North Carolina
Hello again, invisible audience! Here's a summary of a recent trip to the Tar Heel State, beautiful North Carolina. A last minute, nearly impromptu journey across several cities. We flew to Charlotte without incident, aside from our luggage ending up on a random conveyer belt upon arrival. And being told at the rental desk that no cars were available, despite my having a reservation. I was reminded of that Seinfeld episode. We took the first car to be returned that afternoon, a Mitsubishi Mirage, not ideal for mountain road inclines. No power or acceleration. At times, I was concerned the little bugger wouldn't make it. But it did, and got great gas mileage.
We spent the day wandering Charlotte's First Ward, fairly tired (we had an early flight). Lunch was at The Cowbell Burger & Whiskey Bar, a noisy joint that had music videos playing on two big screens and very good pub food. Our burgers were delish. We wandered some more, marveling at the Truist building that looms over the city like some sort of evil scepter, or maybe one of the skyscrapers on the cover of Steely Dan's The Royal Scam album. We stopped for an early dinner at The Asbury. We were the first ones there. Our waiter was friendly and droll. After a fine meal of salmon salad, he told us he would be lonely after we left, though was expecting a large party at 7. We crashed as soon as we reached the hotel.
The next morning we headed to the NODA (North of Davidson Avenue) part of the city and enjoyed brunch at Heist Brewery, which my wife learned of from the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Strangely enough, that episode also played the day we returned to Florida. My crab cake benedict was great, as was my wife's flatbread, which had candied walnuts. Sorry that my culinary descriptions are not as detailed as usual; there's a lot to cover here. I of course also had one of the house brews, made in a vat behind the glass on the other side of my table. Afterward, we wandered the area, filled with lots of local artistry - on murals, sold in stores, and on corners. The one seen below appears to have the perhaps uncredited contribution of Matt Groening.
We drove on to the town of Cherokee, home of part of the Cherokee Nation and an entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That evening we listened to a gentleman, a native American who grew up in the area, discuss his Cherokee heritage during an outside lecture next to the Oconaluftee River. There was a bonfire alongside him, and kids were invited to roast marshmallows during the break. Very informative and enlightening talk. You can catch these on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays through October. Admission is free.
After a hearty breakfast at Peter's, we entered the park and hit Clingman's Dome, a steep but paved hike that ends in a cement tower with gorgeous panoramic views of the mountains. Then we headed north, closer to Gatlinburg and trekked to Cataract Falls, which has a decent sized waterfall.
By now we were hungry and figured we'd hit Gatlinburg for lunch, seeing as there were so many options. This was the low point of the trip, as the main drag in town is Tourist Hell, with seemingly thousands of people aimlessly wandering and disrupting traffic. Every chain restaurant was there, as well as dozens of tacky souvenir shops. And yes, a store devoted entirely to Donald Trump stuff. I hope the rest of town isn't as obnoxious. We ended up at a place called No Way, Jose Cafe, which was OK gringo Mexican fare.
On the way back south we hiked part of the Alum Cave trail. I think our hikes sufficiently burned off our caloric intakes.
That night we took in a performance of Unto These Hills, a live production at the Cherokee Mountainside Theater (an outdoor amphitheater) that documents the troubled, tragic history of the Cherokee as they attempted to live in peace and even draft their own Constitution, leading eventually down the Trail of Tears and an eventual bittersweet return to Carolina. Very well performed. The show has run nearly continuously since 1950! Did you know that actress Polly Holliday, who played Flo on the sitcom Alice, had one of her first acting gigs in this show? The cast did a pre-show concert, which included "I'll Fly Away". I was an obedient patron and did not photograph the main performance, but here's a shot of the venue.
After some choice BBQ (those St. Louis ribs!) at Woodlands, we went to Blowing Rock Park. Its famous outcropping has a legend you can read about, and it's reputed that if you throw an object off of it, the wind will return it to you via mysterious upward gusts. We did not experience this, but we did meet Lena, a bushy black cat who can be found napping on the rocks and at other points around, which include short trails and a photo museum (we saw her kitty condo in there). You can also watch a pool of mischievous turtles and a pond of koi. Lovely place.
That night we had a light supper at Six Pence Club on Main Street and listened to some live classical musical from the gazebo at a park across the street. Blowing Rock is a mellow place that is not overrun with tourists. Worth checking out. Also, while you're strolling on Main, try an ice cream cookie at Blue Deer. I had lemon crunch between two Snickerdoodles - subliiiimmmme.
After a fine breakfast at El Rincon we journeyed to Grandfather Mountain and did the 0.4 mile jaunt up to the suspension bridge. Just under it, heavy rains came out of the heavens and we had to don our ponchos, appearing like Mr. and Mrs. Gortons fishermen as we waited it out under rocks. The presence of lightning precluded our continuation to the bridge. Disappointing, but understandable. We got this shot before the hike.
Next, we headed to Asheville and our home for the next two nights, the Beaufort House Inn B & B, not far from downtown. Beautifully restored 130 year old Victorian style home that Charleton Heston once lived in for a year before he went to Hollywood. It has quite a history, and was thankfully saved from becoming a parking lot for the synagogue next door back in the 1970s. Great staff and excellent breakfasts, served between 8:30 and 9:30 in the dining room daily. We were in the Haseltine Room.
We supped at Bone and Broth, which is nearby on Charlotte Street. I had the chimichurri chicken , which also included sausage and vegetables. Delectable. My wife had the broth bowl with noodles. Nice place. Dinner was walked off around the Inn's neighborhood, filled with beautiful homes with overgrown gardens and a surprising amount of "Black Lives Matter" signs in front yards.
The next day we walked all over downtown. You may know that Asheville is what people term "artsy" and "funky". No argument. Very much the vibe there. A busker on nearly every corner. Lots of cool things to see. There's a movie theater showing indie films. A really cool blown glass gallery and lots of culinary options. We went for vegan at the Laughing Seed Cafe. I had a raw dish - manicotti made out of zucchini. There's also a Woolworth's with an old time lunch counter and two floors of locally produced artworks. The Grove Arcade is another historical wonder, filled with several small businesses. It was taken over by the government during WWII and then became a meteorological center before it was restored to the public about 20 years ago.
Our final day in NC was spent back in Charlotte. We joined some relatives (who had recently moved from South Florida) at their home in Concord for a catch-up dinner of chicken and pork skewers and peach cobbler. We had returned the rental car early and took an Uber, which was driven by a former policewoman who was very friendly.
Such a great, restorative trip. We will return, very likely during the fall some year.
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