SNOW!!! We woke up this morning to a vision of white -- one to two inches of fluffy, powdery snow all over everything and it was still coming down in big, fat flakes. If you can get rainbows with rain, can you get snowbows with snow? Just wondering. I loved walking around the hotel parking lot and getting snow in my hair and all over my coat. What a contrast to those sunny, balmy days in Savannah and Charleston. Watching the TV news this morning was a bit scary -- apparently there were tornados that touched down not that far away. However, the weather forecasts show stable, although very cold weather for the next few days.
Drove to Woodford Reserve distillery today. This is one of my favorite bourbons and the drive is absolutely lovely, especially so today because all the huge pastures of the horse farms we drove by were covered with snow and the thoroughbred horses were out grazing in the snow. These stud farms are quite large, all neatly fenced with picturesque wood fences and horse stables that look like mansions. I’ve taken their tour two other times but managed to learn some new stuff on this tour. For example, there are five categories of whiskey: bourbon (the only uniquely American spirit and which must adhere to U.S. Federal laws that specify what is required to be able to call it bourbon), scotch, Irish, Canadian (also called rye), and Tennessee straight. The word “straight” as applied to whiskey means that the whiskey has been aged in barrels for a minimum of two years. And that’s all it means. Once the spirits have been poured into the barrels, the Woodford Reserve bourbon is aged around eight years, during which time each barrel loses about 3% to 4% of its volume due to evaporation of water. This loss is called the “angel” share. Isn’t that cute?
After that, we hustled ourselves off to Buffalo Trace, which is another interesting distillery, named because it is built on a road that used to be an old wagon trail, which used to be an Native American trail, which used to be a path used by buffalo. Of course we did a bit of looking around and bourbon tasting. Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel but we were hungry so we stopped at a White Castle for sliders. Two of us had heard of White Castle hamburger sliders (little bitty hamburgers) and one of us grew up going to White Castle, so we decided to stop both for adventure and for nostalgia. We were all surprised that they taste much better than we expected. They are cute little devils.
This evening we had reservations at the Kentucky Bourbon House which is a wonderful bourbon tasting and dinner experience run by a husband and wife team. It is a very personal experience that feels like they have just invited you into their home for an evening of talking about bourbon (the Colonel, as he is called, can tell you about the history and background of just about every bourbon made, can describe the notes, and compare one to another -- he really is a wealth of knowledge) and a lovely southern, home-cooked dinner (his wife is the cook). They are both so inviting and friendly and clearly love what they do and meeting people and talking about Kentucky -- it is something that you just must do if ever you are in Bardstown. We each got to taste five bourbons that we personally selected from his incredibly thorough collection of bourbons -- he has everything from Pappy Van Winkle 20 to Big Ass, which pretty much covers the entire spectrum from the high end exclusive stuff to low end. When I grow up, I want to have a collection like his. I’m slowly working on it, one bottle at a time.
When we left to drive home, it was snowing again -- more big, fat flakes. It love how it tickles my face. Not sure what this means for driving around tomorrow -- we’ll see.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 14-15 ON THE KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL
Driving to Bardstown from Charleston was relatively easy -- we left at 7:30 AM and arrived at 5:00 PM. In the morning we drove through heavy fog for a couple of hours but the rest of the day was clear and nice. We had the lovely experience of driving through four states: SC, NC, TN, and KY, including driving across the Great Smoky Mountains. We past several historical locations (e.g., Gatlinburg and the Cumberland Gap). Drove past London and Texas and Stinking Creek (how do they dream up these names?).
Bardstown is at the heart of bourbon whiskey country --there are quite a few distilleries within an hour drive. We plan to visit as many as we have time for.
When we arrived in Bardstown, we immediately checked into our hotel and I was captivated by the aroma in the area -- ah, the smell of fermenting sour mash from the nearly Barton 1792 distillery. I love it but my spouse thinks it is awful. Oh well, you can’t keep everyone happy at the same time.
I asked the hotel receptionist where she would recommend having dinner (even though I’ve been here twice before) and she recommended a new restaurant in town called The Rickhouse. (For the bourbon illiterate among you, a rickhouse is the warehouse where barrels of bourbon are stored to age.) In my previous trips, the food in Bardstown was never much to get excited about, but this new place is amazing -- fabulous food and service and cocktails (their Manhattans are perfection). In fact, the food was so good, we went back the next day for dinner again.
Yesterday, our first full day in Bardstown, we had a late, sleepy morning and then decided to go directly to my favorite distillery, Maker’s Mark. This was the first time for my traveling companions and my third time. They give the best tours and the best tastings and their grounds and buildings are the most interesting. Best of all, the distillery has been owned and operated by the same family for several generations and the whole family feeling is very clear as you talk to people. The employees clearly like being there and everyone maintains a wonderful, inviting sense of humor.
From there, we went to Heaven Hill distillery, which produces Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Larceny, and others. Then we made a quick stop at Willett distillery, which produces Willett. Then we gave up and went back to The Rickhouse for our second time. It is raining off and on but not very cold although the weather forecast has been ominous. There have been tornados to the south of us (where we drove through yesterday) and to the east of us. Tomorrow the weather is going to get very cold, into the low 30’s F during the day. We hope it stops raining because we don’t want to be worried about black ice. But we have distilleries to visit, so we will soldier on for the cause!
Bardstown is at the heart of bourbon whiskey country --there are quite a few distilleries within an hour drive. We plan to visit as many as we have time for.
When we arrived in Bardstown, we immediately checked into our hotel and I was captivated by the aroma in the area -- ah, the smell of fermenting sour mash from the nearly Barton 1792 distillery. I love it but my spouse thinks it is awful. Oh well, you can’t keep everyone happy at the same time.
I asked the hotel receptionist where she would recommend having dinner (even though I’ve been here twice before) and she recommended a new restaurant in town called The Rickhouse. (For the bourbon illiterate among you, a rickhouse is the warehouse where barrels of bourbon are stored to age.) In my previous trips, the food in Bardstown was never much to get excited about, but this new place is amazing -- fabulous food and service and cocktails (their Manhattans are perfection). In fact, the food was so good, we went back the next day for dinner again.
Yesterday, our first full day in Bardstown, we had a late, sleepy morning and then decided to go directly to my favorite distillery, Maker’s Mark. This was the first time for my traveling companions and my third time. They give the best tours and the best tastings and their grounds and buildings are the most interesting. Best of all, the distillery has been owned and operated by the same family for several generations and the whole family feeling is very clear as you talk to people. The employees clearly like being there and everyone maintains a wonderful, inviting sense of humor.
