New Orleans to Atlanta to Asheville to Chapel Hill. The End.

Sept. 3
We were up early to catch the 7:00am Crescent train to Atlanta. It took us a while to board as there was a large contingent of passengers going to Birmingham, Alabama in one part of the train, and those of us going to Atlanta waiting to go on to another part of the train. Since this was just a day ride, we were in the coach section. We went through 4 states - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. 

 Passing through a station, a steam engine on display. 

 After the beautiful 1930s train stations of Seattle and Los Angles, and New Orleans' smaller but artistic station, Atlanta's was a disappointment. After the Civil War, Atlanta was the hub for trains from all over the country, building this beautiful station in 1905, which was demolished in 1972.  

Rather than continuing on the train through the center of North Carolina, I thought it would be more interesting for Louise to see the Appalachian Mountains and visit Asheville on the way to  Chapel Hill. We stayed in an hotel overnight convenient to the Hertz rental office and after a  substantial breakfast, we were off. Not having driven in Atlanta before I was glad to have Louise and my iPhone to guide me to the Asheville road through the mountains. It was a lovely day for driving, seeing the blue mountains far away to the north and the Smoky Mountains to the west. Going through small towns gave us an insight into what it was like for the Irish, Scottish, and English immigrant farmers who came to this beautiful, but very remote area in the 1700s. Only in the late 1800s when George Vanderbilt built his chateau Biltmore near Asheville,  together with the Biltmore village which housed the workers of the chateau, was there more access to the mountains, especially  with the Blue Ridge Parkway www.blueridgeparkway.gov

View to the Smokies from the fancy Grove Park Inn in Asheville. 

I've been going to Asheville many times after moving to North Carolina in 1973. In the summers, after bringing the boys from Camp Gwynn Valley in Brevard, (an overnight camp for younger children) we would go through Asheville to Marshall further north on a two-lane road up the mountains,  where my dear friend Judy grew up on a farm. It was so lovely and cool and the boys enjoyed playing in the creek next to the farmhouse. It had been quite a while since I had gone back to Asheville and was overwhelmed at the new skyscraper buildings in the downtown area. Asheville is well-known for its vibrant arts scene and historic architecture (my favorite 30s!), and the now cheek to jowl of the old and new, really jar. 

 The S&W Cafeteria art deco building. We have a K&W cafeteria in Chapel Hill, but it's not a patch on this building! 

 The Grove Arcade - with many little shops, mostly artistic - hats - fancy (I bought one for Dan and Elisa's wedding), felt ones of all shades of colors, lovely for the winter. Paintings, of course, an instrument maker, and many more. 

                                An example of an instrument maker's  shop with local wood from the mountains 

 My special treat when Asheville is to check out the Tops for Shoes store. It's the only one I've come across in NC that has good shoes for my child-size feet. They have such a varied assortment. One pair for me, one pair for work! 

It was very hot that day, we enjoyed an ice cream and a few minutes rest in a small park in the center of downtown before continuing on to Chapel Hill. Again, thankful for the iPhone GPS, we were alerted to another route, as I-40 was a parking lot for traffic for miles. We could see the backup as we continued on, and arrived in Chapel Hill pretty much on schedule. We would have been at least 2-3 hours sitting on I-40 had we not been given the alert. 

Sept. 5  

After a good night's sleep, I took Louise sightseeing in Chapel Hill. It was a lovely day and she enjoyed seeing the historic area around the university which is the oldest public university in the US, chartered in 1789. Here's an example of a professor's house built in 1795, the Horace Williams House. I have played there many times over the years together with fellow musicians for performances and weddings. 

The Horace Williams House (1795),  Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

We went on to another icon, Elmos's Diner, which is actually in Carrboro, a former mill town which is now really a bedroom town for Chapel Hill. Elmo's is a favorite of our family and for many people who enjoy southern comfort food, not the alcohol! It's in the Carr Mill Mall, formerly the mill factory. The original exterior was kept, as were the wonderful wooden floors where the cotton textiles were produced. 

Around the original factory are still many of the millworkers' homes. Once a cheap house to buy, some of them now are more expensive than Chapel Hill houses!

Our first house after leaving graduate student housing was in Carrboro. Previously we had been living in Victory Village on the university campus. The pre-fab 2 bedroom houses with plenty of yard surrounding each one,  were known as UKs, as many of them were shipped over to the UK during the war for America troops. Someone told me that there still were some of those houses in the UK. 

In Carrboro, our 3-unit end townhouse was where I met my dear friend Judy who lived at the other end. She too had a young son, the 2 boys became friends also and still keep in touch. There was plenty of grass surrounding the units for the boys to play and the road was a dead end with the elementary school across the street. A great place to bring up children. 

After showing Louise around the area as much as possible, it was time to go home, pick up her luggage and hot-foot it to the airport in the rental car. I dropped Louise at the terminal.  Raleigh Durham International is a lovely airport, my favorite, as there is a daily flight direct to London Heathrow, which Louise was taking. No hassles with connections in huge hubs and the people on the plane are mostly from the Raleigh area. Several times I've met friends going or coming. AND the Security, immigration, and customs are very low-key. I drove the rental car to the drop-off area and a friend picked me up to take me home. The end of such a great experience going around the US and having a dear friend to share it with. 

Home Sweet Home