Flyover America

Another change of plans: I was supposed to go the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia from Sept. 17-19, 2010 with my friend Margaret, who writes VisitSouth’s Nashville blog.
But now we can’t.
And you stand to benefit from both of us being totally bummed out about that. We’re giving away our tickets. Giving them [...]

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Whether it’s 5 a.m. or 5 p.m., I know what you’re thinking on this spring day: what kind of trouble can I go get into tonight? Well, maybe not trouble–but a bit of fun, right? I mean, seriously, it’s spring. You know you’re feeling sassy. In honor of getting into trouble, having fun, or just [...]

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All that glitters (or, as Shakespeare originally wrote in The Merchant of Venice, glisters) is not gold. But while Willie was going for a life lesson, here at Flyover America, all that glisters is not gold because it could be a shark tooth or a super shiny pebble or a crocheted necklace or, well, or [...]

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A funny thing happened on the way to my looking-back-on-luxury hotel list: I realized that, when it comes to luxury, it really takes something special for me to remember it. I love a plush king-size bed layered with high thread count sheets. I adore a soft and oversized bathrobe. I go ga ga over a [...]

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Throw out your TV! Cancel your Netflix subscription! Crush the Victrola! There are two gopher brothers in a van and they’re digging America because they can–and they will fulfill all your entertainment needs. While driving cross-country, Wilson and Ditch sing–both in their eco-fuel powered VW Camper Van and at stops like the Grand Ole [...]

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Looking at art is always nice. Well, usually. Spending time with an artist who created work you like or love? Well, that’s a treat beyond belief. Time slows down and speeds up and your synapses start firing off like crazy. Things just shift a little to the left. Here, some artists we’ve been lucky enough [...]

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Since writing about author Gretchen Rubin and her upcoming book The Happiness Project, I’ve been a now-and-again reader of her blog. A read of it today turned up a post about keeping a non-journal of one liners about happy times. Rubin writes: “Studies show that recalling happy times helps boost happiness in the present.” OK, [...]

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With apologies to Tina Fey for, above, bastardizing her character’s now famous line, here, the hotels/B&Bs/other-places-with-beds-that-aren’t-our-homes that we would like to move into permanently.
Jenna’s Picks
Few hotels–if any–merge whimsy, history, and upscale delights like Boston’s Liberty Hotel, which is partially housed in a former jail. I would spend my Saturday mornings doing Yoga in the [...]

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Dear Nashville,
It’s been too long. For a while there, we had a thing going. I showed up every six months or so. You entertained me. It was an ongoing affair to remember. But then life got in the way. All my fault. I know. I apologize. But, really, my love for you has grown. I [...]

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No, you didn’t imagine that loud (and long-lasting) yay coming from Nashville on Jan. 22. It was the sound of the city’s English-only? seriously? contingent celebrating after the ridiculous measure was defeated in a (costly) special election.
While nothing could come between me and my Nashville (cause it’s a pretty damned fantastic city), it did get [...]

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