Trip Report: NYC & Asheville, October 2017
Dec 1st, 2017, 03:20 PM
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Trip Report: NYC & Asheville, October 2017
This Fall we visited family in NYC for 5 days and then stayed in Asheville for 5 days. We flew with American Airline ($1014 for all the flights starting in SFO and flying to and from Charlotte on the Asheville leg). We rented a car through Kemwel.com because we were having no luck getting a car through local agencies; they all claimed that no cars were available for the days we specified. I do not think that the price through Kemwel was any better ($248 for five days), but it turned to out be for the best. I had made a mistake in the number of rental days originally, which I changed on the same day and paid for the five days we needed the car. When we presented our voucher at the Avis counter in Charlotte, the agent insisted that we had rented only for three days according to her file (our voucher included the price of $248) and that we had to pay an extra $89 dollars for the two additional days. When we returned home, I called Kemwel, and the matter was settled within a week. This was the second time this year that we had a problem with Avis, both times resolved through the broker.
NYC was family time, but we managed to visit the Rubin Museum of Art which specializes in Himalayan Buddhist art and had a special exhibit of Cartier-Bresson photographs taken during the partition of India in 1947. The museum is interesting although we have little comprehension of Buddhism. It is close to Union Square and could be easily added to a market day visit of the square. We fell upon the market, not knowing that it was market day, and walked around it before going to the museum. The museum has a decent café where we had a light lunch.
Another museum we visited was the Whitney at the base of the High Line. The two represent a natural combination, weather permitting. There was a nice Calder exhibit when we visited. We had lunch there, and had the impression that aside from a German beer garden (only sausage on the menu) and one other relatively inexpensive restaurant, the Whitney restaurant was no more expensive than the other eateries in the immediate area and would do for lunch. On the way home we went to through the Chelsea market which has a very popular seafood emporium (a gathering of various seafood establishments).
Finally we took the new Second Ave. line to 125th St. to see an exhibit in the Studio Museum in Harlem which advertised the inclusion of Jacob Lawrence—too few to make a difference. The train on the new line is no different from other subway trains in NYC, unlike the new line in Paris which was the first line to run without any conductor. But the stations have some nice art work.
We ate out once at a very good Laotian restaurant in the Tribeca area: http://www.kheyo.com/ ($330 for 4.5 persons)—reservations recommended.
The pictures of NYC taken on this trip were incorporated in this album: The pictures of NYC taken on this trip were incorporated in this album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...088372713/show
From NYC we flew to Charlotte, picked up a Kia Rio, which was OK for the next five days, but the car is severely underpowered. On the other hand, its mileage is very good.
I had printed out the location and the directions to our airbnb rental ($530 for 5 nights) and had given the host the anticipated time of arrival in Charlotte, from which one could estimate our arrival time in Asheville—we do not have a cell phone—and had no problems finding the place.
The rental was fine, although amenities are reduced to a minimum. The small room contains a standard double bed, with no closet space available, with just two nightstands for watches, glasses etc. We had to live out of our suitcases, which is what we normally do when traveling, but others may not be happy with such a setup. The bathroom is on the floor, limited to guest usage. Coffee was provided and “guest is welcome to use kitchen to fix snacks and beverage, but no cooking meals please”. Limited access to living area.
The rental is one mile from the downtown area, and it turns out that the Asheville tourist office is on the way. We stopped there just to pick up some local tourist maps and any other information that might be useful. It turns out that there is a full-time desk for Biltmore reservations which allowed us to get our timed reserved tickets for our next day visit without waiting on line.
Street parking was difficult in the city, although we were lucky on the first day. The next time we gave up and used city parking structures, which turned out to be cheap. I was imagining SF congestion pricing, which it isn’t—the first hour is free and then it is $1.25 per hour.
The first half day had us walk around part of Asheville, toward the City Hall area which is on the edge of downtown and then drive to the regional craft center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were not impressed with the city at first glance. It does not have the charm of New England villages and looks like a nondescript small city. That evening we ate in a tapas restaurant with a Moroccan decor: http://zambratapas.com/ which cost us $125; it’s very good.
