Q: Old Montreal City

Old Montreal, aka “Vieux Montréal” is an easily walkable city! There are some streets/alleys that are closed to vehicles, so foot traffic only. Historic and modern buildings mix together seamlessly. Plenty of quality restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are throughout the city, but Place Jaques-Cartier is a gorgeous walkable “square” with government buildings and a large statue at one end and the St Lawrence Riverfront a few steps from the other. We loved the rooftop restaurants, historic buildings, and the fun Old Port on the waterfront. Pro Tip – If you’re into cool Speakeasys or Bars, find the Coldroom. It’s hidden entrance (Rue Saint-Amable x Rue Saint-Vincent – SHHHH!) and history are fascinating! Find the unmarked Black Door in a brick wall and ring the buzzer. Someone will come, open it, and walk you down into what was once a cold storage warehouse. Pro Tip – Parking in Old Town can be a nightmare. Valet your vehicle if possible and head out on foot. See n Do Eats n Drinks

Q: Toronto

I’m SO glad we added another day and night to our Toronto stop. There are so many sights and activities. We squeezed as many in as possible, but we’ll need to go again some time. Being first time visitors, we did “all the usual tourist things”. Went up in CN Tower went to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada,(the BEST I’ve ever seen!), checked out the Museum of Illusions, Distillery Historic District, took a scenic cruise of the harbour and islands, and more. Pro Tip: We stayed at a hotel well out of downtown. They offered a free shuttle to the airport, which we took every day. From the airport, we took the train into the heart of downtown Toronto. Easy peasy and low cost! See n Do Eats n Drinks

Q: Thunder Bay

After our daughter’s northern Minnissota wedding, we drove into Canada mid-day and spent the rest of the day in Thunder Bay, leaving first thing the next morning. Even though our time was limited, we had a great time exploring the marina, Marina Park, and the International Tai Chi Park. Finding Lakehead Beer Co a couple blocks off the waterfront was a nice surprise. Both the food and brews were terrific.

Q: Do This Before International Travel

Planning International Travel? If you don’t have it already, apply for the Trusted Traveler Program “Global Entry“. Basically, Global Entry is TSA PreCheck on steroids and specifically for international travel. In fact, Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck, which runs $80 for 5 years. So why not when Global Entry is $100 for 5 years. WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN Basically, it’s a go-to-the-head-of-the-line pass for quick re-entry to the US after international travel. When I re-entered the US via Newark, I moved ahead of a couple of hundred people using Global Entry. BENEFITS No processing lines No paperwork Access to expedited entry benefits in other countries Available at major U.S. airports Reduced wait times TSA Pre✓® Eligibility The application process is done almost completely online. After you are “Conditionally Approved” online, you log back in to your account and schedule a 15 minute in-person interview. Interviews are usually in an office at an airport that services international flights. They ask you a few questions, take your picture for facial recognition, and fingerprints. IMPORTANT: Interviews are HARD TO GET, but doable, at this time. Plan WAY ahead and make your appointment online after finding a location, date, and time that works for you. If you can’t get an appointment, you can do it at the airport as you return from your first international flight after being “Conditionally Approved”. HELPFUL LINKS Global Entry Overview: https://www.cbp.gov/…/trusted-traveler…/global-entry Benefits: https://www.cbp.gov/…/trusted…/global-entry/benefits How to Apply: https://www.cbp.gov/…/trusted…/global-entry/how-apply

Question 1

Best of Eastern Canada Road Trip

Accepted Answer

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Bill and I love Road Trips. We plan them out so there&#8217;s a short-ish drive each day between places where we want to spend more time. On this trip, we began in Thunder Bay, Ontario and ended the Canadian part of our trip in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We planned on spending three or four nights in most places. We also like staying in the &#8220;old&#8221;, more historic part of cities. I&#8217;m talking originally walled areas.
After Novia Scotia, we headed south through New England, stoped to visit family in Western MA, and then back to NC.
This post has links to more detailed information about each location, most with two seperate Galleries: &#8220;See n Do&#8221; and &#8220;Eats n Drinks&#8220;. Links are found by clicking each Marker on the map.
It&#8217;s been a job putting all of this together. I hope you enjoy exploring Eastern Canada as much as we did!