From there, we went to Heaven Hill distillery, which produces Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Larceny, and others. Then we made a quick stop at Willett distillery, which produces Willett. Then we gave up and went back to The Rickhouse for our second time. It is raining off and on but not very cold although the weather forecast has been ominous. There have been tornados to the south of us (where we drove through yesterday) and to the east of us. Tomorrow the weather is going to get very cold, into the low 30’s F during the day. We hope it stops raining because we don’t want to be worried about black ice. But we have distilleries to visit, so we will soldier on for the cause!
Monday, January 28, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 13 MORE OF CHARLESTON
Today was partly a housekeeping day -- we went to a laundromat to do some laundry and then did a few other errands. In the afternoon we visited the Old Slave Mart Museum, which is where slave auctions of domestic slaves (slaves that were born in the US or had been in the US for several years, not newly off a slave ship) were conducted. The museum was full of information but oh, how difficult it is to read about it and to stand in the exact room where all those business transactions took place. Afterwards, we decided to take another leisurely drive around some of the older neighborhoods to take photos, passing up the opportunity to visit the Museum of Dental History (what a shame to have missed all those historical dentist drills). By that time it was tea time so we sat outside in the lovely January weather, sipping coffee and nibbling pastries, and watching the people go by. Interestingly enough, we have all noticed that we are hearing very few southern accents here in Charleston, which is quite a switch from Savannah where everyone had a delicious southern drawl.
At last! We finally had a really good meal in Charleston. So far we have not been favorably impressed with Charleston food. At best, our meals have been adequate. However, tonight we dined at 82 Queen, which is restaurant’s address and name. They serve fabulous southern food, specializing in seafood but they also have dynamite other dishes. Of course you know that the south specializes in grits, but did you know that pimiento cream cheese is also a big thing here? I’ve had soup garnished with pimiento cheese-stuffed celery, I’ve seen all kinds of pimiento cheese appetizers on menus, and tonight I had fried green tomatoes on a bed of pimiento cheese grits. Thought I’d died and gone to heaven. My two traveling companions rated the she-crab soup as the best they’ve had so far. And one of us had salmon served on a bed of cheese grits with chunks of crab in it, which received a very high rating. (Nope, no hush puppies. I just may have to give up on that goal.)
Today was our last day in Charleston and the three of us agree that we liked Savannah much better. This is a very different conclusion than we expected to draw, especially because each one of us had been told by several people that we would find Charleston to be the much more interesting place. Charleston is larger and more metropolitan than Savannah. Charleston has more people, traffic, fine art galleries, historical buildings, shops, and everything else. But even in January, there are an awful lot of tourists, tour busses, horse-drawn carriages, etc. The service people in Charleston -- shop keepers, hotel and restaurant staff -- are polite and respectful, but not outgoing or especially gracious or friendly. In contrast, practically everyone we interacted with in Savannah was amazingly friendly and chatty and inviting. People sitting at the next table would start up a conversation with us and ask us if we were enjoying our stay and did we have any questions. Savannah is more relaxed -- the whole atmosphere is different. If I was going to run away from home for a month or two, Savannah would definitely be one of the top possibilities -- not to mention that practically every bite we ate in Savannah was amazingly wonderful.
Tomorrow we hit the road and drive all day to Kentucky, so I’ll post a blog in a couple of days.
At last! We finally had a really good meal in Charleston. So far we have not been favorably impressed with Charleston food. At best, our meals have been adequate. However, tonight we dined at 82 Queen, which is restaurant’s address and name. They serve fabulous southern food, specializing in seafood but they also have dynamite other dishes. Of course you know that the south specializes in grits, but did you know that pimiento cream cheese is also a big thing here? I’ve had soup garnished with pimiento cheese-stuffed celery, I’ve seen all kinds of pimiento cheese appetizers on menus, and tonight I had fried green tomatoes on a bed of pimiento cheese grits. Thought I’d died and gone to heaven. My two traveling companions rated the she-crab soup as the best they’ve had so far. And one of us had salmon served on a bed of cheese grits with chunks of crab in it, which received a very high rating. (Nope, no hush puppies. I just may have to give up on that goal.)
Today was our last day in Charleston and the three of us agree that we liked Savannah much better. This is a very different conclusion than we expected to draw, especially because each one of us had been told by several people that we would find Charleston to be the much more interesting place. Charleston is larger and more metropolitan than Savannah. Charleston has more people, traffic, fine art galleries, historical buildings, shops, and everything else. But even in January, there are an awful lot of tourists, tour busses, horse-drawn carriages, etc. The service people in Charleston -- shop keepers, hotel and restaurant staff -- are polite and respectful, but not outgoing or especially gracious or friendly. In contrast, practically everyone we interacted with in Savannah was amazingly friendly and chatty and inviting. People sitting at the next table would start up a conversation with us and ask us if we were enjoying our stay and did we have any questions. Savannah is more relaxed -- the whole atmosphere is different. If I was going to run away from home for a month or two, Savannah would definitely be one of the top possibilities -- not to mention that practically every bite we ate in Savannah was amazingly wonderful.
Tomorrow we hit the road and drive all day to Kentucky, so I’ll post a blog in a couple of days.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 12 CHARLESTON
I guess I’d have to call today Pat Conroy day. Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors (OK, some readers don’t like him at all -- it’s either love or hate and not much in-between with his writing style). In his book South of Broad, he describes in detail the houses along the paper route of the main character as a boy. So we went back to the book and marked the paper route on a city map and drove the route. The houses are gorgeous. The book The Lords of Discipline is about a military academy in the south, based on The Citadel, which Pat Conroy unhappily attended. So we drove to The Citadel and slowly drove around the parade ground (the school buildings and dormitories are built around the central parade ground). The school is painted grey and looks like a combination castle and fort -- it looks something like San Quentin prison, if you ask me. Interestingly, the hotel we are staying in (Embassy Suites) is in the original Citadel building -- the academy moved to its present location in 1920. But the hotel building is painted salmon, so it doesn’t seem so formidable.
We took a tour of Charleston and learned a few interesting things. It turns out that Spanish moss isn’t Spanish and it isn’t moss. It is an air plant -- not a parasite -- so it doesn’t hurt the host plant. We also learned that when Charleston was first settled as a city, the founding fathers felt quite strongly about religious freedom and the need to protect it. Whenever seven or more people gathered to worship, they could claim to be a church. Consequently, Charleston has always had the greatest variety of houses of worship in the colonies and in the south, and still does, and because of this it is often called “the holy city.”
Charleston is also known for its wonderful iron work -- gates, fences, balconies. What an amazing variety of beautiful iron work we saw (although Savannah also has similarly impressive iron work). Oh, and I can’t forget about the sideways houses. You know how most houses face the street so that the front door directly faces the street? Well, many houses in Charleston are turned 90 degrees so that the front door faces the side of the property. The front of the house (the front that faces the side of the property) has a covered porch that runs the length of the property. From the street, you see the side of the house and a door. The street door opens to the front porch. So to get to the front door, you go in the street door and walk along the porch to the front door.
