Atlanta

Centennial-Olympic Park

Atlanta Factoid: There are almost 100 streets with Peachtree in their names. Confusing doesn't even begin to describe it!

The closest to Atlanta either Mike or I have ever been was waiting to change planes at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport!  When my best friend from college, Peggy, and her guy, Rick, move there from Virginia this summer, we make a change in the itinerary.  Instead of spending time with them in Charlottesville, Virginia, we will explore Atlanta, Georgia, instead!

Rather than fight Atlanta's infamously terrible traffic snarls, we opt to use MARTA, Atlanta's metro and bus system.  We purchase our BREEZE cards at a kiosk and we are off to the Jimmy Carter Museum.

President Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, the oldest of four children.  His father was a successful businessman and staunch segregationist, while his mother, Miss Lillian, was an registered nurse and a kind, generous, tolerant woman who taught Jimmy to care for the human condition of his fellow man.

Jimmy & Rosalynn's wedding attire

A brilliant student and avid reader, Jimmy attended the US Naval Academy placing 59th in his class.   He met Rosalynn through a friend and soon after, they married.  His stint in the Navy aboard a nuclear submarine, under the leadership of Admiral Rickover who had the most influence on his life as anyone, was cut short when his father dies and he was needed to help run the family business.  So, he returned to Plains to be a peanut farmer, Georgia State Legislator, and eventually Governor of Georgia..  

He was elected President in 1976, his tenure highlighted by the energy crisis, Iran hostage situation, high inflation (world-wide stagflation), the Three-Mile Island nuclear accident, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the eruption of Mount Saint Helens.

After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project, and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright's famous brooch collection is on display.

She was recently there at a book-signing event for her latest book, 'Read My Pins'.

Albright is famous for her snazzy pins which often relate either her mood for the day, or send a special message to the diplomat on that days's agenda like when she thought their hotel rooms were being bugged while in Moscow, she wore a huge 'BUG' pin to negotiations with the Russians the next day!            

Home Depot co-founder, Bernard Marcus, and his wife, donated $250 million to the city of Atlanta in 2001 to construct the world's largest aquarium.  The aquarium boasts tanks that hold over 8.5 million gallons of marine and fresh water for over 120,000 animals of 500 different species.

The most famous residents are four young whale sharks, four beluga whales, and four giant manta rays.  Its largest tank, about the size of a football field, was constructed specially to hold up to five whale sharks.

Its viewing wall is nicknamed the 'WOW! Wall' because that is what most folks exclaim when they first espy it.

The habitat for the Emperor Penguins has a tunnel system that allows you to pop up in the middle of the environs!  Cool!

A few days before we arrive in Atlanta, I make FB friends with a former classmate, Sue, from 2nd and 3rd grade, high school and college. When I realize that her current town of Kennassaw Georgia, is a suburb of Atlanta, I contact her and we meet for lunch one day, catching up on over forty years of life!  Then, she invites us to visit Atlanta's historic Fox Theater  where she works part-time!

A couple of days later, we arrive at the Fox Theater for the 10am tour.  And golly-gee, WOW...is Sue right about this place!  It was constructed in 1928 for the Shriner's, but due to the Stock Market Crash of '29, construction came to a sudden halt.

Enter movie mogul, William Fox of 20th Century Fox Studios.  He agrees to complete the project and share the facility with the Shriners.

The result is indeed spectacular with Moorish, Egyptian, and Spanish architecture on display.  This year's offerings include 'Jersey Boys', 'Billy Elliott', and 'Memphis.'

After the official tour, Sue treats us to a behind the scenes peek for a special, spectacular day at the Fox.  We have a late lunch at Mary Mac's Tea Room, just down the street.

A long-time favorite of Atlanta, we are treated to a meal of good old-fashioned Southern cooking. Getting reacquainted with long-lost friend, Sue, is a an unexpected treat indeed!

Atlanta's High Museum of Art is featuring a special exhibit called 'From Picasso to Warhol'.

We enjoy their art as well as pieces from Calder, Matisse, and Pollock.

Table 1280 is just across the courtyard, so we try their Three Martini lunch offering: any three items from a list of fifteen or so choices.  Yumm-Oh!