Question 2

Halifax

Accepted Answer

Boy, did we have fun in Halifax! Again, parked the car and walked everywhere. We found a favorite Pub, Coffee Shop, Beer Garden, and place to hang out on the terrific waterfront boardwalk. Loved the adirondack chairs and hammocks.
The Brown Hound Ironstone Public House had so much of the original character, if felt as if we&#8217;d stepped back in time.
Halifax was the one place we did a commercial tour, taking in the sights on land and sea from an amphibious Harbour Hopper. We&#8217;d done one of these tours eons ago with visiting friends in Seattle. Thoroughly enjoyed it and learned, among other things, about the incredible Halifax Explosion of 1917 that killed nearly 2,000 people, injured 9,000, and caused a tsunami. Damage was equivalent to a small nuclear bomb of today exploding.
See n Do

Eats n Drinks

Question 3

Prince Edward Island

Accepted Answer

The drive to Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Charlottetown, where we stayed at the Prince Street Suites, was full of gorgeous scenery. The 8 mile long Confederation Bridge felt like it went on forever, but we didn&#8217;t mind. It was actually fun.
We walked everywhere we wanted to go in Charlottetown: the Marina, restaurants, coffee shop, and a brewery.
The island is home to lots and lots of farmland,  (Ann of) Green Gables Visitor Centre and absolutely gorgeous, wild coastline.
See n Do

Eats n Drinks

Question 4

Old Quebec City

Accepted Answer

If I had to choose only one place to visit in Eastern Canada, it would be Quebec City. I mean the entire city (Old Quebed, Lower Town) oozes history and ambiance! We walked The Battlefields Park, climbed up the redoubt & checked out the stone wall that had protected the city and The Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site, rode the Funicular down to Lower Town for snacks & drinks, and then back up again.
Loved walking all the streets and checking out the shops. Especially enjoyed taking everything in when we went inside the Cathedral Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. On one nice day, we spent time on the Dufferin Terrace overlooking the river. It&#8217;s an absolutely gorgeous city with something special around every corner.
There were lots of great dining options. We particularly liked Restaurant Ophelia.
And we watched a pro pour a pint of Guiness the the official way. They say you should order your second when you&#8217;re part way through your first, depending on how fast you&#8217;re drinking, so you don&#8217;t have to wait. 🙂
See n Do

Eats n Drinks

Question 5

Old Montreal City

Accepted Answer

Old Montreal, aka &#8220;Vieux Montréal&#8221; is an easily walkable city! There are some streets/alleys that are closed to vehicles, so foot traffic only. Historic and modern buildings mix together seamlessly. Plenty of quality restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are throughout the city, but Place Jaques-Cartier is a gorgeous walkable &#8220;square&#8221; with government buildings and a large statue at one end and the St Lawrence Riverfront a few steps from the other.
We loved the rooftop restaurants, historic buildings, and the fun Old Port on the waterfront.
Pro Tip &#8211; If you&#8217;re into cool Speakeasys or Bars, find the Coldroom. It&#8217;s hidden entrance (Rue Saint-Amable x Rue Saint-Vincent &#8211; SHHHH!) and history are fascinating! Find the unmarked Black Door in a brick wall and ring the buzzer. Someone will come, open it, and walk you down into what was once a cold storage warehouse.
Pro Tip &#8211; Parking in Old Town can be a nightmare. Valet your vehicle if possible and head out on foot.
See n Do

Eats n Drinks

Question 6

Toronto

Accepted Answer

I&#8217;m SO glad we added another day and night to our Toronto stop. There are so many sights and activities. We squeezed as many in as possible, but we&#8217;ll need to go again some time. 
Being first time visitors, we did &#8220;all the usual tourist things&#8221;. Went up in CN Tower went to Ripley&#8217;s Aquarium of Canada,(the BEST I&#8217;ve ever seen!), checked out the Museum of Illusions, Distillery Historic District, took a scenic cruise of the harbour and islands, and more.
Pro Tip: We stayed at a hotel well out of downtown. They offered a free shuttle to the airport, which we took every day. From the airport, we took the train into the heart of downtown Toronto. Easy peasy and low cost!
See n Do

Eats n Drinks

Question 7

Sault Ste. Marie

Accepted Answer

Another one night stop after Thunder Bay, in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA is right across the St Marys River.
We spent quite a bit of time exploring the Canal District, but before choosing a spot for drinks and another for dinner, we wanted to see if we could see the Sault Ste. Marie Canal and the Soo Locks on the US side.