Oh, and we did a bit of shopping at a huge market that is much like Pike Street market in Seattle. There were several stalls selling sweet grass baskets, which are a specialty of the Gullah people. Sweet grass is a long, salt water marsh grass and the baskets are high quality and gorgeous. We had to buy one, of course. And then I spied a t-shirt that just called to me. It says on the front “Here in the south we don’t hide crazy….We parade it out on the porch and give it a cocktail!” That is oh so true!
You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned food yet. So far, the food in Charleston has been fine but not notable, although we did do another sample of freshly-made lemonade, which got a very high grade. I’ll get back to the food tomorrow. And so far, still NO hush puppies!
We took a tour of Charleston and learned a few interesting things. It turns out that Spanish moss isn’t Spanish and it isn’t moss. It is an air plant -- not a parasite -- so it doesn’t hurt the host plant. We also learned that when Charleston was first settled as a city, the founding fathers felt quite strongly about religious freedom and the need to protect it. Whenever seven or more people gathered to worship, they could claim to be a church. Consequently, Charleston has always had the greatest variety of houses of worship in the colonies and in the south, and still does, and because of this it is often called “the holy city.”
Charleston is also known for its wonderful iron work -- gates, fences, balconies. What an amazing variety of beautiful iron work we saw (although Savannah also has similarly impressive iron work). Oh, and I can’t forget about the sideways houses. You know how most houses face the street so that the front door directly faces the street? Well, many houses in Charleston are turned 90 degrees so that the front door faces the side of the property. The front of the house (the front that faces the side of the property) has a covered porch that runs the length of the property. From the street, you see the side of the house and a door. The street door opens to the front porch. So to get to the front door, you go in the street door and walk along the porch to the front door.
Oh, and we did a bit of shopping at a huge market that is much like Pike Street market in Seattle. There were several stalls selling sweet grass baskets, which are a specialty of the Gullah people. Sweet grass is a long, salt water marsh grass and the baskets are high quality and gorgeous. We had to buy one, of course. And then I spied a t-shirt that just called to me. It says on the front “Here in the south we don’t hide crazy….We parade it out on the porch and give it a cocktail!” That is oh so true!
You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned food yet. So far, the food in Charleston has been fine but not notable, although we did do another sample of freshly-made lemonade, which got a very high grade. I’ll get back to the food tomorrow. And so far, still NO hush puppies!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 11 SAVANNAH AND HILTON HEAD
Into every trip some disappointment occurs and this morning it happened. We were all set to have lunch at a famous, old boarding house restaurant in Savannah, Mrs. Wilkes, and at the last minute we learned that it was closed all of January. Serious bummer. So we decided to have a small breakfast at a wonderful bakery and head out to Hilton Head Island for lunch.
Hilton Head Island is in South Carolina (SC), about a 45-minute drive north of Savannah. We drove through patches of pine woods, then salt marsh, then waterways, and back to pine woods, marsh, etc. The whole area between Savannah and Charleston (which is north of Hilton Head) is a delta of waterways, waterways, and islands. Driving into Hilton Head Island, we passed oodles of golf courses and quite a few fancy, gated communities. Even the car dealerships have buildings that look like big plantation houses.
We ended up at a beach park that was pretty fabulous. Beautiful wooden walkways, large and clean restrooms, outdoor showers, lots of chairs to sit and watch the water, and a bunch of two-person swings to gently swing in back and forth (picture a two-person wooden bench suspended by chains from a wooden structure). Then there was a mat laid out on the beach sand, down to the water. It was around 72F with a gentle breeze, blue sky and lovely sunshine. In other words, PERFECT. We all wanted to simply sit there and watch the waves. It all looked so peaceful until I remembered that this was the Atlantic ocean and that this very beach would probably take the brunt of the brutal forces of hurricanes. But today is was truly lovely.
We had lunch at Annie O’s, a low country, southern home cooking place (you just knew I’d get around to food again, right?). Fried chicken and biscuits with sausage gravy, followed by the best coconut pie I’ve had in decades. I have to admit that after I took my first bite and had a good taste of that pie, I just stopped chewing and had a bit of an emotional moment -- it was that good!
After lunch we headed for Charleston. On the way we drove through Ashepoo, SC (really! I don’t make this stuff up, you know) and then through Beaufort, which is where one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy, grew up. We saw a flock of big, white egrets perched in some trees -- that was a pretty picture.
So now, after a couple of Manhattans at the bar of a French restaurant that serves sushi (again, I don’t make this stuff up), we’re all set up in our hotel and ready to start touring tomorrow.
Hilton Head Island is in South Carolina (SC), about a 45-minute drive north of Savannah. We drove through patches of pine woods, then salt marsh, then waterways, and back to pine woods, marsh, etc. The whole area between Savannah and Charleston (which is north of Hilton Head) is a delta of waterways, waterways, and islands. Driving into Hilton Head Island, we passed oodles of golf courses and quite a few fancy, gated communities. Even the car dealerships have buildings that look like big plantation houses.
We ended up at a beach park that was pretty fabulous. Beautiful wooden walkways, large and clean restrooms, outdoor showers, lots of chairs to sit and watch the water, and a bunch of two-person swings to gently swing in back and forth (picture a two-person wooden bench suspended by chains from a wooden structure). Then there was a mat laid out on the beach sand, down to the water. It was around 72F with a gentle breeze, blue sky and lovely sunshine. In other words, PERFECT. We all wanted to simply sit there and watch the waves. It all looked so peaceful until I remembered that this was the Atlantic ocean and that this very beach would probably take the brunt of the brutal forces of hurricanes. But today is was truly lovely.
We had lunch at Annie O’s, a low country, southern home cooking place (you just knew I’d get around to food again, right?). Fried chicken and biscuits with sausage gravy, followed by the best coconut pie I’ve had in decades. I have to admit that after I took my first bite and had a good taste of that pie, I just stopped chewing and had a bit of an emotional moment -- it was that good!
After lunch we headed for Charleston. On the way we drove through Ashepoo, SC (really! I don’t make this stuff up, you know) and then through Beaufort, which is where one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy, grew up. We saw a flock of big, white egrets perched in some trees -- that was a pretty picture.
So now, after a couple of Manhattans at the bar of a French restaurant that serves sushi (again, I don’t make this stuff up), we’re all set up in our hotel and ready to start touring tomorrow.
