I am so nice to me

Here are a few select things I love about Asheville so far:

1) A pint of fancy local microbrew will set you back about $4.

2) There is a higher concentration of quality street musicians here than any other city I've ever been in (sorry, New Orleans, I still love you).

3) Cell phone addiction is almost non-existent.  Though I think I'm a moderate/average cell phone user in NYC, I have been conspicuously the heaviest texter/time-checker/Facebook scroller everywhere I go here.  There are no cell phones out on bars or restaurant tables, no one texting while walking, no one talking into a Bluetooth.  People here - wonder of wonders - seem to talk.... to each other.

4) When people give you their card, they are not trying to network or sell you something.  They just want to be your friend.  Last night at the contra dance, I met a nice lady named Kaye.  We chatted for a bit, and she said, "Hey, let me give you my card."  The card had her personal contact information and the phrase "Life abundant - Today is the Day!"  I said, "Oh cool, so are you a like life coach or something?"  "Nope," she said, "I'm just a person, and I like to make new friends."  Whelp, I'm just a jaded city slicker.

This morning I set out for a hike I had picked out just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The skies were overcast, but I hoped it would pass.  As I drove up the mountain, though, the fog got so thick I could only see about 10 feet in front of me and it felt like a thunderstorm moving in.  Not good hiking conditions, unfortunately, so I wound my way back down the mountain and into town.  I did get a couple snapshots out the car window before the rain started though.  No filter on these, folks.

 


Happily, it's easy to kill many hours in downtown Asheville.  I started with a visit to Battery Book Exchange, a beautiful bookshop that doubles as a champagne bar and coffee shop.  I sat with a cafe au lait and began reading the short story collection "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by local author Ron Rash.

I wandered the shops a bit more, and when it came time for lunch, I decided to go for a healthy option, giving my body a break from the heavy greasy stuff I'd slammed down in Nashville and Louisville earlier this week.  The skies had cleared so I grabbed a sunny seat at the outdoor patio of the vegetarian restaurant, Laughing Seed Cafe.  A jazz trumpeter played across the street, and he was quite good, giving the whole street a romantic ambiance.  I had a hibiscus tea and a "Dragon Bowl", which was a bowl full of nourishing raw vegan bliss (avocado, beet pate, arugula, cabbage, kimchi, etc).

Next up was a visit to Malaprop's, one of the coolest independent bookstores I've ever been to.  They are really a great model for what an innovative, vibrant, essential community bookstore can be.  At every turn it feels as if you are making a discovery, and you want to pile your arms high with books and tchotchkes and gifts.  My favorite thing was this table at the front called "Blind Date with a Bookseller".  The concept was that the staff wrapped a few of their favorites in brown packaging with a few descriptive words written on the front.  Trusting and brave shoppers could take a flyer and purchase a book unseen.  I was so charmed by this idea that I had to play along and selected one that sounded intriguing.

Alas, I have already been on a date with this book.  While we had a nice time a few years back, it wasn't a love match, but I'd be happy to pass along the copy I purchased to an interested reader, or hook someone up with Colum McCann's digits (his 13-digit ISBN, that is... haha, publishing joke).

I hit a few more shops including the historic Mast General Store, and the factory and tasting room for French Broad Chocolates.  The guys at French Broad told me that if I could find a shop in Brooklyn to carry their product, they would supply me with free chocolate.  That sounds like a challenge I should probably take on...

Kudzu Blossom and Scuppernong... what is this stuff?  I do not know, but I will put it on toast and tell you.

Ingrid's first blog appearance!  Isn't she pretty?

I am so nice to me.

At 3:30, I had scheduled an appointment at Shoji Retreat, a Japanese-style woodland spa.  My treatment package included private access to a little hut, with three walls and an open view into the forest canopy, with my own hot tub.  I soaked and napped in the hut, and basked in the divine tranquility of this place.  After an hour to myself, I had an 80 minute aromatherapy massage and facial.  It was blissfully indulgent and I left Shoji feeling relaxed and radiant.

On the way back to the mountain studio, I made one stop at Native Kitchen, a sweet bar with a huge outdoor patio and backyard.  They were featuring a singer-songwriter who played a mean harmonica and covered artists like Gillian Welch, along with playing some of her original music. 

I retreated early to the mountain studio for an evening writing and reading on the balcony with the crickets.