A couple weeks ago my mom flew down to South Carolina (where I attend school) from New York to visit me. We decided to ditch Columbia and book a hotel in Asheville, NC for a couple nights. Asheville is an adorable little hippy city snuggled cozily into the Blue Ridge Mountains. "Go local” signs hang on every shop front and local restaurant, and green-friendly building developments are sprouting up left and right. People totally dig the environment here. They love playing outdoors and are intent on making sure the earth stays in the same shape they left it in.
Ever eaten at a farm-to-table restaurant? If not, then you should. It’s basically a restaurant that sources its food only from local farms (usually within a 100 mile radius) which is not only better for the environment (less oil used to transport food) but it also allows for a more sustainable local economy. In most cities you would need to scope out an establishment like this, but in Asheville it’s hard to eat somewhere that isn’t reliant on locally grown foods. When my mom and I arrived in downtown Asheville on Tuesday afternoon, we sat down for lunch at a restaurant called Early Girl Eatery. It had a diner-like appeal, but with exceptionally better food.
I enjoyed a tempeh reuben sandwich with a side of beets, and also picked at my mom's black bean cakes which were oooh so delicious.
We spent our days in the NC mountains exploring the extravagant Biltmore Estate (the Vanderbilt’s “play house” which happens to be the largest private home in the country), hiking Chimney Rock, and window shopping. Oh and going to see the Hunger Games at the theatre… OBSESSED.
{tulip gardens and wine cellar at the Biltmore Estate}
{Bellinis and a delicious pesto pizza that brought me back to my days in Tuscany}
{incredible views from Chimney Rock}
This trip left me totally torn about my future life plans- I could totally see myself living somewhere in the mountains with a dozen acres, some animals to play with, and plenty of wildlife to explore.
Mountains or beach, mountains or beach? Can I have both?
0 comments:
Post a Comment