Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

The Four Points Hotel.  Or Maybe Only Three Points.

8/9/2016

2 Comments

 
     This past Sunday Tom and I drove from Columbus, Ohio to Ashville, North Carolina for a reunion of the Appalachia Club, a  group Tom and I both belonged to when we were students at the University of Dayton and whose members did volunteer work in rural Eastern Kentucky. (See posts from  3/9/2015 and 3/10/2015).
     University of Dayton Appalachia Club members in the 1970's:
Picture
Picture
Picture
...and now:
Picture
    The  wonderful 3-day event was organized by a wonderful Appalachia Club Alum, Sharon.
     Sharon then,
Picture
Picture
...and now.

   To get to the reunion Tom and I  took the long scenic route down old US 23 – through Ohio, West Virginia , Virginia and Tennessee  - a 9 ½ hour ride including lunch at – where else? – Subway (when on the road we eat lunch exclusively at Subway),

...and dinner in the whimsically-named town of Unicoi, Tennessee,
Picture
Picture
…where we found a cute little Italian restaurant called Primo’s.
    Tom ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, which he liked well enough,
Picture
Picture
...while I had the eggplant parmesan,
         ... the eggplant part of which  came out  ‘way deep-fried, and the sauce part of which was…well, the truth is it’s rare that I ever find a really good spaghetti  sauce in a restaurant. My mother could make a fantastic  meat sauce, the recipe for which she passed down to me so that now I can make a fantastic red meat sauce.  I can also make a fantastic meatless red sauce from a recipe I once found on a box of Kroger’s  spaghetti. 
        I will share my red sauce recipes a couple of posts from now.
       Anyway, it was late in the evening when we arrived at our destination in Ashville,

     …The Four Points Sheraton Hotel, where most of the reunion guests were staying.

Picture
Picture
  We were immediately charmed by the homey   lobby and friendly staff.
Picture
Picture
We likewise found much to like about our pretty, cozy room, including the super-comfy mattress,
Picture
Picture
…ergonomic desk chair,
Picture
     ...steel-on-white bathroom,
…and the soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispensers in the shower, which I thought was such a good idea that I couldn’t believe no hotel – at least no hotel that I’ve ever been in -  ever came up with the idea before.
Picture
     Such happy campers were Tom and I that we agreed that The Four Points Hotel deserved to change its name to the Five Points Hotel...until I turned on my laptop and discovered that the WIFI in our room was somewhere between limping-snail and non-existent. And when the WIFI in the hotel lobby proved to be even less functional,    
...and the only site I could pull up while sitting in the lobby was “Problem Loading Page,”
Picture
...that spot lost its charm as well.
        However, by the following morning when Tom and I began linking up with our old college friends,

   ...first over breakfast at a great little nearby restaurant called Tupelo Honey ,
Picture
....where the food was yummy,
Picture
Picture
Picture
...then later in the hotel lobby,
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
...or on the street,
Picture
Picture
...Tom and I came to learn over the course of the conversations that we were among the luckier Four Points Hotel guests:  our friends shared stories of  clogged drains, a jammed shower element,  non-functioning air-conditioning, and a lack of hot water.
      Then when this  sign suddenly appeared in the hotel lobby:

Picture
...we all knew we were in for a kvetch-worthy experience, especially as the young desk clerks seemed clueless as to  where the closest public restrooms might be.
     But then it occurred to us that in the grand scheme this really wasn't so bad.
     After all, hadn't we survived worse?

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
     To be continued...
2 Comments
Patti Goller
8/11/2016 04:48:02 am

Thanks for posting all these great pictures. Love you all.

Reply
Patti
8/11/2016 04:56:17 am

Right back at ya, Patti! You were there in our thoughts and words. We missed you a lot!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Tropical Depression" 
    by Patti Liszkay
    ​Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1685131832

    Picture
    "Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    or from
    The Book Loft
    of German Village,
    Columbus, Ohio
    Picture
    Or check it out at the Columbus Metropolitan Library
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































Proudly powered by Weebly