magnificent! The acting, the singing, the staging - just wonderful. They also had hot chocolate at the concession area - cold night, hot chocolate and a Christmas play, the trifecta. Honestly, it was an incredible play and they did such a good job.
We are now laying in bed about to call it a night before we finish the journey tomorrow. Our day may not have gone super smoothly, but I had a good time and really for a day meant to be fun, that is the important part right? Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our day as much as we did having it. Sleep well blogland!
We are going to see my brother, Donald, for Thanksgiving this year. He lives in Corbin KY and this will be our first visit to his home since he moved there. If I'm honest this is one of the very few visits I've made to his home so I'm looking forward to it. We decided given it's a several hour drive that we would break the trip up so it would be at a leisurely, relaxed pace vs. rushed. So I set out an itinerary.
Step 1 - Let Jack sleep in a little bit given he traveled and worked all week. We ventured out around 10:45
Step 2 - Sunrise Grill for breakfast. This is a weekend tradition for us and well I needed coffee. Breakfast was great as usual, though had an interesting conversation with Jaycee regarding my new cleaning lady; time shall tell.
Step 3 - Chimney Rock Park - This is where it gets interesting. We were driving the truck and as you get closer to the park you must get off the interstate and onto curvy mountain roads. Jack was driving - I was having control freak out issues and he offered to let me drive. Can you just say Thank you, Jesus! Now don't get me wrong - Jack drives wonderfully, but you can't tell my nitwit brain that when we are going around a curve at a whopping 20 miles and hour and I see certain death in my future. Make sense yet? No - not to me either. So he lets me drive and we are on our way only... we weren't. We get about 20 minutes from Chimney Rock to stumble upon the fact the road is closed. No one can go to Chimney Rock at this time due to forest fires.
Step 4........ Yea that is where the itinerary got blown all to Hades and back so we pivoted.
Deviation Step 1 - Go back to find our way to Hendersonville (which is where our hotel is). It's about 30 to 45 minutes out of the way but the faithful Google Maps helps us find our way.
Deviation Step 2 - Check into the hotel early and ask for ideas. At this point, it's 3 PM and we aren't certain what we have time to do. The clerk was very helpful and gave us a brochure of holiday events. I'd like to speak about the hotel for a moment, if you forgive the digression, it's called The Cascades Mountain Resort. It's right next to the Hampton Inn we stayed at last time, but the rooms appeared bigger on the website, the reviews were good, and the price was reasonable. I have to say overall I'm impressed so far. Clean, spacious, huge indoor pool with slide, I'd recommend it if you are in the area. Only 2 negatives so far and they are fairly minor 1) Smell of chlorine in lobby / common areas and 2) Hot water exist, but it takes a while to find your room :)
So anyway we get into the room and sit. No plans, no agenda, just well - what now? I start looking at restaurants and Jack is looking at the holiday event brochure. and we decide - dinner and a play. Their decision made, we got this, we pivot rather well, yes we do. Onward and Upward - we are back on track, no more deviation - this is the plan, let's go.
Step 1 or 5 depending on how you look at it :) - Go to Hendersonville and walk around before dinner. Yea - great idea.... wait its 45 degrees. That's ok, you have a coat. Walk - look in shop - walk - look at shop - walk..... What are we doing? It's cold.... Let's go drive through town - who says we need to actually see in the windows :)
So we drive through Hendersonville. It's cute and if I had longhandles on under my jeans I bet I would have enjoyed it's ambiance, but well - no. So on to the next item on our agenda.
Step 2/6 - Dinner. Let's try something that looks different, something local. The steak house (Binions), Nah that looks too much like Texas Road House. Let's go to Never Blue. Reviews are awesome and the menu looks interesting. So we go in - sit down and order drinks. I order a Sangria and Jack a coke. I had a Sangria in Jamaica and thought they were good.... well apparently Sangria's in the US are different, because this was strong and had an after taste that would kick you in the groin. We look at the menu and suddenly what looked interesting on my phone just looks fancy and not terribly appetizing. So I do the unthinkable... I tell the waiter to give us a check for the drink and we leave. Yep, I paid $7 to take a sip out of a bad drink and leave. Where did we go you ask? Yea, you guessed it, Binions the local steak house.
The food was good I have to say as was the service, but I nailed it with the atmosphere. It's a local TX Roadhouse - not really my scene, but the steak was good - tender and juicy. They had shrimp cocktail as a side dish, which is unique, and their roles were the light wonderful yeast rolls like you used to get at Ryan's so overall - good deal.
Step 3/7 - Play - Now this we did right and I'm glad we missed Chimney Rock or we probably would have been too tired to consider this. We went to see A Christmas Carol at the Flat Rock Theater, the NC State Theater. It was opening night of the play and was magnificent! The acting, the singing, the staging - just wonderful. They also had hot chocolate at the concession area - cold night, hot chocolate and a Christmas play, the trifecta. Honestly, it was an incredible play and they did such a good job.
We are now laying in bed about to call it a night before we finish the journey tomorrow. Our day may not have gone super smoothly, but I had a good time and really for a day meant to be fun, that is the important part right? Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our day as much as we did having it. Sleep well blogland!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)