Friday, January 25, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 10 STILL IN SAVANNAH
I think I could move to Savannah and die a happy woman eating myself to death. This is a wonderful city and the food….OK, all I’ve talked about is the food. The food for today started at breakfast where we went to a little bakery/café and had the best caramel sticky buns I’ve ever had. By the time I was finished I felt like I had sticky caramel places up both arms, but ooooooh it was worth it. Then we drove out to one of Georgia’s barrier islands, Tybee Island, where they have one of the noted lighthouses on the east coast. Again, we had perfect weather today. To get to the island we had to drive over a low causeway that goes over the salt marshes with signs that warn that the road may be under water at high tide and other signs warning that it is a turtle zone because loggerhead sea turtles come to lay eggs here every year. The little city of Tybee is clearly a laid-back beach playground with funky art shops and kayak rentals and swimwear shops, all painted in brilliant, Caribbean colors, which is quite a contrast to the subdued, graceful, and grand neighborhoods of Savannah. We came back just in time for me to get to my manicure-pedicure appointment while the other two went shopping (and I’m not telling who bought what or for how much -- I’m too good a friend for that!).
While resting up a bit for dinner we decided to rearrange our schedule. Originally, we planned two days each in Savannah and Charleston and then five days in Bardstown Kentucky (KY) doing bourbon tasting. Well, we are having so much fun here, and there are still places we want to eat in, so we are staying three days in Savannah, which gives us a chance to drive to Hilton Head (playground of the rich and famous) for dinner, and another three days in Charleston and cutting down our bourbon tasting to three days. Then instead of driving like crazy for two days to get back to our plane in Dallas, we are taking three days to drive to Dallas and making an overnight stop at Elvis’ house Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. And no, I do not plan to buy a white, leather Elvis outfit. Also, no, I am not a rabid Elvis Presley fan but gee, how can a girl pass up an opportunity to go to Graceland? And we’re even staying at the Heartbreak Hotel across the street from the mansion -- how fun is that?
OK, now about dinner. We dined at The Old Pink House, which is a lovely, fancy, restaurant in a very old house, complete with amazing history and a ghost. Again, the food is mind-blowingly fabulous and the service is beyond anything I’ve experienced -- everyone takes time to chat and make sure you are taken care of. It was truly a full evening in all ways (we were there three hours) and I almost wanted someone to just pour me into a wheelbarrow and roll me back to my hotel room. I must say, at this point, that although Savannah is the home of Paula Deen of cooking fame and also the site of her famous restaurant, we have decided not to eat there because a lot of reviews on TripAdvisor.com (as well as comments from locals here in Savannah) report that the food is OK but not great. So far we feel we’ve hit the jackpot every place we’ve gone. So tomorrow is another day and another couple of eating opportunities. Still no hush puppies yet!
While resting up a bit for dinner we decided to rearrange our schedule. Originally, we planned two days each in Savannah and Charleston and then five days in Bardstown Kentucky (KY) doing bourbon tasting. Well, we are having so much fun here, and there are still places we want to eat in, so we are staying three days in Savannah, which gives us a chance to drive to Hilton Head (playground of the rich and famous) for dinner, and another three days in Charleston and cutting down our bourbon tasting to three days. Then instead of driving like crazy for two days to get back to our plane in Dallas, we are taking three days to drive to Dallas and making an overnight stop at Elvis’ house Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. And no, I do not plan to buy a white, leather Elvis outfit. Also, no, I am not a rabid Elvis Presley fan but gee, how can a girl pass up an opportunity to go to Graceland? And we’re even staying at the Heartbreak Hotel across the street from the mansion -- how fun is that?
OK, now about dinner. We dined at The Old Pink House, which is a lovely, fancy, restaurant in a very old house, complete with amazing history and a ghost. Again, the food is mind-blowingly fabulous and the service is beyond anything I’ve experienced -- everyone takes time to chat and make sure you are taken care of. It was truly a full evening in all ways (we were there three hours) and I almost wanted someone to just pour me into a wheelbarrow and roll me back to my hotel room. I must say, at this point, that although Savannah is the home of Paula Deen of cooking fame and also the site of her famous restaurant, we have decided not to eat there because a lot of reviews on TripAdvisor.com (as well as comments from locals here in Savannah) report that the food is OK but not great. So far we feel we’ve hit the jackpot every place we’ve gone. So tomorrow is another day and another couple of eating opportunities. Still no hush puppies yet!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 9 EATING OUR WAY THROUGH SAVANNAH
You can tell we are out of the Louisiana influence because the decorations on the houses are for Valentine’s Day and not Mardi Gras. And, I have to report that I have NOT found any hush puppies yet. My spouse is continuing on her quest for the best lemonade or limeade -- she found a very good, freshly made lemonade today but she reports that it is not as good as the lemonade she found in Birmingham, which apparently was the best ever. We ran across a praline store where they were handing out “free” samples. I say “free” in quotes because the stuff was so incredibly good that we ended up buying a bunch. These were definitely better than the pralines I’ve tasted in New Orleans or from the Praline store in the Atlanta airport (which are supposed to be really good). I think one of the differences in these Savannah pralines is the quality of the pecans (and yes, there is an ongoing discussion of the pronunciation of pecan -- pee-CAHN or PEE-can). Personally, I tend to come down on whichever side is the most irritating to whomever I am conversing with.
We’re staying at a DoubleTree Hotel, right on the edge of the Savannah River. It is a wonderful hotel and I highly recommend it. One cute thing is that they play the sounds of a babbling brook in the ladies restroom in the lobby area. I must say that it is a bit odd to hear it when I walk in -- the first time I used the restroom I ended up checking everywhere for a leaking faucet or a toilet that was running. I finally realized that the sound was coming from the ceiling.
We took a three-hour tour of the city with Old Savannah Tours. Wow, one of the best tours I’ve ever been on. The tour operator talked almost nonstop the whole time and packed in more history and odd bits and stories than I could possibly remember, but it was fascinating. The old, historic part of the city, which is where we are staying, is laid out in wards. Each ward consists of a city block-sized central square (a park with gorgeous, big, old oak trees, lots of landscaping bushes, other trees dripping with Spanish moss, usually a monument of some kind, often some interesting iron fencing, and some benches) and the houses that surround it. So the historic district is full of these central squares. The tour went around almost every one, describing interesting bits about the history of the square and some of the surrounding houses. This part of the city is absolutely lovely -- I already want to come back again for a more leisurely look. And yes, we saw the house that was written about in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and also the house where the founder of the Girl Scouts grew up.. One interesting tidbit we learned is that when the Georgia colony was formed (it was the last of the original 13 colonies), it was almost located in northern Maine but it was decided to locate it much further south, and one of the original rules was to ban slavery. That rule only lasted for 17 years but at least they tried. After the tour, we had a bite of lunch and then got the car and drove back to some of the squares to walk around and take photos. The weather was a perfect 70F and sunny -- couldn’t have ordered up anything more perfect.
