We continued walking around downtown Asheville looking for a place to hang out for a bit. James and Melissa have been here before, so they did have some recommendations. While I did appreciate their knowledge and experience, I suggested we go to Double D's. This was frowned upon. C'mon! Who doesn't love Double Ds? But I guess they were looking for a place that served alcohol and was not a bus.

 

I'm so glad that we found this bar. Everything about it was glorious and ended up being one of the biggest and best surprises of the entire trip. As a bar it was very nice. The bartender was gorgeous and they had all sorts of local beers available. Two real pluses in my book. As a liquor store it was top notch and I ended up taking home a six pack of Rocket Girl. This bar also had something special that I have seen hundreds of times before - a band. But this band played a different style of music than I am accustomed to hearing. They called in Gypsy Jazz. I don't remember their name and I do feel bad for not being able to properly promote them. But we tipped them well and purchased one of their CDs. So it makes it OK then to share some of their music, right? It's not like I'm claiming it as my own or profiting off of it in any way, so it's just me sharing something that I think is really cool. Check out the videos to the left and the audio clips below. If I ever get around to it, I'll find out their name to properly credit them for their efforts. But I doubt I will ever circle back. Sorry pals! But I really enjoyed it!

 

 

There was a chalkboard wall that said, "Before I die I want to" and then a blank line next to it. There was some chalk nearby, and as you can see below, many people had already written what they want to do in life. Before I tell you, take a look-see and try and guess which one was mine and which one was Jenny's. I wish I could tell you I wrote "live in a van" or "be Spiderman", but I'm afraid that I'm not that creative. Sorry. I want to "Rage for me" and Jenny wants to "Love & be loved". Sometimes we have to keep it real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Carolinas March 2015 - Asheville

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This wall was a great idea because it allows the public to come together and create art and also share (anonymously) one of their biggest desires. I especially love people who don't take this too seriously (or do they?) by wanting to find bigfoot or live Nekkid. The whole atmosphere of this town was amazing. From the art to the buildings, the trees to the lighting and everything in between. This was one of the coolest towns I've been to.

 

 

 

I had already tried the Rocket Girl Golden Lager from the Asheville Brewing Company, but I was in store for so much more local beer on this trip. We wanted to go to this place called The Thirsty Monk, but it either had a line to get in or a cover charge. We saw this place next door called The Winehaus and we stopped in. It was a wine bar/liquor store and it couldn't have been better. They had all kinds of unique beers including ones bigger than your head and one that tasted like Peanut Butter and Jelly. Really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a great time at the Winehaus and I know my family shares the same sentiment. This was an unexpected surprise and ended up being one of those memorable nights that live on for all time. I got to try local beers (one of my favorite things about traveling), got to check out some new music and spend some time with with the entire family. After all of this excitement, it was good to be back at the hotel. When we walked in, we noticed this chalkboard that said "Tell Us Why You're Visiting Asheville!" Of course I wrote #RAGE. If you aren't here to rage, then why the hell did you come to Asheville? Or any place? Why even exist if you don't want to rage?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the hotel, there were only two things on my mind - let's keep the party going and let's go swimming. Ice is a good way to keep your beverages cold when a refrigerator is not present. This is one of a million reasons for ice, which is why I am more than thankful that I was chosen to be the bringer of it. After Jenny and I grabbed some refreshments, we decided to check out the pool for the 2nd time today. There are a lot of posted and unposted rules in the hotel/pool area, but multiple visits to this watery paradise is not one of them. I believe we were in violation of the adult supervision and prolonged exposure rules, but I won't tell if you don't.