So we walked across the Sault Ste. Marie Canal over what were non-operational locks, then hiked the Whitefish Island Indian Reserve trails until we finally reached the East Viewing Platform. Then we hiked on to two more viewing platforms and got as good a view of the US locks as possible. We been up close to them on the US side during a previous trip. Completely amazing how HUGE the ships are that go through those things!
A note of caution, I wouldn&#8217;t recommend walking around on the Whitefish Island Indian Reserve in the dark, expecially by yourself. No signs and a little creepy.
We had a late 9pm delicious dinner at the Mill Steakhouse and Wine Bar. After dinner drinks were at the Steamfitters Lounge.
https://vimeo.com/1160658576?fl=ip&#038;fe=ec

Question 8

Thunder Bay

Accepted Answer

After our daughter&#8217;s northern Minnissota wedding, we drove into Canada mid-day and spent the rest of the day in Thunder Bay, leaving first thing the next morning. Even though our time was limited, we had a great time exploring the marina, Marina Park, and the International Tai Chi Park.
Finding Lakehead Beer Co a couple blocks off the waterfront was a nice surprise. Both the food and brews were terrific.

Question 9

Getaway to Southport and Oak Island NC

Accepted Answer

It was past time for a short getaway to visit family in coastal Southport and Oak Island North Carolina. It&#8217;s an easy 5 1/2 hour drive from Hendersonville. We should do it more often. Surprise, we&#8217;re here again family!
We hadn&#8217;t been in a while, so were shocked at the growth in people, traffic, housing, etc.! They&#8217;ve had homes there since the 80&#8217;s, but the population boom has been more recent.
Most of our time was spent relaxing and catching up, but we did get into the cute waterfront town of Southport for a little shopping, hanging out at the waterfront park for a while, leisurely stops at Port City Java at 113 N Howe St and Spike&#8217;s Dairy Bar, 201 N Howe St. Of course, we had to stop at Burney&#8217;s Bakery, 808 N Howe St to pick up goodies to share later back at home.

Dinner at Salt 64, 6404 E Oak Island Dr, Oak Island, was a treat. Hadn&#8217;t been there before, but will definitely try to go whenever we&#8217;re nearby. We were seated in the dining room to the right when you enter. Both left and right seating areas have plenty of ambiance. When you look at the gallery below, know there were six of us having a great time and not a ton of lighting. You&#8217;ll get the idea, though. Every &#8211; Thing &#8211; Was absolutely delicious! Click images for details in captions.

I was so impressed with Burney&#8217;s Bakery, I kept walking from case to case. They make it just about impossible to make a choice! I&#8217;d be in so much trouble if I lived anywhere near this place. My sister-in-law, on the other hand, knew exactly what she wanted to get. A box full of smaller-sized Lemon and Chocolate Croissants. Thanks, Deb! They were so good!

Question 10

Tasting Rock Hill, SC

Accepted Answer

If you&#8217;ve never been, and have only one day in Old Town Rock Hill, SC to check out the food & drink scene, where do you go? Thankfully, we didn&#8217;t have to figure it out for ourselves. Visit York County SC set up an exceptional itinerary for our small group.
NOTE: Click gallery images for details in captions.
The Mercantile, 153 E White Street
COFFEE & BREAKFAST BITES
We began with coffee and snacks at The Mercantile&#8217;s Jackass Cafe.  There&#8217;s so much going on in this 10,000 sq ft space, it rated it&#8217;s own article.

Elk Ave Tavern, 125 Elk Avenue
LUNCH
After closing down Cibi! Cibi!, their much loved food truck, to open Elk Ave Tavern, owners Anthony Legatie and Hunter Newton have their next hit on their hands.
We didn&#8217;t order lunch. Lunch ordered us! Let me take this opportunity to profusely thank the folks at EAT (see what I did there?) for the amazing spread they sent to our tables. Our server was a super friendly beast, handling quantities of food he probably doesn&#8217;t handle for two tables.
Takeaways &#8211; granted, after only one visit:

