Vacations and Trips Comments Forum by Don Boyd

Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> Memories of Old HIALEAH, Florida - Historical Photo Galleries and Commentaries - click on image to view and read > Vacations and Trips Comments Forum

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Vacations and Trips Comments Forum

Anywhere but Hialeah

Per request of Robbin, visitors can post stories of trips to anywhere but Hialeah. Please post your comments below and not in the regular Hialeah or other galleries. Thanks!

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Guest		30-May-2021 06:27
BRUCE W. RANEY ;THANKS FOR ALL THE PICTURES OF PLACES I RAN AND PLAYED IN MY LIFE DOB 12/19/1947 . bruceraney@gmail.com

Manocarz		08-Sep-2009 09:05
Thanks Don for adding the link. Enjoy your trip.

Don Boyd		08-Sep-2009 06:44
You meanhttp://www.floridalicenseplates.com ? There ya go, thanks for telling us about it. Don

Manocarz		08-Sep-2009 02:16
For a trip down memory, all serious Florida native collector of carz must mark as a favorite site the floridalicenseplates site. there is a http with the colon and two forward slashes and a www with a dot before it and a dot com after it. I tried to post the site but it rejected my posting. Maybe Don can add the link. Its a great site with all the tag codes by letter and county numbers from days gone by.

Robbin		23-Jul-2009 18:57
Don Boyd, That is The Whole Story, and I Remembered the other counties' numbers, But I was Correct: My Dad Drove a Chevy Station Wagon , and it had a 1W Plate, and all of the Cars with Fla . Plates ,My Brother and I noted, Had 1W. Your Clarification, was , as Paul Harvey always Said, or Says : The Rest Of The Story, and That's My Clarification. Best Regards, Don. Robbin.

Don Boyd		22-Jul-2009 05:12
A clarification on the old Florida auto tags that were mentioned below. There was far more than 1W tags out there from Dade County. The first number designated the county and was ranked from Dade which was #1 to the 67th most populated county in the state and it was based on the 1950 US Census. Duval was #2, Hillsborough was #3, Pinellas was #4 and Broward was #10. The next letter or space designated the weight class of the car. T on the tag (I associated tiny with the T) were small low weight cars such as the early model VW Beetles and possibly English Fords and maybe a couple of other brands. D on the tag designated cars that weighed more than the smaller T cars; VW Beetles in the 1960's carried a D tag because their weight increased higher than the T weight range. Cars that weighed more than the D's had no letter - just a hyphen after the county number and before the tag number. Cars weighing more than the no letter cars carried a W after the county number. And finally, the largest and heaviest cars carried a WW after the county number. This system allowed everyone, especially law enforcement officers, to see not only what county the car was from but what weight class the car was in. Someone putting a stolen plate on a car would have to get the right weight class tag to put on or it would be noticeable to a lot of people. The annual tag renewals were based on the car weight class, so the "T" tags cost less than the "D" tags which cost less than the "no letter" tags, which cost less than the "W" tags which cost less than the "WW" tags. As I recall, rental cars carried a separate letter ( E ?) and trucks and motorcycles had their own system of letters after the county number.

Robbin		17-Jul-2009 18:30
Traveling in The Summers, in The 50's, when I was a Little kid, was a Lot of Fun. My Little Brother, 3 years younger than myself, and me, we amused ourselves, on Trips, By Looking for Florida License Plates, on The Road, and Especially Florida Sunshine State Plates with : 1W, which was Dade County, or The Miami Area. And when we spotted a car with FLA. 1 W Plates, My Dad, would Blow the Car Horn, and we'd all wave to the people. That was Neat. and we Traveled in The Family Station Wagon, and My Little Brother and I, Had Pillows and Blankets, and We'd Sleep, and Make A Tent, out of The Blankets. And our Absolute Favorite Place to Eat: Howard Johnson's, We Loved Their Restaurants, and Their Food. We always stopped at Howard Johnson's. And At Gas Stations, We would Get Coca Cola's in The Small Bottle, from The Machine, and Lance Chocolate Cookies, and That was always Enjoyable. And we used to Stop At Stuckey's, Horne's, and Rawl's, To Get Peanut Brittle, Orange Juice, and Coconut Patties. And We would Stop at Harvey's Groves, and Hale's Groves, north of Melbourne, and Have Fresh Orange Juice, ect. My Brother , and I , Had Fun, and Now: We Have A Lot Of Great Memories. We Went Mostly: To: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, & Pennsylvania . We Went To Beaches, Horse Racing, Caves, Train Rides, Good Restaurants, Attractions, Drive In Theatres, Drive In Fast Foods, Museums, Mountains, Formal Gardens, Little Towns, Neat Diners, Drugstore Soda Fountains, Ect. Great Memories. Robbin.

Robbin		16-Jul-2009 22:29
One Of My Favorite Things, Is : Riverboats, The Sternwheeler Proud Mary Types with The Caliope, ect. I Have always Been Fascinated By Them, since I was a Little Kid. Reminds Me Of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Riverboat Landings, River Towns, ect. I've Been on Many Riverboats, in Natchez, Memphis, Nashville, Branson, Cincinnati, Louisville, New Orleans, Disney World, Wilmington, N. C., Norfolk, Jacksonville, N. C., ST. Louis, FT. Lauderdale, Pittsburgh , and others. It's Neat to Be Way up High, on The Outer Decks Of Riverboats, and The View, is Great. And when I Ride on Them, I Get Dreams Of Having Been on Old Frontier Riverboats, Crossing Waterways , Before There were Bridges, and when Riverboats Brought Supplies, to Towns, and out to The Country, From Towns, and Cities. I Love Thinking, about That, and Imagining The Sight, Of The Sternwheeler Riverboat Rolling On A River. My Dad, always Said: That A Relative Of His Mom, My Grandma: named Jeff Stokes, was A Riverboat Captain, on The Northeast Cape Fear River, Bringing Supplies, From Wilmington, To The Country, 40 Miles North , where My Grandma, Was Born and Raised , Near Burgaw, N. C. That Time, would Of Been Circa : Late 1800's. Uncle Jeff Stokes , Riverboat Captain . I Love Riverboats, Riding On Them, and The History, and Folklore Associated with Them. Robbin.

Robbin		16-Jul-2009 21:39
In 1955, when I was 4 Years Old, My Family went On A Summer Vacation Trip, To Asheville , North Carolina, and to Bryson City, North Carolina, and I Remember Looking up at all The Greenery of The Mountains, and Thinking it was neat, and pretty, But also: I was a Little Scared Of The Altitudes Too. But My Dad, was A Great Driver, and We Were Always Safe, and Had A Good Time. We Had A Good Trip, Except For 2 Things that Happened: # 1 : We Were Riding around Asheville, when A Rock From A Dump Truck, in Front Of us, Went Thru The Windshield Of My Dad's Station Wagon, and Shattered The Windshield, Like a Spider's Web. Luckily, we were all O. K., and My Dad, Took His Almost Brand new 1955 Chevrolet Station Wagon, to The Chevy Dealer Of Asheville, and They Put a New Windshield in, and all was Well. We Ate Lunch at A Big Historic Grand Hotel, with A Big Impressive Chandelier, and They Had A Buffet, and I Remember The Great Food, Especially: The Fantastic Macaroni And Cheese, and Heavenly Apple Pie, Home Made. And # 2 Mishap, was in Bryson City, at the Motel we stayed at, when I went Swimming in The Fountain, By The Motel's Sign. You See, it was Summer, and The Motel Had No Pool, so I Improvised, Scraped Myself, in The Fontain, Got Yelled at By The Owner Of The Motel, and Then I Got A Whipping, from My Dad, and His Belt. But other than those 2 Excitements: We Had a Nice Trip. I Hope Someone Likes This True Story, from My Dennis The Mennace Days. Robbin.

Robbin		16-Jul-2009 21:10
One Summer Vacation, when I was about 12 Years Old, and My Younger Brother, was 9 Years Old, In 1963, My Dad Rented a Cabin, on The Northeast Cape Fear River, in Rocky Point, North Carolina. Rocky Point, is about 12 Miles north Of Wilmington. My Dad, My Little Brother , and I , Spent 3 Days and nights there, and we Had a Great Time. No T. V., No Radio, No Phone, no Neighbors, only A Beautiful Riverview, Boating, in My Dads 16 Foot Boat, Fishing, and Storytelling, at Night. We Went to Bed Early, and Got Up Early, and We Had Fresh Fish, Everyday, and it was Delicious. My Dad's Boat, Had A Big Motor, an Evinrude 100 Horsepower, and My Dad, Let Me Drive it a Lot, and We Went Real Fast, Sometimes, as My Dad Knew I Wanted To Go Faster, and He Told Me: Go Ahead: Open it Up, and We Laughed, and I Did. The Back of The Cabin, was only about 15 , or 20 Feet, from Waters Edge, and That was Neat. The Cabin, was A Small Bare Necessities Wooden Building, with Military Bunk Beds, and it was out in The Woods, and Nature, at it's Finest. It was a Most Memorable Stay, and All 3 Of us: Enjoyed The 3 Days , and 3 Nights. I Will Never Forget that Cabin, The River, and The Great Time We Had. Definately: This is One of My Fondess Memories. It was My Dad's Idea, and it was A Great Plan. Robbin.

Robbin		04-May-2009 19:24
One Summer Vacation Trip, We Took, in The Early 90's, was a Nice Trip. We Drove to Wilmington, North Carolina, and Visited Relatives, in and around there, a Few Days, and then, We Left Wilmington, on I-40, Headed to Kentucky, for My Mom's Relatives Place, in Elizabethtown,--- E Town, Kentucky. We passed Thru: Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston- Salem, Asheville, Knoxville, & Nashville, and then I Picked up : I-65, and took in into Kentucky, and to Elizabethtown. While there, we Had Family Get togethers, that were Real Nice, and Then on a Sunday, we went to the Reunion, and it was Real Nice, and went from : 11 A. M., to 4 P. M. . Then, The next Day, We Went to Mammoth Cave, and The Corvette Plant, and Museum, all 3 very Worthwhile Places to Go, and we went to My Old Kentucky Home Historic Federal Style Mansion, in Bardstown, KY. Then We Went To Lincoln's Birthplace, in Hodgenville, KY., and In To Louisville, visiting Relatives there, and Riding around, Had Some Derby Pie, and Kentucky Country Ham, and Beaten Biscuits, Went to The Museum, at Churchill Downs, and Spent The Night, in Louisville. Then we Went To Nashville, and Rode around, and ate some Krystals, and Enjoyed Nashville Sightseeing, and Then, we Headed to Memphis, Went To Graceland, Rode A River Boat, on The Mighty Mississippi, Ate BBQ, at a Dozen Places, Went to Beale Street, and Heard som Great Mississippi - Delta Blues Live at a Club there, and Rode around Going to Stax, on East Mclemore Avenue, and Sun Studios, on Union Avenue, and We Passed By The Peabody Hotel, went To The Memphis Zoo, in Overton Park, on Poplar Avenue, and Rode across The Hernando Desoto Bridge on I-40,to West Memphis, Arkansas, and Made a Quick Turnaround, and Came Back, and Got A Beautiful Skyline Picture Of Downtown Memphis, on The Mississippi !!!!!! When we Said GoodBye, To Memphis, We Headed East- Southeast, on Lamar Avenue, Highway 78, and Headed to Tupelo, Mississippi, Birthplace, of Elvis Presley. We Stopped, and Paid our Respects, To Tupelo, Elvis, and The Presley House. We Then Headed Towards Birmingham, and Fueled up The Van, And Headed East Towards Atlanta, on I-20. In Atlanta, we Stopped By Marietta, to see My Wife's Uncle John. And then, we Headed Home,on I-75 ,only stopping, For Gas, and to Eat . We Had a Nice Trip !!!!!! And Now, it's a Nice Memory !!!!!!! Hope Someone Enjoys This Trip Story !!!!!! Robbin.

Guest		05-Apr-2009 22:05
The Movie Production Company, and Studios, Backlots, ect., in Wilmington, North Carolina, which is on N. 23rd Street, By The Airport, has changed Names, and Companies, many times, over the years, But it is now Screen Gems. Lots of Movies, are Filmed, in and around there. And Dawson's Creek, is Filmed there.

Don Boyd		03-Apr-2009 15:44
The one that says "Robbin's Comments" at the bottom of the Hialeah gallery page. The link is: http://www.pbase.com/donboyd/memories_hialeah_robbinscomments Don

Guest 3		03-Apr-2009 11:33
What gallery is that?

Guest		02-Apr-2009 18:32
Dave You may want to go to his gallery. The site has been made available to him for his ramblings. Nice to hear that the trip was a success.

Dave Bruce		02-Apr-2009 17:09
Robbin, just got back yesterday afternoon and had a great time. All four battlefields the first day, Monday, then Tues went over some selected spots again, and it was a good trip. 10 hrs each way but it was a good getaway.

Robbin		30-Mar-2009 13:22
I've Been to The Florida Keys, and especially: Key West, But one visit, to Key West, stood out, Because on that Saturday, My Wife and I went there, We Took The Conch Train Trolley Tour, and They Gave us a History, of Key West, and Pointed out: All of the points of Interest, on The Island. That was very informative, and Neat. And we Drove around on our own some, went to The Key West Aquarium, and then, Ate A Wonderful Buffet Dinner, at Coral Grill, and Drove Home, to Hialeah. That Day, was Like a Mystical, Magical Day , we enjoyed it immensely !!!!!! A Real Nice Weekend Day Trip, to Remember, and now, it is A Great Memory !!!!!!!

Robbin		30-Mar-2009 01:49
Back in The 70's, When I was A Truck Driver, On Saturdays, I would Drive A Company Tractor Trailer, From Northwest Miami, off N. W. 112th Street, and 36th Avenue, To Tampa. I Worked For Swift & Co. Meat & Foodservice Company, Headquartered, and Founded in Chicago, By Old Man Swift-, Gustavus F. Swift, out of The Miami Branch House, and Went to Tampa, once a week, To Pick Up, a Full Load, 20 Wooden Pallets, of Swift's Premium Hot Dogs, Cold Cuts, Bologna, Salami, and Sausages, from A Big Swift Processing Kitchen there in The Ballast Point Neighborhood, off Dale Mabry, and Gandy Blvd. When I Got there, I would Open The Back Doors, of The Trailer, and Back in A Door, and The Employees Of The Plant, would Load The 40 Foot Trailer, and when it was fully Loaded, I would Pull Up, and Close The Doors Of The Trailer, and An Employee, would Put A Seal on The Trailer Door, and I would Put a Padlock, and Leave, For Miami, and our Miami Branch . At that time, there was no I - 75 Interstate Extension, From Tampa to Miami, Like there is now, so I Had to Take The Florida Turnpike , To The Yeehaw Junction, Highway 60, up by Vero Beach, and Then I Took 60, The Yeehaw Junction, Thru Lake Wales, Bartow, and Brandon, and then into Tampa, taking The Crosstown Expressway, to Gandy Blvd., and then Just west of Dale Mabry, I would Turn Right at S. Grady, and in 2 Seconds, I was at The Swift & Co. Tampa Branch, and Sausage Kitchen, as the Plant was Called. This was a nice Trip, not that far, 500 Miles+ Round Trip, and all I Did was Drive, no Loading , or unloading. The Rig, I Drove, was A Red in color, White Freightliner, Long Nose, Conventional Tractor , with a 40 Foot Reefer-- ( Refrigerated ) Fruehauf Trailer, and On The Doors of The Tractor, was: Swift , and on The sides and Back Doors, of The Trailer, was: Swift's Premium. Great Memories, for Me !!!!!!!!!

Robbin		29-Mar-2009 18:04
Dave Bruce, I am a Civil War Buff !!!!! I Like Civil War History, and have Read a Lot about it, have seen Ken Burns' Documentary Specials, and Have been to : Antietam, Manassas ( Bull Run ), Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Harper's Ferry, Gettysburg, and Fort Sumter. Have a Nice time, and A Good Safe Trip !!!!!! Later !!! Robbin.

Robbin		29-Mar-2009 04:16
Dave Bruce, I Love Civil War History, always Have !!!!!! And I've been to: Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Manassas, Gettysburg, and Fredericksburg, and Chickamauga !!!!! Oh, and Fort Sumter, and Fort Fisher !!!!! I May not know as Much as some, about Civil War History, But The Interest, is There, and I've Read a Lot about it in Books, and I've watched Ken Burns' Specials, ect. My Hero, of The Civil War: General Robert E. Lee !!!!!! Why ???? Because: with Smaller Numbers Of Troops, and inferior Everything, and at a Lopsided, Severe Disadvantage, General Lee, Commanded His Troops, Valiently, and at times, had The Advantage, and With a Poorly Trained Skeleton Crew, of Vounteers, They Held their own, for some of The Civil War, Until Near The End, and Then, General Lee, Knew that His Southern Confederate Rebels Were Through, and To Avoid A Massacre, or Bloodbath, of The Remaining Troups, He wisely Conceded, and For Both Acts Of Courage, and Wisdom, I Chose: General Robert E. Lee, as My Hero, of The Civil War. And I was Born in Miami, so I am A Confederate Rebel, But I will go on Record, That I Do not Believe In Slavery, it was not Right, and needed to Be Abolished, But I am very sorry, that The Issue, Divided our Country, North and South, and That so Many Americans, on Both Sides, Lost Their Lives !!!!! Have A Wonderful, and Safe Trip Dave, and We'll Talk another Time !!!!!! So Long !!!! Robbin.

