Q: Best of Eastern Canada Road Trip

Bill and I love Road Trips. We plan them out so there’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 “old”, more historic part of cities. I’m talking originally walled areas. Links to posts about each place we stopped, inclding image/video galleries: Thunder Bay Sault Ste. Marie Toronto Old Montreal City Old Quebec City Prince Edward Island (includes Charlottetown) Halifax 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: “See n Do” and “Eats n Drinks“. Links are found by clicking each Marker on the map. It’s been a job putting all of this together. I hope you enjoy exploring Eastern Canada as much as we did!

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: 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: 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.

Question 1

How to Upgrade to Business/First Class at a Fraction of the Cost

Accepted Answer

I’ve debated whether or not to write about upgrading to my first ever flight in Business Class. Am I shooting myself in the foot sharing this tip?
Understand, my M.O. is to get where I’m going at the lowest reasonable cost so I have the best budget possible to use after I get there. So, upgrading seats has never even been a temptation – until my most recent international flight.
Keeping the upgrades secret finally gave Bill answers to his, “why did my seat number change” question. I just kept mumbling about your know how airlines are . . . As we boarded and got to our seats, he turned and said, “Laura, what did you do?” Best reaction!
Overall Take
What a relaxed, lovely way to travel, especially on long flights. The very good food and drinks never stopped! Well, maybe for an hour or so out of seven? Service was exceptional. Didn’t realize the equivalent of a mattress pad to put over the seat was included to use with the pillow and blanket until the flight was over. The complimentary bag of accoutrements was nice, but I didn’t end up using any of them.
The Tip
This may or may not work, but I looked to upgrade on the day before and day of our flight. On the day of, I was able to upgrade to Business Class the day before for $500 per person rather than the up to $3,600 offered well before the flight.
The Downside
There might not be any seats available, or seats next to each other.
Surprise Ending
After we landed, one of the two flight attendants that serviced our seats came over to me and said most people flying Business Class tend to do so regularly and become jaded, hardly noticing or appreciating the elevated service in this class.
Then she said that my reactions and thankful attitude, actually complimenting them on their service, reminded them both of why they do the job they do. Totally made my day that she took the time to share that with me.
Future Flights
I’ll be upgrading on every international/long flight from now on &#8211; if I can sneak in at a discount. We arrived rested, happy, and ready to go.

Latte and Orange Juice with Breakfast

Breakfast: Fresh fruit juice, croissant, yogurt, and fresh fruit, and a latte.

Dessert: Mango, passion fruit and coconut dessert

Dinner Cheese Course with Crusty Bread

Dinner: Pork shoulder confit with mustard jus, potato puree, kale, and roasted apples.

Dinner: Love the presentation, down to the Pepper!

Dinner Starter: 
Finely diced vegetables with balsamic vinaigrette, lobster with creamy avocado, Epelette pepper sauce, and green salad with sparkling water.

Dinner Appetizer - Beet tartare with goat's cheese and Crepes Fourrees Gavottes (Mini Crispie Crepes)

Warm damp cloth to cleanse hands.

Complimentary bag of accoutrements

Sunrise

Question 2

Favorite Speakeasy to Date!

Accepted Answer

Four of us wrapped up our Colonial Williamsburg trip in the most wonderful way at The Study, a speakeasy dripping in warm, cozy ambiance and mixologist-level cocktails.
It&#8217;s reservation only for the limited seating space tucked away behind an unassuming, yet hinting at elegance, frosted-glass door in the back corner of Amber Ox Public House, 525 Prince George Street, Williamsburg, VA.
We called ahead to verify some details we&#8217;d read on The Study web page. It&#8217;s not completely current, so if you&#8217;re concerned about not making it to, or canceling your reservation, call to verify current rules.
What is accurate, at least when we went, is that there&#8217;s a dedicated Menu for The Study. You can&#8217;t order from the Amber Ox menu. We had quite a variety of food preferences in our group, so we chose to have dinner somewhere else and head to The Study afterwards for drinks. We would have ordered from the Amber Ox menu if it had been available.
Check in at Amber Ox&#8217;s front desk. You&#8217;ll be escorted to The Study&#8217;s door. It&#8217;ll be opened from the inside and you&#8217;ll be welcomed in.
We were each greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne. Such a nice touch! I&#8217;m not sure if everyone&#8217;s greeted this way, or it was a one-off? I asked and our server said, &#8220;It&#8217;s just for you&#8221;, but her tone could have been interpreted as serious or joking. We just went with it.
Of note was their bartender&#8217;s willingness to accept my &#8220;surprise me&#8221; cocktail request. What showed up was absolutely fantastic. So much so, another in our party ordered the same thing. It was made with Mexico City Extra Dry Gin &#8220;Condesa Gin Clásica&#8220;, a little lemon juice, other mystery ingredients, and a &#8220;Butterfly Drip&#8220;, garnished with a sprig of thyme, edible snapdragon bloom, and above & beyond detailed lemon peel (see gallery). Buterfly Drip refers to a color-changing effect caused by butterfly pea flower extract when it reacts with citrus, shifting from blue to purple.
Amazingly, we had the place to ourselves the entire evening. As time went on, we kept noticing playful design touches, one after the other. Just one of the things that made this such a fun time.
Service was impeccable. Based on what I observed, I&#8217;m confident service would be similar with more patrons on hand.

