American Charm

[bigmack]

I have an old pal from Geneva in town with his wife. They're about to embark on a month long road trip through the US. They'll be tooling out of SoCal up the coast to Vancouver BC, across the upper states, through Chicago, Ohi, PA, all the way to the East Coast, down the east coast through Florida and then back towards California through the Southern States.

They'd like to see the America that doesn't have Gap & Target Stores but rather charming towns and hamlets along the way as they are shooting a film and want to sit and talk with "regular folk" along the way.

They're open for suggestions if you know of a quaint town with charm and void of typical franchise outlets.

Thanks from them for any sugs.

[chickenhead]

Ferndale CA....(if they get up early enough they can hang with all the old ranchers playing Pedro up at the Greeks). If they are stout enough, they can go up to "The Palace" for drinks. And of course, visit the smallest race track this side of, well, anywhere. Not a chain store to be found, a working ranch town. As the chamber of commerce reminds all, "It's udder madness not to stop in the Victorian Village of Ferndale!"

Arcata CA ...quintessential Northern California hippie college town. Observe the wildlife around the town square. One of the great used book stores in the known universe "Tin Can Mailman", right on the corner, opposite the headshop.

[toetoe]

One area I can highly recommend, as I know it very well, is the Point Reyes National Seashore in West Marin County. The majority of it is less than an hour from San Francisco, I'd say. Bon voyage. :ThmbUp:

[wonatthewire1]

Most of New England is very quaint

for a smaller city, Burlington, VT or Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College) are both nice towns. Burlington has the lake

VT Brattleboro and in NH Keene are nice smaller towns

[Tom]

Finger Lakes regions of NY and the Adirondecks are nice, but it is a tad early in the year to get the best they have to offer.

[Grits]

If traveling the coastline, towards the South, suggest the NC Outerbanks. Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Corolla, other small communities are still wild and lush, though beachfront properties dot the area throughout. This time of year, things are quiet. The Sanderling Inn is where they need to stop for a couple of nights. (It can be found online.) If they'd like remote they can take a ferry to Ocracoke Island--voted one of the finest beaches in the U.S.

A quaint coastal community is Beaufort, NC, along the Intracoastal Waterway. Nice inns and restaurants--and a major stop for yachts and sailboats traveling the IC and coming from Europe. Lovely old, old, seafaring community.

Traveling on southward, the next stop they might enjoy would be Charleston or Savannah. My choice would be Savannah, by far. It isn't as crowded as Charleston. I have not ever been in Charleston when it was not wall to wall people. Savannah is right on the river with beautiful old Live Oaks, gardens, and again, fine restaurants.

If they really want a taste of the quiet, of the beauty, and the warmth of the Southern Region suggest the NC mountains. Asheville, Blowing Rock, or Highlands, NC. They'd fall in love with either. Very laid back areas with surroundings and people that are so welcoming. Asheville is the largest, still, it is a lovely and diverse area.

Your friends will be covering many miles during their stay, I hope they enjoy their trip.

[bigmack]

Nice suggestion with Ferndale, FoulHead. He wondered if Barth Gimble & Jerry Hubbard were still broadcasting a show outta there and I reminded him that was "wood" not "dale".

Looks like a lovely town & perfect for their journey.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/3_8_08_20_30_58.png

Toes - A bit remote, no?
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/reyes.jpg


Tommy - They're not going that far north

Grits - They're hitting all of what you mentioned and very much look forward to them.


Merci Beaucoup

[rastajenk]

One suggestion would be to begin with the southern leg and loop around to the north. Weatherwise, you know, and I think they'd see more springtime green that way.

Another would be simply to use the interstates when they want to make time, but avoid them when they want to "see America." Red highways are good, blue highways are better.

Oh, and give them some Kerouac to read on the way. :cool:

[Shenanigans]

Ohio has some interesting Amish communities as does PA. Of the two, I would look more at the ones in Ohio. They aren't as commercialized as some in PA. Some of the towns in OH: Millersburg, Berlin, Sugarcreek, Walnut Creek, Mt. Hope - just to name a few.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Carmel and if into golf, the courses nearby, both near Monterey.

[toetoe]

Oh, no, no, no, dear fellow. One hour from San Francisco. Bob's yer uncle, mate. Noatamyne ?

Kero-whack ? Okay, I may give him a perusal.

Hey, how about 'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon ? Anybody here read it ? Two :ThmbUp: , and it's in the form of a travelogue, sorta. Might be perfect for the voyagers.

[bigmack]

Hey, how about 'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon ? Anybody here read it ? Two :ThmbUp: , and it's in the form of a travelogue, sorta. Might be perfect for the voyagers.
Yer darn tootin'. Tip top recomendation. You're working on all 8 cylinders this morning, toes. Could be said your on your "tippy toes".

[At a restuarant, "Least Heat Moon, party of 4" (repeat)...]