EAT comes off as a neighborhood Tavern in every way. It&#8217;s warm, relaxed, and comfortable.
Their menu is a mix of delicious creative surprises, as well as dishes more like what you&#8217;d expect at a tavern.
Occupancy numbers aren&#8217;t huge, so if you want to go, be strategic so you get a table. If you have a group, I&#8217;d recommend calling ahead. There are about a dozen seats at the bar. That&#8217;s where I&#8217;d sit, unless I&#8217;m with more than one other person. In that case, a table or booth would be the way to go. I don&#8217;t think they take reservations?
Molly and I both really liked the Smoked Pork Belly Skewers. I also loved the presentation, flavors, and textures in the Golden Beet & Burrata Salad. Details are in Gallery image captions.
I was mortified at the potential waste of food. We couldn&#8217;t possibly eat all, or even close to all, of the food delivered to our tables. Luckily, one of the people at our table runs a non-profit and was encouraged by our server, so boxed up as much of the leftover food as possible to share with those in need.

Rock Hill Coffee Shop & Roasters, 139 E Main Street
DESSERT & SERIOUS COFFEE
Bryan Boan, owner of Rock Hill Coffee shop and roasters, is a force of nature &#8211; especially when talking about coffee and his business. He&#8217;s passionate about &#8220;coffee culture&#8221; and &#8220;community&#8221;. He talked about single origin, blends, and sourcing beans. While you&#8217;re at the shop, get your coffee of choice, pick up a pastry, or tea if you&#8217;re in the mood.
A few interesting Bryan Boan quotes:

&#8220;Think bigger. Not in numbers, but in impact.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want a hundred stores. I want three stores.&#8221;
&#8220;I want to have a farm in Uganda where I&#8217;ll work with the people there, growing coffee, bringing health care, and education to the farm families&#8221;.

Sleeping Giant Distillery, 122 Southern Street
TOUR & RUM TASTING
One of the most delicious things I tasted on this Crawl was Sleeping Giant Distillery&#8217;s Lemongrass & Vanilla Rum Liqueur. Oh my gosh, it&#8217;s so smooth and tasty. My only regret is not bringing a bottle home with me. It&#8217;s only available at the distillery and surrounding ABC stores.
York County&#8217;s first legal distillery since the days of prohibition, I got all caught up in the name when I saw the very &#8220;compact&#8221; building they&#8217;re in. Giant&#8217;s in the name, but not in the building. But . . . with my predicted success, they&#8217;ll probably end up in a giant building. Brothers William and Patrick founded the micro-distillery, and named it after a game they always played.

Stop in for tastes at the front counter. The business end, distillery tanks, kegs, etc., are in the back. They&#8217;re hoping to have a couple small tables with chairs out front in nicer weather.

Elsie&#8217;s at Kounter, 135 E main Street
COCKTAILS & TASTING
Elsie&#8217;s is a tucked away jewel of a speakeasy across a hallway from Kounter restaurant, both created by Chef Robert Masone. You have to say the current password, found on their social media, at a front counter. If you have it right, a button is pushed unlocking the door to the secret entrance.
There are plenty of creative, tasty dishes on the limited menu: snacks, charcuterie, and desserts. I&#8217;m guessing from the looks of the bar and watching the bartenders, I&#8217;m guessing they can whip up pretty much what ever you want in the way of a drink. They refer to what they do as &#8220;building&#8221; cocktails, as opposed to &#8220;making&#8221; them.
Bottom line, it&#8217;s a cozy, bougie, sexy, private-feeling space that has rules intended to maintain all that. Things like, put your phone on silent and no taking calls. Here&#8217;s an Elsie&#8217;s article I published back in December, 2024 that has more details.

Question 11

Rock Hill, SC Getaway - The Mercantile: Cafe, DIY, Shop

Accepted Answer

Rock Hill, SC might just be the next destination for a small group of us that go on three to four day getaways to not-too-far-away places. We go for food, drink, entertainment, and sightseeing and Rock Hill hits all that. It&#8217;s about 2 1/2 hours from Hendersonville, just south of Charlotte, NC.
I was invited to explore Rock Hill recently by Visit York County, SC. Molly Fowler, aka The Dining Diva, joined me. It was great comparing opinions with Molly, as she&#8217;s a talented Chef, gardener, world traveler, and not shy about sharing.
First stop on our &#8220;Crawl&#8221; was The Mercantile. It&#8217;s a General Store (&#8220;Modern General Store&#8221;) of sorts, but oh so much more! There&#8217;s A LOT going on in this 10k sq ft space that was previously home to a Coca-Cola factory. Warning &#8211; it&#8217;s very easy to go down the rabbit hole while exploring their website.