Dave Bruce		28-Mar-2009 11:48
Robbin, I am headed down for three nights, starting tomorrow Sunday, March 29, to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Bigger than Gettysburg NMP, and that place has 3000 monuments. I did not know that the Fred/Spotsyl. is comprised of all four battlefields, Fredericksburg, The Wilderness, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, all in one small area. For those of you who like to visit Civil War sites, this should be enjoyable, out of the way, uncrowded this time of year, no heat and humidity, etc. I have been to Antietam, New Market, Manassas, and Gettysburg (several times to Gbg) Any Civil War buffs out there?? Dave Bruce kb1pdv@earthlink.net This is a very far cry from practicing criminal law in the inner-city courts of Boston, wonderful as they are :) So this getaway is truly that, a beautiful getaway.

Robbin		25-Mar-2009 03:18
Dave Bruce, Have a Great Trip, Enjoy Yourself, and By all Means, Make it a Safe Trip !!!!!! If you should come To Miami, Let Me Know, and I'll Bring out A Welcome Wagon !!!!!! Robbin.

Robbin		25-Mar-2009 03:13
Dave Bruce, I've never Been, to Washington State, Oregon, or Hawaii, either, But sure would Like to go to all 3 !!!!! Florida Lotto Win and R. V. Needed !!!!!!! I've Been to Branson, Springfield Mo., and St. Louis, But Not Kansas City. Hell, I Haven't even Been To PEORIA !!!!!! Do You Believe That ?????? When I win A Big Lottery, and Get My R. V., Look Out !!!!!! I will Be On The Road Again, just Like : Willie Nelson, Buzz and Todd, and Charles Kuralt !!!!!!! Later !!!!! Robbin.

Dave Bruce		24-Mar-2009 16:01
Washington, Oregon, Hawaii....every other state several times, many cross-country trips, two coming up, one in a couple of weeks and one sometime in May. Maybe Florida and also Missouri, where my sister lives. A lot to see in between my house and those two places, that's for sure, and both trips are at least 1300 miles one way.

Robbin		24-Mar-2009 02:38
Dave Bruce, I'm curious, What 3 States, Have you never Been in ??????? I've Been in 32 States. Best Regards !!!!! Robbin.

Robbin		24-Mar-2009 02:35
Dave Bruce, I Read your post here, and enjoyed it, and I'm Glad you Found this site, and I Hope you will write some more, about your Extensive Travels, even A Little Post, once in a while, would Be Great !!!!!! Welcome, to this Uncharted Territory !!!!! Later !!!!! Robbin.

Dave Bruce		23-Mar-2009 16:22
Robbin, thanks for telling me about this part of the site. You and I have been talking on the other part, growing up in the 50s, for months now. I have been to every state but three, many times over, by bus, car, plane. Drove a VW bug to Alaska from Boston in 1973, going through Yukon Territory and half of Canada to get there. 11,583 miles round trip, three and a half weeks. At that time, the farthest north we could drive was Circle, Alaska, of course now you can go all the way up, even into the Northwest Territories, by road. But not back then. I have time off coming up in a week or so and am undecided about where to take off to, by car. Every time I have a destination or two in mind, I change my mind and look for something else, and I can't figure out where to head to.

Robbin P. Learned		19-Jan-2009 05:34
Wilmington, North Carolina, and Vicinity, Has Great Fishing Piers, That Go way out into The Atlantic Ocean, and There is Great Fishing There !!!!!!!! Wilmington, also Has at Least 2 FormalGardens that are Tourist Attractions, and They are; Airlie Gardens, and The Orton Plantation. And Wilmington also Has a Movie Studio, By The Airport, on N. 23rd Street. It was ; Dino Dilaurentis Studios, Then it was Carolco Studios, and I Really Don'tKnow what it's called, Presently, But I Know they still make Movies, out of there !!!!!! The Wilmington Airport, -- is Fairly New, and very Modern, and Nice, But Small. And you Do Have To Connect Flights, with Charlotte Douglas Airport, or Charleston, S . C. Airport, to Get in, and out Of Wilmington. A Beautiful Residential Area In Wilmington, That I Love, is; Forest Hills. But if Money's No Object, Go To Live in Landfall, a Arnold Palmer Designed Gated Golf Estate Community !!!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		18-Jan-2009 16:54
Wilmington, North Carolina, is a Neat Place. It Comprises; New Hanover County, and Brunswick County, and Has; Nice Beaches, Good Restaurants, A Beautiful Downtown Riverfront, Good Fishing, History, and Beautiful Mansions, and Pricey Communities, For The Very Well Off. My Brother Danny, and I , Know this area Well, Because; Our Grandmother, was From this area, and we went there, every summer vacation, in our Growing up Childhood. And as Adults, We've Been There, Many, Many times. We Both, Love The Wilmington Area, and Have a Lot Of Treasured Memories, of there !!!!! It's Climate, is Mild, in comparison, to say Boston, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Des Moines. In Their winters, they may get snow, and they may not, and then, every once in a century, they may get 2 feet of snow, but that's very Rare. Usually, in winter, it's cold, maybe they're coldest temperature, would be; 15 Degrees Farenheit, and a little Dusting, of snow. It's a Little Colder Climate, than Miami, Fla., But not Harsh !!! The Main Beaches, are ; Wrightsville Beach, The Class Act, Where The Rich Have Huge Cape Cod Type Beach Houses, Carolina Beach, More of A Common Peoples Beach, Long Beach, Yaupon Beach,and Wilmington Beach. They all Have Nice Beach Houses, mostly, up on Stilts, and you Drive your car, underneath. And a Little ways north, you Have; Topsail Beach, and Surf City, and they are nice Too !!!!!! And Even Further North; You Have The Outer Banks, which Goes From about 70 Miles North Of Wilmington, to The Virginia State Line, and It's Real Nice, But Very Crowded, in The Summer. Wimington Restaurants, are worth The Trip. My Brother, and I Love; The Pulled Pork BBQ, Hushpuppies, Cole Slaw, and Sweet Tea, That They Have In Wilmington. The BBQ Sauce, is Pepper- Vinegar Sauce, a watery Sauce Of Vinegar Mixed with Hot Sauce, or Red Pepper Flakes, and it Really Tastes Good, on Their BBQ. Their Hushpuppies, are World Class !!!!!!!! You Must Try This Food, it's Great !!!!!!! And My Personal Favorite Restaurants, For BBQ , there, are; Skinner & Daniel's, On Market Street, Jackson's Big Oak, on Kerr Avenue, Right Off College Road, Near The University Of N. C. Wilmington, Mike's , On Highway 117 North, And Merritt's, near Downtown, off N. 3rd Street. And Wilmington, Has Great Seafood, as well. Their Oysters, are Good, and Plentiful !!!!! But if you want Fresh oysters, and Oyster Roasts, ect., you Will have to Be there, in Winter Months, with R in the Month, But you can get Fried Oysters, Oyster Stew, ect., in the Summer. I Like Uncle Henry Kirkum's, on Masonboro Sound,-- Cabbage Inlet,, and ; Chow Box, Great Fried Oysters, Great BBQ, Great Hushpuppies, And Great Sweet Tea !!!!!! Wilmington, is A Great Place To Go , and Ride Around, and Eat, Go To The Beach, ect. I Love Wilmington !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		17-Jan-2009 21:37
There's Some Real Pretty Scenery, in these Places; Around Oxford, and Anniston Alabama, Around ; Harper's Ferry, W. V., Around; Bedford, PA., and Cumberland MD., Around; Pine Mountain, GA., near Callaway Gardens, Around ; Hershey PA., and Around; Lancaster, PA., And around; Huntsville, ALA. And ; Around ; Branson, MO., And Around; Lake Lure, N. C., And Around; Saratoga Springs, N. Y., and All Around The Adirondacks, and The Catskills, Around; West Point, N. Y., U. S. ARMY ACADEMY, on The Hudson, in The Hudson Valley, Is Beautiful, Charleston, S . C., and Savannah, GA., Jeckyll Island, Around; Asheville, N. C., and All around; The Smoky Mntns. And around; Cajun Country, in The Parishes, Around Lafayette, LA., and on The way to Alexandria La. Our USA, is a Big Beautiful Place, with Lots To Do, and See, and I, For one, Prefer USA Travel, To Foreign Travel !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		17-Jan-2009 20:45
I've always Liked ; Lookout Towers, Tree Houses, LightHouses, Grist Mills, Caves, Scenic Overlooks, Skylines, Tobacco Barns, Amish Barn Houses, Dome Houses, Beach Houses, Underground Houses, Tunnels, Wax Museums, Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museums, Western Frontier Towns, Tall Downtown Skyscraper Revolving Restaurants on Top, Historic Places, Trains, Wild West Type Saloons, Whiskey Distillery Tours, Neat Small Towns, Amish, Mennonite, and Shaker Villages, Towns, and Areas, Covered Bridges, Car Museums, Old Wooden Roller Coasters, Mountains, Nature, Ect., and in My Travels, over The Years, I've seen, and Experienced some of all of these, and it was very Enjoyable, For Me !!!!!!!!!!! I Would Like To Do some more Traveling, By Car, or RV, But Right now, it's Not Possible, But maybe one Day, I Hope !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		16-Jan-2009 18:14
I Love Civil War History, and I,ve Been To Many Battlefields, and Civil War Historic Sites, Such as; Manassas, Harper's Ferry, Ft. Sumter, Ft. Pulaski, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Wilmington, N. C., and Many others, and I've Read Many Books, on The Civil War, and Seen Ken Burn's Specials on The Civil War, ect. It was a Crying Shame, that Our Country, was Divided, For 10 Years, and so many Lives were Lost, But Both Sides, were either Doing what they Thought was Right, or What They were Ordered To Do, as Army Soldiers, Volunteers, Militia, ect. And When I was in Gettysburg, I enjoyed The Charm, of The Town, and The Beauty, Of The Battlefield area, But at the same time, I Pictured The Fighting there, of The Bloodiest Battle, of The Civil War, and I Felt A Sadness, Come Over Me, That was Like Seeing A UFO, Right in Front Of You!!!!!!!!! Slavery, Was Not Right, it was a Horrible Injustice, and needed To Be Abolished, But it's A Real Shame, That To Do So, Cost So Many Lives, on Both Sides, That's My Assessment, Of The Civil War !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		11-Jan-2009 18:05
Travel, is Fun, Educational, and Experience !!!!! Every Trip you Go On, you're Gaining Experiences, Enjoying Your Travels, and Making Memories To Cherish !!!!! I Love Travel, and I Know The World is a Big Place, full Of Beautiful Scenery, ect., But There's Plenty to See , Right Here, in our Great Country, and though I have Traveled the USA a Lot, There's Still A Lot I haven't Seen , and I would Rather see the Rest Of The USA, Than Go Abroad, to see Foreign Countries !!!!!! That's My Personal Opinion, and Wishes !!!!!!!! My Dream, is To Buy An RV, and Hit The Road, Traveling Everywhere, and when I Wanna Go Home, I Will !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		05-Jan-2009 04:17
In My Adult Life, I've Driven Cars on Vacation Trips, and I've Driven 18 Wheeler Tractor Trailers, and I've Stopped at Many Truck Stops, and some are nice, and The Food is Good, and some are not even worth your stopping there, so you pass them up, and Keep on Truckin !!!!!! The nicest Truck Stop, I Ever Stopped at, was called The Brass Rail Truck Stop, and it was on I- 64 Between Evansville, Indiana, and St. Louis, Missouri, and not too far from; Mt. Vernon, ILLinois. It was a Real Big Truck Stop, and Had A Separate Entrance, at one End Of the Building, For Car Drivers, and another Entrance at the Opposite End, For Truckers. And it Had a Big Store, with Food Items, Truck Accessories, Truck Belt Buckles, Greeting Cards, Post Cards, Belts, Shirts, Underware, T- Shirts, Wind Breaker Jackets, Wallets, Paper Back Books, Magazines, Maps, Bibles, Decals, Postage Stamps, Colognes, Toiletries, ect. You name it, They Had it, Everything, But Kitchen Sinks !!!!!!! And The Brass Rail Restaurant, Had Booths, Tables, and Stools, at The Counter, and Real Brass Rails, around The Booths, ect. A Really Classy Looking Place, especially for a Truck Stop !!!!!!! And The Food; Wonderful !!!!!!! I Had Breakfast there, usually, and The Food Preparation, was Excellent, Very Delicious, and Lots Of Food, For The Price !!!!!! I always got The Truckers Special Breakfast, which Had; 3 Eggs any Style, Grits, Country Ham, Fried Apples, 3 Buttermilk Pancakes, Coffee, and Orange Juice. And when I Finished all of that, I was very Content, and Ready To Get On Down The Road, Boogidy , Boogidy !!!!!!!!! I Haven't Been that way, for Years now, Don't Know if it's Still there or not, But I Sure Loved That Place !!!!!!! And The Service There was Very Good, also !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		05-Jan-2009 03:35
In My USA Travels, A Small City, I thought was a Pretty Nice Place always, is; Evansville, Indiana. It's not that Big, but not a 2 Horse Town either, and it's Pretty Peaceful, and Friendly !!!!!! You can Stop, and ask Directions there, and you Won't Get Mugged, Like You Could, and Might, in Miami, Detroit, East St. Louis, ILLinois, Memphis, Chicago, and Some other Places, and you can Be Sure, that the People will Be Friendly, and Helpful. I Like Evansville, But its' winters, are Too Cold For Me !!!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		05-Jan-2009 03:15
On My Vacation Trip, in 1984, I was in Houston, and went to Pasadena, TX., To go to Gilley's, and I Did, on Spencer Highway. I Heard Some Great Country Music Played Live, Danced The Texas 2 Step, Drank Just A Bit, Rode The Famous Mechanical Bull, And Didn't Get in any Fights, and I Felt Pretty Darn Good about Myself !!!!!!! Some Locals, Told Me, I Danced Real Good, and some Pretty Ladies asked Me To Dance, I Lasted a Long Ride On The Mechanical Bull, on a Fast Speed, without Getting Thrown Off, and Got Applause, from the Crowd there, and Had a Real Good Time, The one Night I was there !!!!!!!!!! I was Proud Of Myself, and Very Happy, and Best Of All; My Wife was Proud Of Me, and not Jealous, or Mad !!!!!!!!! I Sure Remember Gilley's, and My Night There !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		04-Jan-2009 05:56
When I Travel, or Lately, I Should say; When I Traveled, Some Of My Favorite Food Places to stop to Eat at, are; Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Bob Evans, Krystal, White Castle, Piccadilly, and BBQ Places, I never pass up any BBQ Places !!!!!! And Sometimes, I Go to Truck Stops, Some of them, are Real Good, and Some Of them, are not , it Depends !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		04-Jan-2009 03:38
Eastsider, That's True, in a Way, we're Still in Prohibition !!!!!! Yes, I Love Charleston Low Country Shrimp and Grits, any time Of Day, But Mostly, for Breakfast, or Brunch. I Love The Duplin Cellars Scuppernong Sweet White Wine, and I used to Sip it, sitting around To Relax, at night, But Due To Medical Conditions, I Have, I Take Quite a Few Prescription Medications, and Probably will, For The Rest Of My Life, and all Of them say , on The Bottles; No Alcohol with this Medication, So I Have To Drink Grape Juice, and Enjoy that, instead Of The White Grape Scuppernong Wine !!!!!!! My Drinking Days, Are Over !!!!! Orange Juice, Grape Juice, Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, Pear Juice, Peach Juice, and Fresh Squeezed Limeade, and That's not a Problem, Cause I Like Juices, anyway !!!!! But in My Young Hell Raisin Days, My Whiskey Of Choice, was; Jack Daniel's Old # 7, Tennessee Sippin Whiskey !!!!!!! And as For Wine, The Duplin Winery's Scuppernong was it For Me !!!!! As For Beer, My Favorites Were; Sterling, and Wiedeman's !!!!! In Louisville, I Drank Sterling, and in Cincinnati, and Newport, KY., I Drank Wiedeman's !!!!! In Louisville, When I went to Visit My Uncle Johnny, in Shively, He and I would Go To Duffy's Tavern, On Dixie Highway, and Have Ice Cold Sterling, on Tap, and it was Summer, So it Refreshed , and Really Hit The Spot !!!!!!!!! Uncle Johnny, Passed away, about a year Ago, and I can't Drink Anything Alcoholic, Bad News, Twice !!!!!!!!! Your Wine Cellar, Sounds Nice, Enjoy !!!!!!! If you Do Get to try The Duplin Winery, Scuppernong, I Think You'll Like it, it's Real Good !!!!!!! Talk to yopu Later, My Hialeah Brother !!!!! Take Care !!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		04-Jan-2009 02:08
Robbin: Dupin Winery is still on line, but like you the State ABC frowns on untaxed liquor here. Something to do with the bootlegging law. My wine store occasionally gets in Biltmore wines from Asheville so I'll ask them if they can order a case for me. Funny you should bring up wines, as we just finished our new wine cellar in October and I've got quite a bit of space to fill. The Scuppernong is certainly inexpensive enough. If you are in to white wines try Canyon Road and New Age. They are popular priced and not bad with seafood. On another front, surely when you were in the Carolinas you had some shrimp and grits, a classic low country dish. We make it for Christmas breakfast and use red, and green bell peppers in it which look very festive. We had it again this year and killed off a bottle of Biltmore Christmas Edition white with it, but don't tell anybody or they may think that we're alkies, what with drinking a bottle of wine before noon. Later.

