Mountain Mamas

The sloppy jai at Chai Pani

I have a friend who has known me since middle school. Melanie has been a witness to my life. My relationship with her is full of the delicious shorthand that comes with an old friend, someone who knows all of your faults, warts, embarrassing stories, and loves you just the same.

Once we were adults, she and I were on slightly different schedules. I married earlier than her, and I only had one child. She married a bit later, and she had two. So for a great swath of time, we were each occupied with new husbands and small children at different moments. Which made it a little difficult to do much traveling together.

But now (at last!), both of us have kids that are a bit older, allowing us to skip town together occasionally. We recently decided that we wanted to take a trip together, and I let her pick the place. She chose Asheville, North Carolina, a destination neither of us had been to before. We opted to visit in October in hopes of seeing the leaves turn. This was a stroke of genius, because by the time the trip rolled around, fall still hadn't come to Mississippi. We still had humidity of nearly 100 percent and highs in the mid-80s. I said a silent prayer of thanks that, since fall didn't seem to have any plans to visit us, we had made provision to go in search of it ourselves.

The Woolworth Walk is full on wonderful, unique art!

She couldn't get away for quite as long as I could, so I had a day or so in the area on my own. I arrived around lunchtime and checked into what would be a perfect home base for us while we were in town - the Cambria Downtown Asheville. This hotel had gotten great online reviews and was in an ideal location downtown. Plus, you could book rooms with mountain views (which we did). They also offer valet parking in an adjacent parking garage, which meant that getting your vehicle was always quick and painless - hardly any waiting. Lastly, the property had a decent hotel gym *and* and kicking rooftop bar/restaurant where you could watch the sunset or enjoy the full moon. (And they give you champagne at check-in. Sold.) We LOVED staying here and would book this property again in a heartbeat.

Because we wanted to be able to get around town while we were there, we rented a fun little Toyota Tacoma, which was perfect for driving the Blue Ridge Parkway but also trim enough to maneuver Asheville's downtown streets. (By the time we left, the valet guys at the hotel wanted one of their own. I really enjoyed driving it, too!)

The folks that own and work at the
Asheville Pinball Museum are a HOOT!

Day 1

But on that first day, I parked the truck and spent my time exploring downtown. It was a glorious, sunny afternoon, with a high of about 70 degrees and 50 percent humidity. I started off with an al fresco lunch at Chai Pani, an Indian street food restaurant that had gotten rave reviews. Because I was there when they opened, I was seated immediately. (A line had begun to form a bit before they opened, as this is a popular spot!) Before long, I was tilting back my head in the breeze and savoring the sloppy jai, an intoxicating little pair of sandwiches featuring stewed lamb flavored with cilantro, onions, ginger, a tiny bit of heat, and all kinds of spices. There's a lot going on in these little sammies! They were fantastic and filling. I took my time at lunch, decompressing and getting into vacation mode.

Books, champagne and chocolate? Forward my
mail to the Battery Park Book Exchange, please.

Next, it was off to check out downtown. I stopped by the Woolworth Walk - a former Woolworth's department store that's now an art market + old-fashioned soda fountain. I loved the art booths - so many unique pieces! (And if I'd been hungrier, I would have gotten a milkshake at the counter. But, alas . . . ) Walking back towards the hotel, I spied Grove Arcade, a shopping and dining center featuring local vendors that sits directly across the street from the Cambria Hotel. I had a little bit of time to browse here (I'd return later for more fun.) before my next stop - the Asheville Pinball Museum.    

Y'all. Y'all. Y'all. I LOVED this place! It opened at 2 p.m., and I was there about 10 minutes before that. A line was already forming. Basically, they have 80 pinball machines and vintage video games inside. They let 80 people in. You pay a flat fee to enter, then play pretty much everything for free until you decide to leave.

It. Was. Fantastic!! I loved the Creature of the Black Lagoon pinball machine, but the Elton John one kicked my butt! The Addams Family one was a HOOT, and they also had fun ones that were themed with different rock bands. Above each machine was a sign that told you a little bit about its history and when it entered the market. They also had several older pinball machines (some as far back as the 1930s) that were display only. It was cool to look and see how pinball machines had evolved over the years.

In the back room, they had vintage arcade games - Frogger, Q*Bert, Pac-Man, and more. It was so much fun! (My Frogger skills have gotten seriously rusty, y'all.) But maybe the best part of this place is the staff. They were so helpful and friendly, and they are obviously having a fantastic time. I felt like a kid again, whapping my pinballs all around and shooting for the top bonuses. I spent a good couple of hours here, gettin' my game on.