Question 3

Best of Eastern Canada Road Trip

Accepted Answer

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.
Links to posts about each place we stopped, inclding image/video galleries:
Thunder Bay
Sault Ste. Marie
Toronto
Old Montreal City
Old Quebec City
Prince Edward Island (includes Charlottetown)
Halifax
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 4

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 5

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 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

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 8

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 9

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.

Question 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

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 performances 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 embarrassed 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 14

One Bag Travel Tips with Tom Bihn

Accepted Answer

TOM BIHN: haven&#8217;t met the man, but love his company! Read the inspiring story about how the company got its start.
Tom Sewing In His Garage Workshop, Circa 1983. Image: TomBihn.com
Looking for the perfect backpack for &#8220;minimal&#8221; (one carry on bag only) international travel took research. The last time I did this kind of travel was decades ago as a college student abroad.
Things have changed. Materials are as tough or tougher, but lighter. People carry different things now &#8211; phones, tablets, laptops, chargers, cords, etc.
After settling on Tom Bihn, a Seattle company that designs gear based on personal knowledge and user feedback, orders fabric, cuts it, and sews it on site, I ordered the Synik 30(Liter). If you don&#8217;t know, like I didn&#8217;t, backpacks are sized in Liters.
They have a loyal following, which I joined after ordering a backpack with the wrong interior fabric. When you order your bag, you choose from multiple exterior and interior fabric weights and colors. I was going for the lightest bag possible with tough exterior fabric that would hide dirt, and a light colored interior fabric that would make it easier to find things.
I contacted the company, told them it was entirely my fault, but could I possibly return the bag and re-order? The combination I wanted was not in stock, but they managed to find me one and ship it out immediately, without charge, before I&#8217;d returned the original!
To top that off, they offered to send a new backpack they were in the process of designing, the Techonaut 30(Liter), to my daughter for this trip. It was only available for Pre-Order at that point and eagerly anticipated, so it was a big deal. They asked only that she give honest feedback on the bag. She even got to choose the fabrics and colors. The kicker was getting it to her before our departure date. I was a little concerned, so offered to pay expedited shipping to be sure she&#8217;d have it in time. Next thing I knew, they had shipped it 2 Day Air! It made it just in time!
Techonaut 30 in Red Blend
Tom Bihn backpacks and gear aren&#8217;t cheap, but you get more than you pay for, in my opinion. It&#8217;s not just about excellent fabrics at various weights/toughness, it&#8217;s about things like top of the line, YKK waterproof zippers sized for easy handling. These zippers are a little harder to open and close because of the rubberized backing. I liked that because &#8211; waterproof if it rains. But that also means they&#8217;re harder for pickpockets to slip open.
I just carried the Synik 30 around for two weeks to, all over, and back from Croatia. I&#8217;m talking multiple flights, hanging out in airports, a hotel when a flight was cancelled, five AirB&Bs in five different cities, ubers, taxis, taxi boats, and ferries. The thing looks and works like new! The same is true for the Techonaut 30 Audrey carried.
Because they&#8217;re constantly selling out, backpacks & accessories are listed as &#8220;In Stock&#8221; or &#8220;In Production&#8221;. They post Restock dates and times, and believe me, people are waiting to hit those Add to Basket/Checkout Now buttons as soon as restocked items go live!
PACKING A BACKPACK

To Cube or Not to Cube
Packing cubes have been around a long time. You can use them in standard suitcases, totes, backpacks, whatever. People that use them love them and wouldn&#8217;t pack any other way.
Tom Bihn backpacks are built with compression straps, &#8220;O&#8221; rings, pockets, etc., so cubes aren&#8217;t necessary, but rather an additional option.
I picked up a variety of shapes & sizes by two brands &#8211; REI and Eagle Creek. All of them are &#8220;compression cubes&#8221;. That means there&#8217;s two sets of zippers. Pack the cube, zip it up, and then close the compression zipper, taking the cube down to about half the size. Believe it or not, the right travel clothes do not wrinkle, even under this pressure.
My three cubes were used for; 1) underwear & socks, 2) capris & slacks, and 3) tops.
One cube I didn&#8217;t think I needed, but WILL be adding for the next trip is a Clean/Dirty cube. They usually have a flexible/moveable center divider. Some are rectangular, some are stuff bags. As you use your clothes, move them to the sealed &#8220;dirty&#8221; side of the cube.
Count me a packing cube convert!
Accessories
After shopping around for a new smaller, lighter toiletry bag, I ended up getting a Tom Bihn Standard Spiff Kit in Island 210 Ballistic. Other brands are less expensive, but they just can&#8217;t compete when it comes to construction quality and life expectancy. It held everything I needed for a 2 week trip and fit perfectly inside the very top of the backpack.
Finally, just so everyone knows, I would have written about the Tom Bihn company and their products with or without the Techonaut given to Audrey, an avid outdoors-woman, for field testing. I&#8217;m that impressed with the company, their philosophy, and the folks that work there.