The next day we visited the Biltmore estate in a deluge. It rained so hard and so much that the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and the Smoky Mountain National Park was closed due to a landslide or fallen trees. This darkened the visit as if we were there on a dreary winter day. The building is impressive but somewhat tasteless—imitative a European nobility with a late 19th cent. accent. I found the Rockefeller estate in upstate New York more interesting because it was not frozen in its late Gilded Age period. Everything is enormous, including the stables which now house a restaurant. We had lunch at the Stable Café and my wife raved about their carrot apple bisque enhanced with browned butter; I had their stew of the day ($28.50).
Unfortunately the grounds designed by Frederic Law Olmstead could not be visited because of the rain. We did visit the winery which had been an enormous dairy previously, but considered what it offered to be tourist wines with a Biltmore label on, in some cases, California grapes; so much for terroir.
That evening we ate in a barbecue place: http://www.buxtonhall.com/ —very popular as they were out of the ribs. Its pulled pork was too dry for my taste, but their mussels were excellent. The restaurant is in a former skating ring.
On our first full day on the Blue Ridge Parkway we went south toward the Smoky Mountains National Park. We got there a little late because of the turnaround, although that section has some of the better views. We had to detour, stopping in Waynesville to pick up rolls, we had already stopped in the regional market outside Asheville for lunch items except the bread, and found in a café/bakery only some very expensive half frozen bagels (2 for close to $5 with tax)—I was not warned that they should be heated, although the option was given. We also visited the Waynesville Craft Museum (only guided tours) which is more like a cabinet de curiosités than a museum. Waynesville prides itself on its downtown which is nothing but tourist shops—there are far more attractive towns in the Sierra foothills. We did see a real bakery on the way out of town.
By the time we got to the Smoky Mountains National Park, it was too late to drive to Cataloochee whose description had piqued my interest or to go back to drive the Balsam Mountain Road which is a one way loop, so we drove up to the divide and stroll for a little bit on the Appalachian trail. We could have driven on the Balsam Mountain Road on our way to the Visitor Center had we seen that option more clearly on a map.
That evening we ate in a Caribbean Restaurant, St. Lucian Caribbean Cuisine, which is a nice change and a little expensive for the amount served (the oxtail dish consists of two joints), but the rum is cheap ($5 per glass) and they have a list of about a dozen or more.
The next day was spent in Asheville itself. The town turns out to be pleasant and now oriented toward tourism as evidenced by the Woolworth building turned into an arcade with crafts stands and the permanent stands in from of the Grove Arcade, itself an arcade of interesting shops. It also has some real bookstores that encourage browsing. Wall Street is a series of little shops, restaurants, clubs and coffee houses. We had lunch at Carmels Kitchen (http://carmelsofasheville.com/ ) which has good ribs and generous portions. In the late afternoon we spent time in the River Arts District (http://www.riverartsdistrict.com/ ) poking our noses in different studios, mainly glass and pottery.
That evening we ate at Tupelo Honey (http://tupelohoneycafe.com/location/downtown-asheville/ ). It was one of the more expensive venues ($95) and least memorable—neither bad nor outstanding, although the online menu reminds me that I had the cauliflower steak which was interesting but could have been better.
Our last full day was spent driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as Blowing Rock. The weather allowed us to picnic (picnic items obtained in the local Trader Joe’s), and in addition to the overview stops on the parkway itself, we stopped to see the Linville Falls. According to Fodor’s “Blowing Rock … has retained the flavor of a quiet New England village”; not compared to the real thing or, as an alternative, the Sierra foothill towns such as Nevada City or Downieville. It’s not a destination, just a stop along the Parkway. We took the fast way back to Asheville. My feeling is that the Parkway is to be taken for the scenery; the two nearby towns that we crossed are not very interesting or photogenic. For crafts I would stick to Asheville proper and the Folk Art Center on the Parkway just north of Asheville.
That evening we ate at Nightbell ($152) https://heirloomhg.com/nightbell/ , our best meal in Asheville. It’s all small plates which allows for a greater variety of dishes, which was ideal for us since we feel that often in restaurants the appetizers and small plates are often more interesting than the main courses. Reservations are required.
The drive back to Charlotte was uneventful.