The Jackass Cafe &#8211; Cafe/Coffee Shop/Wine Bar
Multiple DIY Bars: Flowers, Soaps, Spices, &#8220;Trucker&#8221; Hats, Jewelry, and Candles
Murals by &#8220;world-renown Muralists&#8221;
Event Venue: Makers Markets are held in this 2nd floor space, or outside. The venue is also available to rent for your event.
The Rock Hill Community Fridge: a first in Rock Hill, created by and hosted at The Mercantile. &#8220;Free food for anyone who needs it. Powered by the community, for the community.&#8221;

Opened in 2018, The Mercantile is the oldest of businesses opened in the last few years during a renaissance of &#8220;new, small and locally owned&#8221; businesses within easy walking distance in Rock Hill&#8217;s charming downtown.
&#8220;City of Rock Hill leadership has done a great job on revitalization of the downtown. First, there were some opportunity zones and tax incentives in the past and now cater towards other areas surrounding downtown. Also, there has always been a lack of residents (people living downtown) which is slowly shifting. Two relatively new apartment complexes are in downtown…The Exchange and The Anderson which have added many young couples especially to the area. I’ll also add that the business owners are doing a really good job of working together to create a vibrant environment downtown. Definitely &#8220;a rising tide lifts all boats'&#8221; mentality.&#8221; &#8211; Andy Clinton, President/CEO Visit York County, SC
We had a great time exploring what felt like all ten thousand square feet! There&#8217;s so much going on here, it could easily become overwhelming if not for the thoughtful layout. Each area &#8211; merchandise, DIY bars, cafe, etc., is an independent vignette, separated from the others through thoughtful design.
Molly left with a package of Angel Hair Pasta to cook at home, and we both left with our Soap Bar creations.
Click on images for captions and to enlarge.
[justified_image_grid caption_bg_color=#f3efef caption_text_color=black ng_gallery=274]

153 E White St.
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 366-6372

Question 12

Getaway to Charming Galena, Illinois

Accepted Answer

The time we spent on our recent getaway roadtrip to Galena, IL via Columbus, IN, flew by way too quickly! We broke the drive into two days there, two days back, spending a night at the Holiday Inn Columbus each way.
COLUMBUS
Wouldn&#8217;t normally mention the hotel, but it was exceptional. There&#8217;s a nice outdoor pool, decor was fresh and interesting, and the open-air, cozy mezzanine bar was terrific. We actually had dinner there both nights. Pizza both times,because it was good, but they have salads, burgers & more.
You can learn a lot talking to bartenders. For instance, among the fine lineup behind the bar were whiskeys and distilleries I&#8217;d never hear about: Heaven Hill Distillery, Hard Truth Distilling Co, Angels Envy Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery (named after Master Distiller Nearest Green, the first known African-American master distiller), and MGP Distillery. MGP dates from the early to mid 1800&#8217;s, is one of the biggest distilleries in the country, and is behind more than 50 whiskey brands that they don&#8217;t publicly discuss.
She also told us some interesting things about the town of Columbus and a couple of annual events held there that sounded great: Ethnic Expo and State Street Taco Tour. Both are food events.
GALENA
Charming, historic Galena, IL is a testament to maintaining the heart and soul of an idea that began in the early 1800&#8217;s, when in 1818 John Tyler Armstrong built a cabin on the east bank of the Fever River (now mostly known as the Galena River). It was the first recorded permanent settlement on the Fever River. Streets and lots were first laid out as early as 1826 by Lieutenant Thomas.
Interesting to note, the river used to be much bigger. By the 1850s, Galena was the busiest port between St. Paul and St. Louis often boasting as many as fifteen steamboats at a time docked along Water Street. Over time, the river&#8217;s gotten much smaller due to settling silt and sediment that flowed down reiver over time. During mining years, the river was dredged so larger boats could still reach the docks for loads of lead.
The Galena Chamber of Commerce was established in 1838, and the town was chartered as a city in 1841. During the civil war, the town was home to nine Generals, including General Ulysses S Grant. He, his wife and four children lived in what is now a historic site for about a year. Grant returned to live in Galena after the war.
History buff? Read more about Galena&#8217;s History:
This was our third visit to Galena. The last time we were in town was in 2020 during covid. Absolutely loved the way they handled the situation (see gallery below)! The charm and comfortable vibe of Galena and surrounding small towns & farmland make it a super relaxing place to spend time. There&#8217;s plenty to keep you busy: golf courses, shopping, good restaurants, wineries, breweries, a distillery, boating on the river, an 8 mile river trail for walking & biking, and more. Note: it helps if you know how to parallel park if you&#8217;re planning on parking on Main Street.
I&#8217;ll be following up with a post covering the culinary offerings in Galena.

