A road trip seemed the perfect way to celebrate our recent COVID vaccinations. After months of being trapped at home, we were excited to hit the road for a two-week excursion across the SE United States.
We started with a family wedding in Savannah, where we toasted Meredith and Joe’s marriage – which was originally scheduled for last year. What a delight to see family in a beautiful outdoor setting, complete with dancing, delicious food, happiness and joy. After a year-and-a-half of sad and depressing news, it felt extra special to be around people and feel almost normal again.
Two notable dinners: Chive in downtown Savannah (referred to us by foodies Dan and Irene Jesse) and the bar at the Pink House, where we got in thanks to the kindness of a host who had pity on four hungry tourists. If you go to Chive, be there by 5:00 as they take no reservations. We got there at 5:05 and scored the very last table! Cozy and 50s vibe and excellent food. And I love the small dark and clubby downstairs bar at the Pink House. I find the upstairs rooms a bit too formal, but love the intimacy of the bar area. Food is always great low country and delicious.
Brother-in-law Lynn joined me and Ken as we headed out of Savannah to our second stop – Wilmington, NC. No special reason for going there, other than it was an easy five-hour drive. We opted for the Graystone Inn, a bed and breakfast, as there were no tempting hotels on offer. When we arrived at 3 pm and found a note on the front door, telling us the door was locked until 4 pm, we felt a bit unwelcomed. A drive around the quaint town put us back at the Inn at 4 pm, where our welcome was – well, less than gracious. The employee (and he had to be an employee – no owner would be so rude) introduced himself, asked our names and scowled when we said “yes, we’d love help with our luggage.” If you get to Wilmington, be sure to miss this B&B.
Our next stop was Norfolk, VA, another easy five-hour drive. We chose the Glass Light Hotel, a Marriott Autograph. Lynn is a lifetime Platinum member of Marriott’s Bonvoy club, so we always like to support Marriott when we can. The Glass Light was located in downtown, filled with art and a nice inexpensive spot for the night. The friendly ladies at the front desk were eager to assist and recommended three possible spots for dinner when I asked for suggestions. After the drive, I needed some exercise, so told Ken and Lynn I would walk around and check out the restaurants and make a reservation.
I found a cute spot named Brothers and we went there for dinner that night. The waitress informed us that the owner was there that night, so we were lucky. Before long, a handsome tall man came to our table and introduced himself and thanked us for being there. We got talking and low and behold, turns out he is an NBA referee and knows our friends Scott and Cindy Wall and Dave and Penny Jones. What a small world!
After Norfolk, we had another easy day drive to Washington, DC. We had planned four nights there at a hotel I’ve always wanted to visit, The Hay Adams. When we pulled into the hotel’s driveway, we realized the hotel was located right across the street from St. John’s Church, where Trump’s infamous bible incident occurred, and right on Black Lives Matter plaza. Lynn commented that if the George Floyd verdict had gone the wrong way the day before, we would never have been able to get to our hotel. Right on that o
The Hay Adams was a delight and our favorite hotel of the trip. When we walked in we were greeted by several employees, given our room keys and told we didn’t need to sign any paperwork. We were whisked up the elevator to our rooms and found all the extra pillows we had requested and a lovely and comfortable room, with a balcony overlooking the church.
We had a magnificent breakfast every morning, where the staff knew our names, learned quickly what we liked and gave us world-class service. We felt at home and cared for every time we walked in the hotel. It is a bit of a splurge, but well worth every penny we paid.
The first night in DC, Lynn treated me to my first baseball game at Nationals Stadium. Luckily, the stadium required masks (they were strict about it, too) and seats were blocked off for social distancing. Lynn was a great teacher and explained all the ins and outs of the game. What fun, to see a professional game and help Lynn move forward with his goal of visiting all the stadiums in the US. Since it was chilly that night and the wind was blowing at 25 mph, we left a bit early to head back to the warmth of the hotel.
While in DC, all the Smithsonian museums were closed and many of the art museums and galleries, too. So, we visited the memorials and outside attractions. We saw the Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Vietnam Veterans, Martin Luther King, Korean War Veterans and World War II memorials. The weather was beautiful and we walked to most of them. People were polite and wore masks, even outdoors. There were few people out and about, so we felt like we had the city to ourselves.