We’re doing our best to keep Savannah green, if you know what I mean. I walked by a small shop that sold paintings by a Haitian artist -- the artist was sitting in the shop painting. His work is in a traditional folk-art style -- vibrantly colorful and detailed depictions of village life. I’ve always liked that style of painting but haven’t fallen in love with a particular work that I can afford. But I really like this guy’s work. So I hemmed and I hawed and then I asked the price of my favorite piece (which was way more than I was willing to pay) and then I started negotiating the price down, trying to carefully walk that line between getting the price down but not being disrespectful to his work. We reached an agreement and so by the time I get home, I’ll have a delightful new piece to hang on my wall. After I left the shop, my spouse wandered into the same shop and ended up going through the same negotiation process to buy a Gullah-style painting, which I had seen and also liked. The Gullah people live on isolated islands off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina and have their own language and culture. Their art style usually depicts people in silhouette, never showing facial or other detail, and is almost art deco in style. I think we have to stop shopping now.
Dinner was at a rather touristy place called The Pirate House. Ordinarily, my expectation is that food in touristy, gimmick restaurants is never very good. But Savannah seems to have a magic touch when it comes to food. Dinner last night was fabulous. Dinner tonight was amazingly fabulous. First of all, they brought a basket of buttermilk biscuits and cornbread muffins. I’ve never had biscuits that were so light and fluffy and flavorful, and the cornbread was also out of this world. I ordered fried chicken with a pecan crust that was definitely in the oh-my-gawd category, not to mention the onion rings (best ever), and even the spinach. Everything was pretty salty but otherwise it was cooked perfectly with amazing flavor. My friends ordered grilled shrimp, tilapia, and crab and they were bowled over by the food. Oh, and we had deep fried pickles again -- what a hoot and oh, so good. I hope I still fit in the seat on the plane when we fly home.
We’re staying at a DoubleTree Hotel, right on the edge of the Savannah River. It is a wonderful hotel and I highly recommend it. One cute thing is that they play the sounds of a babbling brook in the ladies restroom in the lobby area. I must say that it is a bit odd to hear it when I walk in -- the first time I used the restroom I ended up checking everywhere for a leaking faucet or a toilet that was running. I finally realized that the sound was coming from the ceiling.
We took a three-hour tour of the city with Old Savannah Tours. Wow, one of the best tours I’ve ever been on. The tour operator talked almost nonstop the whole time and packed in more history and odd bits and stories than I could possibly remember, but it was fascinating. The old, historic part of the city, which is where we are staying, is laid out in wards. Each ward consists of a city block-sized central square (a park with gorgeous, big, old oak trees, lots of landscaping bushes, other trees dripping with Spanish moss, usually a monument of some kind, often some interesting iron fencing, and some benches) and the houses that surround it. So the historic district is full of these central squares. The tour went around almost every one, describing interesting bits about the history of the square and some of the surrounding houses. This part of the city is absolutely lovely -- I already want to come back again for a more leisurely look. And yes, we saw the house that was written about in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and also the house where the founder of the Girl Scouts grew up.. One interesting tidbit we learned is that when the Georgia colony was formed (it was the last of the original 13 colonies), it was almost located in northern Maine but it was decided to locate it much further south, and one of the original rules was to ban slavery. That rule only lasted for 17 years but at least they tried. After the tour, we had a bite of lunch and then got the car and drove back to some of the squares to walk around and take photos. The weather was a perfect 70F and sunny -- couldn’t have ordered up anything more perfect.
We’re doing our best to keep Savannah green, if you know what I mean. I walked by a small shop that sold paintings by a Haitian artist -- the artist was sitting in the shop painting. His work is in a traditional folk-art style -- vibrantly colorful and detailed depictions of village life. I’ve always liked that style of painting but haven’t fallen in love with a particular work that I can afford. But I really like this guy’s work. So I hemmed and I hawed and then I asked the price of my favorite piece (which was way more than I was willing to pay) and then I started negotiating the price down, trying to carefully walk that line between getting the price down but not being disrespectful to his work. We reached an agreement and so by the time I get home, I’ll have a delightful new piece to hang on my wall. After I left the shop, my spouse wandered into the same shop and ended up going through the same negotiation process to buy a Gullah-style painting, which I had seen and also liked. The Gullah people live on isolated islands off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina and have their own language and culture. Their art style usually depicts people in silhouette, never showing facial or other detail, and is almost art deco in style. I think we have to stop shopping now.
Dinner was at a rather touristy place called The Pirate House. Ordinarily, my expectation is that food in touristy, gimmick restaurants is never very good. But Savannah seems to have a magic touch when it comes to food. Dinner last night was fabulous. Dinner tonight was amazingly fabulous. First of all, they brought a basket of buttermilk biscuits and cornbread muffins. I’ve never had biscuits that were so light and fluffy and flavorful, and the cornbread was also out of this world. I ordered fried chicken with a pecan crust that was definitely in the oh-my-gawd category, not to mention the onion rings (best ever), and even the spinach. Everything was pretty salty but otherwise it was cooked perfectly with amazing flavor. My friends ordered grilled shrimp, tilapia, and crab and they were bowled over by the food. Oh, and we had deep fried pickles again -- what a hoot and oh, so good. I hope I still fit in the seat on the plane when we fly home.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 8 HEADING FOR SAVANNAH
Today we drove across Alabama and into Georgia -- another 7-hour driving day. The highways from Texas to Savannah are amazingly unclogged with traffic and smoothly paved, with a 70 mph speed limit, flat and almost straight. It is difficult not to get sleepy so I spent my time either driving or looking up interesting things along the way and reading tidbits out loud. We passed by Dallas GA (something of a space warp since we left Dallas TX several days ago), and drove past Dublin, Eastaboga GA (what kind of name is that?), Bugtussle (need I say more?), Hogjaw (the names just keep getting better), and Vidalia (yes, the home of the Vidalia onion -- can you name the two other types of sweet onion?……..Maui and Walla Walla). It turns out that the sweetness of the onions is due to the low sulfur content in the soil. We passed up the opportunity to visit the Videlia onion gift shop.
We passed by the Ocmulgee National Monument -- yet another monument I’ve never heard of and also another site of earth mounds from a culture long ago -- approximately 12,000 years ago. The archeologists think these mounds are temple mounds, built originally by ice age hunters who migrated into the southeast. I was sorry that we didn’t have enough time to explore these sites. Other interesting southern sights: a couple of anti-abortion billboards, several large (very large) Christian churches and schools (in MS, AL, and GA), and a wonderful pink billboard in GA that said “Shared memories: prom and pageant gowns.” Yes, the south is the center of beauty pageants and if you ever have a need for a pageant gown, you know where to shop!
Great idea for a trip: fly to Savannah and then drive up the east coast. That would be great fun! Driving through GA, think thick, piney woods with spindly trees that are harvested for pulp..
