Trolley Tour Tuesday

A Street Car Named, “Why Is It So Freaking Cold?”

Unfurling from the sweet cocoon of sleep, I arise to see snow swirling yet again in Asheville. Don had already arisen since the drink he invented last night at Tressa’s Blues & Jazz Club had returned for an encore performance. (He was drinking shots of locally distilled moonshine with a Guinness chaser, which he gleefully named, “When Irish Eyes Are Shining” ) We need a break in the weather to be able to pursue my list of outdoor activities! It seems it will not be today.

Snow capped Blue Ridge Mountains – view from the Visitor’s Center

We decide to skip breakfast so instead I make some Starbuck’s in the room then we head off to the pool. We swim some laps since the pool is empty and then hit the hot tub. Now we are kicking around the plans for the day. Don is getting cranky over the weather (and probably the thought of me dragging him to the art museum which seems to be the indoor destination for the day). As we drive to downtown the snow squalls stop & the sun peeps through. At the art museum door Don makes an executive decision and suggests we go on over to the Visitor’s Center to attempt the Trolley Tour. He argues that at the moment, the weather is acceptable enough to enjoy the tour. (We have come to say that in Asheville, if you don’t like the street or the weather just wait a minute because it will change. The streets change names every 1000 ft or so – very confusing & the weather goes from sun to squall within seconds)
Yesterday, while in Desert Moon Designs we were given the tip to take the red trolley tour instead of the white trolleys. Don is sporting his usual geezer attire which garnishes us a veteran’s discount on the tickets.

Don’s Geezer Hat

There was about 30 minutes before the tour departed so I decided to pop back over to the Grove Arcade. Yesterday, I was in a shop that sold locally crafted woolen goods & today I decided I needed a hat.

Inside the Grove Arcade

My new chapeau – Don asks, “Why is mine a geezer hat & yours a chapeau?” It just is.

Our tour guide is an Asheville native who used to be a radio announcer. He was both entertaining & informative. The tour covered the historic areas and buildings while our guide filled in all the details. For instance, Asheville was founded as a healing center with the first tuberculosis sanatorium in the nation being established there. It was on the forefront for the treatment of physical and mental maladies. Zelda Fitzgerald died in a fire in an Asheville mental hospital while F. Scott was philandering in The Grove Park Inn. Treatments for malaria and typhoid fever were developed here. The first female medical doctor in the U. S. started her education here. The Memphis Belle airplane flew sideways through 2 buildings here for a war bond fundraiser. If you were rich and had a medical problem you came to Asheville. Also, what’s now the River Arts District was a busy industrial area that was decimated from a flood that had the river rise 15 ft from it’s banks in 1 hour after 2 days of torrential rains. We saw the really nice houses (not the ‘shacks’ I was photographing on the first day), as well as some gorgeous downtown art deco buildings & the absolutely fabulous Grove Park Inn. Where presidents, prime ministers & celebrities stay while in Asheville. (No, we are not staying there . . .yet)

Front entrance of The Grove Park Inn

It’s a 2 1/2 hr tour with your ticket being good for 2 days so we may return tomorrow to take advantage of the hop on and off aspect. There is no free parking downtown so if the weather permits we may do the urban walking tour tomorrow jumping off the trolley at one of the stops.
Since we had no breakfast, we are now ready for some lunch. We had spotted a Cuban restaurant yesterday and with a ringing endorsement from our tour guide we headed to Havana Comida Latina.
(Check our Facebook page: Carmageddon for a photo of lunch) The folks who Don recognized as grandparents were from Cuba. Consequently, Don has a deep love for Cuban food, which I acquired through my longstanding relationship with him and his family. We were not disappointed. In fact, I will go so far as to say the tweaks the chef incorporated into his food were amazing. There was a hint of cinnamon on the plantains, the fried yucca was CRAZY good & the Cuban coffee was like jet fuel. All good! We came back to the hotel to relax for a while to prepare for this evening’s session at  5 Walnut Street.

The John Henry’s playing at 5 Walnut

We were given a tip by our new friend, Eileen Black, to go check out a place called 5 Walnut on Tuesday night. After our experience Monday night at Tressa’s, we figured it was OK to arrive late, since the musicians did not start on time and the club was relatively empty. WRONG. 5 Walnut was maxed out when we arrived at 7:50 p.m. for an 8:00 p.m. set by the John Henry’s. Luckily, I found a seat on the bar & my gallant husband stood by me. He was the D.D. tonight and since it was a wine bar, I was in my element.
Don’t misunderstand me, I love my artsy, hipster folks however I do have a tolerance level that reaches a saturation point. I thought I was there tonight while I was intermingling with my hippies and hipsters. There is just so many funky hats, eye patches, long hair & sunglasses at night indoors that I can take before the drama overcomes me. But, sometimes the performance art will transport me and take me above the fray so I can continue to be a part of the scene without wanting to kill someone. That happened tonight. I asked our bartender why it was so crowded on a Tuesday night. (after all, SOMEONE has to work in this town) She told me that The  John Henry’s were their most popular act. They were a group of young musicians who played a type of jazz that incorporated some swing and gypsy elements. While they were playing, all of a sudden a guy who I saw enter after we arrived started singing with them. He was awesome and we realized he was familiar to us. This was the guy we saw last night at Tressa’s Blues  Jazz club. He was kind of free-styling with The John Henry’s but it was amazing! The crowd was an eclectic mix of older and younger interspersed with many artsy folks. We were all swaying to the sound. Finally, into the second set our parking was running out (Asheville is not a parking friendly town) so we settled our tab and headed out.

Moon over Asheville tonight with snow flurries. (Goddammit, when will it stop!)

Hopefully, tomorrow’s weather will present some outdoor options for us.

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