Amarillo By Morning…

 Day 5 and Chris and I are on the road again heading towards Amarillo, TX.   The past two days we’ve been discovering capitals of the mid-west, with stops in Little Rock, AR and Oklahoma City, OK.  

Little Rock was small and somewhat quiet, but don’t get me wrong, this town had charm.  With only 10 hours to discover Arkansas, we went straight to a local to find the hot spots in this riverfront town.  Our driver, also an outsider from VA himself, sent us to Dizzy’s , a casual local joint with an eclectic ambiance. Dizzy’s was nothing to write home about, but a ginormous bowl of black bean soup was just what I needed after a 10 hour day on the road.  After that, we headed to a Flying Saucers right around the corner for brews.  We also heard that Little Rock is opening a brewery right across the street from Flying Saucers.  Sad we missed this! 

The next day we discovered the dog friendly MacArthur Park right on the river.  This was the perfect spot for Java , our furry travel companion, to stretch her legs before another 8 hours the road.   Apparently, there are great dog parks in Little Rock, so we’ll definitely check those out next time (if there is a next time…)  Side note, we’ve spent the majority of our cell phone data on googling “dog friendly locations,” so at some point, I’ll share some of our discoveries for you dog lovers out there.

The drive out of Little Rock was breathtaking as we meandered through hilly local neighborhoods overlooking the beautiful Arkansas River.  

Oklahoma City (OKC)

We had a little bit more time to explore Oklahoma City, so we decided to get lost downtown while we still had daylight.  We quickly discovered that it was quite difficult to get lost in such a small city as everything was very quaint and central.

We found ourselves standing on the street where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building stood prior to April 19, 1995.  The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is beautifully done with large concrete gates standing on either side of a reflecting pool and chairs representing the deceased outlining where the bombing took place. 

That night, we stumbled upon Bricktown Brewery and then opted for appetizers at Nonna’s, a snazzy spot in the heart of Bricktown, OKC’s entertainment district.   Bricktown, along with the Chesapeake Energy Arena where the OKC Thunder play definitely seem to be the hot spots in OKC.  

Cross Country Take Two

2042.38 miles, 35 hrs. 2 min., and we’re only in Asheville,NC?  I’ve been I’m asking myself the same thing as we cross the border into Tennessee (only two days in).  

Weddings, Thanksgiving, and friends in low places sent us trecking down the east coast for the later part of November.  Now, we’re San Diego bound to pack up the rest of my belongings (I’m going to be a New Yorker, y’all!) and spend some time on the west coast before doing it all over again this spring.

I think everyone should drive cross country at least once in their  lifetime.  Or, in our case, three times.  We live in a magnificent and enormous country, so why wouldn’t you get out there and explore it?

Here are some top picks from our first stop, Asheville, NC.  We decided to spend two days here because we love this small town!  You foodies will love this place too!

• Gourmet Chips – Rosemary, goat cheese, and truffle oil potato chips,  one of the many combinations for these amazing kettle cooked potato chips.
• Chestnut  – Fried green tomatoes with Pimento cheese, tomato jam and pickled onion.  Who doesn’t love fried green tomatoes?
• Farm Burger –  Support local farmers (they partner with over 30) and try the chicken burger with kale coleslaw, crispy onions, garlic aioli.
• Double Decker Coffee – Step in to check out the atmosphere of this old bus, even if only for an afternoon coffee or hot chocolate.
• Biltmore Estate – Definitely a must see if it’s your first time to Asheville.   The estate is all decked out for Christmas this time of year and smells of gingerbread and pine!  Forewarning, be ready to drop $50-$60 for a self-guided tour through the almost 200,000 square feet estate (yikes).
• Wicked Weed Brewery  – These beers are strong, so careful not to have one hop too many!  But seriously, do try the Cardinal Sin Red.  We purchased a growler of this ourselves.

And, last but not least…

• Curate – Even if you’re not an eggplant fan, try the berenjenas la taberna, fried eggplant drizzled in honey and topped with rosemary.  The best part about this tapas bar are the portion sizes.  You can sample multiple dishes and there is something for everyone.