Constant Reader discussion

There are so many possibilities for activities here, that I'm having a hard time narrowing them down, so I'm going to ask you what appeals to you.

1. One thing I would really like to do is to take a ride (about 30 min.) on the Blue Ridge Parkway to a place where we could lunch, called the Pisgah Inn.(http://www.pisgahinn.com) The food is pretty normal, nothing fantastic, but the view is lovely. There's also an entrance to the Appalachian Trail nearby, where we could take a bit of a walk. How many people are bringing cars? My car will fit five, and Tom can bring our other car that will fit four. I'm not quite sure how many people are coming yet, but I think there will be more than ten. Does this appeal to you?

2. Asheville is a Beer City. I'm more of a wine person, but Asheville has several beer breweries and pubs and there are tours. https://www.exploreasheville.com/food...

3. The French Broad Chocolate Factory also does tours. This looks like fun: https://www.exploreasheville.com/list...

4. Of course there's always Biltmore Estate, for those of you who haven't been there. Our last CR meeting went, so I'm thinking maybe we'll do something different this time, unless there is a big surge of interest. Let me know.

5. I love picnics, and I was thinking we could have our "Business Meeting" at my house in Biltmore Lake, and have a picnic on the grounds of the Club House.

6. I've never read Thomas Wolfe, so I have never had much of a desire to visit the Thomas Wolfe House, but it is very close to our hotel if you are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...

7. River Arts District. This is a section of Asheville not within walking distance, but there are many studios, galleries, and restaurants. There would be walking and we would need to drive there. http://www.riverartsdistrict.com

So, we need a longer weekend. Please let me know what you are most interested in.

It all sounds like fun. Sorry I can't be there. Right now I am battling tendinitis in my leg.

Carol wrote: "It all sounds like fun. Sorry I can't be there. Right now I am battling tendinitis in my leg."

Aw, shoot, Carol. Get well.

Sherry wrote: "Carol wrote: "It all sounds like fun. Sorry I can't be there. Right now I am battling tendinitis in my leg."

Aw, shoot, Carol. Get well."

Thanks

Even though we'll be too early for the fall colors, I recommend the drive up to the Pisgah Inn. Sherry and I did that last fall and it's very pretty. I'll bet the restaurant won't as crowded in September either!

I like the idea of a picnic for the "business meeting". And I'm a big fan of chocolate, so that factory tour sounds good to me. The other activities are all acceptable to me too, so anything the group wants to do works for me.

Chocolate! Beer!

My current plan is to fly into Charlotte, rent a car there and drive up to Asheville. So, I'm fairly sure that I will have a car that could hold at least 3 more people, in addition to me, depending on what size they give me.

I went to Biltmore at the last CR Asheville so I wouldn't go to that. But, I know that I could entertain myself while you all are gone.

I love the idea of the Pisgah Inn on the Blueridge Parkway and a walk on the Appalachian Trail. The business meeting and picnic ideas sound great. I would also love to go to the River Arts district. And, everything else sounds interesting too. Those are just my top 3. I've never read Thomas Wolfe but, if others want to go, I would definitely come along.

I will be driving there, so will have my car, which seats 5.

I wasn't with you for the last CR Asheville, but I don't mind skipping Biltmore. I am sort of interested in the Thomas Wolfe place.

That's a long drive, Mary Anne, but it should be nice!

We will also have a rental car. The drive to Pisgah sounds great, and I am always up for chocolate. Everything else also sounds appealing, although I don't have much interest in the Thomas Wolfe tour.

7.5 hours according to Google Maps.

For Thursday night dinner, I was hoping the hotel had a decent restaurant, but from what I can see it is very small. Chai Pani is only 2 tenths of a mile away, and is a fun restaurant. It's Indian street food, not your typical Indian American fare. Here is a link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...

Will this be okay? I know some people don't like Indian food.

It's fine with us.

I haven't looked into flights yet, but I doubt I'll be able to be there in time for dinner on Thursday. If I recall correctly, last time we had a convention there I arrived around 10 p.m. I'll reserve my votes for the meals I'm likely to be there to eat.

Sounds like fun to me!

Lynn wrote: "I haven't looked into flights yet, but I doubt I'll be able to be there in time for dinner on Thursday. If I recall correctly, last time we had a convention there I arrived around 10 p.m. I'll rese..."

I thought that would probably be the case, Lynn. I picked a restaurant fairly close, just in case you were able to make it there for dessert.