Savannah is, indeed beautiful. We had a balmy 77F today, which was lovely. After checking into our hotel, we availed ourselves of the concierge service, who booked a reservation for us at a wonderful restaurant, The Chart House (yes, it is a chain but this particular restaurant was spectacular). Some of the southern specialties on the menu were (1) blackened shrimp over yellow stone-ground bacon garlic grits (oh my gawd!) and pontchartrain sauce with corn fritters (another oh my gawd) on a bed of tomato jam; (2) fried green tomatoes (best I’ve ever had, by far); (3) she-crab soup; and (4) carmelized catfish with jumbo lump crab and spinach served over the same bacon garlic grits and smoked tomato gravy. I, of course, ordered chicken, which wass fabulous. We began our meal with cocktails (manhattan for me, of course), ordered a bottle of pinot noir with dinner, and ended with a peach cobbler and a shot of chilled Southern Comfort. A perfect meal although I am still hoping to find hush puppies (how much more southern can you get?). Luckily, we only had to walk two blocks back to the hotel.
We passed by the Ocmulgee National Monument -- yet another monument I’ve never heard of and also another site of earth mounds from a culture long ago -- approximately 12,000 years ago. The archeologists think these mounds are temple mounds, built originally by ice age hunters who migrated into the southeast. I was sorry that we didn’t have enough time to explore these sites. Other interesting southern sights: a couple of anti-abortion billboards, several large (very large) Christian churches and schools (in MS, AL, and GA), and a wonderful pink billboard in GA that said “Shared memories: prom and pageant gowns.” Yes, the south is the center of beauty pageants and if you ever have a need for a pageant gown, you know where to shop!
Great idea for a trip: fly to Savannah and then drive up the east coast. That would be great fun! Driving through GA, think thick, piney woods with spindly trees that are harvested for pulp..
Savannah is, indeed beautiful. We had a balmy 77F today, which was lovely. After checking into our hotel, we availed ourselves of the concierge service, who booked a reservation for us at a wonderful restaurant, The Chart House (yes, it is a chain but this particular restaurant was spectacular). Some of the southern specialties on the menu were (1) blackened shrimp over yellow stone-ground bacon garlic grits (oh my gawd!) and pontchartrain sauce with corn fritters (another oh my gawd) on a bed of tomato jam; (2) fried green tomatoes (best I’ve ever had, by far); (3) she-crab soup; and (4) carmelized catfish with jumbo lump crab and spinach served over the same bacon garlic grits and smoked tomato gravy. I, of course, ordered chicken, which wass fabulous. We began our meal with cocktails (manhattan for me, of course), ordered a bottle of pinot noir with dinner, and ended with a peach cobbler and a shot of chilled Southern Comfort. A perfect meal although I am still hoping to find hush puppies (how much more southern can you get?). Luckily, we only had to walk two blocks back to the hotel.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
ROAD TRIP DAY 5-7 PLAYING AROUND IN TEXAS & HEADING EAST
With Girlfriend Weekend over, we had two full days to relax and see the sights. High on our agenda on Day 5 was the singularly Texan experience of getting (and drinking) cocktails from a drive-through kiosk. They have an extensive list of cocktails, all served over lots of crushed ice in to-go cups with a piece of tape carefully placed over the top of the cup, just to one side of the hole for the straw. This pays attention to the no-open-container law but also gets around it by allowing you to insert your straw and immediately start to enjoy the drink as you drive off. I rapidly figured out that the crushed ice serves an important function -- you simply cannot drink the cocktail very fast because the ice gives you “brain freeze” if you try. By the time we arrived at my friend’s house, about 20 minutes later, I had finished my drink and was definitely aware that I had imbibed a strong drink. Great fun! We ended up spending the evening playing golf on Wii (I lost -- bummer).
We also seem to have found a worthy quest for our trip -- finding the best freshly-made lemonade and limeade. In Jefferson, the drugstore downtown has a lunch counter and they make limeades from scratch. We even tried cherry-limeades. Worth a definite rave! Which reminds me that east Texas is Dr Pepper country. If you order a “coke” they ask you what flavor coke you want -- Coca-cola, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. Cute.
On day 6, a Monday, we went to see a model train layout that was absolutely fabulous. This is a huge layout that was lovingly built by two men who, upon their deaths, wanted it kept intact and moved to a place where it would be appreciated and well maintained. A few model train enthusiasts in Jefferson, TX were able to convince the family that Jefferson (population 2,000) was a worthy location (rather than New York or Dallas). The town hastily built a new building to house the trains and the result is impressive. The detail is amazing -- inside every building are scenes with furniture and people. The layout includes two small towns, with all the details you might imagine.
Then we drove to the only naturally-occurring lake in Texas, Caddo Lake, which is so large that it is in eastern Texas and also in Louisiana. Part of the lake is a large open water section and part is classic Louisiana swamp, with cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, green-brown water, and an eerie feel. We looked at some of the swampy bayous, although the bugs and other animal life remained hidden because it is winter and the weather has been especially cold for the region. We drove by a couple of towns with names that make me laugh -- Karnack (think Johnny Carson, and if you don’t know who he is then look him up), and Uncertain. I’m not joking -- these are real places.
We celebrated our final evening by going to a Texas steak house -- nice-sized and delicious ribeye steak with baked potato and creamed spinach is $16, which is at least half of what I would pay at home in California. We tried something new -- deep fried pickles with ranch dressing for dipping sauce. YUM! I know, it doesn’t sound very good, but it was.
Today is day 7, a Tuesday, and we took off for Savannah, Georgia (GA). Because it is a 14-hour drive we decided to stay at the halfway point which is in Birmingham, AL. So today we drove across Louisiana (LA) and Mississippi (MS) and partway into Alabama (AL). In LA, we passed Poverty Point Monument, which is the site of very early earthen mounds (as early as 700 BCE). Apparently archeologists discovered this site in the early 1900s and to this day are not entirely sure what the purpose of the mounds are. Look it up to find more info. None of us had ever heard of this and to learn that it is a national monument with such an interesting mystery was very exciting.
Interesting sighting in LA -- driving down the highway in the middle of nowhere there was a yellow diamond-shaped highway sign with a silhouette of a bear and the word “BEAR.” Bears in LA??? There were only scrub trees and swampy land for miles. Who knew?
More fun place names in MS: Bovina (who would name a town Bovina?), Chunky (yup, I’m not lying), Rhymes, and Van Winkle. We lunched in Pearl, MS and had chicken and dumplings smothered in gravy -- a totally Southern experience. On our route today, we’ve apparently been all over the world -- drove past Delhi, Quebec, Cuba, Canton, and Carthage, not to mention Eutaw in AL (yes, that is how they spell it). We ended the day with Manhattans, which are the perfect ending to any day.