Robbin P. Learned		03-Jan-2009 18:33
While in North Carolina, One of My Favorite Things, there, is The BBQ. I Absolutely, Love The North Carolina Style Pulled Pork BBQ, with Pepper- Vinegar Sauce, Hush Puppies, Cole Slaw, Brunswick Stew, and Iced Sweet Tea, Now For Me, That Does it !!!!!!!!! My Brother, and I Cut our Teeth, on That BBQ, while in The Wilmington, N. C. Area. Our Parents, and Grandma Learned, who Was Born and Raised there, in Burgaw, all 3 Loved, and ate that BBQ, and Dan, and I, naturally Learned to Love it, as well. Our Favorite Place in Wilmington, Growing up, as Kids, and where we always went, was; Skinner & Daniel's, on Market Street. But as an Adult, going there, I went to; Skinner & Daniel's, Flip's, Jackson's Big Oak, Mike's, Merritt's, The Chow Box, & Mayo's . I Have also Been to; Wilber's, in Goldsboro, Moore's , in New Bern, Stamey's , in Greensboro, and I've Been to Lexington, N. C., and Have Eaten BBQ There, and they are all Great !!!!!!! There used to Be a Great Place, in Fayetteville, called; Poppa's Drive In, and He Had Great BBQ, also !!!! And , there's a Frozen N. C. BBQ, in The Supermarkets there, called; Old Hickory, in Tub Pails, and it's Great. This BBQ, is Different, and Really a Treat !!!!!! I Love It, and Recommend it Highly !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		03-Jan-2009 17:56
I Remember, when I was a Little Kid, in the 50's, Maybe 4 years old, which would have been; 1955, and my family, would travel on the weekend, sometimes, to Marco Island, and Go to The Beach. It was Like Paradise, There was absolutely No one, and Nothing there, except us, and The Ocean. We would Swim, and Pick up Shells, and Eat our Lunch, We Brought. Now, Marco Island, is Full Of Houses, Businesses, and Hotels, and The Beach is Private, and Full, From the Hotel Guests, Ect. What a Big Difference, 50 + years Makes !!!!!!!!!! I Liked it there Better, Back Then, Like A Deserted Island, and it Truly was !!!!!!!!!! A Nice Memory, For Me now Though !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		03-Jan-2009 16:57
Eastsider, I Don't Know if you Like wine or not, But if you Do; I Have a wine for you , like no other. It's Sweet Scuppernong Grape Wine, From a Little Country Town Winery, called; Duplin Cellars Winery, and it's in Rose Hill , North Carolina,, _ Duplin County, and Their wines are'Wonderful !!!!!!!! I used to Buy 2 or 3 Cases of it, when I was up there, But I Haven't Traveled anywhere, for a Few years, so I Haven't Been there, For a Long time. They Can't Ship it to to me, Here in Florida, Legal Jurisdiction, But Maybe, To You, where you are, I Don't Know ??? If you ever Sip Sip Their White Grape Scuppernong Wine, it Should Be A Real Pleasure, it always was For Me !!!!!!!!! The Winery, is Duplin Cellars and it's on Highway 117 North in Rose Hill, North Carolina, Which is Between Goldsboro, and Wilmington. It's just North of Wallace, N. C., and Probably, about 50 Miles North of Wilmington, N. C. They Did Have a Website, with Info, I Haven't Checked Checked Lately, Hopefully, They are Still in Business. They Had a Full Line Of Other Wines, Such as; Carolina Red, Carlos, and others, But The White Scuppernong, Sweet Wine, was My Favorite, and They called it Scuppernong. Best Regards !!!!!! Robbin.

Robbin P. Learned		02-Jan-2009 16:48
I Like Skylines Of Major Cities, and I Go to Great, and Even Dangerous Lengths, to Get My Skyline Pictures. I Have Gone on Boats, to Get them, Walked on Bridges, where I only Had a Foots Separation Between Me, and Cars , Buses, and Trucks Speeding along, at Interstate Speed, I've Stood on top of The car Roof, Climbed High Fences, ect., For My Skyline Pictures, and Needless to say; I've got some Real Good Ones. I once Stopped My Car, in The Middle Lane, on I- 440 Expressway, in Nashville, To Take My Skyline Picture, of The Nashville Skyline, and The Cumberland River, and a Full Moon Overhead. I Guess the Full Moon Effected My Good Judgement, and Made Me Be Foolish, and Risk a Terrible Accident, from The Rear, By a Speeding Car Running into My car. Anyway, No car came, and I Got A Beautiful; Moon Over Nashville Skyline Picture, complete with The Shimmering Cumberland River. !!!!!!!!!! I Got Beautiful Pictures Of The New Orleans Skyline, From in My Car, on The Canal Street Ferry Boat, Going To Algiers Point, crossing The Mighty Mississippi River, and coming Back To Canal Street. So , if you see some idiot, up on a Bridge, with a Camera, it May Be Me !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		02-Jan-2009 04:55
When I was in Indianapolis, in 1986, I went To Speedway, And Went To The Indy 500 Museum, Rode around The Brickyard, _ The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Went to White Kastle, out in Front of The Speedway, Saw The Hoosier Dome, Saw Monument Circle, Saw The State Capitol, Saw The University, and Found A Great Bakery-, Joscelyn's Bakery, on Washington Street, near Monument Circle Downtown. Rode Around Indianapolis a Lot, and Saw The Weir-cook Indianapolis Intl. Airport. Had a Nice Stay there. Then went to; Cincinnati, and Spent a Day there. Rode around the city, to see it some, Went to Kings Island Theme Park, and Had Tremendous Fun, Ate Skyline Chili, which Cincinnati, is famous for, Rode around Newport, Kentucky, Across The River, The Old Notorious Sin City, Took Pictures Of The Cincinnati Skyline, Bridges, and Riverfront, and The Baseball Stadium. Had a nice Day in Cincinnati !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		02-Jan-2009 04:37
On One Summer Vacation Trip, I was in Indianapolis, on A Friday Night, and My Wife, and I Went To A Friday Night Seafood Buffet, at The Holiday Inn, Off I- 465, at Emerson Street, and It was Wonderful, Good Food, and We Got to Hear Live Band Music, coming from The Lounge, and it was Great also !!!! They Had All Kinds Of Seafood, Cooked Many Different ways, and They Had A Chef Station, With TheChef Serving you Fresh Sliced Baked Ham, And Prime Rib, and they Had Great Vegetables, and Side Dishes, Breads, and Desserts !!!!!! This Buffet, was 1st Rate !!!!!! And The Music, was Your Secret's Safe With Me, By Michael Franks, Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, By Charlie McCoy, I'm A Girl Watcher, By The O'kaysions, Groovin, By The Rascals, The Tighten Up, By Archie Bell & The Drells, Sittin In The Park, By Billy Stewart, and Behind Closed Doors, By Charlie Rich. We Enjoyed Our Meal, and The Music, it was a Real Pleasure, and Now it's A Gteat Vacation Memory !!!!!!!!. Oh and The band, was A Great Local Indy Band, called The Moments. I went in The Lounge, to see who they were, Because They were Fantastic !!!!!!!!! The year we were there, was 1986.

Robbin P. Learned		01-Jan-2009 18:51
We all Have Summer Vacation Memories, and I'm Certainly, No Exception !!!! My Memories, Keep Me Going , Sometimes. And we all Have Places, on those Vacation Trips, That Stand Out. Me, I Have a Million, or More, of Those Special Places, Special Moments, and Special People, But Some, are More Special, than others, and some of those Special Places, for me , that when I'm there again, I Feel Magic !!!!!!!!! These are; Burgaw, N. C., When I'm in the Little Downtown Public Courthouse Square, All the Memories, come at me, of My Brother Danny, and My dad, and I , There in The Summer, Going to Western Auto, And Dee's Rexall Drugstore, to Get a Cherry Smash, Fruit Punch Drink Like Hi C Fruit Punch, in a Dixie Cup , With Crushed Ice, Or A Chocolate Coke, which was; Fountain Coca Cola, with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, in a Dixie Cup, with Crushed Ice, Now those were Pure Heaven, For us, on A Hot Summer Day. And also, We would Go to The Variety 5 & 10, and Buy Darts, Little Cars, Kaleidoscopes, Comic Books, ect. And Then, we'd Go to The IGA Foodliner, Small Compact Supermarket, to Buy Groceries, and I Would Get ; Fizzies Tablets, Kool- Aid, and Kool Pops, to Freeze, and Enjoy !!!!!! And there was a Gas Station, and Store, at The Crossroads of Highway 53 East, and Highway 117, called Reade's, owned By A Nice Man, named John Reade, and We always went to His Store, For ; Ice Cold Sodas, My Favorites; DR. Pepper, Sun Drop, and Nehi Peach, and The Best Chili Dogs, and Hamburgers, similar to Wendy's , But A Million Times Better. And When There, Most Of all, I Remember; My Dad,- MR . Harry M. Learned, and My Grandma, MRS. Laura Chadwick Learned. Burgaw, N. C. , in Pender County, 30 Miles North Of Wilmington, is Very Special, to Me !!!!!!! And Fayetteville, N. C., is Also Special, Because My Cousin Kelly, Lived there, in the 50's, and up to 1969, and we'd Go there to Visit Them, and that was neat. Waldo's Lake, Treasure City Department Store, Like K- Mart, Downtown Movie Theatres, Hardee's Hamburgers, and Going to FT. Bragg army Base , with My Dad, and His Uncle Oscar, as Visitors. And Also, Going to The Beach , at Surf City, by Topsail Beach, N. C., and I Recall; Staying at My Cousin Kelly's Parents' Beach House on Stilts, By Barnacle Bill's Pier, and The Salty Breezes Coming in the open Windos, of the Cottage, and Swimming all Day, with My Brother, and Our Cousin Kelly, And going to Barnacle Bill's Pier, walking around, Playing The Pinball Machine, and Getting Double Scoop Ice Cream Cones, in The Restaurant there. These Places are Very Special To Me, and when I Go There Now, All the Memories, come Back, and I'm Happy, But also, a Bit sad, and wish I Could Go Back To those Good Times !!!!!!!! There are some other Places, as well, But I will Save them, for another Time !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		01-Jan-2009 17:28
One Summer Vacation , I Took a Trip, to Cherokee, N. C., Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Enjoyed The Mountains, - Fresh Air, and Beautiful Scenery, And then, I Took off Down towards I- 85, and Greenville - Spartanburg, and then We Stopped in Marietta, GA., to Visit My wife's Uncle John. We then went To; Pine Mountain, GA., and Callaway Gardens, and then To ; Columbus, GA., and FT. Benning, Army Base, and then to Plains , GA., Home Of President Jimmy Carter. I Photographed the Small Downtown of Plains, and The Old Train Station, And I Bought A Plains Cookbook, and A Bag Of Wonderful Tasting Fresh Shelled Plains Peanuts, at The Plains General Store, and Even Spoke with Jimmy Carter,s Uncle, who Rang up my Purchase. I Remember that Day, There were a Million Knats All over you, it was Annoying. Stopped By Waycross, GA., Folkston, GA, and a Little Fork in The Road , Between Folkston, and Waycross, called; Race Pond, GA. My wife's Dad, was From there. The name came From; When Cavalry Troops were Camped out there, and when not fighting, and Bored, They would Race around The Pond, on Horses !!!!!!! All in all, a nice Trip !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		01-Jan-2009 06:08
One Vacation Trip, in The Summer of 1983, I went To; Washington, D. C., Richmond, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, Philadelphia, Hershey, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. Didn't Stay in Each Place, too Long, But Had A Great Time. In D. C., went To The Smithsonian Museums, all Of The Monuments, The Capitol Bldg., The White House, Rode The Metro Subway, Went To Arlington Natl. Cemetery, Alexandria, Georgetown, and Saw The Pentagon. And That was a Great Experience !!!!!!!! And Williamsburg, Took us Back in Time , To Colonial Times, Very Neat !!!!!!! We Walked around the Historic Area, and went To Busch Gardens Old Country, and A Real Good Restaurant, on Highway 60, For Dinner, That was 1/2 Italian, and 1/2 Greek, and The Food there, was a Mix of the 2. And we Experienced also; Yorktown, And Jamestown, Very Neat !!!!!! In Richmond, I went to Monument Avenue, To Salute General Robert E. Lee, and other Prominent Civil War Generals' Statues, and Rode Around, and I Photographed The Rapids, and The Richmond Skyline, and the way the Trains come Thru The water, By The Rapids, and Had North Carolina Style Pulled Pork BBQ, at Bill's, and that was Great, I Love it !!!!!!! In Baltimore, We Went to The Aquarium, And The New Inner Harbor Harborplace , and I Took some Good Skyline Pictures. In Hershey, We went To The Chocolate World Visitors Center, Hersheypark, and I Took A Good Picture, of The Neat Little Hershey Downtown. Also, We Ate Wonderful Hershey Chocolate Ice Cream, in neat Chrome Goblet Type Dishes, at The Hershey Drug Store. This Was a Real Nice Trip !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		31-Dec-2008 18:59
I Remember Being in Big D,- Dallas, in 1984, and Going To Plano, To The SouthFork Ranch, That was Shown on The Dallas T. V. Show. It is a Beautiful Place, and we Toured The Grounds, and Took Lots Of Pictures. My Family Loved The Dallas T. V. Show, and watched it Every Friday Night. I Also Took Pictures of The Fabulous Dallas Skyline, and Got My Own Picture Like The One they showed on The introduction to the Dallas T. V. Show, from Down By The Trinity River. We also went To The Cattlemen's Steak House, in North FT. Worth, in The Stockyards area, Where Jock Ewing, J. R., and Bobby always supposedly went, on Dallas. Our Steak Dinner, was Wonderful, Very Glad we went there !!!!!!!! We also went to a neat Wax Museum,,, Off I- 30, Between Dallas, and FT. Worth, called The Wax Museum Of The Southwest, and it was Great !!!!!!! Great Memories !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		31-Dec-2008 18:43
Eastsider, Hey, How Are Yah ?? Thank's, for The Word, about; Shilling's !!!! Next time, we go To visit My Wife's Uncle John, in Marietta, I Will Surely Eat a Patty Melt There. I Love Patty Melts, and Get one at Ranch House, near me, all the time. They make a Real Good one too, and so Does I- Hop. No, I Didn't Know, that Travis Tritt Lives in Marietta. I Like that Public Square, in Downtown Marietta, especially, at night, with the Restaurants all Lit up, and all. And Yes, Uncle John Lives Out off The Square , By the Cemeteries, and Kennesaw, Off Polk Street. It's Nice there, and An Easy Drive to Atlanta Downtown, What? 22 Miles, away from The Madness Of Atlanta, A Different World !!!!!!!!! Been To Uncle John's House Like 3 Times !!!!!! Happy New Year, My Friend, and May 2009, Be The Best Year Of Your Life !!!!!!!! Later !!!! Robbin.

Robbin P. Learned		31-Dec-2008 18:29
I Have Been in North Carolina, Many, Many, Many Times, Since My Childhood, all over the Tar Heel State, Fom Wilmington, on The southeast Coast, and The Outer Banks, To Raleigh- Durham, The Piedmont - Triad Area around Greensboro, and Charlotte, Asheville, Fayetteville, Cherokee, Bryson City, Franklin, Blowing Rock, Boone,and many other parts, of The State, But one Place, I Remember From Childhood, that I've always Remembered especially, and that is ; A Swimming Hole, and Pavillion, called ; White Lake. I went there, with My Dad, and My Younger Brother Danny, in around; 1958, when I was 7 years old, and My Brother was 4 years old, and we had a wonderful time, this particular summer day , we were there , Swimming, and My Dad Played Bingo, in the Pavillion, and won a small prize,-- A Neat Chrome Cigarrette Lighter, which a Thief Stole out of His Trousers Pocket later, while we swam. White Lake, was Crystal Clear, I guess from Springs, and you could see your feet under water there, and when you drove up near White Lake, it Did Look White, Cause it was so Crystal Clear. It was out in nowhere back then, in 1958, But I'm sure that area is Fully Grown up, By now. I never Have Been Back there since, But Have wondered, what it Looks Like there now. It was a Real neat Place, and it was Hot Summer, and that cool water, felt Good !!!!!!!!! This is a Special Memory, of mine !!!!!

eastsider		31-Dec-2008 18:21
Robbin: The next time that you visit Marietta try Shilling's On The Square restaurant, on the Northwest corner. Upstairs is a fine dining, gormet restaurant, downstairs is a beer and burger restaurant. They serve the best patty melts that I have ever had in my life. As a burger guy, you need to try it. I imagine that Uncle John lives near the big veteran's cemetary on the road leading to the square. Is that correct? Did you know that Travis Tritt lives in Marietta?