Question 15

Come to your senses - getaway to The Tennessean Hotel!

Accepted Answer

Engage your senses with Personal Luxury
Repurpose or destroy? Time passes. Times change. Too often with buildings the answer is destroy. Happily, that didn&#8217;t happen to the 1982 World&#8217;s Fair office building in Knoxville, TN that&#8217;s now The Tennessean Hotel (https://www.thetennesseanhotel.com/).
Outside it looks pretty much as it did in 1982, but inside it&#8217;s an entirely different story. Their &#8220;Personal Luxury&#8221; approach begins as soon as you arrive and continues throughout your stay.

Turn your vehicle over to Valet Parking when you pull up and don&#8217;t think about it again until it&#8217;s time to head home. Of course you can park in a nearby lot, if you prefer, but it&#8217;s nice to know your vehicle is secure and being looked after. And if you&#8217;re like me and forget something in the car, someone from Valet will retrieve it for you and drop it off at your room.
More reasons to Valet:

Whatever you want to do in town is within walking distance.
Free Trolley (Map) running four or five routes is picked up right outside the hotel.
Don&#8217;t want to wait for a trolley, take advantage of their complimentary, luxury Black Car service.
There are 112.5 miles of paved greenway and natural trails (Map).

My husband and I both appreciated the boutique feel and elevated service at The Tennessean. A soothing color palate of beiges and blues, accented in yellow/gold and a touch of black throughout sets the tone. Add the intentional effort at setting themselves apart from the ordinary by offering touches of personal luxury that will engage all your senses, and you have a wonderful getaway experience.
After checking in and freshening up a bit, we headed to The Drawing Room for Tea Service. It was absolutely wonderful! Three tiers of scrumptious made-in-house savory and sweet treats were served with specialty teas. Not just served. Served on gorgeous Wedgewood Bone China trimmed in 24k gold. Even though it&#8217;s dishwater safe, they wash every piece by hand!
Everything was delicious! I was happily surprised by the Chocolate Covered Strawberries that had been soaked or macerated before being dipped in chocolate. No more biting into a red strawberry only to find an white, unripe interior. My favorite tea was their Signature Sweet Peach Noir. A party for the senses!
They are planning a series of very special Tea Service events. Next up is the Princess Tea Service on July 31st. Bridal Tea Service is available as their take on a special Bridal Shower.
Princess Tea Service
&#8220;Calling princesses of all ages! You are invited to enjoy tea and assorted beverages, along with a variety of tea sandwiches, scones, pastries and desserts. Don’t miss a photo opportunity with our princesses and take away a special gift to remember the day. This tea service will be an event your family will cherish for years to come.
Seatings Available at 12:30PM and 2:30PM&#8221;
Tea Service, Breakfast, and Drinks are all served in their luscious Drawing Room. Take a moment to look at and feel the custom designed napkins depicting Knoxville that are imported from France. It&#8217;s especially posh in the evening for cocktails when the lights are low and conversations are muted.
Afterwards we took a couple of the free trolley routes to get oriented. Loved my first look at much of the Univeristy of Tennessee campus. Then walked all over town &#8211; historic Old City, Gay St, and Market Square. Did a little shopping, had dinner, and checked out a couple rooftop bars before heading back to the hotel.
Our corner room was spacious and comfortable. Two of the walls were mostly glass, giving us a great view of the Worlds Fair site and Sunsphere. Someone did an excellent job refitting the building with luxurious bathrooms.
Of course I had to feel the bed linens and thick, fluffy towels. I&#8217;ll admit to doing a few horizontal jumping jack moves after slipping into bed. Their bed linens have that luxury feel as they should since they&#8217;re also imported from France.
For families who are okay sharing a room, consider spacious their &#8220;Executive King/King&#8221;. For groups and events, definitely check out the Governor&#8217;s Suite! Multiple bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room with baby grand piano. Word is, a number of celebrities have stayed in this suite.
Both of us being kind of geeky, we turned the Tennessee River/Water themed interior into a scavenger hunt of sorts. Throughout our stay, we spotted themed carpets, lighting (sconces, table lamps), map murals above bed headboards, and art. It&#8217;s not overdone, though. The most unique theme expression is in a lobby lounge area, and comes in the form of a &#8220;wall of books&#8221; bound in a way that the book spines creates a beautiful stylized map of the Tennessee River meandering through Knoxville. See HOTEL PHOTOS here.
Epicurean Notes:

Knoxville is an easy two hour drive from Asheville.
UT football fan? Check out The Tennessean&#8217;s Luxury Football Experience! &#8220;Kick off game-day with our brunch menu options and Mimosa Bar before loading a luxury motor coach for complimentary transportation to and from the game.&#8221;
A getaway to The Tennessean Hotel isn&#8217;t just for couples. Think girl&#8217;s getaway, a football getaway, family time, basically any kind of getaway.
The most common thing heard in Knoxville these days is, &#8220;I had no idea all of this was here!&#8221;

The Tennessean Hotel
531 Henley St
Knoxville, TN 37902
Sponsored

Category: Wanderlust

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