Wining and Dining

Part of being at a convention is attending lots of parties.  The Democratic National Convention is no different.  On the fist night of our stay in Charlotte they held a Welcome Event at a really cool place called the Uptown Mint Musuem.  When I first saw the information about it, I thought it was a museum about money, which would have been really interesting. But it was mostly modern art, most of what I saw was really beautiful stuff.  The building is very modern, as is most of downtown Charlotte. And the party was held in the main exhibit hall, for lack of a better word.  The picture is from the second level, of four, that looks over that hall. On the fifth floor is an outdoor deck which provided a great view of downtown.

Biltmore Estates

Built in 1895, or rather completed then, was the "pleasure house" of George Vanderbuilt.  The house sits on 8000 acres and it run by a decsendant.  The house was opened to the public in 1930 due to a way to increase tourism during the Depression. The cost of admission for a self guided tour of the house and gardens also allows a visit to the winery and the farms.  We didn't have time to go to those places but went through the house and most of the gardens.  It is probably the most spectacular house I have ever been to.  Walking through, I can imagine being a guest staying in one of the 33 guest rooms.  There are 44 rooms on the tour and things are laid out very well to allow people to go through efficiently.  If you are in the area I strongly recommend you visit.

Flea Bag

It was very unplanned for me and quite spur of the moment.  I did plan to take a side trip on the way down to see the Biltmore Estates as it is very close to where we are going.  So when we came into the town of Asheville where the Biltmore is located we began to look for a place to bed down for the night.  We wanted someplace cheap and relatively cheap it was.  The first place we went to is called the Downtown Inn on Patton St.  They didn't have any vacancies.  The man at the desk suggested we go on Tunnel Road, and that there would a lots of cheaper motels than anywhere in town.

So as we came through the tunnel, we came upon many "vacancy" signs.  We stopped at the Blue Ridge Motel and they had a room.  It was okay despite the fact it was a non-smoking room and stunk.  The bed was comfortable, it seemed clean, and the air conditioning worked.  Not quite the Ritz, and not really a flea bag, but it will do.

We went over to the local supermarket, Ingles and got fried chicken, black eyed peas, and some frankfurter concoction that I didn't eat.  So far for me sticking to a more vegetarian grub.  Anyway, that and a six pack of beer was only $10.  So much better than going to a restaurant for dinner after spending almost $50 for lunch.

This was our view when coming out of our room.  You can't really tell, but there is a low hanging cloud over everything.  The sun is shining through as I write this so I am sure it's going to burn off.

So off to the Biltmore we go.  Later.

Kew Royal Botanical Gardens

I stumbled upon a BBC series on YouTube about the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens that was produced in 2010.  The gardens are located about 10 miles outside London and has a very impressive collection of live plants from all over the world as well as a seed collection housed in a very secure location to help with extinction.  The gardens are over 250 years old and spans about 300 acres.   Once the “playground” of the royal and very wealthy, it was opened to the public in 1910.  Since that time, it has expanded various buildings, exhibits, and displays including an annual plant auction.  Their horticulture school is one of the most prestigious in the world and many come to study there.

This garden is definitely on my bucket list.  They are open pretty much every day except Christmas but in July I understand that they have an open air concert series which features fireworks at night.  I would love to see that live as I love fireworks at any time.  Although in the spring, their flower exhibit is supposed to be the largest in the world.  But whatever time I see it, I anticipate it to be wonderful.