Here are the pictures for that part of the trip: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...645087279/show (if this does not work, delete /show at the end of the URL and then click on each photo individually or click on the slide show box in the upper right hand corner)
NYC was family time, but we managed to visit the Rubin Museum of Art which specializes in Himalayan Buddhist art and had a special exhibit of Cartier-Bresson photographs taken during the partition of India in 1947. The museum is interesting although we have little comprehension of Buddhism. It is close to Union Square and could be easily added to a market day visit of the square. We fell upon the market, not knowing that it was market day, and walked around it before going to the museum. The museum has a decent café where we had a light lunch.
Another museum we visited was the Whitney at the base of the High Line. The two represent a natural combination, weather permitting. There was a nice Calder exhibit when we visited. We had lunch there, and had the impression that aside from a German beer garden (only sausage on the menu) and one other relatively inexpensive restaurant, the Whitney restaurant was no more expensive than the other eateries in the immediate area and would do for lunch. On the way home we went to through the Chelsea market which has a very popular seafood emporium (a gathering of various seafood establishments).
Finally we took the new Second Ave. line to 125th St. to see an exhibit in the Studio Museum in Harlem which advertised the inclusion of Jacob Lawrence—too few to make a difference. The train on the new line is no different from other subway trains in NYC, unlike the new line in Paris which was the first line to run without any conductor. But the stations have some nice art work.
We ate out once at a very good Laotian restaurant in the Tribeca area: http://www.kheyo.com/ ($330 for 4.5 persons)—reservations recommended.
The pictures of NYC taken on this trip were incorporated in this album: The pictures of NYC taken on this trip were incorporated in this album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...088372713/show
From NYC we flew to Charlotte, picked up a Kia Rio, which was OK for the next five days, but the car is severely underpowered. On the other hand, its mileage is very good.
I had printed out the location and the directions to our airbnb rental ($530 for 5 nights) and had given the host the anticipated time of arrival in Charlotte, from which one could estimate our arrival time in Asheville—we do not have a cell phone—and had no problems finding the place.
The rental was fine, although amenities are reduced to a minimum. The small room contains a standard double bed, with no closet space available, with just two nightstands for watches, glasses etc. We had to live out of our suitcases, which is what we normally do when traveling, but others may not be happy with such a setup. The bathroom is on the floor, limited to guest usage. Coffee was provided and “guest is welcome to use kitchen to fix snacks and beverage, but no cooking meals please”. Limited access to living area.
The rental is one mile from the downtown area, and it turns out that the Asheville tourist office is on the way. We stopped there just to pick up some local tourist maps and any other information that might be useful. It turns out that there is a full-time desk for Biltmore reservations which allowed us to get our timed reserved tickets for our next day visit without waiting on line.
Street parking was difficult in the city, although we were lucky on the first day. The next time we gave up and used city parking structures, which turned out to be cheap. I was imagining SF congestion pricing, which it isn’t—the first hour is free and then it is $1.25 per hour.
The first half day had us walk around part of Asheville, toward the City Hall area which is on the edge of downtown and then drive to the regional craft center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were not impressed with the city at first glance. It does not have the charm of New England villages and looks like a nondescript small city. That evening we ate in a tapas restaurant with a Moroccan decor: http://zambratapas.com/ which cost us $125; it’s very good.
The next day we visited the Biltmore estate in a deluge. It rained so hard and so much that the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and the Smoky Mountain National Park was closed due to a landslide or fallen trees. This darkened the visit as if we were there on a dreary winter day. The building is impressive but somewhat tasteless—imitative a European nobility with a late 19th cent. accent. I found the Rockefeller estate in upstate New York more interesting because it was not frozen in its late Gilded Age period. Everything is enormous, including the stables which now house a restaurant. We had lunch at the Stable Café and my wife raved about their carrot apple bisque enhanced with browned butter; I had their stew of the day ($28.50).
Unfortunately the grounds designed by Frederic Law Olmstead could not be visited because of the rain. We did visit the winery which had been an enormous dairy previously, but considered what it offered to be tourist wines with a Biltmore label on, in some cases, California grapes; so much for terroir.