Thanks, Sherry!

I have decided to fly, arriving mid-afternoon on Thursday.

Could people let me know when they will be arriving? Some bad news--Larry can't come.

Too bad about Larry. I was looking forward to meeting him and his wife.

We will be arriving in the Asheville area a couple of days early and hope to go hiking Wednesday and have tickets to the Biltmore on Thursday. We will be at the Indigo by late afternoon.

3:18 pm on Delta.

I get into Charlotte at 5:00 (it's a direct flight from Cedar Rapids) and will need to pick up a rental car then drive over. I'm guessing I'll arrive between 7:45 and 8:00 p.m.

Lynn wrote: "I get into Charlotte at 5:00 (it's a direct flight from Cedar Rapids) and will need to pick up a rental car then drive over. I'm guessing I'll arrive between 7:45 and 8:00 p.m."

Lynn, our reservation for dinner on Thursday night is 7 pm at Isa's Bistro on the corner of Battery Park and Haywood. It's a short walk. I'll keep a seat open for you.

Thanks, Sherry! I'll probably park the car and come to the restaurant before I do anything else at the hotel. I'll try to text you when I'm leaving the airport so you have a better idea of when I'll get to Asheville.

Lynn wrote: "Thanks, Sherry! I'll probably park the car and come to the restaurant before I do anything else at the hotel. I'll try to text you when I'm leaving the airport so you have a better idea of when I'l..."

Isa's Bistro has free valet parking if you eat at the restaurant. It's in the same building as the hotel we were at last time we had the meeting here.

Disappointing about Larry! I was looking forward to getting to know him better. However, this is still going to be a great group of people!

We are in Charlotte now, spending time with our grandson. We'll probably get to Asheville in the mid to late afternoon on Thursday. Is the restaurant within walking distance of the hotel or should we plan on driving?

It's within walking distance. So looking forward to seeing you.

Thanks for the info, Sherry!

I went downtown to check out some things, like how the walking distance really was, etc. (about 10 minutes to Isa's Bistro, a little more for Curate and Rhubarb). The hotel has a nice setup for breakfast and they open at 6 a.m. for early risers. It's not free, but there is variety. I made sure the parking was complimentary for our group, and it is. And LYNN, I managed to change the room so that we have two queen beds now, instead of one king. So don't worry about kicking me :)

Woohoo!!!! Thanks - I'm sure we'll both sleep better :)

What a successful convention. The weather was wonderful, the food was excellent, the conversations stimulating. I hope you all will consider coming next year. I will post about the next convention soon.

Thanks, Sherry, for all the work you put into planning a great gathering. I had so much fun exploring Asheville, eating good food and talking, talking, talking with old and new friends. I also hope that more people will consider joining us next year - the more, the merrier!

I got home safely around 9:45 last night after a very fast flight back from Charlotte. In fact, we got into Cedar Rapids so early we had to wait for a gate to open up before the plane could park.

Lynn wrote: "Thanks, Sherry, for all the work you put into planning a great gathering. I had so much fun exploring Asheville, eating good food and talking, talking, talking with old and new friends. I also hope..."

Oh, you're welcome, Lynn. I enjoyed it, too, and I didn't have to fly anywhere.

Ditto, on what Lynn said! Everything was terrific, and the weather cooperated beautifully.

By the way, the Hotel Indigo had the biggest shower I've ever experienced!

I agree about the shower, Mary Anne! In fact, the room itself had much more space than most standard hotel rooms. Sherry and I could both have done yoga in the open floor space at the same time (if we had been inclined to do yoga at all!).

I'm so glad to hear it was a success! I look forward to learning where next year's convention will be.

We had a great time! Constant Readers are such good company. My husband came along for the first time and I think he was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. Thank you so much for all of your hard work, Sherry!

Barbara wrote: "We had a great time! Constant Readers are such good company. My husband came along for the first time and I think he was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. Thank you so much for all of your hard ..."

You're very welcome. I had a great time, too!

Let me add my thanks to you, Sherry. It was a great convention and Tom and I are both so glad we came. I loved talking to everyone, the places we visited were beautiful, and the food was exceptional. It was a very special trip.

I look forward to the next convention!

Thanks, Ann. It was really good seeing you and Tom, too. Just a note to those not there, all the men were named Tom, so we didn't have to worry about getting the names mixed up.