'Sex and the Second City' is playing at the Alliance Theater.   We enjoy the comedy based on dating rituals of twenty-somethings in the electronic, cyber age.  Mike comments that the poster of one of the actors looking puppy dog lovingly at one of the actresses is exactly the way he looks at me!  I break out laughing so hard that I start crying.  One of the ushers starts looking at me with an amused grin, so I tell her about our Airstream journey and she says,  'That long on a trip and you're still laughing!'  Very funny!

Later that evening, after dinner at Zapata's, que muy rico, we enjoy the 'Santaland Diaries' by David Sedaris at the Norcross Community Theater.  Sedaris based the play on his stint as an elf at Macy's in Manhattan for several years.  Very enjoyable!

For the last three days in Atlanta we are finally able to visit with Peggy,

my dear friend since college.

We spend one day at the Fernbank Natural History Museum where a spectacular exhibit of Charles Darwin is on display.

The IMAX film, 'Galapagos'  helps set the tone for the visit.  On another day, we get manicures and pedicures, ahhhh!

On our last night in Atlanta, we decide to return to Zapata's with Peggy & Rick,

a fine little Mexican restaurant in historic Norcross where we enjoy fresh-made Margaritas,

Jamie & Chepito, our favorite waiters at Zapata's!

molcajetes and Mariachis.

Our visit to the World of Coke is a so-so moment, geared for the kiddos and a great big Coca-Coal commercial.  Glad we see it, but once is definitely enough on this one!

There is so much to see and do in Atlanta, and we only scratch the surface,  Peggy and Sue, we will be baaaacccckkkkk!

Asheville, Land of the Great Smokies

Visiting Asheville has been high on our list of must-see places ever since discovering that the Vanderbilt's Biltmore mansion is located there. We are pleased to discover that Asheville is also one of the country's top places in which to retire.  Christmas season is a perfect time to visit this lovely city.  Our first evening is spent at the Asheville Community Theater for the opening night of 'Dashing Through the Snow', a comedy about a B&B in Tinsel, Texas, which is decorated for Christmas 365 days of the year.

We are delighted to discover that the National Gingerbread House Competition which attracts contestants from across the country with their architectural masterpieces is being held at the Grove Park Inn!  We try to view them late one afternoon, but the crowds and no place to park make it an impossiblity.

Thanksgiving morning turns out to be THE perfect time for viewing the creativity and imagination shown in these sugar-and-spice creations.

The Grand Prize Winner!

We take a casual stroll through the competition with very few people around.

Then, a leisurely breakfast of eggs Benedict await us in the restaurant overlooking downtown Asheville and the surrounding mountains.

The Grove Park Inn is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, since the hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style.  Edwin Wiley Grove (1850–1927) with the help of his son-in-law Fred Loring Seely (1871–1942) dreamed up the idea of this unique resort hotel.  Its rapid construction, which began in 1912, and was completed in a mere 11 months and 27 days, was accomplished by paying high wages to the dedicated workers. Circus tents were erected on the job site to house them!

The Inn opened July 12, 1913.  Built of rough granite stones, the gigantic lobby is known for its enormous granite fireplaces and expansive porch with its scenic view.  The Roycrofters of East Aurora, New York, one of the most important designers and manufacturers of Arts and Crafts furniture, metal work and other accessories outfitted the interior.

The hotel has hosted numerous celebrities over the years including William Jennings Bryan (who spoke at the hotel's opening), Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller, John D. Rockefeller, Gen. John J. Pershing, Jerry Seinfeld, John Waters, David & Amy Sedaris, Sanjay Gupta, Charles Schwab, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Enrico Caruso, Harry Houdini, Al Jolson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bobby Jones, Wiley Post,

Will Rogers, Bill Tilden, Billy Graham, Barack Obama, William Shatner, Don Cheadle, and many others.

Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895.  At 135,000 square feet and 250 rooms, it is the largest privately-owned home in the United States and is still owned by one of Vanderbilt's descendants. It is one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age with its expansive gardens in the Garden à la française and English Landscape garden styles.  In 2007, it was ranked eighth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architect.