That evening we ate in a barbecue place: http://www.buxtonhall.com/ —very popular as they were out of the ribs. Its pulled pork was too dry for my taste, but their mussels were excellent. The restaurant is in a former skating ring.
On our first full day on the Blue Ridge Parkway we went south toward the Smoky Mountains National Park. We got there a little late because of the turnaround, although that section has some of the better views. We had to detour, stopping in Waynesville to pick up rolls, we had already stopped in the regional market outside Asheville for lunch items except the bread, and found in a café/bakery only some very expensive half frozen bagels (2 for close to $5 with tax)—I was not warned that they should be heated, although the option was given. We also visited the Waynesville Craft Museum (only guided tours) which is more like a cabinet de curiosités than a museum. Waynesville prides itself on its downtown which is nothing but tourist shops—there are far more attractive towns in the Sierra foothills. We did see a real bakery on the way out of town.
By the time we got to the Smoky Mountains National Park, it was too late to drive to Cataloochee whose description had piqued my interest or to go back to drive the Balsam Mountain Road which is a one way loop, so we drove up to the divide and stroll for a little bit on the Appalachian trail. We could have driven on the Balsam Mountain Road on our way to the Visitor Center had we seen that option more clearly on a map.
That evening we ate in a Caribbean Restaurant, St. Lucian Caribbean Cuisine, which is a nice change and a little expensive for the amount served (the oxtail dish consists of two joints), but the rum is cheap ($5 per glass) and they have a list of about a dozen or more.
The next day was spent in Asheville itself. The town turns out to be pleasant and now oriented toward tourism as evidenced by the Woolworth building turned into an arcade with crafts stands and the permanent stands in from of the Grove Arcade, itself an arcade of interesting shops. It also has some real bookstores that encourage browsing. Wall Street is a series of little shops, restaurants, clubs and coffee houses. We had lunch at Carmels Kitchen (http://carmelsofasheville.com/ ) which has good ribs and generous portions. In the late afternoon we spent time in the River Arts District (http://www.riverartsdistrict.com/ ) poking our noses in different studios, mainly glass and pottery.
That evening we ate at Tupelo Honey (http://tupelohoneycafe.com/location/downtown-asheville/ ). It was one of the more expensive venues ($95) and least memorable—neither bad nor outstanding, although the online menu reminds me that I had the cauliflower steak which was interesting but could have been better.
Our last full day was spent driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as Blowing Rock. The weather allowed us to picnic (picnic items obtained in the local Trader Joe’s), and in addition to the overview stops on the parkway itself, we stopped to see the Linville Falls. According to Fodor’s “Blowing Rock … has retained the flavor of a quiet New England village”; not compared to the real thing or, as an alternative, the Sierra foothill towns such as Nevada City or Downieville. It’s not a destination, just a stop along the Parkway. We took the fast way back to Asheville. My feeling is that the Parkway is to be taken for the scenery; the two nearby towns that we crossed are not very interesting or photogenic. For crafts I would stick to Asheville proper and the Folk Art Center on the Parkway just north of Asheville.
That evening we ate at Nightbell ($152) https://heirloomhg.com/nightbell/ , our best meal in Asheville. It’s all small plates which allows for a greater variety of dishes, which was ideal for us since we feel that often in restaurants the appetizers and small plates are often more interesting than the main courses. Reservations are required.
The drive back to Charlotte was uneventful.
Here are the pictures for that part of the trip: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...645087279/show (if this does not work, delete /show at the end of the URL and then click on each photo individually or click on the slide show box in the upper right hand corner)
Dec 3rd, 2017, 09:10 AM
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The photo links I gave no longer work (at least for the moment), so here are links that should work:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623088372713/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7665645087279/
Unfortunately, when in slide mode, no information is given for each photo. Titles and other information can only be seen when looking at the photos individually.
If you are able to see the photos as originally posted, please let me know.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623088372713/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7665645087279/
Unfortunately, when in slide mode, no information is given for each photo. Titles and other information can only be seen when looking at the photos individually.
If you are able to see the photos as originally posted, please let me know.
Dec 5th, 2017, 09:13 AM
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Aug 10th, 2018, 03:00 PM
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