Robbin P. Learned		31-Dec-2008 06:50
Eastsider, I Liked The Way The Polaris Looked, From The Outside, On The Sidewalk, Or Street, Best Of All, Like A Little Spaceship Saucer. I've Been on Ponce De Leon Avenue, in Atlanta Before, And I've Heard Of The Fox Theatre, in Atlanta, But Don't Remember Seeing it, or Going there. My Wife's Uncle John, Lives in Marietta, Off Polk Street, By The Cemeteries, and I've Been to His House Twice. Funny , You Should Mention; Waffle House, We Love Waffle House !!!!!! When I Travel, I Eat At Waffle House, a Lot !!!!!!! And another Chain I Love is; Cracker Barrel !!!!!! Thanks , For The Tips, on The Other Atlanta Restaurants !!!!!! I went To BuckHead Before, it's Very Upscale, isn't it ????? That's How I Remember it !!!!! Like A Biltmore Coral Gables, or Palm Beach. Best Regards !!!!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		31-Dec-2008 01:20
Robbin: Seems like in the late 70's and early 80's every major city had a Polaris Rooftop lounge in the local Hyatt. We used to frequent the one here in Nashville. If you left your table to use the restroom it was really hard finding the table again what with the constant rotating of the lounge. Strong kidneys or a good sense of direction was a must at the Polaris. If you ever are in Atlanta again, try to catch a show at the Fox Theatre on Ponce DeLeon (yeah, Atlanta has one too). A 1930's art deco palace with an amazing history. We saw the reunion of the original Rat Pack there in the 1980's (Frank, Dean and Sammy). Buckhead reminds me of Coconut Grove with it's restaurants and shops. That's where Elton John lives too and he is seen on the streets and in the restaurants quite often. If you want some really good food, try the Captain's Roost in East Point, Ray's On The River in Atlanta and the Marietta Diner in Marietta. And then there's aways the Waffle House, of which there are as many as there are Peachtree Streets in Atlanta.

Robbin P. Learned		30-Dec-2008 19:07
Eastsider, That time I Slept in the Car on Spring Street, was in 1980, and Atlanta was The Murder Capital, of The Nation, at the time. But then again, Miami was The Murder Capital Before Too !!!!!!!! It sounds as though, you and I are Much the same, Bold, Brave, Adventureous, Prepared, and Explorers, and all that, is Good, any one can Be a Coward, Not Me !!!!!!!! I went to Underground Atlanta, and Looked around in The Daytime, on my way To Louisville, when I explored Atlanta, for A Day, in 1980, My 1st Visit ever, to Atlanta. It was neat, But Didn't Impress Me Much. I Liked The Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and The Hyatt Regency Polaris Lounge , Much Better !!!!!!!!!! Gotta Go To Work, Yuck !!!!!!!!! Talk To you Later !!!!! Robbin.

Robbin P. Learned		30-Dec-2008 18:55
Eastsider, One vacation Trip, in The Summer, My Wife and I were in Myrtle Beach, S. C., and By Day, we were in the Ocean, enjoying the Refreshing Cool water, Salty Air, ect., and then in the late afternoon, we Desalted, in our Motel's Pool. Then, we went to Dinner. And then, this one Particular night, we went to Downtown, at the Boardwalk area, and Went To Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, ect. We were a Pretty far walk away from our Motel, and we Had Taken a Trolley to There. Anyway, when we Left Ripley's Museum, it was about Midnite, and The Last Trolleys Had Terminated, so we Had to walk Back to our Motel, about 40 Blocks , or so. We Began our Walk Back, and after we were away from the Boardwalk area, I Sensed someone Behind us, a ways Back, so I Turn around and See 3 Gang Looking Youths, Maybe 17 years old, And I Told My Wife, if They Come To Attack us; You Run as Fast as you can, and Kick in Someones Door, Break A Window, Scream, All The Above, But I'm Not Running, I Will Stand My Ground. We were Passing a Construction Site, and I Found A Piece Of Rebar A Steel Rod, maybe 20 inches Long, and I Stopped, and Glared At The 3, and Held The Piece Of Iron, Like I Meant Business, and Yelled to them; I know you were stalking us, But Do yourself a Favor, Turn Back Around and Leave, Because if you Come For Me, I'm Gonna Hurt All 3 Of You, Real Bad. And I Just Stood There, Staring at Them, and They Turned around and Left. I Firmly Believe, that My Attitude, Confidence, Alertness, And Action, saved us, from who Knows what !!!!!!!!! Another Vacation Memory !!!!!!!!!

eastsider		30-Dec-2008 18:48
Robbin: I guess after chastising you for napping on Spring Street, I must come clean and confess. I was in Atlanta in the mid-1990's with my wife and another couple, staying downtown at the Ritz Carlton. After dinner the four of us decided to go to Underground Atlanta. It was only about three or four blocks away, but we were concerned for our safety so we caught a cab. We walked around the Underground for a while and decided to go back to the hotel. Nowhere was a cab to be seen so we decided to walk. That was the longest walk in my life down Peachtree. Every building was boarded up and had street people gathered in the darkened doorways. When we got back to the hotel we couldn't get in because the doors were locked. A doorman let us in and told us that as a safety precaution the doors were locked at 7:PM each night and unlocked at 7:AM. He couldn't believe that we had walked from the Underground and actually made it. We still go to Atlanta three or four times a year but now stay in Marietta and don't take evening walks downtown. Oh, and I wasn't "packing" either. Double stupid on me!

Robbin P. Learned		30-Dec-2008 18:33
Eastsider, You're Right, I Must Have a Halo, over My Big Head, But I Did work for Brinks, and Wells Fargo, on The Streets Of Miami, for 15 years, which gives you an idea of My Bravery, and Stupidity. But I Like a Little Element of Danger, it Keeps you from getting Bored, and Keeps the old Blood Flowing. And On The Seat, under a towel, Right next to me, I also Had Iron, a 1911 Colt 45 ACP Loaded with 7 Shots of Hardball Lead, Cocked, and Ready to go, so I Slept Safely, afterall !!!!!!!! I Am Cautious, and Paranoid, But I never worry, Because ; I Preare for The Worst, and Hope For The Best Always, andLike a Boy Scout, I Am Prepared !!!!!!! You , were also Prepared in D. C., and That's Good, I Don't Believe in The Bad Guy Winning, I Like The Bad Guy, to Get a Free Ride, To The Morgue, in A Hearse !!!!!!!! I always Plan on winning over The Bad Guy, and that Confidence in Myself, Has Kept Me alive, Many times !!!!!!!!!!! Best Regards, My Friend !!!!!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		29-Dec-2008 23:04
Robbin: You must lead a very charmed life because Spring Street in Atlanta is definitely not a safe place to take a nap. I'm surprised that you woke up and lived to tell about it, or at the very least weren't robbed. But, this comment comes from somebody that once rode through the Anacostia section of Washington DC at night in a convertible with the top down and running Florida tags. I did, however, have an insurance policy with Smith & Wesson laying on the seat next to me, 357 magnum edition. For me, that was what happens when somebody can't read a map correctly.

Robbin P. Learned		29-Dec-2008 04:11
Some Places I Thought were Very Scenic : Lake Lure, N. C., Before Dirty Dancing was Filmed There, Like around ; 1982, Pine Mountain Georgia, By Callaway Gardens, Asheville, N. C., Mont Eagle, Tn., The Entire Length Of The Blue Ridge Parkway, Mabry Mill, Cades Cove, Going Over The Bridge , Over The Cape Fear River, into Historic Wilmington, N. C., Highway 65 From Branson, Mo., To I- 40, Amish Country, From Lancaster PA., To Hershey, The Shenandoah Valley, around Harper's Ferry, The Battery, in Charleston, S. C., and others, But these are some Of My Personal Favorites !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		29-Dec-2008 03:27
One Vacation Trip, I was Headed Home, I think it was 1980, in the summer, and I was Coming from Louisville, and it was Early in The Morning, About 3:00 A. M., and My Car, was almost out of Gas, and I Found nothing open. I was on Spring Street, in Downtown Atlanta, near The Georgia State Capitol, and I Saw This Gas Station, and Quickmart Store, But it was Closed. I Pulled My Car up to The Gas Pump, Locked My Doors, And only Cracked My Drivers Window Open, about an inch, and went to sleep. Iwas Dreaming and everything, and Then I wake up , with This Man Yelling at Me. He Told Me,; That I was Blocking His Gas Pump, and To Move, and I Told Him, I'm Not Blocking Your Pump, I Am A Customer, who's on Empty, and needs A Fill Up. He said O. K., went Back inside, I Filled up my Tank, Paid Him, and went on my way !!!!!! It was Daylight, and Probably, 6 A. M., when He woke Me Up, so I Got 3 Hours Sleep, and was Fine , to Drive Home, To Hialeah.

Robbin P. Learned		27-Dec-2008 06:50
I Remember, My 1st Time, in Atlanta. I had Heard about Atlanta, For years, and wanted to See it for Myself, so in June Of 1980, I Drove to Atlanta, Stopping in Macon, 1st, to see Macon. I Arrived in Downtown Atlanta, at 5:30 A. M., Parked My Car, in A Parking Garage, and walked to a nearby Cafe, Where I Ordered Breakfast, and Had A Real Good Meal !!!!!! It was A Mel's Diner Type Place, complete With Flo And Alice Type Servers, and it was Super Busy, a Real Popular Restaurant !!!!! After Breakfast there, I Walked Around, and Took Pictures Of Marta Buses, and Tall Skyscrapers, Went To The Beautiful Gold State Capitol, Went To The Omni, Rode The New Marta, subway, and Above Ground System, East Rail, and West Rail. Then I Drove to The Coca Cola World Headquarters, Took it in, Went To The Varsity, and ate Lunch there, Went Up in The Elevator, at The Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and Explored Downtown Atlanta More. I went To Grant Park, to See The Cyclorama, and Went To Zoo Atlanta . ATLANTA, is Like A Gotham City !!!!!! I also Went To Stone Mountain, and Rode The Cable Lift car, up to The Top, of STone Mountain. All in All, I Liked Atlanta !!!!!!!! A Big Neat City !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		27-Dec-2008 06:20
Some Really Pretty Scenery, and A Nice Drive, was From Branson , Missouri, To Interstate 40, on Secondary Roads, and That was Highway 65, and it was a Real nice Route, and when I got to I-40, I Took I-40, into Little Rock, Spent the night, in North Little Rock, and The next Day, I took; I-30, To Hot Springs, and that was a Good Short Trip, Because Hot Springs, is A Neat Town, Famous For It's Bath Houses, and it's Mineral Water, Said to Have Healing Powers. I Liked Hot Springs, But Not The Bath Houses. The Street with Bath House Row, Looks Neat, and The Old Victorian Buildings Of The Bath Houses Look Neat, But inside The Bath Houses, were a Big Disappointment, For Me. I Thought They would Be Like A Steaming Square Pool, inside, But They weren't That way at all, But Rather,; Locker Room Looking, with Bath Tubs, where people would Go, and They'd Fill up your Tub, with Hot Springs Mineral Water, For Your Health. That Place, Gave Me The Creeps, and Really Was Not what I Had Expected !!!!! So I would say; Hot Springs, Yes , The Bath Houses, No !!!!!!!!! And The only Things I Liked about ; Little Rock, were; The State Capitol Bldg., The Skyline, And Luby's Cafeteria, in The Mall, in North Little Rock. Otherwise, You Can Have Little Rock !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		26-Dec-2008 19:16
I Remember, years Ago, I went To Pennsylvania, on My Summer Vacation, and Traveled around quite a Bit. My Dad was Born and Raised , in Pittsburgh, so Because Of Him, I Had Been there Before, a few times, over the years, But on This particular Trip, I was In Charge, and I was Driving the Vehicle, so I Went where I Pleased. I went to Pittsburgh, went on The Monongahela Incline, From Station Square, up to MT. Washington Heights, and from up There, I Took some Beautiful Pictures, of Downtown Pittsburgh's Fabulous Skyline, and Point State Park, With it's Fountain, And The FT. Pitt Bridge, The Old 3 Rivers Stadium, and The Rivers. I Rode out to Oakland, and Homestead, and Passed Kennywood Amusement Park, where my Dad Took My Brother and I, many times, Went By Aspinwall, a Suburb, and saw My Dad's Prestigious ; Kiski Prep School, and Just Rode around, Past H> J. Heinz's Plant, on The North Side, Went To East Liberty, where My Dad, 1st Lived, & Then Rode around The Prestigious; Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where my Dad, Later Lived. Had A Great Visit to Steel City, USA, Pittsburgh PA. Then, we went to Hershey, Chocolate Town, Saw the Little Quaint Downtown, Went To Hershey's Chocolate World, and Had Hershey's World Famous Chocolate, This Time, in The Form Of Ice Cream, Simply, Devine !!!!!! I Had A Second Cup !!!!!! Neat Little StoryBook Town, only, Too Cold, For Me, in The Winter. Then, It was on To Philly. We Spent 1 Whole Long Day, in Walt Whitman's City Of Brotherly Love, Saw a Lot, and Enjoyed Our Visit !!!!!! While In Philadelphia, We Ate Philly Cheesesteak Hoagies, 3 Times, in one Day, at; Gino's, In The Reading Terminal Market, and at a Place in The South Philly Market. I Love That Sandwich !!!!!!! We Ate The Big Philly Soft Pretzels, on Passyunk Avenue, in Front of Woolworth's, Went To The Independence Hall, Toured it, and Saw The Liberty Bell, outside, Rode Septa Buses, around The City, Rode Septa Subway Routes Around Philly, Took good Skyline Pictures, from The Schuykill Expressway , Pronounced Skoo Kull, as is The River, The Skoo- Kull River. I Saw My Middle Name sake-, on The Top Of City Hall, William Penn, or as Locals say; Billy Penn. My Middle name , is Penn, from William Penn. Had A Great Time in Philly !!!!!!!!! What A Trip !!!!! Oh, I Forgot to mention,; We saw a Lot Of Amish, and Mennonites, around Hershey, Ephrata, Lancaster, ect. Very Interesting People, and Their Food, Is Simple, But Delicious !!!!!!! Pennsylvania,-- The Keystone State !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		25-Dec-2008 21:18
To Me, Alabama, is a neat State !!!! It Has Gulf Beaches, Big Major Cities, Hills, Mountains, A Major Speedway, Airports, History, Plantation Mansions, Skylines, Neat Small Towns, Ect. There's Birmingham, in Jefferson County, with it's Large Impressive Skyline, - Tall Buildings, Mountains , around it, -- Alabama's Largest City,,, And Then There's ; Montgomery, Alabama's 2nd Largest City, and The State Capitol, and Lot's Of Civil War History, and Civil Rights History, A Skyline, A Very Impressive Domed Capitol Bldg, A Tunnel to The River, and Lots Of Neat Sights, Then there's Mobile, A Major City On The Water, With A Big Bridge, A Traffic Tunnel, A Skyline, A Beautiful Gardens, - Bellingrath Gardens, A Battleship, An Airport, and A Port. Then There's ; Huntsville, a Neat City, with a Small Skyline, and Downtown, A Space Center, Redstone Arsenal, An Army Facility, Mountains around , A Space Academy, For Kids, ect. And then There's ; Dothan, A Good Sized Small City, And Tuscaloosa, also a Small City, that's nice. There's The Talladega Motor Speedway, in Talladega, A Super Speedway, where There's Nascar, Busch, Series, and Winston Cup Races. And There's Lots Of Neat Little Towns To Explore, Such as; Moulton, and many others. And Alabama, Has Many Military Installations, and all Have Nice Museums, and some of them, are; Fort McClellan, Fort Rucker, And Redstone Arsennal. Fort Payne, Alabama, is a nice scenic area. And Muscle Shoals, was A Major Music Recording Center, For Years. I Speak From Experience, Cause I've Been To All Of These Places, And A Drive I Liked, was From I-65, To Moulton, It Has Hills That Feel Like You're in an Elevator, or on The Big Drop, of a Roller Coaster, They Go Wy Down, and then way up. All in all, Everytime, I was in Alabama, I Enjoyed My Visit !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		25-Dec-2008 20:28
One Vacation Trip, in The Summer, that was Real Nice was; in the early 80's, I went to; Brunswick. GA., Jeckyll Island, Savannah, GA., Hilton Head Island, S. C., Parris Island USMC Recruit Depot, Charleston, S. C., Columbia, S. C., Wilmington, N. C., Myrtle Beach, S. C., Raleigh, N. C., Cherokee, N. C., Pigeon Forge, TN., Asheville, N. C., And Augusta, S. C. . That was a Real Nice Trip, we Were at The Beaches, The Swamps, The Mountains, and in The Piedmont,-- Rolling Hilly areas, a Little of Everything !!!!!!! One Thing in Particular, I Really Enjoyed, was; Sitting in The LightHouse Restaurant, By The Marina, and Golf Course, where they Show on The T. V., when The PGA Golf Tournaments Are There, and Eating Large Boiled Shrimp Cocktails, And Having Iced Teas, and Then CheeseCake. The Food was Great,and so was The View, out The Windows !!!!!! We Had a Nice Time !!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		24-Dec-2008 12:14
When I Was a Little Kid, Maybe 5 years old, My Family, was in The Country, Near A Little Town, called Burgaw, which is 30 miles north of Wilmington, North Carolina, and it was in the summer. We were staying at my Grandma's Cottage, and one Day, My Dad was Going to Drive His Uncle Henry, To Winston- Salem, To The Veterans Affairs Office, and My Dad said I could go. I was Excited, to get to go !!!!! Anyway, We Got up Early in The Morning, about 4:00 A. M., got Ready, and Left. There was no Interstate there then, in the Middle 50's, so we took Back Roads, secondary Roads. We Stopped in Dunn, N. C., when it Got Daylight, and had a Great Pancake Breakfast, in a Little Cafe, in Dunn, Which Looked Like Mayberry. After Breakfast we continued our Journey, and My Dad, and His Mom's Brother,-- Uncle Henry, Talked, and I was a Little Kid, Riding in The Back seat Listening to them talking, and enjoying the scenery, and just Being along. We Reached Winston - Salem, and went To The Veterans Affairs Office Downtown, And Uncle Henry, Took Care of His Business there, and then we Headed Back to Grandma's House, in the Country, near Burgaw. We arrived Back There, at 8:00 P. M. , in The Dark, and Got Ready for Bed !!!! That was a Neat Trip, That I'll always Remember !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		24-Dec-2008 11:46
In 1973, My Dad, and I Drove a 30 Foot Ryder Rental Truck, To Norfolk, Virginia, on A Mission, for our Next Door Neighbor, and Friend,- Paul Herda. Paul Herda, was A Saleman, and Broker, of Shortening, and Oils, For Swift & Co., of Chicago, and Had His Office in Miami Bonded Warehouse. Well, A Big national Account, for His Swift Division, was; KFC,- Kentucky Fried Chicken, and they had a big warehouse, in Norfolk, to Distribute Supplies to All KFC Restaurants, in The Hampton Roads--, Norfolk Area, and That warehouse , had gotten a Shipment, of Bad Shortening, that wouldn't Fry Right, so Chicago, The Main Office, Told Paul Herda; Get a Load Of Good Shortening, To Norfolk, ASAP. So Paul Herda Rented a Big Ryder Truck, Got it Loaded with Good Replacement Shortening, and Got My Dad, and I To Drive it to Norfolk, on The Weekend. What a Disaster, and Ordeal, That was !!!!!!!! We Left Miami, at 3: 00 P. M. Saturday, Drove to near Charleston, S. C., on I- 95, and then , we started getting Low on Gasoline, and no Stations were open, so we had to Spend the night, in a Motel, in Summerville, S. C. . And then, Sunday Morning, We Drove To The Police, and Fire Station, to Ask For Help. The Fire Chief, was Very Nice, and was from FT. Lauderdale, and he had a good friend, that owned a gas station, a little outa town, and he called him, and he Filled our Tanks. We then Drove on to Norfolk, Reaching there, at ; 8:00 P. M., Sunday Night, a cold, Rainy Night, and we didn't know where, the KFC WHSE., was in Town, so We were in Downtown Norfolk, with only the address. My Dad Spotted this young Guy, about 25 years old, and My Dad said; Lets ask Him, For Directions, He Looks Decent. So we Did, and he knew right where it was, and said it wasn't Real Far, But it was Hard to get to, So My Dad Asked Him if he had a car, and he said yes, so my Dad told Him, he would Fill up His Car with gas, if He Could Lead us to The KFC WHSE., in Sewell's Point, and He agreed to Help us, and He Lead us Right To it. WE thanked him, gave him his gas money, and he Left. No one was there, so we Locked up The Truck, Backed it against The Bldg., called a cab, and went to a Holiday Inn, to Sleep. The next morning, We took a cab, To The KFC Whse., Unloaded the Truck, Took it to Ryder, Called a cab, and went to Norfolk INTL. Airport, to Fly Home. All Flights Were Delayed, and Finally Cancelled for The Night, Due To Heavy Fog. They Took us By Buses, to another Airport, Patrick Henry Airport, in Newport News, and Same Thing. We Spent The Night , in a Motel, and Flew Home, The Next Morning. What An Adventure !!!!!!!!! I'll Never Forget That Trip !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		24-Dec-2008 10:58
I , once Flew to Columbia, South Carolina, With My Uncle's Blessing, My Uncle Sam, Suggested, that I Get On A Jet, and Fly to Columbia, South Carolina, and when there, to stop by; Fort Jackson, and stay there, for 9 weeks, for some Training, and I Did as my Dear Uncle Sam Suggested, and I saw snow, for the 1st time, got yelled at by strangers, with smokey the bear hats, and got to get up, at 4:30 in the morning, and Slept in these neat Double Decker Beds. This was in 1970, after I Enlisted, in THE ARMY !!!!!!!! And I Always thought My Dad was Tough, Well, these guys yelling at me all Day, with Smoky The Bear Hats, Made My Dad Look Like Cinderella. All they Did , was scream in your face, all the time, What a Vacation, I was Glad I went !!!!!!!!! So Nice Of My Dear Uncle Sam, To Send Me to Summer Camp, Even if it was The Winter !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		24-Dec-2008 06:48
Did anyone Ever Go Up in The Gateway Arch, in ST. Louis ???? I Did, and it was Pretty Neat, and I Enjoyed the Experience, But anyone claustrophobic, Forget It !!!! Do Not Go, Because The Little Egg Shaped Capsules You Go Up In are Very TCramped, and You May Flip out !!!!! 5 normal Sized persons can Ride in each Capsule, and The Ride to the Top, Takes 4 Minutes, and Then 4 Minutes, To Go Back Down . And at the Top, There are Little windows, and you can Lookout , and get Good Views Of Downtown ST . Louis, And The Mighty Mississippi River, Ect. And the sight of The Gateway Arch , is Very impressive, and It's A Rule, That The ARCH, is The Dividing Line, Between; East And West, in our Country. Usually, People Say; East Of The Mississippi ? Or West Of The Mississippi ? But it's The same, cause The Arch, is Right next to The Mighty Mississippi River !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 18:57
On our Summer Vacation Trips, we always went Thru; ST. Augustine, Fla., But if we stopped there, it was only to eat, or Gas Up The Car, and As time went on, and I was an adult, I thought to Myself; One of these Days, I want to Explore ST. Augustine, in Detail, and in the 90's , I Did just that. My wife and I Spent 2 Days there, and went to all of the attractions; The Fort, The Lighthouse, The Bridge Of Lions, and Downtown, The Fountain Of Youth, Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, and The Oldest Schoolhouse, The Tram Tour, and other things there. And We had a Great Time, in The Nations Oldest City, -- ST. Augustine.