Another day, we drove to Arlington National Cemetery. Lynn’s uncle is buried there, so we thought it fitting to honor him. I had not expected the size of the place and wish we had scheduled a full day to visit. You can ride a tram around the cemetery and get off, walk around and then catch a later tram. I would highly recommend you plan to walk around and see the many historic sites — a moving and inspiring way to honor more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families, who rest at Arlington. Arlington is open seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Lynn and I also visited Hillwood Estate, the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. Although we didn’t score tickets to see the house, we toured the gardens – 25 acres of landscaped gardens and woodlands. When Mrs. Post left the property as a museum to inspire and educate the public, her heirs didn’t know how they would afford the upkeep. That’s when they sold Mar-A-Lago to the Trumps. The proceeds from those funds are what keep the estate going – complete with 12 gardeners and hundreds of volunteers. It is a bit out of town, but well worth the experience. Order your tickets online before your visit. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Two other museums were open: the National Museum of Women in the Arts and The International Spy Museum. Get passes online before your visit. Both were excellent but I’d give five stars to the Spy Museum. You could spend all day there. Full of fascinating info about spies throughout history. Ken loved the gift shop, too.
One of our favorite things about visiting DC was connecting for dinner with two long-time friends, Adam Ahmed and his new bride Alex and Michal Briggs. Adam is the son of Joan and Hassan Ahmed, who we met in Cairo and Serbia when they were working for the US State Department. Michael was a PROiNK intern many moons ago and one of my all-time favorite guys.
So where does Nancy Pelosi come in? Walking back from dinner the night we met Michael, we got to our hotel and two black Suburbans were blocking the driveway. We stood back waiting to get inside the door, when I looked over and saw — yes, you guessed it — Nancy Pelosi. She was getting in one of the Suburbans and saying goodbye to some family/friends who were staying at our hotel. I was so stunned I didn’t even get a photo. But believe me, she is younger looking than television portrays her and her bright blue outfit with matching shoes were as stunning as all of her fashions. The Suburbans had license tags — Speaker 1 and Speaker 2. What an exciting way to end our stay in DC!
Our next stop was a two-day stay at the Inn at Little Washington. I’ve heard about this Michelin three-starred restaurant and accompanying inn for decades. Located about an hour outside DC, the Inn is a little jewel box set in the middle of the Virginia hills. Visiting here was a life-long dream that turned into a nightmare. At $1000 per night for the room, you’d expect amazing service, right? Well, it all started with two bellman who couldn’t figure out how to separate our luggage from Lynn’s, a room that wasn’t ready, a door that wouldn’t open on our room (and no maintenance person on duty) and never got fixed, smelly scent bottles that polluted the room’s air and on and on. When Ken requested a cheese and mushroom omelet for breakfast, he was told that “today, the chef is only making gouda and parmesan omelets, but I guess we can add some mushrooms to it.” Despite being asked several times for food allergies and telling them no raw onions, Ken got raw chives and green oil on his omelet.
We had planned to eat dinner two nights at the inn’s famous restaurant, but after one dinner, we cancelled the second and found a nearby Italian restaurant that was quick and delicious.
I must admit, the food at the restaurant was good, but the service was horrid. We waited 20 minutes for our cocktails to be served and the service was marginal from there on out. I realize COVID has put a strain on many restaurants and don’t want to be too harsh. But when you pay $1100 for three meals, you figure you’ll get top-notch service. We’re used to the wait staff at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami and Bern’s Steak House in Tampa – our two favorite Florida restaurants. Staff there know how to make you feel at home, comfortable and cared for. This staff was young, inexperienced and not well-trained. Alas. Not a place I would recommend to anyone.
Our final stop on the trip was Asheville, North Carolina. This is a favorite city and home to long-time high school buddy, Vann Helms. Ken planned a day’s train ride on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad. We drove an hour to Bryson City, where we boarded our first-class car for a day’s journey up into the mountains. Our guide explained the countryside and history the entire way. We were served all the soft drinks we wanted, a mediocre lunch and were able to purchase cocktails if we liked. We had a one-hour stop at Natahala Outdoor Resort, with time to watch the whitewater rafters, shop in a few spots or eat at one of the cafes.
Vann took us to a lovely outdoor restaurant, Rendez-vous, for dinner that night and we caught up with our former high school drama teacher-turned mystery writer, Shelley Frome.
Our final two days in Asheville were spent driving to Bakersville to see two of my favorite potters and visiting all the pottery galleries in Asheville. We stayed at the Asheville Bohemian Autograph hotel, a pleasant and well-located hotel we’ve stayed in several other times (located across the street from the Biltmore Estate).
After dropping Lynn off back home in Atlanta, we spent the night at his five-star resort and headed home to pick up our puppy, Poppy, who had bunked in with neighbors Jim and Claudine. Olive had spent two weeks at Pepe Dogs, getting some special training and we picked her up the next day.
Late April was the perfect time to make a road trip and we enjoyed being out and seeing other people. I’d say Savannah, DC and Asheville were my favorites. The Hay Adams Hotel was the highlight of the trip for accommodations. I’d stay there again anytime I’m in DC.