On the way to Catawba Falls

Afterwards, I was ready for a quick break. I popped back into Grove Arcade to find Battery Park Book Exchange. This place is special. It's a used book store and champagne bar. They also serve light food and desserts. I promptly selected a book of Hemingway short stories, ordered myself a champagne cocktail and a couple of chocolate truffles, and cozied up in a leather chair. By the time I'd finished my comestibles, I was blissfully relaxed and a few stories in. I decided to take a further load off at the hotel for a bit before venturing out for dinner.

After freshening up, I made my way to Cúrate, a Spanish tapas place with an excellent reputation. I didn't have a reservation, and the place was packed. But there are some advantages to being a solo traveler. I told the host to put me anywhere, and he found me a cozy seat at the bar, which overlooks part of the kitchen. I settled down to business.

I started with a delightful, creamy butternut squash soup scattered with pepitas, followed by an excellent order of shrimp flavored with garlic and sherry. I then moved on to what might have been my favorite dish of the night - a fantastic pair of lamb skewers. I finished with the postre de músico, a rich dessert of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel.

It just so happened that next to me at the bar was a man in town on business, also dining alone. We struck up a conversation, swapped stories about our families and decided, once our dinners were done, to stop at the Thirsty Monk for a drink. This little place is so fun! We went to the upstairs bar, ordering cocktails to enjoy on the balcony bar. (When you order a cocktail, you get a little key. You use the key to open an old-fashioned post-office box and retrieve a little bar snack to go with your drink. Super cute! I got the spicy plantain chips, as my drink was a sweeter one.)

After one drink a little more chatter, I was pooped. I headed back to the hotel and sacked out.

I felt like a fairy princess at the foot of Catawba Falls. Just gorgeous. 

Day 2

The next day, I awoke to more lovely weather. I walked to the nearby Early Girl Eatery for a hearty breakfast. I loved this place and returned several times during my stay in Asheville. When you walk in the door, the aroma of butter and flour hits you in the face. And if you weren't planning on having biscuits for breakfast, you suddenly revise those plans.

I had eggs, biscuits, fruit and strong coffee. Service was quick and super-friendly, and I just loved the feel of this place. Fortified, I picked up my truck from the valet and headed out to the Catawba Falls hike, about 30 minutes outside of town. It was a beautiful day, and this is a pretty easy 3-mile hike. Until the very end, when you're stepping over rocks to access the falls themselves, it just feels like a walk in the woods. But the payoff is great - a glorious, tall waterfall that makes you feel like a fairy princess when you sit in front of it. (Note: Even though this is an easy hike, I recommend hiking boots. The trail is rocky in some places, and weak ankles - like mine - may require support.) I sat in front of the falls for a while, marveling at my good fortune, before heading back to my truck at the trail head.

By the time I got to my vehicle, Melanie had texted me to let me know her plane had landed. I headed back to the hotel and discovered her at the front desk just as I was coming in. We got her all checked in, then hit town for some lunch. We chose Chestnut, where we were quickly seated at the bar. I dug into a steak and cheese sandwich, a side salad and a fantastic apple pie sundae. We laughed, talked and caught up in the best way, the next few days stretching before us like a puffy down comforter.

Views from the Devil's Courthouse are breathtaking.

Then, it was back into the truck and up to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We pointed our GPS toward Devil's Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway, an overlook + short, steep half-mile hike up to ~5,700 feet, with amazing views. The parkway is winding and requires careful, alert driving. You'll rarely go over 40 miles per hour, so plan extra travel time. The glorious, frequent overlooks may also slow you down. It's hard not to stop at nearly every one! We decided to head straight to Devil's Courthouse, with no stopping, and then make our way back in a more leisurely fashion.

We got there, parked, enjoyed the views from the overlook, and then headed up for the hike. It's not a long hike, but it's very steep. The trail starts out paved, but ends rocky. Be careful where you put your feet! Views from the top are amazing. It felt like we could see forever!

It's an easy hike to the lower falls at Graveyard Fields.

Then, it was back down and back towards Asheville on the parkway. We stopped again at Graveyard Fields, one of the first places to show fall color. We took the opportunity to walk the the trail to the lower falls there. So, so pretty! What a payoff for only a little more than a half a mile of walking! We sat here for a while, enjoying the falls.

Then, it was back in the truck! We stopped at a few more overlooks, but made our way to Asheville before it got dark. Then, we tore into some takeaway food that I'd picked up at The Rhu earlier that day - the ploughman's picnic and the cheese trail platters. After a short rest and clean-up, we visited  Hemingway's Cuba, the rooftop bar/restaurant at our hotel, for drinks, appetizers (empanadas - YUM!) and dessert (churros).

We'd originally planned to swing by Asheville's storied drum circle this night, but we were so tired that we hit the hay instead.

More to come . . .