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 18:45
When I was A Kid, My Family would Travel By Car, in the Summer, Usually, To Wilmington , N. C., and Before I - 95 was Completed, we had to Travel US1, to Jacksonville, FLA.,, and then we would Pick up US 17, The coastal Highway, and it would take us to Wilmington. On 17, we passed Thru many Neat Towns, and Cities, such as; Brunswick, GA., Savannah, GA., GeorgeTown, S. C., Charleston, S. C., And Myrtle Beach, S. C., and it was a Long Trip, at that time, Like 16- 18 Hours, for the 800 mile trip, from Hialeah, But it was neat, You Got to see Something, and not just the Blur, of The Interstate Scenery Your Passing By, at 70 MPH, But Old Time Attractions, and Seeing Little Blink Twice, and You're Out of The Little 2 Horse Town. I Remember those Trips, with Fondness, and most of all, My Dad, Driving, all night, with Ease, and me, a little kid, dozing off at times, and then looking at, and admiring my Dad, Getting us Up The Road Safely !!!!!! Great Memories, For Me. Oh , and our Favorite Breakfast Place, Howard Johnson's, - Ho Jo. We always went there, and it was always Great !!!!!! And sometimes, we would stop in Myrtle Beach, and Take a Swim, in The Ocean, and We enjoyed that !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 18:18
Eastsider, I Guess Everywhere Has Changed, Just Like Miami, and Hialeah, and I Expect Everything to Stay The Same, That's My Problem, or Shortcoming. I Must wake up, and Realize, that Things Change. Anyway,, Like you Said; It is The Holidays, and I Need to Step Down off The SoapBox, and Can The Editorials, and Sermons, for at Least The Holidays !!!!! Have A Wonderful Holiday, My Friend, And I Hope The Coming New Year, is Kind to you, in Many Ways !!!!!! And I Will Have That Farm Stores Egg Nog, on your Behalf !!!!!!!! Cheers !!!!!!!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		23-Dec-2008 17:11
Robbin: I suppose you could call me a traveling salesman, but actually I'm in the music business, based in Nashville. The product that I'm selling is me! Nashville isn't all that bad but I think it was better before the politicians decided that the public needed to support pro-sport teams. Sort of like how the public now "owns" General Motors. But, it's "The Season" and I'm not discussing politics until 2009. Happy Holidays and drink a tall glass of Farm Stores eggnog for me!

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 08:12
In 1994, My Wife and I, Had Planned to Drive To Branson , Missouri, on our Summer 2 Weeks Vacation, and we Left, one afternoon, and I was Sick as a Dog, Nauseous, Vomiting, ect., and I Drove us as Far as Tallahassee, and I Did Not Feel up to Driving all That ways, to Branson, So I Had A Brainstorm, and I Suggested; That we Stay in Florida, our Home State, and Go To Ocala, and Orlando, only, and We Did, and By The Next Day, I was All Better, and Ready To Vacation !!!! We Went To Silver Springs, Big Daddy Don Garlitts Museum, and Then, in Orlando and Kissimmee, We went To; Splendid China, The World Of Orchids, The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Mgm, Seaworld, and Universal Studios. We Stayed At The Holiday Inn, By Silver Springs, in Ocala, and The Days Inn, Just west of The Maingate of Disney World, and we ate at a Different Restaurant, Every Night. Some of The Restaurants we ate at, were; Fat Boy's BBQ, Darryl's, The Kettle, Waffle House, Bob Evans, & Black Eyed Pea. And We Swam in The Pool, at our Days Inn Motel, after a Hot Day, at Attractions, And We Both Agreed, that We made a wise Decision, to Go To Ocala, and Orlando, instead Of The Long Haul, To Branson, and We Had A Wonderful Time, and Then, we were only 4 Hours From Home, a Very Easy Drive, For Me, an Old Trucker !!!!! A Great Vacation Trip !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 07:30
In 1967, When I was 16 Years Old, and Had just Started Driving, My Dad, My Younger Brother, and I, Took a Summer Car Trip, to Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, To Visit A Friend, who Lived There, and who Had another House, next Door to us, in Hialeah. That Friend, was The Great Winning Jockey,-- Ron Turcotte. We Arrived at Ron Turcotte's House In Valley Stream, and Spent a Few Days there, Swam in His Pool, Ate Great Pizza, across The Street, at a Place called; Al's, Visited with The Turcotte's, and then, We Drove Up The Road, to Saratoga Springs, N. Y., a Beautiful Town, Known For it's Famous Race Track,---- Saratoga, and For it's Saratoga Vichy Mineral Water. We Stayed at A Cabin, on Saratoga Lake, 8 Miles out Of Town, in The Country, sort Of, andWe Went To The Horse Races, at Saratoga Race Course, Ate Dinner, at A Terrific Italian Restaurant, Went Swimming in The Pool, at The Jockey Club, Went To The LittleStory Book Type Saratoga Downtown Area, Which Had, A Hardware, An A & P Supermarket, A Woolworth's 5 & 10, A Drug Store, A Stewart's Ice Cream Shop, where you Make your Own Sundae, A Small College, The Mineral Water Place, and Little else, very Small, Quaint, and Nice. And At one end of Downtown, There was Little Wood Frame Houses, Like you Saw in New Orleans, Augusta, and Other Places, Long Ago. And out By Our Cottage, we were staying in, There was a Teens and College Kids Dance Place, called, The College Inn, and I went there, Listened to Great Bands, Danced, and Met A Nice Local Girl, named; Diana, and Diana, and I Fell in Love, and Went Around together, the rest of our Time There, about 5 Days, and I was HeartBroken, When I Said GoodBye, To Her, Because We Were Leaving to Go Back To Long Island, For a Couple More Days, and Then Going Home, To Hialeah !!!!!!! I Always Remembered That Vacation Trip, Saratoga Springs, and Especially; Diana !!!!!!!!! Diana , Was Very Pretty, and Very Nice,, She Looked Like; Cheryl Ladd, When she was On Charlie's Angels T. V. Show !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		23-Dec-2008 06:46
Eastsider, Thank You For The Update, on Nashville !!!!! I Haven't Been There, For Quite A Few Years, and I Guess I Expected it to Be The Same, as I Remembered. It was Pretty nice Back then, I Thought, But Like Everywhere, it Obviously, went To Hell. I Believe , The Last time, I was there, was in 1993. In 1980, My 1st time there, I Liked Nashville, and Had some Good Times there, and Even in the 90's, I thought it was Still Pretty Neat, But I Guess , I've Been away too Long, and Rat Race, Has Moved in, and Taken Over !!!!!!!! It Sure Sounds Like It !!!!! And Eastsider, I'm Curious, Are You A Traveling Salesman ????? Something Tells Me you Are, Because You Get Around, and Have The Scoop, on Everywhere, and Everything. More Power, To You, and Good Luck, in Sales !!!!!!!! Have A Wonderful Holiday, My Friend !!!!!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		23-Dec-2008 01:45
Robbin: In response to your "Nashville" posting: Cajun's Wharf; long gone and virtually forgotten, Printer's Alley; still there, still seedy, no strip clubs left, bring your pistol for protection, Opryland Hotel; there as always, bigger than in the 80's, more expensive than in the 80's, rated two years ago on a local TV station as one of the top 10 local hotels having filthy dirty rooms, Opryland Amusement park; gone for about 10 years due to bulldozers running over it, replaced by a shopping mall complete with juvenile gangs, Ryman Auditorium; restored, reopened, one of the top music venues in the US, Music Row; mostly gone, boarded up, ghost town due to downloads, Riverfront; still there, Riverboat Ride; gone, Bus Tours; oh yeah, still around, and still a local joke as to the guides picking out homes and attaching them to people that never lived there, The Hermitage; both the home and hotel are still around, Parthenon; still there, still open, still the reason that before Nashville became "Music City USA" it was called "The Athens of the South", State Capitol; still there, still the same people buried in the walls and on the grounds, now smoke-free and equipted with metal detectors, Twitty City is now owned by Trinty Broadcasting and is closed to the public. Sorry, but 20 years has changed a whole bunch of things in Nashville. Today you would be asking about the Tennessee Titans Stadium on the river, The Hard Rock Cafe, B.B. King's Blues Club, Somet Center, Nashville Preditors Hockey team, Second Avenue nightlife, Gruhn Guitars, Gibson Guitars, Saturn automobile plant, Nissan automobile plant, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and does this bus tour go by Steve Winwood, Kid Rock, Kim Carnes and Steve Cropper's houses!

Pokey		22-Dec-2008 20:54
Robbin I see that we have a new site for vacations, so I guess I will add mine. When I was a kid, we traveled to all the states, except the north east and north west. We would go to Canada alot, had friends that owned a dance floor and cotteges with a snack bar on the beach at Lake Simco, really enjoyed that place. Went to Calif in 63, first trip to the west coast and Disney Land, and swam in the Pacific., camped at the Grand Canyon, saw Vegas with the old hotels, boulder dam. Alamo, New Orleans, painted desert, and many ghost towns. Then in 69, thanks to the military, I visted North Dakota, Guam, Taiwan, Japan, Alaska, Hawaii, Philippines, ( swam in the South China Sea) and for 12 years lived in Colorado. Really enjoyed Colorado. Lived for a couple of years in the Pan Handle fo Fla. then moved to Ind. all by way of the military. Then after I retired, the kids and I would spend the summers in Pa with stops in the Smokey's. While racing karts, traveled all over Florida and up and down the east coast racing and in Nassau. In 1997 my son got into martial arts, and we spent alot of time traveling around Ind, Ohio, Pa, and Tn. competing in tournaments. On his spring breaks, we went back down to Miami a couple of times, stayed in a motel off 79th St Causway, and in Key Largo for a week. take care Pokey

Robbin P. Larned		22-Dec-2008 06:31
In 1984, I Took a Long Car Trip, on My Vacation. I went to; Tallahassee, Pensacola, Panama City, Mobile, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pass Christian, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Houston, Gilley's, San Antonio, The Riverwalk, The Alamo, Waco, Austin, Dallas, South Fork Ranch, Fort Worth, Billy Bob's, The Cattlemen's Steak House, The Fort Worth Stockyards, Shreveport, Talladega, Birmingham, Atlanta, Macon, Tampa, And Home To Miami !!!!!! A Long, But Fun Trip !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		22-Dec-2008 06:17
In June Of 1977, I Flew By Jet To Newark INTL. Airport, and Went to Visit My Brother Dan, and His New Bride, in Bayonne, New Jersey, where they Lived. My Brother Dan, was in The Army, an M. P., Stationed, at The Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, and He Had Recently Got Married, to A Local Bayonne Girl, and They Invited Me , to Come Up There, on My Vacation, and I Did. They Lived in an Apartment, above The Businesses On Bayonne's Broadway. They Drove Me Around Bayonne, and Jersey City, and Showed Me Around, and We Ate Wonderful Pizza, and other Italian Food, and I Loved The Sabrett Hot Dogs, from The Sidewalk Kart, and Went there, every Day for Lunch, and There was a Great Bakery There On Broadway, Called; Judickey's, and They Had Great Brownies, and I was there, every Day for Brownies, after My Sabrett Hot Dogs, and Canned Root Beer. That was Good !!!!!!!! And Then, on The weekend, Saturday Night, We Went To Great Adventure Theme Park, and that was a Lot Of Fun !!!!!! I Stayed with them, 1 week, and then I Flew Home !!!! I Had a Real Nice Time !!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		22-Dec-2008 05:58
On one Summer Vacation Trip, I went to; Richmond, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Washington , D. C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Hershey, Pittsburgh, Cumberland, MD., Charleston, S. C., Savannah, GA., Myrtle Beach, S. C., Brunswick, GA., and Tampa. That was a Real nice Trip !!!!!!!! I was Gone for 12 Days, of a 2 week Vacation.