We also seem to have found a worthy quest for our trip -- finding the best freshly-made lemonade and limeade. In Jefferson, the drugstore downtown has a lunch counter and they make limeades from scratch. We even tried cherry-limeades. Worth a definite rave! Which reminds me that east Texas is Dr Pepper country. If you order a “coke” they ask you what flavor coke you want -- Coca-cola, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. Cute.
On day 6, a Monday, we went to see a model train layout that was absolutely fabulous. This is a huge layout that was lovingly built by two men who, upon their deaths, wanted it kept intact and moved to a place where it would be appreciated and well maintained. A few model train enthusiasts in Jefferson, TX were able to convince the family that Jefferson (population 2,000) was a worthy location (rather than New York or Dallas). The town hastily built a new building to house the trains and the result is impressive. The detail is amazing -- inside every building are scenes with furniture and people. The layout includes two small towns, with all the details you might imagine.
Then we drove to the only naturally-occurring lake in Texas, Caddo Lake, which is so large that it is in eastern Texas and also in Louisiana. Part of the lake is a large open water section and part is classic Louisiana swamp, with cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, green-brown water, and an eerie feel. We looked at some of the swampy bayous, although the bugs and other animal life remained hidden because it is winter and the weather has been especially cold for the region. We drove by a couple of towns with names that make me laugh -- Karnack (think Johnny Carson, and if you don’t know who he is then look him up), and Uncertain. I’m not joking -- these are real places.
We celebrated our final evening by going to a Texas steak house -- nice-sized and delicious ribeye steak with baked potato and creamed spinach is $16, which is at least half of what I would pay at home in California. We tried something new -- deep fried pickles with ranch dressing for dipping sauce. YUM! I know, it doesn’t sound very good, but it was.
Today is day 7, a Tuesday, and we took off for Savannah, Georgia (GA). Because it is a 14-hour drive we decided to stay at the halfway point which is in Birmingham, AL. So today we drove across Louisiana (LA) and Mississippi (MS) and partway into Alabama (AL). In LA, we passed Poverty Point Monument, which is the site of very early earthen mounds (as early as 700 BCE). Apparently archeologists discovered this site in the early 1900s and to this day are not entirely sure what the purpose of the mounds are. Look it up to find more info. None of us had ever heard of this and to learn that it is a national monument with such an interesting mystery was very exciting.
Interesting sighting in LA -- driving down the highway in the middle of nowhere there was a yellow diamond-shaped highway sign with a silhouette of a bear and the word “BEAR.” Bears in LA??? There were only scrub trees and swampy land for miles. Who knew?
More fun place names in MS: Bovina (who would name a town Bovina?), Chunky (yup, I’m not lying), Rhymes, and Van Winkle. We lunched in Pearl, MS and had chicken and dumplings smothered in gravy -- a totally Southern experience. On our route today, we’ve apparently been all over the world -- drove past Delhi, Quebec, Cuba, Canton, and Carthage, not to mention Eutaw in AL (yes, that is how they spell it). We ended the day with Manhattans, which are the perfect ending to any day.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
DAY 2-4 GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND FRENZY
Three days of books, authors, and zany women. Who could ask for more?
I’ve blogged before about Girlfriend Weekend (see http://www.willworkforairfare.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html ) and this year was no exception. It began with an “author dinner,” which means that the local BBQ restaurant (best BBQ I’ve ever had) catered a dinner for the conference attendees and that dinner was served by the featured authors for the weekend, all dressed in Charlie Chaplin-style costumes. Apparently the authors love this event because they get a chance to meet and chat with other authors and also with readers in a very social environment. Friday and Saturday are crammed all day with 45-minute panels of authors followed by a little break for book signings. It is absolutely wonderful to hear authors talking about what inspired them to write their latest book, the back story for the book (many fiction books are based on real events, which always makes the books more interesting to me), and how they got started writing in the first place. Many of the authors and the books fall into the category of Southern literature, some of which is on the fluffy side (feel-good, motivational, good, clean Christian stories, and so on) and some of which is truly good literature and good reading (nonfiction accounts of famous people and events, fictionalized treatments of true events). Of course, you can buy the books at the conference, but because I don’t want to ship a ton of books home after the weekend, I look up each book I’m interested in to see if it is available for download onto my Kindle. Luckily, everything I was interested in is downloadable!
Girlfriend Weekend is an event put on by the Pulpwood Queens book club which aims at getting more women, men, and children to read and to introducing them to engaging and even life-changing stories. And it is working. There are more than 500 chapters in the USA. Women come to this conference from all over the south and often groups from the same book club wear some kind of fun, identifying clothing. This is an event where women can kick up their heels and be playful and zany, so I saw women wearing tiaras (I wore mine!) and lots of hot pink, leopard print, and sparkly bling. Who says reading has to be solemn and boring? Saturday night is a big party where women dress up in costumes of the theme for that year (this year the theme was The Guilded Age so we saw lots of flappers), book clubs adorn their tables with amazingly elaborate decorations, and women drink and dance and have a great time. Authors also join in, in costume, and seem to have a wonderful time.
Books that really interested me this year are:
A Silence of Mockingbirds A Memoir of a Murder by Karen Spears Zacharias (true story)
You Believers by Jane Bradley (true story)
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone (true story)
Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge (based on true story, light read)
Roses by Leila Meacham (light read)
Into The Free by Julie Cantrell (about American gypsys)
Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richardson by Jan Reid (biography and a good one)
American Ghost: A Novel by Janis Owens (based on a true story)
A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwell’s Story of Survival by Julie Hedgepeth Williams (true story)
Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite (rare look into Appalachian culture and beliefs)
So here I am eating southern food, being called “hon” and “sweetie” by wait staff in restaurants, trying to remember to specify “unsweet” tea when I order iced tea, and trying to get used to the fact that no vegetable is worth eating unless it is cooked limp with lots of salt, some bacon or ham, and a wee bit of sugar. People in Jefferson are unfailingly friendly and polite and we are getting a small taste of New Orleans because many shops and houses have Mardi Gras decorations up -- Jefferson is so close to Louisiana that it is considered to be “Louisiana West.”
Tomorrow we get to rest up -- and we need it!
I’ve blogged before about Girlfriend Weekend (see http://www.willworkforairfare.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html ) and this year was no exception. It began with an “author dinner,” which means that the local BBQ restaurant (best BBQ I’ve ever had) catered a dinner for the conference attendees and that dinner was served by the featured authors for the weekend, all dressed in Charlie Chaplin-style costumes. Apparently the authors love this event because they get a chance to meet and chat with other authors and also with readers in a very social environment. Friday and Saturday are crammed all day with 45-minute panels of authors followed by a little break for book signings. It is absolutely wonderful to hear authors talking about what inspired them to write their latest book, the back story for the book (many fiction books are based on real events, which always makes the books more interesting to me), and how they got started writing in the first place. Many of the authors and the books fall into the category of Southern literature, some of which is on the fluffy side (feel-good, motivational, good, clean Christian stories, and so on) and some of which is truly good literature and good reading (nonfiction accounts of famous people and events, fictionalized treatments of true events). Of course, you can buy the books at the conference, but because I don’t want to ship a ton of books home after the weekend, I look up each book I’m interested in to see if it is available for download onto my Kindle. Luckily, everything I was interested in is downloadable!