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/Heat-Moon-Bule-Highways.jpg

[falconridge]

Almost the whole of US101 north of Marin County is a gorgeous way to go. Wine country (Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties) gives way to majestic stands of redwoods as motorists make their way north. Groves of sequoia sempervirens shade one’s passageway through such idyllic little burghs as Willits (formerly the site of Charles S. Howard’s thoroughbred ranch, where Seabiscuit convalesced prior to his Big Cap bid in 1940), Benbow, and Garberville.

The 80-mile stretch between Eureka and Crescent City (home of PA colleague surfdog89 and the birthplace of Greg Gilchrist—conditioner of Soviet Problem, Smokey Stover, and the ill-starred Lost in the Fog :( ) is positively breathtaking—a veritable Valhalla of sylvan splendor. Along the way, you’ll pass Trinidad Head and Patrick’s Point beaches (they’ll be on your left, of course, as you continue your drive north), and the magnificent though surprisingly little-known Humboldt Lagoons State Park. From there, US101 snakes through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (part of Redwood National Park) and across the Klamath River to a kitschy giant talking Paul Bunyan (with Babe, natch, alongside) at the gateway to the Trees of Mystery, which showcases all manner of arboreal oddities. About 20 miles north of that attraction lies Crescent City (named not after the Big Easy, but for the shape of its bay) and the crown jewel that is Jedediah Strong Smith Redwoods State Park.

If you have the time—and especially if you’re traveling with not-too-jaded children—check out Confusion Hill in Piercy (don’t expect to find Piercy on a map or even road signs; Confusion Hill, known as Skunk Hill to the locals, is about eight miles north of Leggett--which is about halfway between Willits and Eureka--along a twisty, two-lane, redwoods-embowered section of US101). Yeah, it’s corny, but where else can you find the Gravity House, the Redwood Shoe House, and water flowing uphill? The narrow-gauge railroad is also a lot of fun. http://www.confusionhill.com/index.htm

[toetoe]

Falc on yonder ridge,

Did you ever see that bumpersnicker saying, "Where the Hell Is Leggett?"

Bigmack,

Omigod, you must forgive me, for this one is ir-frign-resistible. Okay, we have Mesdames Ripa and Messing in a bottom-baring competition, sorta like Sue Ane Langdon and the other gal in that famous photo with Glenn Ford. Okay, we MIGHT call it the Least Teat Moon Competition. Or not.

[chickenhead]

Ridge, you are my new hero (sorry Toe) for throwing out a Confusion Hill steer.

[bigmack]

Sounds like they'll Forego Hwy 1 in favor of the 101 as they're both Easy Goer's and he has a penchant for a fine Cigar. They've made several Citations in their planned itinerary and have Affirmed their arrival back in San Diego April 13th.

On the Funny Cide, Confusion Hill might very well be a Genuine Risk in light of the continual landslides.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/3_9_08_12_24_07.png


All in all, as his name is Forbes I encourage him to go Boldly.

I hesitated to play the role of Smarty Jones but I lent them a new hi-def 24frame "film-like" camera to enhance the chronicles of their Whirlaway.

“Lewis with the Ol’ One-Two”,

Clem McCarthy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwPY5CzOGzw
(The Schmeling Scream - "Get me some Schmeling Salt")

[toetoe]

mack,

Izzat Alydar is ?

Izzat Alydar is ?

If that's Alydar is,

Then let's keep Danzig.

Let's break out Debussy

(Worthy) Endevor (sic) (Star) Ball ...

If that's Alydar is. :(

[toetoe]

Okay,

I tracked down the movie some clown referred to (hey, that was me :blush: ). 'The Rounders' starred Glenn Ford, Henry Ford, Sue Ane (sic) Langdon and Hope Holiday. I could swear the photo I saw featured Hope Lange, but regardless, it speaks my lang-uage. No doubt all the tomfoolery and ecdysiasm put the shooting ... cough, cough ... behind schedule, hmm ?
Now to find that photo, eh Watson ?

[bigmack]

mack,
Izzat Alydar is ?
Izzat Alydar is ?
If that's Alydar is,
Then let's keep Danzig.
Let's break out Debussy
(Worthy) Endevor (sic) (Star) Ball ...
If that's Alydar is. :(
Cunning, toes. Very clever. :ThmbUp:

Miss Peggy Lee was a dear friend to me Ma. They both grew up in the flats of Dakota. North Dakota.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9kKf7SHco

[betchatoo]

Galena, Illinois

[toetoe]

I daresay that, on behalf of loved ones, I have stooped to cowardice, if concerns for safety be cowardly.

One question. Would becoming obsessed with plastic bags, "Mother Earth" and the indices of wifebeating on Super Bowl Sunday be considered examples of "conscience?" Maybe cowardice is all I'm good for from the list. :confused: