We left Biltmore Thursday and spent ten hours on a seven hour drive to DC, mostly because of rain. We did stop for a while at the thriving metropolis of Abingdon, VA. We had lunch at a little place called Pop Ellis's Soda Shoppe and Ice Cream Parlour, which was full of old pharmacy memorabilia like a nasal syphon. Works by suction! There was an article on the wall by the bathroom informing bathroom-goers that Obama had come to the restaurant in 2008. He drank a vanilla milkshake and ordered a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries to go.
Across the street from the restaurant was a juried arts and crafts fair, so we walked around a little before we left. Steve bought me a necklace made out of an antique button (1880 - 1910), and I bought some kettle corn. Next to the fair was a book and antique store. Steve bought an Ontario arithmetic book that's about 100 years old, and one called "The Folklore of Capitalism" from 1937. I bought a Reader's Digest guide from 1971 called "You and the Law," which includes such useful facts as where you can and can't enter into an interracial marriage, the difference between when you can and when you should call a lawyer, and (curiously) how to escape from a burning building. I also bought " Pittsburgh: A Picture Book To Remember Her By" (1986), "Heidi" (1939), and "The Goebbels Diaries: 1942 - 1943" (1948). The last one is a little weird, I know, but I flipped through it and thought it was fascinating (and terrible, obviously) the way he talked about public perception outside German-occupied countries of their treatment of the Jews as if it were basically a political or PR problem.
We finally got into Washington Thursday evening. We grabbed a quick dinner at our cushy hotel and then went for a walk to see the White House at night. Very cool. The main building that you can see from the street is just the residence. The west wing is totally obscured by trees and the Eisenhower Executive Offices Building. I guess they don't want the public staring through the Oval Office windows while the President is trying to work.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Bilt-More
Great day today. Took a tour of the Biltmore House this morning, complete with rooftop access. Then we drove into downtown Asheville to see the old art deco buildings. I spent the afternoon at the spa, where the lady said I was her second post-bar-exam client this week. Apparently we carry a lot of tension in our shoulders. We had a lovely dinner at the winery, and now we're going to bed early to rest up for our long drive to DC tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Biltmore Estate Pt.2
Okay, so Robin needs to explain that billboard reference, but is going to let you all stew on it for a day. And that record player was from the 50's, gotta cut it some slack.
Atlanta Drivers
- Ya I've heard people say Cdn drivers are wild/fast and the same about Texas, but wow, Atlanta takes the prize, REALLY aggressive, and either driving 10 over or 10 under the limit; the lanes are also skinny (now I'm just being picky).
World of Coke, Atlanta
- There was a room showing commercials over the decades, one was a listing of the types of people that Coke is apparently "for", like for artists, for dreamers... and then concluding it's for everybody. I noticed they left one out. "For diabetics", oh wait, right.
- In the tasting area, where you could taste some of the sodas they own in other countries, I was amazed at how many tasted of one thing and then changed into something else, and generally it was from sweet to bitter. It didn't always work out so pleasantly; once or twice though it was really interesting. But how is it we here in Can/USA can only handle our sodas having one constant flavour??
Dillard House
- lots of good Southern food, not 5-star type, but just good Southern food. Have to say though, Mary Mac's in Atlanta surpassed this place, and Clayburne Cafeteria in Houston wishes it was either of these places, just sayin'. Robin said the squash souffle tasted like Thanksgiving (Cdn= Christmas).
Foxfire
- So just as we're paying for lunch at Dillard House, I had been telling Robin about this old book from the 60s/70s I picked up somewhere called Foxfire 4. It's a thick book, part of a series started by some thoughtful young people who wanted to preserve the knowledge base of past generations in the Appalachians. They interviewed some older folks, and locally held classes for kids to help pass on the info. The interviews were printed in the magazine. Issue 4 contains instructions on how to fabricate a knife from a piece of metal (incl. wooden handle), and building a violin... sorry, fiddle. When I picked up that book, there were quite a number of other issues, and I couldn't get them, always regretted that.... so paying for the meal, Robin taps me and says, "Are these the books?", a whole rack of reprints, wow. I mention this briefly to the cashier, and she says, oh ya, they have a center/museum just a couple miles from here. WOW, it's still going! We immediately headed there, toured some of their buildings. The wagon pictured was built by students using only the tools available in that time, really impressive. http://www.foxfire.org/
This really made my day
At the Biltmore Estate now, relaxing after a really great meal... pondering 8,000 acres.... Where's my brandy?!
Day Three: Biltmore
Farewell, Georgia. We will miss your aggressive drivers and your all-you-can-eat home cooking.
We started our day with a few hours of corporate brainwashing at World of Coke. We rode a ride in which we learned that the secret ingredient in Coke is you, I was sexually harassed by a seven foot tall polar bear, and we left with the impression that buying Coke will make you happier. We also left with free glass bottles of Coke. There was actually Coke to drink at the end of the tour, but I didn't think it was mixed well. It was kind of flat.
We stopped next at Tallulah Gorge, which I was told is the coolest place in Georgia. Poor Georgia. It was pretty, but it was no Royal Gorge, that's for sure. On our way up there we stopped at a souvenir shop with all the Confederacy stuff you could ever want, as well as a record player without a needle, a Little Orphan Annie doll, and a figurine of a naked girl on a motorcycle.
We stopped for lunch at Dillard House, run by the Dillard family in the fiefdom of Dillard. It was like a food theme park. We sat down and within seconds someone had set down a plate of tomatoes, a plate of cantaloupe, a bowl of Cole slaw, a bowl of peach jam, and a bowl of pepper relish. We ordered iced tea, which came in mason jars, and then our table was taken over by food, none of which we had ordered. This place doesn't even have menus. We had yeast rolls, biscuits, cornbread, ham, fried chicken, barbecued chicken, baked pork chops, acorn squash soufflé, cabbage casserole, whipped potatoes, gravy, collard greens, green beans, stuffed peppers, peas, and creamed corn. And then they only brought one dessert!
Next up we discovered that there was a museum nearby dedicated to a book series about Appalachian culture that Steve likes, so we checked that out, and saw the Eastern Continental Divide.
We finally made it to the Biltmore Estate and immediately fell in love with it. We extended our reservation for a day. We'll make up the time by spending less time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I think.
Billboard of the Day: Stripping!
Karmic retributions seen: 2
Hotels stayed at: 3
Hotel rooms on the 6th floor: 3
Chocolate pate: chocolate mousse
Blueberry leather: blueberry fruit rollup
We started our day with a few hours of corporate brainwashing at World of Coke. We rode a ride in which we learned that the secret ingredient in Coke is you, I was sexually harassed by a seven foot tall polar bear, and we left with the impression that buying Coke will make you happier. We also left with free glass bottles of Coke. There was actually Coke to drink at the end of the tour, but I didn't think it was mixed well. It was kind of flat.
We stopped next at Tallulah Gorge, which I was told is the coolest place in Georgia. Poor Georgia. It was pretty, but it was no Royal Gorge, that's for sure. On our way up there we stopped at a souvenir shop with all the Confederacy stuff you could ever want, as well as a record player without a needle, a Little Orphan Annie doll, and a figurine of a naked girl on a motorcycle.
We stopped for lunch at Dillard House, run by the Dillard family in the fiefdom of Dillard. It was like a food theme park. We sat down and within seconds someone had set down a plate of tomatoes, a plate of cantaloupe, a bowl of Cole slaw, a bowl of peach jam, and a bowl of pepper relish. We ordered iced tea, which came in mason jars, and then our table was taken over by food, none of which we had ordered. This place doesn't even have menus. We had yeast rolls, biscuits, cornbread, ham, fried chicken, barbecued chicken, baked pork chops, acorn squash soufflé, cabbage casserole, whipped potatoes, gravy, collard greens, green beans, stuffed peppers, peas, and creamed corn. And then they only brought one dessert!
Next up we discovered that there was a museum nearby dedicated to a book series about Appalachian culture that Steve likes, so we checked that out, and saw the Eastern Continental Divide.
We finally made it to the Biltmore Estate and immediately fell in love with it. We extended our reservation for a day. We'll make up the time by spending less time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I think.
Billboard of the Day: Stripping!
Karmic retributions seen: 2
Hotels stayed at: 3
Hotel rooms on the 6th floor: 3
Chocolate pate: chocolate mousse
Blueberry leather: blueberry fruit rollup
Monday, August 2, 2010
Day Two: Atlanta
Farewell, Louisiana. We will miss your tore up roads and your combination casino-gas stations.
This trip should be subtitled "Robin and Steve Eat Their Way Across America." We started our day at Cafe du Monde for beignets. I accompanied mine with cafe au lait, Steve with orange juice. After an uneventful drive through Mississippi, we stopped for lunch at a place in Mobile called Dew Drop Inn. This place is allegedly where Jimmy Buffett became so enamored with the cheeseburger, and it's pretty clear why. The whole was far better than the sum of its several somewhat suspect parts (two of the thinnest patties you've ever seen, a single pickle slice, yellow mustard, ketchup, and this strange, sweetish, thick chili). Pictures forthcoming when we get someplace where we feel like paying for Internet. Steve didn't have a cheeseburger, obviously, but he did have a catfish po boy that puts BiBi's to shame, accompanied by onion rings so good they actually made me like onion rings.
We spent the rest of our time in Alabama slogging our way through very heavy rain, so we didn't make it to the hometown of Harper Lee. Too bad. We got to Atlanta later than expected, partially because of the rain and partially because of the stealth time zone change. We had dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a strange establishment where every room looked like an old lady's formal dining room, except the walls were covered in pictures of all the celebrities who had eaten there. The highlights were Leonard Nimoy, the Dalai Lama, and Norm from Cheers. Looking at the pictures did make me think of the lady at Ginza wanting to take Berkman's picture that one time. Sad. The food was incredible, though. I had a perfect piece of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese (casserole style, the way I like it), and dumplings. Steve had sweet potato soufflé, fried green tomatoes, potato cakes, and vegetable soup. They also brought us free cups of pot likkers, which is the cooking juices from the collard greens. You break up a piece of cornbread into it and eat it with a spoon. It was better than it sounds.
We're at the Grand Hyatt right now. Hotwire got us a room here for about 75% off the rack rate. Tomorrow we're going to the Coke Experience, then off ton the Biltmore Estate.
Billboard of the Day: I Like Big Boards and I Cannot Lie
Swamps driven over: 2
Castles seen: 1
Number of small town BBQ places stopped at that may have been serving people instead of pork: 1
Ingredients other than milk in sweet milk: Nothing. The name is a lie.
This trip should be subtitled "Robin and Steve Eat Their Way Across America." We started our day at Cafe du Monde for beignets. I accompanied mine with cafe au lait, Steve with orange juice. After an uneventful drive through Mississippi, we stopped for lunch at a place in Mobile called Dew Drop Inn. This place is allegedly where Jimmy Buffett became so enamored with the cheeseburger, and it's pretty clear why. The whole was far better than the sum of its several somewhat suspect parts (two of the thinnest patties you've ever seen, a single pickle slice, yellow mustard, ketchup, and this strange, sweetish, thick chili). Pictures forthcoming when we get someplace where we feel like paying for Internet. Steve didn't have a cheeseburger, obviously, but he did have a catfish po boy that puts BiBi's to shame, accompanied by onion rings so good they actually made me like onion rings.
We spent the rest of our time in Alabama slogging our way through very heavy rain, so we didn't make it to the hometown of Harper Lee. Too bad. We got to Atlanta later than expected, partially because of the rain and partially because of the stealth time zone change. We had dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a strange establishment where every room looked like an old lady's formal dining room, except the walls were covered in pictures of all the celebrities who had eaten there. The highlights were Leonard Nimoy, the Dalai Lama, and Norm from Cheers. Looking at the pictures did make me think of the lady at Ginza wanting to take Berkman's picture that one time. Sad. The food was incredible, though. I had a perfect piece of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese (casserole style, the way I like it), and dumplings. Steve had sweet potato soufflé, fried green tomatoes, potato cakes, and vegetable soup. They also brought us free cups of pot likkers, which is the cooking juices from the collard greens. You break up a piece of cornbread into it and eat it with a spoon. It was better than it sounds.
We're at the Grand Hyatt right now. Hotwire got us a room here for about 75% off the rack rate. Tomorrow we're going to the Coke Experience, then off ton the Biltmore Estate.
Billboard of the Day: I Like Big Boards and I Cannot Lie
Swamps driven over: 2
Castles seen: 1
Number of small town BBQ places stopped at that may have been serving people instead of pork: 1
Ingredients other than milk in sweet milk: Nothing. The name is a lie.
NOLA
It's pretty cool here in New Orleans. Neither Robin or I have been to the French Quarter, and it's amazing.
Being here early on a Monday morn makes for easy walking around, it's pretty light on tourists right now; though Robin did narrowly escape stepping in some puke.
Tried halfheartedly to walk past Preservation Hall, but missed it by a couple streets (Sorry Dad, wanted to get a pic for you). We'll have to go back when we can actually check out some music. We got in too late last night to get out there.
So, the beignet. We're wondering if it's a french sopapillas, or churro? I found the batter slightly eggy, like egg bread. Any ideas??
Our hotel was built in 1907, and the bell hop was trying to scare us with ghost stories about the room at the end of the hall (see pic). He said all the objects in the room moved to one wall.... Our night was incident free.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Currently stuck in a traffic jam outside of Baton Rouge. I'm updating with my 3G iPad. Ah, modern technology. We had some fast food for dinner (Burger King for Steve and Whataburger for me), but we're hoping not to get into the habit of doing that.
Billboard of the Day: Slots of Fun! - Isle of Capri
Swamps driven over: 1
Castles seen: 0 (they all sank into the swamp, except the last one, which burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp)
Best names created from highway exits: Elton Jennings, Evangeline Jennings, Eunice Crowley, Cafton Scott
Billboard of the Day: Slots of Fun! - Isle of Capri
Swamps driven over: 1
Castles seen: 0 (they all sank into the swamp, except the last one, which burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp)
Best names created from highway exits: Elton Jennings, Evangeline Jennings, Eunice Crowley, Cafton Scott
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