Question 13

Good Eats - Some Off the Beaten Path - in Knoxville, TN

Accepted Answer

Any visit to Knoxville should include lots of Good Eats, maybe starting with, historic Market Square, where you&#8217;ll find shops, restaurants, and bars. Then work your way out. There are so many tasty spots we couldn&#8217;t get to on this visit. NOTE: there are a number of parking garages nearby that are free after 6pm.

Not Watson&#8217;s at Market Square
We didn&#8217;t have time to go back to Not Watson&#8217;s this time, but loved it when I went previously. See lots of food photos on their Facebook Page. I&#8217;ve never forgotten the owner&#8217;s story about how the name came to be:
&#8220;Growing up…my mom loved Watson’s Department Store…I mean loved it! It seemed as if every Saturday of my youth, was spent rummaging through the bargain-filled caverns of Watson’s Department Store on Market Square. We would all pile in the car and wait for the question…”Where are we headed?” We knew it was coming, and, as if we had any choice in the matter, our answer was invariably “Not Watson’s!” Then we’d all have a good laugh, and head straight downtown!&#8221; &#8211; Not Watson&#8217;s
The French Market Creperie
We totally lucked out with beautiful weather during our stay in Knoxville and took advantage of outdoor dining as often as possible, including at The French Market. Parking is easy, depending on day and time, at metered parking along the street in front of the restaurant.

Chesapeak&#8217;s
Good seafood inland in Knoxville, TN? I admit to being a little wary, but Chesapeak&#8217;s was recommended to us by a friend who&#8217;s a local and has been many times. So now, I say the answer is absolutely! Here&#8217;s their sourcing statement: &#8220;We source and cut the freshest seafood available daily from the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coasts.&#8221;
The four of us really enjoyed our meals and each couple shared a dessert. We both chose the Bread Pudding. It was made with donuts and topped with Lemon Sabayon Sauce.

Five Thirty Lounge on the Hyatt Place Downtown Knoxville Rooftop
Love this Knoxville rooftop bar!  It has a relaxed, but elevated adult vibe. To get to the rooftop, enter the front of the Hyatt Place hotel and continue towards the back until you see an elevator alcove on the left. Take it up to Five Thirty Lounge.
It&#8217;s been a while since we&#8217;ve been to Five Thirty, so we were surprised at the price increase over our last visit. Our bill included two Cocktails at $14 each, plus 9.25% Sales Tax of $2.59, AND a 15% LBD (Liquor By the Drink) tax of $4.20. So our Bill totalled $34.79 before tip and $40.79 with a $6 tip! Everything&#8217;s &#8220;gone up&#8221; to some extent or another, and Tennessee has no Income Tax. We figured the state has to fund itself somehow, and this must be a big earner. Maybe I&#8217;ll get a beer next time?
It&#8217;s still worth a visit. The view and ambiance are excellent.

First Watch (Bearden Hill/West of Downtown)
Two of us had some shopping to do in the Bearden Hill area, west of downtown Knoxville. We decided to start our day off with the most important meal, at least it used to be, at this First Watch. Neither of us had been to any of their multiple locations, including Biltmore Village south of downtown Asheville.
Both of us liked it so much, we had breakfast here twice on this trip!