Robbin P. Learned		22-Dec-2008 05:47
Anyone Ever Eat At The Cajun's Wharf Restaurant, in Nashville, Tennessee ???? It was on Cowan Street, across The Street From The Cumberland River, Right Out Of Downtown, and it was a Real Neat Restaurant, inside, and They Had Real Good Seafood, and Cajun Food. I Ate there Many times, in the 80's !!!!! And What about; Printer's Alley, The Opryland Hotel, Opryland Amusement Park, Ryman's Auditorium, Music Row, The Nashville Riverfront, The Riverboat Ride, on The Cumberland River, The Gray Lines Bus Tour Of Nashville, including; The Country Music Stars's Homes Tour, The Hermitage, The Parthenon, and The State Capitol Bldg. I've Been to all of these, and I Went to Twitty City, Before Conway Twitty Died, and it Closed. Nashville, is Music City USA !!!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		22-Dec-2008 05:27
Has anyone, Reading this, Ever Been to Memphis, Tennessee ???? I Have Been to Memphis, about 6 Times, and the 1st time, I Went there, was in June, of 1980. I was very curious, about Memphis, as I had heard, and seen it mentioned a Lot, about Many Subjects, But Mainly; Graceland, and Elvis Presley, so I Got my 2 weeks Vacation, from My Job, and away I went, Memphis Bound, with stops along the way, in Macon, Atlanta, Nashville, and Louisville. And then, I arrived in Memphis, and I thought to Myself; You're Finally in Memphis, after years of wanting to go there, and I was Happy, to be on vacation, and to be in Memphis !!!! I stayed in Memphis, fo 3 Days, and Saw, and Experienced a Lot. I Ate Lots Of Good BBQ, Went to Graceland, Went to Downtown Memphis, Went to Beale Street, and Heard some Good Blues, at a Club, Went to The Memphis Zoo, in Overton Park, Rode Down on The Riverfront, at Riverside Drive, Took a Ride on The Memphis Belle Riverboat, Went To LibertyLand Amusement Park, and Rode Their Brand New Revolution Looper Roller Coaster, and Their Old Wooden Coaster, that Elvis used to Ride, Went To SouthLand Mall, where Elvis Shopped, a Lot, Rode Down Union Avenue, The Main Street Downtown, Went to Overton Square, a Nightime Restaurant Area, Went to Sun Records Studio, where Elvis Recorded his 1st Record, went to Stax Records Studio, where Booker T. & The M. G.'s, and Many other Big Musical Stars Recorded, such as; Otis Redding, Rode around Town, seeing All Of Memphis, and Shelby County. I Stayed at The Quality Inn On Brooks Road, at I- 55, and I Had a Wonderful Stay, in Memphis, and Took lots of Good Pictures, of Everything !!!!!! My Favorite Before Bed Snack, while there, was; Hostess Suzie Q's Snack Cakes, and Ice Cold Mid South Dairy Milk. Memphis , Has Great BBQ, and Like 100 BBQ Restaurants, to choose from, and I've Tried Probably 1/2 of them, and they were all Great !!!!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 21:33
Eastsider, That Dish you Described, is My Favorite; Chiles Relleno, I Love that !!!!! That, and a Margarita, or Two, and you My Friend , were in Heaven !!!!! Small World !!!!!! And Yes, I Went To Mother's, near The SuperDome, where all The Cops Eat, and I Had Their Wonderful Po'Boy Sandwiches, I Tried Several Different ones; Roast Beef and Gravy Po'Boy , Fried Oyster Loaf Po' Boy, and others, and we're Talking Heaven Food, Really Great, Yes, I Remember; Mother's, Great Little Coffee Shop Type Place, and Popular, and Very Busy !!!!! I Liked The Way The SuperDome Looked in The Place it was, Like It was a Giant Flying Saucer that Landed There, and The St. Charles Avenue Streetcars went Right Near there, down the Green Grass Center of the Road, a Really neat Picture, Of Which I Took Many. My Friend, You and I Have Been Around !!!!!!! Don't You Just Love Travel ???? We Enjoy Our Travels, Gain Experience, Make Memories, and Then, We can Share it all with others, as we're Doing Now, I Love It !!!!!! Oh, and as for El Paseo Del Rio, - The Riverwalk, it's Beautiful, in The Daytime, and Beautiful at night, with The Lights, and Reflections off The Water, ect. And The Dinner Cruises, on The Mini Barges, with Mariachi's Serenading, and Little Speedboats as River Taxi's, To take you The 2 1/2 Mile Route of The River, From The Convention Center, To The Alamo, What A Place, I Love It !!!!!! Andto think, that The River, with it's Olive Green Color, was once Sewers, unBelievable !!!!! I Thought it was neat also, That You could only see, and Gain Access to The RiverWalk, Below Street Level, at Certain Streets, But Otherwise, it was Somewhat Hidden !!!!!!! BestRegards, My Friend !!!!!!!!! Robbin.

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 21:06
One Very Memorable Vacation, for Me, was; in 1964, when I was 13 years old, and my Brother Danny, was 10 years old, and when school was out, Our Family went to Charles Town, West Virginia, in The Shenandoah Valley, 60 Miles west Of Washington, D. C., So My Parents could Go To The Horse Races, at Charles Town Race Course, and Kids were allowed there, also, So Dan And I went Every day, with My Mom and Dad, and we Had Great Fun there, watching The Races, and walking around, and Eating in The ClubHouse Harry M. Stevens Great Food. And One Day, while in Charles Town, My Dad, Took Dan and I , To Nearby Harper's Ferry, and that was neat, and another Day, We Went on A Train Ride, From Harper's Ferry, To Union Station, in Washington, D. C., and Going around The Appalachian Mountains 80 Mies Per Hour, on Amtrak, My Dad, Dan, and I were walking Between The Cars, and Seeing our Train Like a Long Snake Curving Around, The Mountains, and That was Neat, and Beautiful Scenery !!!! And while in Charles Town, we stayed At The Turf Motel, which was Right in Front Of The Race Track, and we Swam in the Pool, Met Girls, from Baltimore, Ate Wonderful Charred Cheeseburgers, at our Turf Motel Restaurant, and Had A Terrific, Memorable Time.

eastsider		21-Dec-2008 20:55
Robbin: I know La Paloma Del Rio all too well. I sat there one evening drinking Margaritas and eating some type of pepper stuffed with cheese. I sat eating, drinking and people watching quite a while and had such a buzz on by the time that I left that I almost fell into the river. Did you ever eat at Mother's in the Garden District maybe a block from Canal Street in N.O.? Good food there too. If you're ever up in Western Virginia, try to stop in Lexington and visit Washington-Lee University and Virginia Military Academy. They are side by side and the Academy has a great museum with some of Patton's possessions and a whole section dedicated to Marshall. Lots of Stonewall Jackson stuff too including his horse Little Sorrell stuffed and mounted (a la Trigger) along with the raincoat that he wore when he was shot by his men, etc. Kind of a gruesome/kinky display as when I was there several years ago you could stand so close to Little Sorrell that you could touch him. Nothing like the Smithsonian which now has most everything behind glass.

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 20:19
My Mom, was From The Bluegrass State,--- Kentucky, So Of course, I've Been There, Many , Many Times, and all over the State, and if you Have never Been To Kentucky, it's A Beautiful place, in a Lot of areas. There's Mammoth Cave, The Corvette Factory, and Museum, Churchill Downs, Frankfort, Bowling Green, Glendale, Harrodsburg, The Shaker Village, My Old Kentucky Home, Federal Mansion, Bardstown, Lexington, A Nice Small City, with Thoroughbred Horse Farms, all around, Beautiful Green Tobacco Growing in Fields, with Little yellow Flowers, Kentucky Kingdom Theme Park, at The Fairgrounds, in Louisville, The Derby Museum, at Churchill Downs, Kentucky Lake, Recreational Area, in Western Kentucky, Owensboro, A Barbecue Capital, Paducah, A Quilt Capital, Beaten Biscuits, and Kentucky Country Ham, A Real Treat, Derby Pie, in Louisville, another Great Treat, The Patton Museum, and Riding By, and Seeing The Gold Depository at Fort Knox, and The Coal Mining Area, in Eastern Kentucky, Where Loretta Lynn, and Crystal Gayle, were From, Cumberland Falls, Lincoln's Birthplace Cabin, and Monument, in Hodgensville, Antiques, and Good Food, in Tiny Glendale, The State Capitol, and Floral Clock, in Frankfort, Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries, with Tours, and Lots Of Small Towns, with Character, are there For Exploring. A Pretty Drive, in My Opinion, is; On I- 64 From Lexington To Louisville, past The White Fences Of Horse Farms, and The Interstate Rolling a Bit, there is some Pretty Scenery, and Before you Know it, in an Hour, or Less, you See The Impressive Downtown Skyline of Lou Uh Vull, as Locals say. In Louisville, you can Ride The Huge Belle Of Louisville Sternwheeler Riverboat, Up The Ohio River, and That's Great, I've Been on it !!!!!! Oh, and Why Do They Call Kentucky, The Blue Grass State ?????? Because, in The Early Morning there, when the sun Rises, at about 7 A. M., The Grass with Dew on it actually Kinda Looks Bluish !!!!!

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 06:48
Carey-gigi, Hello Again, I Been On Some Railway, up around that area, years, and years Ago, But not sure if that's the same one, But it sounds Like Where It went. I Love Trains, and Train Rides !!!!!!! I Did not Know that that's Where The Fugitive Movie, with Harrison Ford, was Filmed, But I Sure Liked That Movie, and I Remember that Part, where Harrison Ford, and Tommy Lee Jones, Ran Down That Tunnel. Great T. V. Show, and A Great Movie !!!!!!! Carey, If You Read this Before you Leave for Asheville, Please Be Safe, and Have A Good Trip, and A Nice Visit, and Christmas !!!!! All The Best, My Friend !!!!! Robbin.

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 06:28
Eastsider, Yes, I've Been to The Rustic Inn, on Ravenswood Road, just North Of Griffin Road, Many Times, in The Past, But not Lately !!!!!! And You're Correct, The Food There, is Excellent !!!!!!! They Put Newspapers, on The Tables, For The Mess, of Eating Crabs, ect. I used to Go a Lot, To some other Good Restaurants, in that area, also, Long Ago, and They were; Sea Shanty, Spiced Apple, Tropical Acres, Vincent's On The Water, & Captain Perry's, and all of them, were on Griffin Road, West of Ravenswood RD. And Yes, I Have Been to San Antonio, and The Riverwalk, and I Loved The Riverwalk, and A Mexican Restaurant, on it, called; La Paloma Del Rio, which means in Spanish; The Pigeon Of The River. They Had Tables By The Water, with Pastel Colored Umbrellas, And Wonderful Authentic Mexican Food !!!!!!! I Ate Lunch there, one Day, and It was So Delicious !!!!! And I Ate BBQ, at A Good Place In San Antone, Called Bill Miller's. And I Ate Great Mexican Food, in San Antonio, at A Fast Food, that Looked Like a Taco Bell, Called; Alfonso's !!!!!!! My Aunt Corine, used to Live in San Antonio, and I Went to Visit Her, a Couple Of Times. And I've also Been to Austin, And Had; Chicken Fried Steak, with Cream Gravy, And Texas Chili---,,, A Bowl Of Red, with a Long Neck Bottle, or Two, of Lone Star Beer, At a Place On Capitol Avenue, can't Remember The Name, of the Place, But That Food, was Outstanding, And The Beer, was Ice Cold !!!!!!!! And I , Too, Like The Austin Music !!!!!!! I Always Watch ; Austin City Limits, and Really Enjoy It !!!!!!!!!! Austin, is A Big College Town, And A Neat City, I Like it !!!!! And I Love The Big Gulf Shrimp, you Get In Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, and all along There !!!!! The Oyster Loaf Po'Boy Sandwiches, they serve in New Orleans, on Fresh Baked French Bread, at Felix's, Oyster Bar,and The Acme Oyster Bar, Both in The French Quarter, Are Pure Heaven !!!!!!! And The French Donuts, and Chicory Coffee, Cafe Ol'e, and Beignets, - Ben Yay's , they serve at Cafe Du Monde, in the French Quarter, are a Must, They are So Delicious !!!!!!! And For My Muffulletta, -- Italian Sub, I Go to Central Grocery, also in The French Quarter, near Cafe Du Monde. Also, in New Orleans, I Loved Riding The St. Charles Avenue Streetcars out Past The Garden District, and Past Tulane, and Loyola, To Carrolton, and then Back,to where it Starts, By Downtown, at ST. Charles Avenue. The Streetcar Named Desire !!!!!! Best Regards, as always, My Friend !!!!!! Later !!!! Robbin.

Don Boyd		21-Dec-2008 05:53
My pleasure Robbin - that was a great idea to get all the travel chatter out of the Hialeah comments but still be in the Hialeah gallery. Have fun! Don

Robbin P. Learned		21-Dec-2008 05:38
Don Boyd, Thank You , Sir, For The New Site, and Your Prompt, and Efficient Handling of The Matter !!!!! It's Much Appreciated, By Myself !!!!!!! Best Regards, As Always !!!!!!! Robbin.

eastsider		20-Dec-2008 23:18
Robbin: Your talk about the great New Orleans seafood reminded me of a fantastic place near you that's been around for 50 or more years. It is in Ft. Lauderdale, The Rustic Inn, I think is the correct name. If you go west on Griffin Road from US 1, you will eventually cross some railroad tracks (there is a train station on the left) and there is a traffic signal immediately after the tracks. Turn right and about 1/2 mile in your left is the restaurant. Kind of a gray wooden ramshackle building on a canal. Nothing fancy but really good. You can get a table on the water and watch the iguanas roam the canal while your eat. Every time I'm in Lauderdale I eat there as much as time will allow.

eastsider		20-Dec-2008 23:09
Robbin: I said the "Brown House" when it is actually The Smith House in Dahlonega. That's most likely where you ate. Senior Monent for me, I suppose. Have you ever been to San Antonio? There is some great food there and above the River Walk is a deli that has been there for years that serves old fashioned, Royal Castle type, birch beer. I admit it seemed strange having birch beer with a ruben, but it worked for me. Now as far as "clubbin'" is concerned; Austin Texas is number one on my list. Great music and great food.

carey gigi		20-Dec-2008 22:06
Thanks Don Boyd for taking the time to start a new site. Has anyone ever gone on the Smokey Mountain Railroad that goes out of the city of Silva a short distance from Franklin, we went on it once in august 1993 and it goes over to Bryson City where it stops for about an hour, it is about an one and a half hour ride either on a closed car or an open air one with a roof you go past a lot of different scenery including a tunnel that rumor has it that it is haunted by the prisoners who drowned while digging the tunnel. What was really interesting when we went was that they had filmed part of the Fugitive there with Harrison Ford and there is a train wreck that they actually ran a train off the track to crash and it was still lying there this is closer to Silva where the ride starts in the movie there is a scene where he is walking into the tunnel it's the tunnel the train goes through. Another scene was filmed in Bryson City when he steals an ambulance and gets chased. I'm trying to go this weekend to Ashville for Christmas with oldest daughter grandchildren and sisters and the rest of my family who has already migrated north Talk again Carey.