Girlfriend Weekend is an event put on by the Pulpwood Queens book club which aims at getting more women, men, and children to read and to introducing them to engaging and even life-changing stories. And it is working. There are more than 500 chapters in the USA. Women come to this conference from all over the south and often groups from the same book club wear some kind of fun, identifying clothing. This is an event where women can kick up their heels and be playful and zany, so I saw women wearing tiaras (I wore mine!) and lots of hot pink, leopard print, and sparkly bling. Who says reading has to be solemn and boring? Saturday night is a big party where women dress up in costumes of the theme for that year (this year the theme was The Guilded Age so we saw lots of flappers), book clubs adorn their tables with amazingly elaborate decorations, and women drink and dance and have a great time. Authors also join in, in costume, and seem to have a wonderful time.
Books that really interested me this year are:
A Silence of Mockingbirds A Memoir of a Murder by Karen Spears Zacharias (true story)
You Believers by Jane Bradley (true story)
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone (true story)
Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge (based on true story, light read)
Roses by Leila Meacham (light read)
Into The Free by Julie Cantrell (about American gypsys)
Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richardson by Jan Reid (biography and a good one)
American Ghost: A Novel by Janis Owens (based on a true story)
A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwell’s Story of Survival by Julie Hedgepeth Williams (true story)
Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite (rare look into Appalachian culture and beliefs)
So here I am eating southern food, being called “hon” and “sweetie” by wait staff in restaurants, trying to remember to specify “unsweet” tea when I order iced tea, and trying to get used to the fact that no vegetable is worth eating unless it is cooked limp with lots of salt, some bacon or ham, and a wee bit of sugar. People in Jefferson are unfailingly friendly and polite and we are getting a small taste of New Orleans because many shops and houses have Mardi Gras decorations up -- Jefferson is so close to Louisiana that it is considered to be “Louisiana West.”
Tomorrow we get to rest up -- and we need it!
Friday, January 18, 2013
ON THE WAY TO TEXAS
To get our trip off to a great start, we decided to splurge by flying to Texas first class. Wow, what a difference that makes. We arranged to be picked up at home by a limo -- the driver was on time, courteous, a great driver, and very personable. What luxury! And then it got even better when he told us that first class passengers have their own curb-side check-in spot at the airport. Our bags were checked in and we were done in minutes! Then the skycap told us that first class passengers have their own, separate security processing. We walked into the airport through a special first class door and discovered a relatively short line. That is so much nicer than the security lines for coach passengers -- it was a real treat. So by the time we got to our gate, we had plenty of time to get a little breakfast before taking off.
For those of you who have never flown first class, here is what our experience was like. Of course you know that the seats are roomy and comfortable. Each pair of seats gets a separate overhead bin for storage. And as soon as we sat down, the flight attendant brought us drinks. After the plane took off, we were offered little bowls of mixed nuts and more drinks. Then we had our choice of two entrees for lunch, which was served with cloth napkins, metal cutlery, and real plates and bowls. And the food was quite nice. Dessert was a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. And the flight attendant kept coming around to check that we had everything we needed. At the end of the three-hour flight, we were first to walk off and first to get our luggage at baggage claim. We arrived in Dallas rested, refreshed, and ready for our three-hour drive to Jefferson, which is way on the eastern border of Texas, almost into Louisiana. I wish I could afford to fly first class all the time!
We made it to the shuttle that took us to the rental car office, but with difficulty. OK, so we have too much luggage. I admit it. But really, we had to pack stuff for cold weather (highs of 35 F) and for warm weather (highs of 72 F). And a girl needs a few shoes to go with different outfits. Well, you get the picture. Anyway, we finally got ourselves settled into our mini-van and set off……and then got a bit lost trying to get out of the airport despite the fact that we brought a navigation device to prevent this very situation. But after going in circles a couple of times, we managed to find our way out and onto the highway, just in time to hit Dallas commute traffic. Sigh After about 45 minutes, we finally got free of the traffic and started experiencing typical Texas driving, which is broad, smooth, many-laned highways with almost no cars, and a 75 MPH speed limit. We arrived in Jefferson, met up with old friends, had a late supper, and fell into bed at our B&B.
For those of you who have never flown first class, here is what our experience was like. Of course you know that the seats are roomy and comfortable. Each pair of seats gets a separate overhead bin for storage. And as soon as we sat down, the flight attendant brought us drinks. After the plane took off, we were offered little bowls of mixed nuts and more drinks. Then we had our choice of two entrees for lunch, which was served with cloth napkins, metal cutlery, and real plates and bowls. And the food was quite nice. Dessert was a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. And the flight attendant kept coming around to check that we had everything we needed. At the end of the three-hour flight, we were first to walk off and first to get our luggage at baggage claim. We arrived in Dallas rested, refreshed, and ready for our three-hour drive to Jefferson, which is way on the eastern border of Texas, almost into Louisiana. I wish I could afford to fly first class all the time!
We made it to the shuttle that took us to the rental car office, but with difficulty. OK, so we have too much luggage. I admit it. But really, we had to pack stuff for cold weather (highs of 35 F) and for warm weather (highs of 72 F). And a girl needs a few shoes to go with different outfits. Well, you get the picture. Anyway, we finally got ourselves settled into our mini-van and set off……and then got a bit lost trying to get out of the airport despite the fact that we brought a navigation device to prevent this very situation. But after going in circles a couple of times, we managed to find our way out and onto the highway, just in time to hit Dallas commute traffic. Sigh After about 45 minutes, we finally got free of the traffic and started experiencing typical Texas driving, which is broad, smooth, many-laned highways with almost no cars, and a 75 MPH speed limit. We arrived in Jefferson, met up with old friends, had a late supper, and fell into bed at our B&B.
Monday, January 14, 2013
ROAD TRIP TO SOUTHERN USA
It's time -- way past time, if you ask me -- for another trip. This time I am going on a road trip with my spouse and a long-time friend. The three of us are flying to Dallas, then driving to a little town in Eastern Texas, called Jefferson -- been there before. We're attending a Pulpwood Queen book club book and author convention for 3 days, then taking a couple of days to recover and eat ribs, and then we'll take off for points south. Our plan is to go to Savannah, GA, then Charleston, SC, then loop up through Tennessee to bourbon country in Kentucky for some serious bourbon tasting. Stay tuned.
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