Savelli&#8217;s Italian Restaurant
Our local friends, Jamey and Heather, took us to one of their favorite spots, Savelli&#8217;s. It ranks up there with many small local neighborhood restaurants in US and European cities I love. Inside it&#8217;s down right tiny inside, but feels intimate and private rather than crowded. Amazing what some ceiling to floor drapes will do when they&#8217;re used as space dividers.
Chef Savelli serves up classic Italian comfort food in generous portions. Her traditional sauce/gravy is very good. It&#8217;s a BYOW (bring your own wine) restaurant. If you&#8217;re looking for excellent homestyle Italian, go here!
&#8220;We specialize in traditional Italian fare, gas brick oven hand-tossed New York style pizza, sub sandwiches, and our very popular coastal seafood favorites such as Maryland-style crab cakes and Grouper Piccata.&#8221; &#8211; Chef Liz Savelli

We stayed at a sweet 2BR 2BA AirBnB in South Knoxville, across the river from downtown. It was super easy to get into the heart of downtown from the AirBnB, taking about 9 minutes. This area is also known as &#8220;Knoxville&#8217;s Urban Wilderness&#8221;.
There were two great spots to grab a bite within a one block walk. One of them was visible across a parking lot from the BnB.
71 South Restaurant & Bar
71 South has only been open a few months as of this article. It&#8217;s definitely off the beaten path for non-mountain bikers, but not so for the biking crowd. It&#8217;s located on the edge of the Baker Creek Preserve, a MTB&#8217;ers (mountain bikers) heaven. Multiple trails, some specifically downhill built.
&#8220;Baker Creek Preserve acts as the gateway to Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. With 5 multi-use trails and 3 purpose built bicycle specific downhill trails the park has a trail for everyone!&#8221; &#8211; Appalachian Mountain Bike Club
Kinda sad &#8211; kinda great, 71 South is in an almost century old church that was no longer being used. The vibe is open, fresh, and friendly. We stopped in for appetizers and drinks. It was one of those times that I didn&#8217;t pause to take food/drink pics.
They offer daily specials at pretty good prices and a menu that&#8217;s not huge, but has quite a variety of diet-specific options.
Housed in another church building that&#8217;s attached to 71 South is Crafty Bastard Brewery. I admit to flinching just a teensy bit at the name, seeing it&#8217;s in what was once a religeous building. Could be wrong, but it looked like there were both tanks and a taproom on site. Don&#8217;t think this location is on their website yet?

SoKno Taco Cantina
Whether you&#8217;re chillin&#8217; at the fire pit, dining inside or out on the patio or under the big tent in back, SoKno is a cool spot. It felt a little like it had &#8220;party town&#8221; potential even though we were there for lunch during the week. Business lunches were happening at other tables, so it was quiet when we were there.
It&#8217;s been called &#8220;industrial chic with an urban neo-garage feel&#8221; by Dennis Perkins in his 2017 Knoxville Mercury article. It still has that feel six years later. Good food. Good portions. Good staff.

Question 14

Nashville's Gulch - perfect for a weekend getaway!

Accepted Answer

Looking for a weekend getaway? An escape to Nashville is the answer! It&#8217;s only a 4 1/2 to 5 hour straight shot on I-40 West from Asheville. Four of us &#8211; two couples &#8211; did just that in mid-December.
We found the perfect AirBnB in The Gulch, for a three night stay. It&#8217;s quieter than staying downtown near all the action on Broadway, yet has lots of excellent restaurants, shops, and a Hop On &#8211; Off Old Town Trolley stop, all within easy walking distance. Of course, sometimes you want to be where the action is. Just not this time.

Just south of downtown lies this once-abandoned industrial area that&#8217;s undergone an urban revitalization in recent years sparking an intoxicating new energy. The exceedingly walkable LEED-certified community is teeming with boutique hotels, high-rise condos, instagrammable murals, shops, live music venues, breweries, and diverse culinary offerings spanning everything from biscuits and Nashville Hot Chicken to Detroit-style pizza, traditional ramen, and Indian food. VisitMusicCity.com

An overview and image galleries (see captions) of our favorite places to Eat, Play, and Stay in Nashville&#8217;s Gulch and beyond are below the map. Use the Open/Close Icon   top left for flyout map location details.
 