Don Boyd		20-Dec-2008 22:01
Copied below are the next group of messages back and forth before this separate forum was created for travel talk of any type, as requested by Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 18:04 Don Boyd, I was thinking; I Know you have Lots Of Galleries, and Sites now, But Would it Be Possible, for you to Start another Forum Type Site Like This one, on USA Travel, Vacation Trips Stories, Ect., such as The Posts Of Myself, Pokey, Eastsider, John Kindley, Carey-gigi, and Manocarz, Lately ????? I've Really enjoyed The Stories about The Mountains, ect., But I Know we Must Return to Writing about The Theme Of The Site; Memories Of Old Hialeah, and I Will, But I Hope you can Make another Site For us to Exchange Stories, about our Travels, in our Great Country, THE USA !!!!!!!! Thank You For Your Consideration, and Everything !!!!!! Best Regards !!!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 17:43 Eastsider, Back At Cha, I Have Been to The Crescent City,-- New Orleans Twice, Once in 1984, For The World's Fair, and another time, in 1990. My Assessment, of New Orleans, Would Be; Neat, But Strange , and Wierd Place !!!!!! There's A Strange Atmosphere there, and always was a Lot of Crime, Especially on Tourists, Who were Not Careful, and careless. I Love The French Quarter, it's a Really Neat Place, with The Black Wrought Iron, and Historic Architecture. A Neat Place to Walk around in the Daytime, and a Great Place To Go Clubbing By Night, Such as To; Pat O' Brien's Club, Inside, or On The Courtyard Patio. Hurricane Punch, in The Tall Glass !!!!!! The Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, around The French Quarter, Are Nice, And The Food Of New Orleans, Is Absolutely Wonderful !!!!!!!!!! Gumbo, Jambalaya, Oyster Loafs, Po' Boys, Muffelletta's, Shrimp and Crawfish Etoufee, Eggs Benedict, Oysters Bienville, Ect. And There's The Super Wide -- Canal Street, with The Neutral Ground, in The Center, The St. Charles AVenue Streetcars, The SuperDome, The Garden District, Tulane, and Loyola, Wonderful Dixieland Jazz Music, Pete Fountain, Courtyards, Ect. Poor New Orleans Suffered Twice, or Rather 3 Times, with 3 Major Hurricanes, and it was Real sad, and An OutRage, what Happened, The First Time, I Feel So Sorry, For The Crescent City, and Wish Them ; Lots Of Luck, in Their Recovery Efforts, and Their Future !!!!!!!!! Do Take Care, My Friend, and We'll Surely Talk Again Soon !!!!! Best Regards !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin PRobbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 17:13 John Kindley, I Hate To Agree, with You, But You are Absolutely correct, about; Charleston, South Carolina, I Have always Loved Charleston !!!!! It is a Beautiful, and Very Historic City, and you're right; There's Lots to see, in The area, Such as ; James Island, Sullivan's Island, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Gardens, The Citadel, Colonial Lake, East Bay Street, The Battery, Fort Sumter, The Straw Market, Rainbow Row, Patriot's Point, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, The Aquarium, The Cooper River, and Ashley River, and The New Beautiful Modern Bridge. And Charleston Cuisine, is Wonderful !!!!!! Try Some Charleston Red Rice, Hoppin John, And Shrimp and Grits, For Breakfast !!!! And The Courtyards, and Terraces, in Charleston, and The Historic Houses, and 1700 Era Churches, are Second To None !!!!!!!! Charleston Gardens, are wonderful Too, So Beautiful !!!!!!! And in The Summer, you will see Everywhere, Beautiful Flowers Blooming, Such as; Dogwoods, Magnolias, Azaleas, and others. I Always Say; If you Haven't Been to Charleston, S. C., You Need To Go !!!!!!!! I Love Charleston, and I've Been there, Numerous times , From The 50's, To A few years ago !!!!!! And The Blue Ridge Parkway , Is A Beautiful Drive. I've Gone the Whole Route, Before, more than once, all 452 Miles of it. My Favorite Sight on it is; Mabry Mill,- Grist Mill , I Love Grist Mills !!!! Around Roanoke, Is Beautiful, Yes !!!!!! I Like it up there, a Lot, But Dan and I , Have Ties to Wilmington, as you Know, Lots Of Family there, and as Kids, we went there, every Summer. I Love that area, as well, Lots Of Memories there , Wilmington, Burgaw, Wallace, Surf City, Topsail Beach, Fayetteville, White Lake, Jacksonville, and all around Southeastern North Carolina. You Can Have The Snow though, I Don't Like Cold Weather, and snow, very much. The Wilmington Area, is Not Harsh, Like Boston, it's Pretty Mild Winters, usually, But I know it varies, from year to year. Where you are, I know is a Bit Colder, and Much Colder, Than Hialeah !!!!!!! I'll Take Here !!!!!! Best Regards, John !!!! Take Care !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 16:30 Eastsider, Hello Agin, It's Been Quite a few years, since I was in Helen, and Dahlonega, But Both were Nice, and Real Neat, the Last time I was there. That Name Sounds Familiar, I couldn't Place the name of where I ate a Great Country Cookin Meal, in Dahlonega, But By George, I Think that was it !!!!! You Probably know, That All of The Gold, in The Dome Of The Georgia State Capitol, on Spring Street, in Atlanta, Came from Dahlonega. A Beautiful Sight indeed !!!!!!! I've Been to; Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, And Patrick Henry's Newport News, and I Love Those Beautiful, and Historic Places, They Really take you Back in Time !!!!!!! And Alexandria, Harper's Ferry, Charles Town, and Richmond, are all Steeped in History, But Richmond , Has a Lot Of Big City Problems, Mainly Crime !!!!!! Charlottesville, is A Real Nice Town, Down To Earth. Talk to You Later !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John KIndley hide \| delete 19-Dec-2008 22:15 I have lived in North Carolina for 30 years and have visited and stayed just about everywhere. My favorite places are Charleston, South Carolina, Blowing Rock, NC, and the country around Roanoke, VA. Charleston has the beaches and the neatest downtown area with lots of history and too many great restaurants. Magnolia's, Blossoms, AW Shucks to name a few. Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms are a 15 minute drive. You can walk around the Battery and downtown for days and see new sites. Blowing Rock is a quaint little town nestled in the Carolina Mountains. It also has some killer restaurants. It is especially beautiful with about six inches of snow. I love just driving around the Boone and Blowing Rock area taking in the scenery. Virginia is just a beautiful state. Take the Blue Ridge Parkway from I77 to Roanoke and witness some of the prettiest scenery known to man. Fall is the ideal time for that journey. It is hard to beat living in North Carolina. I can be in any of these places within three hours or less. It is truly God's Country. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eastsider 19-Dec-2008 19:08 Robbin: Dahlonega is really a neat place to visit. If you ever get a chance try to go in October when they have "Gold Rush Days". It's really fun with lots of Bluegrass, contests, etc. I sure hope that you ate at the Brown House when you were there. If you didn't you need to go back immediately. No pizza but lots of home cooking served family style. Helen is getting rather run down and seedy. Not the Octoberfest destination that it used to be. Another place that we really enjoy is Williamsburg Virginia. Lots of history and always something different going on. Yorktown and Jamestown are also well worth visiting too. But, if you ever want to just see tourist trap after tourist trap and gift shop after gift shop selling junk, beads and alligator heads, go to New Orleans. Lots of good eating places and watering holes but the city itself is really wierd. But maybe if I was 25 again and liked to drink Hurricanes, well then . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 19-Dec-2008 07:09 Eastsider, Hello, Again !!!!!! I Enjoyed your account, of The Smokies, and Branson !!!!! Yeh, The Traffic, and Crowds in Gatlinburg, and 5 Miles up The road, in Pigeon Forge, Are Heavy, and Like you said, Everywhere, gets worse, all the time, unfortuneately. I Haven't Been Up There, to The Smokies, for years now, But in The Summer, even years ago, it was Crowded. I Went to Silver Dollar City, in Branson, and Down into The Marvel Cave inside Silver Dollar City, Also, and I Loved Both. That was in the 90's. Before I went to Branson, People Told Me; I Don't think you'll Like Branson, Because it's Too Commercial, But I Went anyway, to see, For Myself, and I Loved it !!!!!! Branson, Being in The Ozark Mountains, Has Natural Beauty, All Around it, and In Town, You Have Lots Of Things to See, and Do, Such as; Bumper Boats, Go Kart Rides, Waltzing Waters, Table Rock Lake, Recreational Area, Lots Of Stars' s Theatres, Amphibious Duck Tour Rides, Silver Dollar City, The College Of The Ozarks Tour, The Stone Hill Winery, A Train Ride, A Riverboat,Ripley's Museum, The Neat Downtown, with some neat Stores, Such as Dick's Old Time 5 & 10, and To Me, it 's neat the way Branson, Roads Go In a Circle, instead of The Straight Road,- The Parkway, in Pigeon Forge. I Like Branson, and would Return, if I Could !!!!! And you're Correct, North Georgia, up in The Mountains, is Real Nice, I Like it there !!!!!! I Like; Helen, and Dahlonega, neat Towns !!!!!! I Like The Mountains, in The Summer, especially, at Night, Fresh Air, And Peace !!!!!! I Have Lots Of Memories, and Pictures, Of The Smokies, and The Ozarks, and I'm Glad I Do !!!! Best Regards Eastsider !!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eastsider 19-Dec-2008 02:54 We once owned a chalet in Gatlinburg in the late 1970's. By the time that we sold it in the 1990's the traffic from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg was so heavy that it would almost take us as much time to drive that distance as it took to drive from Nashville. That whole area has gone plastic and commercial as far as I'm concerned. Now we go to the North Georgia mountians to get away from it all and that's starting to get crowded. But, if any of you want to really experience the fresh air and solitude that's the place to go but hurry up 'cause it's a changin', to paraphrase Bob Dylan. As to Branson; here's a bit of trivia. There was an amusement park there in the 1960's called "Silver Dollar City". That probably means nothing to anybody but if you watched, and remember, the Beverly Hillbillies on TV, Silver Dollar City was the scene for some of the episodes. Branson is also changing. The Roy Rogers Museum has moved there from Apple Valley, CA and Dick Clark has a theatre there with Paul Revere and the Raiders as the "house band". There is also a Beatles tribute show there produced by George Harrison's sister. I imagine that Boxcar Willie is turning over in his grave! Raiders, Beatles, Roy Rogers and Mickey Gilley! All available at Branson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 19:04 Pokey, I Enjoyed your Account of your Trips to The Smoky Mountains Area, and The Good Times you Had there !!!! I Have My Memories Of Going There, A Few Times, and Though Mine Were A Little Different, From Yours, There were Similarities, and I Too, Love That Area, it's Beautiful, and Nature !!!!! We were in Sevierville,-- Severe Ville, as they say there, and Rode around, and more than once, we were in Cherokee, and Pigeon Forge, and The Goldwingers, Had a Convention going on there, in The Smokies, and They were at our Motels, and we Talked to them, and saw them Riding Their Goldwing Hondas, all around, and That was Neat. Even though, Pigeon Forge was always Crowded, and The Parkway Full of Commercial things, I Still always Liked Being there, and Dollywood, Love That Place, The Frontier Theme, The Iron Horse Steam Train, and Just Everything there !!!!!!! If you Like Gatlinburg, And Pigeon Forge, and Nature, Then You would Definately, Like Branson !!!!!! The Theatres are neat Too, and there's Lots To Do in Branson !!!!! There's a Good Camping, and Swimming, area, in Branson, called; Table Rock Lake, and They Have A Big Sternwheeler Riverboat There, and Amphibious Ducks around Town, and They Go in The Lake Too. I Know You would Like Branson, It's Worth The Trip, Sometime !!!!!! Gotta Go to Work, Pokey !!!!!! Maybe , wecan Expand on this, ASAP !!!!!!! Take Care !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Boyd		20-Dec-2008 22:00
Copied below are the first group of original messages back and forth before this separate forum was created for travel talk of any type, as requested by Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pokey 18-Dec-2008 17:26 Don and Robbin The Smokies are a nice place. I remember in 1963, my family decided to go to New Orleans, when we got to the pan handle of Fla, it was so hot, (no AC in the car) , we looked at each other, and at the same time said, lets go to Cherokee instead. I remember in Smokemont there was a stream, and it was cold. We would build a dam with bolders and then shot the rappids in the inner tubes, after that we would buy a watermellon and place it in the stream under some rocks and it wouldn't take lone before it was real cold. Did you ever get pictures of yourself hanging out of the dinosoures or in the crooked old house, where you could sit in a chair that was on a 2x4 on the wall. Great memories. Robbin, I have been to most of the places that you mention, except Branson, I have always wanted to go there. In 2003 I took my son to the Tae Kwon Do nationals in Knoxville, and went over to Seiverville to check out Floyd Garrets muscle car museum. it was nice but the traffic was a mess. I took my kids to Dollywood, three times in the 90's. we would camp in Smokemont and drive over the mountain. The drive over the mountain and the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway is still the same, it hasn't changed, just as pretty as it was in the 50's. I spent alot of time in the late 60's, at my friends cabin, in Robbinsville, and can remember going to Fontana Village alot. take care Pokey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 06:30 Pokey, and Don Boyd, I Enjoyed Both of Your Stories, about The Smoky's, I Loved that Place, So Pretty, And Natural, Nature, at it's Finest !!!!!! I Also Like Branson, Missouri, and The Ozarks !!!!!! Went there, years Ago, and Did The Town, Went Everywhere, in Town, and Did Everything There was to Do !!!!!!! Have You Guys Been to Branson ?????? I Also Like West Virginia, Upstate New York, And North Eastern PA. Hershey, is A Neat Little Town, Been There !!!!!! And Charles Town, W. V., and Harper's Ferry, in The Shenandoah Valley, are Beautiful, as Are; Cumberland MD., and Bedford Springs PA. And Saratoga Springs, N. Y. Beautiful Places, All Of Them, I Know, Cause I 've Been to All Of them !!!!!!! Later !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 06:15 Pokey, I went to Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, and Thru The Smoky Mountains National Park, in 1982, and Took in The 1982 Worlds Fair, in Knoxville. The World's Fair, was Real Neat, and I went To Silver Dollar City, in Pigeon Forge, which is Now Dollywood, I Went Down The River, in Cherokee, Got Caught in The Current, and went 500 Yards, Down The River, and Nearly Drowned, Ate Rainbow Trout, at The Village Restaurant, in Cherokee, Went To Ripley's Museum, in Gatlinburg, Ate At Cracker Barrel, For The 1st Time, in Pigeon Forge, Rode Around Taking Lots Of Pictures Of The Mountains, Grist Mills, Ect. I Never Camped There, I Stayed in Motels, But I Would Sit OutBack Outside, at My Motels, and Enjoy The Night Sounds, and Breath in The Clean Fresh Mountain Air !!!!!!!!!!! I Enjoyed Myself, Immencely, to say The Least, and went Back other Vacation Trips, and Enjoyed It Again There. All Of My Visits up there, were Before the Casinos, and Hi Rise Hotels, and all that Nonsense. I wish it would Have Stayed that way, Forever !!!!!!!!! If People want Gambling, Go To Vegas, or Atlantic City, That's How I Feel !!!!!!!! Best Regards !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Boyd 17-Dec-2008 16:42 Hi Pokey, Thanks for the info on Maggie Valley/Ghost Town. My first visit to Ghost Town in the Sky was in 1962 and I have black and white photos of it somewhere in the boxes. I was 15 and my aunt took me on a road trip to Chicago, letting me drive some of the time with my new restricted license, and we stopped numerous places along the way. We stayed in Maggie Valley overnight and I thought it was great - one of the highlights of the trip. We hit every tourist attraction along the way, taking a more westerly route on the way back. I didn't get back there again until the early 90's when we made a side trip over there from Swannanoa with our daughters and darn if it didn't look exactly the same as I remembered it, including the big gunfight. What a trip back in time with a 30-year gap in between visits. I hope they manage to reopen it after spending millions so far. Don ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pokey 17-Dec-2008 15:19 Don I also spent alot of time in Maggie Valley/Cherokee from 1955 to 1969. We would go there a least every other summer. We always camped in the Smokemont camp ground . It was the first one, as you headed over the mountion to Gatlenburg. I remember that Cherokee had all the rides and tourist attractions back then. I have a picture of my dad and I on the chair lift ( 1965) going up to Goast Town. I saw Timmy (lassie fame) up there in the gun battle. In 1996 I took my son there, we camped in Smokemont and I have a picture of him and I on the same chair lift. But by then most of the old attractions were gone ( moved over the mountain), but I remember that the show Unto These Hills was still playing. It was a great place to go for a vacation. A friend of mine had a cabin up there, and in 68-69 we would go up there on the weekends, alnight drives, but worth the trip. take care Pokey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Boyd 14-Dec-2008 07:46 I spent summer vacations plus trips up at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas at my in-laws just east of Asheville (Swannanoa) from 1982 to 1999 when my father-in-law passed away and my mother-in-law moved over to Franklin, TN to be near my bro-in-law. It used to be pretty boring nightlife-wise but the area is beautiful. What was funny to me was that there were so many Floridians or ex-Floridians up there, especially in the summer. I was always amazed at all the Florida tags on cars parked in the mall parking lots in Asheville and driving around. I never heard of the pizza place mentioned but I'm not a big pizza freak like Robbin. : ) It might interest you Maggie Valley / Ghost Town in the Sky fans that a former Homestead bubba and former county manager by the name of Steve Shiver bought Ghost Town in the Sky a while back and is in the process of renovating/improving it. There's a story on the matter in my favorite blog athttp://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2008/12/steve-shiver-and-rollercoaster-pro.html and another site athttp://www.rollercoasterpro.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1227156747&archive=&start_from=&ucat=& Don ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ carey gigi caregigi@gmail.com 14-Dec-2008 07:15 Manocarz Hello I might check out that Franks Roman Pizza on tunnel road I am probably going there at the end of the week. I go more now than before and it only takes me 12 hours to drive there ,I leave at 8:00 p.m. drive all night and get there at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. Maggie valley is really beautiful i have been through it about 4 times this year on the way to Cherokee to the casino even though betting games are something I never cared about I go with my twin sisters they recently reopened Ghost Town in the sky in Maggie Valley I enjoy the drive over there from Asheville about 60 miles. Talk Later Carey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don

