Red Carpet Inn Charlottesville

... Madison Suite. Deciding not to drive far we ate in Orange at the Silk Mill. Completely below average - mediocre crab dip and crab cakes, edible fried shrimp. We drank Stone Mountain C******nay - I thought it was fine but Roger just said 'Bah!' when I asked him to remind me of the name. The service was good. <br><br>Ah! But the sheets on the bed at Holladay house were fantastic. The bed was ...

... have been really struck by the pride, passion and almost reverence that Americans appear to have for their historical sites &#8211; the guides we have had have always managed to impart their interest in and love for the places we have visited and this was no exception. <br><br>Monticello provided a fascinating insight into life in late 18th Century America and into the man who built it. A self-taught architect, Jefferson was very much the Renaissance man ...

... food, especially breakfast. Got some salmon hash that came like eggs benedict. IT WAS AMAZING!!!! First night we went to Fellini's and had a bottle of wine. It was really nice!! Definitely partied hard with these guys, although I could not really keep up. Had a blast. On the way down to Duck we stopped by his friend Stephen's. <br>

<br>As we left Albany driving towards Charlottesville, i kept thinking how absurd it is that I have yet to ramble in my own backyard. I've lived in New York for years and yet, I've never traveled south of Philadelphia! Our first stop was Shepardstown, a beautiful college town with

My brother and I just bought a roundtrip ticket to Lima, Peru for mid-August!!! Thank you, thank you-- I have been dying to travel. I will for sure be blogging my 3-week trip in South America, my 6th continent.<br><br>But before that, 2 more weeks in Virginia...<br>

... there. But other, more pressing issues needed my attention at that time, such as dorm parties and the quest to find the perfect brand of beer. I always dreamed of returning someday and "doing it right," i.e. spending more than 10 hours in any one location and visiting multiple countries. After the children were born, I dreamed of &#8220;doing it right&#8221; and, at the same time, showing them why I love Europe so much. <br><br>Fast forward to ...

We had spent Wednesday night at Curt's parents house in Maryland so that we would be able to get an earlier start on Skyline drive.  The weather started out great, however as we got closer to Shenendoah National Park the sky looked like it was going to break open and begin pouring...not exactly what you'd want when your plans were to go hiking &amp; take in the view from Skyline Drive. <br><br>We stopped for ...

... in Paris and so he redesigned the house over the period 1796 to 1809 transforming it into a three story 21 room mansion. He was a keen gardener and the grounds reflect this passion. On return to downtown Charlottesville we walked the University of Virginia streets and found an iconic eating spot in the form of the "Virginian Restaurant" founded in 1923. Full of people, character, good food and great informal service we enjoyed the meal and finshed with a serve of pecan pie.

... and other band members, still own property in the area. Today we toured Monticello, the mountaintop estate of Thomas Jefferson (when he was not serving in public affairs). It was a very picturesque and educational tour, he was amazingly progressive. Photography is not allowed inside the estate; however, I took more than 60 photographs of the exterior and grounds on this ...

... college. Collin Sullivan was our student guide....(pictures included ....naturally).....and we lucked out again ......as he was not only enthusiastic.....but so passionate about the college.....and the man who founded it.....Thomas Jefferson. He had our rapt attention (which isn't easy). Tomorrow is an easy day....we are sleeping in late...and doing laundry...as our suitcases walked themselves in to our hotel today.......The Ya Ya's