Our weekend getaway was full of great food, drinks, and entertainment.
If you&#8217;re new to Nashville, definitely get a one-day ticket for the Hop On &#8211; Hop Off Old Town Trolley. That way you can get a good overview, making note of where you want to go back to and explore more thoroughly.
We took in the Christmas Show at the Grand Ole Opry. None of us had been before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the one of, who shall remain nameless, that isn&#8217;t a country music fan, had a good time.
The Musician&#8217;s Hall of Fame and Museum was amazing. Displays that included country musicians, as well as others like Jimi Hendrix and Elvis, sound equipment, instruments, and costumes worn during iconic performences went on and on. Live music and private events are also held here.
Finally, don&#8217;t miss the live music, neon, and partying on Lower Broadway, the city&#8217;s main drag, also known as Honky Tonk Highway downtown, and Printers Alley. I&#8217;d recommend going to both during the day, and again at night for the full effect.
MILK & HONEY &#8211; The Gulch
We try to go to Milk and Honey whenever we&#8217;re in town, especially for breakfast and espresso. There&#8217;s a light, fun vibe, which may or may not involve the energetic full bar. A long wait isn&#8217;t uncommon in peak season, so plan ahead and get there early if it&#8217;s breakfast you&#8217;re after.

THE PUB &#8211; The Gulch
Good food! Good drinks! If you&#8217;re looking for excellent execution of traditional British dishes, order Scotch Eggs and Fish & Chips. Check out their whiskey and beer offerings, also. Cozy atmosphere, which was ramped way up with holiday decorations, and nice, attentive staff.

BISCUIT LOVE &#8211; The Gulch
Best biscuit I&#8217;ve had to date. Crisp/crunchy outside &#8211; light, fluffy inside. Not embarassed to say I could easily make of meal of their biscuits with jam. If I did that, I&#8217;d mis out of the very tasty sausage gravy, though. Feeling adventurous? Check out their &#8220;Brunch favorites with a twist&#8221;.  They serve up very good espresso drinks and take the time to top them off with a rosetta.

PEG LEG PORKER &#8211; The Gulch
Open since 2013, serving up award winning BBQ. They &#8220;cook fresh every day and serve until items run out.&#8221; Everything was very good, but we were especially impressed with the juiciness of the 1/2 rack of dry rubbed ribs! Expect a line, but don&#8217;t worry, they move everyone through pretty quickly.

ADELE&#8217;S &#8211; The Gulch
Adele&#8217;s &#8211; not the singer &#8211; was our choice for our final dinner in Nashville. We wanted to wrap up our weekend getaway with a special evening and excellent food. We experienced elevated, as opposed to fine (although it was fine), dining. They refer to their dishes as &#8220;comfort food&#8221;, which I&#8217;d definitely agree with. We were seated with a good view of where the magic happens &#8211; their very open kitchen. Prep, plating, garnishing, a wood-fired oven, and a wood-fired grill. Our meal and evening were deliciously perfect. Note that they change their menu regularly, so items here may not be available when you go to Adele&#8217;s.
Love that the building used to be a garage and that they&#8217;ve kept just enough of that &#8220;feel&#8221; to make it fun.

Question 15

Do This Before International Travel

Accepted Answer

Planning International Travel? If you don&#8217;t have it already, apply for the Trusted Traveler Program &#8220;Global Entry&#8220;. Basically, Global Entry is TSA PreCheck on steroids and specifically for international travel. In fact, Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck, which runs $80 for 5 years. So why not when Global Entry is $100 for 5 years.
WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN
Basically, it&#8217;s a go-to-the-head-of-the-line pass for quick re-entry to the US after international travel. When I re-entered the US via Newark, I moved ahead of a couple of hundred people using Global Entry.
BENEFITS

No processing lines
No paperwork
Access to expedited entry benefits in other countries
Available at major U.S. airports
Reduced wait times
TSA Pre✓® Eligibility

The application process is done almost completely online. After you are &#8220;Conditionally Approved&#8221; online, you log back in to your account and schedule a 15 minute in-person interview. Interviews are usually in an office at an airport that services international flights. They ask you a few questions, take your picture for facial recognition, and fingerprints.
IMPORTANT: Interviews are HARD TO GET, but doable, at this time. Plan WAY ahead and make your appointment online after finding a location, date, and time that works for you. If you can&#8217;t get an appointment, you can do it at the airport as you return from your first international flight after being &#8220;Conditionally Approved&#8221;.
HELPFUL LINKS
Global Entry Overview: https://www.cbp.gov/&#8230;/trusted-traveler&#8230;/global-entry
Benefits: https://www.cbp.gov/&#8230;/trusted&#8230;/global-entry/benefits
How to Apply: https://www.cbp.gov/&#8230;/trusted&#8230;/global-entry/how-apply

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