Don Boyd		20-Dec-2008 19:43
Copied below are the original messages back and forth before this separate forum was created for travel talk of any type, as requested by Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 18:04 Don Boyd, I was thinking; I Know you have Lots Of Galleries, and Sites now, But Would it Be Possible, for you to Start another Forum Type Site Like This one, on USA Travel, Vacation Trips Stories, Ect., such as The Posts Of Myself, Pokey, Eastsider, John Kindley, Carey-gigi, and Manocarz, Lately ????? I've Really enjoyed The Stories about The Mountains, ect., But I Know we Must Return to Writing about The Theme Of The Site; Memories Of Old Hialeah, and I Will, But I Hope you can Make another Site For us to Exchange Stories, about our Travels, in our Great Country, THE USA !!!!!!!! Thank You For Your Consideration, and Everything !!!!!! Best Regards !!!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 17:43 Eastsider, Back At Cha, I Have Been to The Crescent City,-- New Orleans Twice, Once in 1984, For The World's Fair, and another time, in 1990. My Assessment, of New Orleans, Would Be; Neat, But Strange , and Wierd Place !!!!!! There's A Strange Atmosphere there, and always was a Lot of Crime, Especially on Tourists, Who were Not Careful, and careless. I Love The French Quarter, it's a Really Neat Place, with The Black Wrought Iron, and Historic Architecture. A Neat Place to Walk around in the Daytime, and a Great Place To Go Clubbing By Night, Such as To; Pat O' Brien's Club, Inside, or On The Courtyard Patio. Hurricane Punch, in The Tall Glass !!!!!! The Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, around The French Quarter, Are Nice, And The Food Of New Orleans, Is Absolutely Wonderful !!!!!!!!!! Gumbo, Jambalaya, Oyster Loafs, Po' Boys, Muffelletta's, Shrimp and Crawfish Etoufee, Eggs Benedict, Oysters Bienville, Ect. And There's The Super Wide -- Canal Street, with The Neutral Ground, in The Center, The St. Charles AVenue Streetcars, The SuperDome, The Garden District, Tulane, and Loyola, Wonderful Dixieland Jazz Music, Pete Fountain, Courtyards, Ect. Poor New Orleans Suffered Twice, or Rather 3 Times, with 3 Major Hurricanes, and it was Real sad, and An OutRage, what Happened, The First Time, I Feel So Sorry, For The Crescent City, and Wish Them ; Lots Of Luck, in Their Recovery Efforts, and Their Future !!!!!!!!! Do Take Care, My Friend, and We'll Surely Talk Again Soon !!!!! Best Regards !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin PRobbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 17:13 John Kindley, I Hate To Agree, with You, But You are Absolutely correct, about; Charleston, South Carolina, I Have always Loved Charleston !!!!! It is a Beautiful, and Very Historic City, and you're right; There's Lots to see, in The area, Such as ; James Island, Sullivan's Island, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Gardens, The Citadel, Colonial Lake, East Bay Street, The Battery, Fort Sumter, The Straw Market, Rainbow Row, Patriot's Point, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, The Aquarium, The Cooper River, and Ashley River, and The New Beautiful Modern Bridge. And Charleston Cuisine, is Wonderful !!!!!! Try Some Charleston Red Rice, Hoppin John, And Shrimp and Grits, For Breakfast !!!! And The Courtyards, and Terraces, in Charleston, and The Historic Houses, and 1700 Era Churches, are Second To None !!!!!!!! Charleston Gardens, are wonderful Too, So Beautiful !!!!!!! And in The Summer, you will see Everywhere, Beautiful Flowers Blooming, Such as; Dogwoods, Magnolias, Azaleas, and others. I Always Say; If you Haven't Been to Charleston, S. C., You Need To Go !!!!!!!! I Love Charleston, and I've Been there, Numerous times , From The 50's, To A few years ago !!!!!! And The Blue Ridge Parkway , Is A Beautiful Drive. I've Gone the Whole Route, Before, more than once, all 452 Miles of it. My Favorite Sight on it is; Mabry Mill,- Grist Mill , I Love Grist Mills !!!! Around Roanoke, Is Beautiful, Yes !!!!!! I Like it up there, a Lot, But Dan and I , Have Ties to Wilmington, as you Know, Lots Of Family there, and as Kids, we went there, every Summer. I Love that area, as well, Lots Of Memories there , Wilmington, Burgaw, Wallace, Surf City, Topsail Beach, Fayetteville, White Lake, Jacksonville, and all around Southeastern North Carolina. You Can Have The Snow though, I Don't Like Cold Weather, and snow, very much. The Wilmington Area, is Not Harsh, Like Boston, it's Pretty Mild Winters, usually, But I know it varies, from year to year. Where you are, I know is a Bit Colder, and Much Colder, Than Hialeah !!!!!!! I'll Take Here !!!!!! Best Regards, John !!!! Take Care !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 20-Dec-2008 16:30 Eastsider, Hello Agin, It's Been Quite a few years, since I was in Helen, and Dahlonega, But Both were Nice, and Real Neat, the Last time I was there. That Name Sounds Familiar, I couldn't Place the name of where I ate a Great Country Cookin Meal, in Dahlonega, But By George, I Think that was it !!!!! You Probably know, That All of The Gold, in The Dome Of The Georgia State Capitol, on Spring Street, in Atlanta, Came from Dahlonega. A Beautiful Sight indeed !!!!!!! I've Been to; Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, And Patrick Henry's Newport News, and I Love Those Beautiful, and Historic Places, They Really take you Back in Time !!!!!!! And Alexandria, Harper's Ferry, Charles Town, and Richmond, are all Steeped in History, But Richmond , Has a Lot Of Big City Problems, Mainly Crime !!!!!! Charlottesville, is A Real Nice Town, Down To Earth. Talk to You Later !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John KIndley hide \| delete 19-Dec-2008 22:15 I have lived in North Carolina for 30 years and have visited and stayed just about everywhere. My favorite places are Charleston, South Carolina, Blowing Rock, NC, and the country around Roanoke, VA. Charleston has the beaches and the neatest downtown area with lots of history and too many great restaurants. Magnolia's, Blossoms, AW Shucks to name a few. Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms are a 15 minute drive. You can walk around the Battery and downtown for days and see new sites. Blowing Rock is a quaint little town nestled in the Carolina Mountains. It also has some killer restaurants. It is especially beautiful with about six inches of snow. I love just driving around the Boone and Blowing Rock area taking in the scenery. Virginia is just a beautiful state. Take the Blue Ridge Parkway from I77 to Roanoke and witness some of the prettiest scenery known to man. Fall is the ideal time for that journey. It is hard to beat living in North Carolina. I can be in any of these places within three hours or less. It is truly God's Country. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eastsider 19-Dec-2008 19:08 Robbin: Dahlonega is really a neat place to visit. If you ever get a chance try to go in October when they have "Gold Rush Days". It's really fun with lots of Bluegrass, contests, etc. I sure hope that you ate at the Brown House when you were there. If you didn't you need to go back immediately. No pizza but lots of home cooking served family style. Helen is getting rather run down and seedy. Not the Octoberfest destination that it used to be. Another place that we really enjoy is Williamsburg Virginia. Lots of history and always something different going on. Yorktown and Jamestown are also well worth visiting too. But, if you ever want to just see tourist trap after tourist trap and gift shop after gift shop selling junk, beads and alligator heads, go to New Orleans. Lots of good eating places and watering holes but the city itself is really wierd. But maybe if I was 25 again and liked to drink Hurricanes, well then . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 19-Dec-2008 07:09 Eastsider, Hello, Again !!!!!! I Enjoyed your account, of The Smokies, and Branson !!!!! Yeh, The Traffic, and Crowds in Gatlinburg, and 5 Miles up The road, in Pigeon Forge, Are Heavy, and Like you said, Everywhere, gets worse, all the time, unfortuneately. I Haven't Been Up There, to The Smokies, for years now, But in The Summer, even years ago, it was Crowded. I Went to Silver Dollar City, in Branson, and Down into The Marvel Cave inside Silver Dollar City, Also, and I Loved Both. That was in the 90's. Before I went to Branson, People Told Me; I Don't think you'll Like Branson, Because it's Too Commercial, But I Went anyway, to see, For Myself, and I Loved it !!!!!! Branson, Being in The Ozark Mountains, Has Natural Beauty, All Around it, and In Town, You Have Lots Of Things to See, and Do, Such as; Bumper Boats, Go Kart Rides, Waltzing Waters, Table Rock Lake, Recreational Area, Lots Of Stars' s Theatres, Amphibious Duck Tour Rides, Silver Dollar City, The College Of The Ozarks Tour, The Stone Hill Winery, A Train Ride, A Riverboat,Ripley's Museum, The Neat Downtown, with some neat Stores, Such as Dick's Old Time 5 & 10, and To Me, it 's neat the way Branson, Roads Go In a Circle, instead of The Straight Road,- The Parkway, in Pigeon Forge. I Like Branson, and would Return, if I Could !!!!! And you're Correct, North Georgia, up in The Mountains, is Real Nice, I Like it there !!!!!! I Like; Helen, and Dahlonega, neat Towns !!!!!! I Like The Mountains, in The Summer, especially, at Night, Fresh Air, And Peace !!!!!! I Have Lots Of Memories, and Pictures, Of The Smokies, and The Ozarks, and I'm Glad I Do !!!! Best Regards Eastsider !!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eastsider 19-Dec-2008 02:54 We once owned a chalet in Gatlinburg in the late 1970's. By the time that we sold it in the 1990's the traffic from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg was so heavy that it would almost take us as much time to drive that distance as it took to drive from Nashville. That whole area has gone plastic and commercial as far as I'm concerned. Now we go to the North Georgia mountians to get away from it all and that's starting to get crowded. But, if any of you want to really experience the fresh air and solitude that's the place to go but hurry up 'cause it's a changin', to paraphrase Bob Dylan. As to Branson; here's a bit of trivia. There was an amusement park there in the 1960's called "Silver Dollar City". That probably means nothing to anybody but if you watched, and remember, the Beverly Hillbillies on TV, Silver Dollar City was the scene for some of the episodes. Branson is also changing. The Roy Rogers Museum has moved there from Apple Valley, CA and Dick Clark has a theatre there with Paul Revere and the Raiders as the "house band". There is also a Beatles tribute show there produced by George Harrison's sister. I imagine that Boxcar Willie is turning over in his grave! Raiders, Beatles, Roy Rogers and Mickey Gilley! All available at Branson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 19:04 Pokey, I Enjoyed your Account of your Trips to The Smoky Mountains Area, and The Good Times you Had there !!!! I Have My Memories Of Going There, A Few Times, and Though Mine Were A Little Different, From Yours, There were Similarities, and I Too, Love That Area, it's Beautiful, and Nature !!!!! We were in Sevierville,-- Severe Ville, as they say there, and Rode around, and more than once, we were in Cherokee, and Pigeon Forge, and The Goldwingers, Had a Convention going on there, in The Smokies, and They were at our Motels, and we Talked to them, and saw them Riding Their Goldwing Hondas, all around, and That was Neat. Even though, Pigeon Forge was always Crowded, and The Parkway Full of Commercial things, I Still always Liked Being there, and Dollywood, Love That Place, The Frontier Theme, The Iron Horse Steam Train, and Just Everything there !!!!!!! If you Like Gatlinburg, And Pigeon Forge, and Nature, Then You would Definately, Like Branson !!!!!! The Theatres are neat Too, and there's Lots To Do in Branson !!!!! There's a Good Camping, and Swimming, area, in Branson, called; Table Rock Lake, and They Have A Big Sternwheeler Riverboat There, and Amphibious Ducks around Town, and They Go in The Lake Too. I Know You would Like Branson, It's Worth The Trip, Sometime !!!!!! Gotta Go to Work, Pokey !!!!!! Maybe , wecan Expand on this, ASAP !!!!!!! Take Care !!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pokey 18-Dec-2008 17:26 Don and Robbin The Smokies are a nice place. I remember in 1963, my family decided to go to New Orleans, when we got to the pan handle of Fla, it was so hot, (no AC in the car) , we looked at each other, and at the same time said, lets go to Cherokee instead. I remember in Smokemont there was a stream, and it was cold. We would build a dam with bolders and then shot the rappids in the inner tubes, after that we would buy a watermellon and place it in the stream under some rocks and it wouldn't take lone before it was real cold. Did you ever get pictures of yourself hanging out of the dinosoures or in the crooked old house, where you could sit in a chair that was on a 2x4 on the wall. Great memories. Robbin, I have been to most of the places that you mention, except Branson, I have always wanted to go there. In 2003 I took my son to the Tae Kwon Do nationals in Knoxville, and went over to Seiverville to check out Floyd Garrets muscle car museum. it was nice but the traffic was a mess. I took my kids to Dollywood, three times in the 90's. we would camp in Smokemont and drive over the mountain. The drive over the mountain and the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway is still the same, it hasn't changed, just as pretty as it was in the 50's. I spent alot of time in the late 60's, at my friends cabin, in Robbinsville, and can remember going to Fontana Village alot. take care Pokey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 06:30 Pokey, and Don Boyd, I Enjoyed Both of Your Stories, about The Smoky's, I Loved that Place, So Pretty, And Natural, Nature, at it's Finest !!!!!! I Also Like Branson, Missouri, and The Ozarks !!!!!! Went there, years Ago, and Did The Town, Went Everywhere, in Town, and Did Everything There was to Do !!!!!!! Have You Guys Been to Branson ?????? I Also Like West Virginia, Upstate New York, And North Eastern PA. Hershey, is A Neat Little Town, Been There !!!!!! And Charles Town, W. V., and Harper's Ferry, in The Shenandoah Valley, are Beautiful, as Are; Cumberland MD., and Bedford Springs PA. And Saratoga Springs, N. Y. Beautiful Places, All Of Them, I Know, Cause I 've Been to All Of them !!!!!!! Later !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbin P. Learned rpc7560@yahoo.com 18-Dec-2008 06:15 Pokey, I went to Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, and Thru The Smoky Mountains National Park, in 1982, and Took in The 1982 Worlds Fair, in Knoxville. The World's Fair, was Real Neat, and I went To Silver Dollar City, in Pigeon Forge, which is Now Dollywood, I Went Down The River, in Cherokee, Got Caught in The Current, and went 500 Yards, Down The River, and Nearly Drowned, Ate Rainbow Trout, at The Village Restaurant, in Cherokee, Went To Ripley's Museum, in Gatlinburg, Ate At Cracker Barrel, For The 1st Time, in Pigeon Forge, Rode Around Taking Lots Of Pictures Of The Mountains, Grist Mills, Ect. I Never Camped There, I Stayed in Motels, But I Would Sit OutBack Outside, at My Motels, and Enjoy The Night Sounds, and Breath in The Clean Fresh Mountain Air !!!!!!!!!!! I Enjoyed Myself, Immencely, to say The Least, and went Back other Vacation Trips, and Enjoyed It Again There. All Of My Visits up there, were Before the Casinos, and Hi Rise Hotels, and all that Nonsense. I wish it would Have Stayed that way, Forever !!!!!!!!! If People want Gambling, Go To Vegas, or Atlantic City, That's How I Feel !!!!!!!! Best Regards !!!!!! Robbin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Boyd 17-Dec-2008 16:42 Hi Pokey, Thanks for the info on Maggie Valley/Ghost Town. My first visit to Ghost Town in the Sky was in 1962 and I have black and white photos of it somewhere in the boxes. I was 15 and my aunt took me on a road trip to Chicago, letting me drive some of the time with my new restricted license, and we stopped numerous places along the way. We stayed in Maggie Valley overnight and I thought it was great - one of the highlights of the trip. We hit every tourist attraction along the way, taking a more westerly route on the way back. I didn't get back there again until the early 90's when we made a side trip over there from Swannanoa with our daughters and darn if it didn't look exactly the same as I remembered it, including the big gunfight. What a trip back in time with a 30-year gap in between visits. I hope they manage to reopen it after spending millions so far. Don ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pokey 17-Dec-2008 15:19 Don I also spent alot of time in Maggie Valley/Cherokee from 1955 to 1969. We would go there a least every other summer. We always camped in the Smokemont camp ground . It was the first one, as you headed over the mountion to Gatlenburg. I remember that Cherokee had all the rides and tourist attractions back then. I have a picture of my dad and I on the chair lift ( 1965) going up to Goast Town. I saw Timmy (lassie fame) up there in the gun battle. In 1996 I took my son there, we camped in Smokemont and I have a picture of him and I on the same chair lift. But by then most of the old attractions were gone ( moved over the mountain), but I remember that the show Unto These Hills was still playing. It was a great place to go for a vacation. A friend of mine had a cabin up there, and in 68-69 we would go up there on the weekends, alnight drives, but worth the trip. take care Pokey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don Boyd 14-Dec-2008 07:46 I spent summer vacations plus trips up at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas at my in-laws just east of Asheville (Swannanoa) from 1982 to 1999 when my father-in-law passed away and my mother-in-law moved over to Franklin, TN to be near my bro-in-law. It used to be pretty boring nightlife-wise but the area is beautiful. What was funny to me was that there were so many Floridians or ex-Floridians up there, especially in the summer. I was always amazed at all the Florida tags on cars parked in the mall parking lots in Asheville and driving around. I never heard of the pizza place mentioned but I'm not a big pizza freak like Robbin. : ) It might interest you Maggie Valley / Ghost Town in the Sky fans that a former Homestead bubba and former county manager by the name of Steve Shiver bought Ghost Town in the Sky a while back and is in the process of renovating/improving it. There's a story on the matter in my favorite blog athttp://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2008/12/steve-shiver-and-rollercoaster-pro.html and another site athttp://www.rollercoasterpro.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1227156747&archive=&start_from=&ucat=& Don ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ carey gigi caregigi@gmail.com 14-Dec-2008 07:15 Manocarz Hello I might check out that Franks Roman Pizza on tunnel road I am probably going there at the end of the week. I go more now than before and it only takes me 12 hours to drive there ,I leave at 8:00 p.m. drive all night and get there at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. Maggie valley is really beautiful i have been through it about 4 times this year on the way to Cherokee to the casino even though betting games are something I never cared about I go with my twin sisters they recently reopened Ghost Town in the sky in Maggie Valley I enjoy the drive over there from Asheville about 60 miles. Talk Later Carey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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