It’s cool and and the mountains are softened by very low clouds. I’ve been at the Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina for a few days. The spouse had business here and I thought, what the heck?
I’m not much of a spa girl. I did splurge on a $1.99 plus tax for polish to do my toes and fingernails. I’m finishing the next book club book, The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar, but saving the last few chapters for the plane ride from Charlotte.
We had dinner Friday night at the Biltmore Mansion. There was a full tour of the house prior to cocktails. I am convinced had the house been a part of my past I would have been hanging out in the laundry room and not upstairs. The house is really the biggest draw for miles. I am a little surprised that Asheville holds little to capture the vacationing dollar. Once again, it seems a convention bureau has done a magnificent job of making a silk purse from a sow’s ear. Maybe I’ll just admit someday that I’m a city girl and forgo the mountain retreats.
Last night we managed to get to a movie and saw Priceless. It was okay, but not something I’d run to see again. Since it was sub-titled it might show up at the Oriental, but I doubt it will make any of the suburbs. (I wouldn’t grieve…)
It’s slow out there as people continue to clean up from the soggy last couple of weeks. I know a few of you have been pulling out carpet and cleaning up floodwater. I’m so sorry that you were hit with this mess.
That’s it. I’ll be home later tonight. See you then.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Grant // Jun 15, 2008 at 2:26 pm
“I’m not much of a spa girl. I did splurge on a $1.99 plus tax for polish to do my toes and fingernails. I’m finishing the next book club book, “The Space Between Us” by Thrity Umrigar, but saving the last few chapters for the plane ride from Charlotte.”
Given the opening sentence, I’m thinking that might be a book about athlete’s foot. Is it?
2 Cindy Kilkenny // Jun 15, 2008 at 3:35 pm
No, Mr. Grammar Police. The paragraph describes what I did at a spa although I’m not the spa type. I hope it didn’t offend your delicate sensibilities if you considered it poorly written.
3 Kathryn // Jun 15, 2008 at 5:42 pm
But Gad Elmaleh looks so like Nick Cage!
4 winegirl // Jun 15, 2008 at 9:37 pm
We just returned from a week in the Asheville area and stayed at the Biltmore hotel. The hotel was very nice, but not the best we stayed at during our excursion south. Hands down, the best dining experience we had was at Gabrielle’s at the Richmond Hill Inn. Like dining in an elegant private home with a fabulous chef making dinner just for you. Wonderful menu and service. I love the mountains and if we go back to Asheville, I’d definitely stay at the Richmond Hill Inn. The service ethic there was a whole strata above that at the Biltmore and Grove Park Inn. Grove Park’s restaurant Horizons was very good, but I was unimpressed by the hotel. Seemed like a big business convention hotel.
5 Cindy Kilkenny // Jun 15, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Yes to the convention business. After all, that’s why we were there.
Winegirl, you sure get around
Wish I’d had your dinner recommendation a couple of nights ago.
6 Grant // Jun 16, 2008 at 10:10 am
Oh, oh! Must have been a bad day for you not to recognize my kidding! You think I have “delicate sensibilities”? That’s a new characterization of me!
7 Cindy Kilkenny // Jun 16, 2008 at 10:36 am
Grant - I thought you’d enjoy “delicate sensibilities.” And yes, we were definitely having some fun.
8 winegirl // Jun 16, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Sorry, didn’t know you were going to Asheville. You might want to introduce travel topics more often. Those are fun to read and generally non-controversial (for a change.) We like to share travel experiences with others.
We drove to Asheville and stayed at wonderful hotels in Indianapolis and Louisville on the way.
Our favorite city was Nashville: what a fun place with really nice people and unbelievably talented musicians! Worth a driving trip when you’ve had it up to here with the “stupid pet tricks” involved in airline flying nowadays.
9 Dan Harland // Jun 17, 2008 at 8:52 am
I went to the Grove Park Inn a few years ago with the family on a car ride out to North Carolina. I remember something about the place being haunted by the Pink Lady. I also recall how enamored we were the, with the flip of a switch, the TV came up out of the counter top - almost like a James Bond movie. Great Hotel!
10 Cindy Kilkenny // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:32 am
Yep, we were a floor above the Pink Lady and one room over. She got blamed for demagnetizing my key card.
11 Dan Harland // Jun 17, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Ha. Yeah, I remember staying up later trying to convince my younger siblings that she was roaming the halls.
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