Great Weekend!
I had an awesome weekend! The only disappointment is that it didn't snow while we were there.
Friday we drove up to Asheville (about a 2.5 hour drive) and got there in time for lunch. We ate and then walked around in the Biltmore Village area. It used to be there the workers for the Biltmore Estate lived, and now it's shops. It had changed a lot in the 8 or so years since I went there the last time. I almost didn't recognize it. Then we went into downtown and checked into our hotel, the Hotel Indigo, which is brand new and really cool. That night we went out to meet some friends for dinner- Terri & Cheryl, who used to live here in Charlotte, but moved out to Asheville a few months ago. Then we went over to their apartment and visited a little longer with them and the cats.
Saturday we got up and checked out the shops, and met up with Frank's friend Shannon for a late lunch. After that we went back to the hotel for some downtime before the show. I'll put the show in a separate post. A nine-hour concert deserves its own entry!
Sunday we slept until about 11- we could have stayed in bed later- the bed was so very very comfortable, but check-out was noon. We put our stuff in the car, and went out to some of the shops we didn't make it to the day before. It was much sunnier and warmer than it had been the first two days. One of the shops I remembered from the time I went there with Mike back in 2001, and it sells arts & crafts from local artists. I remembered buying a set of note cards by this artist who does mostly cat-themed stuff. I figured that was so long ago, they probably have all different artists in there now. But I turned a corner at the back of the store, and there it was- her prints, notecards, etc. We bought a piece called "Tabby Road", which is a take-off of the Beatles Album cover with cats crossing the street. And instead of a regular print, it's inside a cigar box! It's really cool. Then we ate brunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. The menu was half Mediterranean and half traditional/Southern brunch foods, so Frank ordered lamb shawarma and I had shrimp & grits. After that, a few more shops, and then, sadly, it was time to come home. If it wasn't for the 3 kitties waiting for us, I did not want to leave!
Asheville is really cool. Frank loved it, too. We will have to go there more often. It's two and a half hours away, so it can be done as a day trip, but part of the fun was the hotel! I wish we could move there.
Friday we drove up to Asheville (about a 2.5 hour drive) and got there in time for lunch. We ate and then walked around in the Biltmore Village area. It used to be there the workers for the Biltmore Estate lived, and now it's shops. It had changed a lot in the 8 or so years since I went there the last time. I almost didn't recognize it. Then we went into downtown and checked into our hotel, the Hotel Indigo, which is brand new and really cool. That night we went out to meet some friends for dinner- Terri & Cheryl, who used to live here in Charlotte, but moved out to Asheville a few months ago. Then we went over to their apartment and visited a little longer with them and the cats.
Saturday we got up and checked out the shops, and met up with Frank's friend Shannon for a late lunch. After that we went back to the hotel for some downtime before the show. I'll put the show in a separate post. A nine-hour concert deserves its own entry!
Sunday we slept until about 11- we could have stayed in bed later- the bed was so very very comfortable, but check-out was noon. We put our stuff in the car, and went out to some of the shops we didn't make it to the day before. It was much sunnier and warmer than it had been the first two days. One of the shops I remembered from the time I went there with Mike back in 2001, and it sells arts & crafts from local artists. I remembered buying a set of note cards by this artist who does mostly cat-themed stuff. I figured that was so long ago, they probably have all different artists in there now. But I turned a corner at the back of the store, and there it was- her prints, notecards, etc. We bought a piece called "Tabby Road", which is a take-off of the Beatles Album cover with cats crossing the street. And instead of a regular print, it's inside a cigar box! It's really cool. Then we ate brunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. The menu was half Mediterranean and half traditional/Southern brunch foods, so Frank ordered lamb shawarma and I had shrimp & grits. After that, a few more shops, and then, sadly, it was time to come home. If it wasn't for the 3 kitties waiting for us, I did not want to leave!
Asheville is really cool. Frank loved it, too. We will have to go there more often. It's two and a half hours away, so it can be done as a day trip, but part of the fun was the hotel! I wish we could move there.