In the late 1800's, Asheville was a popular health resort in the southern Appelachians known for its mineral springs, fresh air, and pleasant climate.  George and his mother were frequent visitors and he fell in love with the area and its rugged appeal.

He hired two of the most prominent designers of the day, architect  Richard Morris Hunt (Metropolitan Art Museum's main facade and pedestal for the Statue of Liberty) and landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead (NYC's Central Park and the nation's Capitol grounds) to accomplish the herculean task of designing a home to reign over the 125,000 acre estate.

Limestone from Indiana, marble from India, 32,000 bricks per day from an on-site kiln, and oak and walnut flooring and paneling from a wood-working factory nearby were transported to the site by a 3-mile long rail spur.  After six years of construction, Biltmore ('Bildt' for the Dutch town of his ancestors and 'more', an old English word for open, rolling land) was open on Christmas Eve, 1895.

It was not only used for entertaining, but was truly a home.  After George married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in Paris, 1898, they returned to the estate to live and start a family.  Their only child, Cornelia, was born there in 1900 and grew up there.

The couple was known to be kind and generous, paying good wages, providing nice living quarters and hosting a big Christmas party for the staff every year. One story that impressed me was the one about a young teenaged servant girl, who upon dropping a piece of china at dinner one night, was surprised when George helped her clean up the mess.  Another, told of the two young sons of one of the gardeners, who cut down one of George's two prized pines to use as a Christmas tree. The father, horrified at their carelessness, marched them up to the big house so that they could apologize to George, but instead of being furious about it, he kindly forgave them and said to enjoy the tree for the holidays.

The Biltmore is an experience that we enjoyed immensely, taking advantage of the audio self-guided tour.  Lunch in the Stables Restaurant was top-notch!  We plan to spend more time on the Estate next visit, peddaling around on our trikes!

Not far from Asheville, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.  

Touring the park by truck one day, we get the chance to see panoramic vistas, clear, rushing mountain streams, and magnificent forests stretching as far as the eye can see in this most visited national park in the US.

The park offers a variety of outdoor activities for bicyclists, campers, fishermen, hikers, horseback riders, picnickers who have the chance to see the best collection of over 80 log buldings in the US.

Waterfalls, wildflowers, and wildlife including elk, black bear (over 1,500) and white-tailed deer are plentiful.

The Roller Derby is in town tonight and we are so excited since we have never been to see one up close and personal!  As we prepare to leave for a late lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe on College Street before the event, there is a knock at the Chalet door.

One of our neighbors has a couple of tickets she can't use for tonight's Roller Derby, would we like to have them? she asks!  How serindipitous is that!  We have to wait almost an hour for our table at Tupelo Honey, but it is worth it!

The evening of roller derby featuring the Blue Ridge Rollergirls

is fun, fun, fun!

Chimney Rock State Park is near Asheville, so we take winding, scenic Route 74 to get there.  Its signature precipice, Chimney Rock towers to a height of 2,280 feet above sea level and provides visitors with a 75-mile view of Lake Lure, Hickory Nut Gorge and the Carolina Piedmont.  The rock can be reached by the trail system or ride a 26-story elevator inside the mountain (which was closed for renovations, of course!)

Mike braved the climb while I watched from the base since my vertigo went into overdrive with the myriad of steep, steep steps!  With its dramatic scenery, the park has become a popular backdrop for Hollywood movies as well as commercials.  'A Breed Apart' with Powers Booth, 'Firestarter' with George C. Scott and Drew Barrymore, and 'Last of the Mohicans' with Daniel Day Lewis and Madeline Stowe were all filmed here.

The Mohicans is one of my favs, having viewed it multiple times!  To see the sheer stone cliffs where the final fight scene takes place is thrilling!

We have fallen in love with Asheville.  It is a picturesque, lively and progressive city with diverse people and viewpoints, making us homesick for our beloved Austin, Texas.  The University of NC at Asheville offers an extensive adult education schedule that intrigues us.

Asheville is going to get a closer look from us as a possible retirement destination, once we sell our townhouse in south Florida!