Nashville, TN - Music City

And it really is. The whole city is about music. I didn't think I would like Nashville the first time I went. I am not much of a country music fan. Besides, I have been playing guitar for 35 years, and the one thing I knew about Nashville is that I couldn't swing a cat without hitting 10 guys who could play better than me.

But it turns out to be one of my favority cities in America. And it's not all country. Just spend a Sunday afternoon on Broadway, starting at Tootsie's and working your way towards the river, hop into each club, grab a drink and listen. You will hear Country and Western, then Bluegrass, then Rock, then Blues, a little of everything. Most of the musicians are wannabe's, a few are usetabe's, but they are all good. When you are done on Broadway, go around the corner to the Ryman Theater, original home of the Grand Ole Opry. One of my favorite photos is of myself standing onstage at the Ryman, guitar in hand. I can say I played guitar on the same stage as the likes of B.B.King, and Eric Clapton. Granted, no one was listening, but still....

For a more formal night out, try Printer's Alley, which has several good clubs, the best of which is the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. The house band there, Stacy Mitchart and the Blues U Can Use Band are awesome. I first heard them in 2000, and again on subsequent trips, and he just keeps getting better.

And even though I am not a huge Country Western fan, the Hall of Fame is a must see. It tells the history of Country music, as well as Bluegrass and Gospel and such that preceeded. Until I went there I had no idea that Henry Ford's second greatest contribution to America was popularizing Country Western - he heard the Carter Family and some others, and got their music played on radio stations all around America. And I had a little taste of home, listening to a video by Clint Black talking about staying in Apple Valley (where I used to be Mayor) and recording a duet with Roy Rogers. Nor did I know, until I took a bus tour of Nashville Stars Homes that Hank Williams, Jr and John Ritter were neighbors growing up.

Another must-see is the New Opry House, and the Opryland Outlet Mall. Among the cool stores there is the Gibson Guitar's mandolin and fiddle factory. You can walk around playing guitars and such selling for upwards of 10K, while watching the luthiers hand-crafting Gibsons high end mandolins and fiddles, then grab lunch and listen to some music - all without leaving the store.

I also, on one trip, crashed a party at the Gibson Custom factory. It was the 10th birthday party of the shop, and me and my partner just walked right on in, like we belonged. (I had stumbled upon them setting up while sending out a parcel at the UPS station next door). The food was great, obviously the music was better, and during the evening I got a chance to talk to Slash, and Ted Nugent - so that was cool....

There are also lot's of recreational opportunities in and around Nashville, with several large lakes and waterparks, some great historical sites like The Hermitage, Andrew Jacksons home and plantation, and a great Stadium if you want to take in a Tennessee Titans game. Again, not a huge fan of the Titans, but the locals love their team almost as much as Wisconsiners love their Packers, so it's a great place to see a game.

And, as always, if you are ready to take a trip to Music City, stop by http://www.daveholmantravel.com/ and we will help you with all the arrangements.

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The BLOG is now open

Anyone have any great travel stories, cruise reviews or travelogs? I would like to create a blog here that is interesting, informative and topical. But that is too much for me. So, if you want to help, I have decided to open it up.
If you are interested in contributing (one shot, or regularly) email me at daveholman@verizon.net, and leave your address, I will add you as an author.
All I ask is that you keep your posts on the subject at hand, and that any advertising for your site or your business be subtle. :-) I would ask you to refrain completely, but I know better, however links to businesses other than http://www.daveholmantravel.com or http://daveholmantravel.homestead.com will be deleted. See how subtle I was?

Thanks for your assistance

Wheelchair Cruising - a brief history

As I alluded to in my profile, my very first cruise was in 1981 on Carnival's first new-build, the Tropicale, then in her maiden season. When I first approached my Mother and Stepfather with the idea of taking my brother on a cruise they were, to say the least, taken aback. In those days, only rich old people took pleasure cruises. And wheelchair-bound hemiplegics didn't go anywhere except the doctor's and physical therapy.But, being all of 22 years old, and invincible and stupid - I prevailed, (did I mention I have always been a fairly good salesman?), and off we went.On the big day, we drove to San Pedro and boarded (after 3 hours in line - after all there were nearly a thousand people) this behemoth of a ship (47, 000 grt, I think).After getting aboard we went to our 160 s.f. stateroom, which, of course (remember this is nearly a decade before the ADA) had a 22" door to accommodate a 28" wide wheelchair. A little quick thinking on my part, and we did a standing transfer from the wheelchair to the desk chair in the stateroom, then drug my brother in and transferred back to the wheelchair. Whereupon we discovered the bathroom door was both 22" narrow, AND had a 3" lip. So, for the next 7 days, this became the 2-3 times daily ritual.Oh, to be young and strong again.And every other doorway on the ship had that same 3" lip. And their were 3 or 4 steps down into the dining room, with no ramp. This last is actually what sold me on cruising. Our first time to the dining room, upon seeing the wheelchair, the Maitre d' snapped his fingers and 4 busboys came running, to lift my brother, and his chair and carry him down the steps. For the next seven days, 3 times a day, we were met at the door by staff, waiting to carry him. Now, THAT is service.Needless to say, we had a great time, despite it all.Now, fast forward to 2007. Me and my brother cruised Hawaii on NCL's Pride of Hawaii. Upon arriving at the dock, we were escorted to a special line for handicapped passengers, and got on the boat in about 30 minutes. Whereupon we found our wheelchair accessible cabin, with a 36" doors at the entry and the bathroom, about 300 s.f., nicely arranged for easy access. And the various home medical items I had arranged to rent got to the stateroom before we did. In a week, I found one door with a lip, and there were ramps into every dining room and lounge that needed it, as well as a section of the main theatre where wheelchairs could park and see the stage.Over the course of many cruises from 1983 to 2007, we have seen a steady evolution of ships to become ever more accessible. Cruise lines seem much more cognizant of the needs of ALL passengers than hotels, airlines, or any other segment of the travel industry. Combine that with the level of service on even a budget cruise, compared to lackadaisical hotel staff, and downright hostile airlines, and it is easy to see why, when potential clients with various disabilities ask me about the best vacation choices I nearly always recommend cruising.


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The Places I have been

It has been a bad week - building a new website for Dave Holman Travel Services. Check it out at http://daveholmantravel.homestead.com I might get out of the travel business, and take up website development. I know way more now than I ever wanted to about html, gifs, footers, etc.

Which is also to say, I have nothing to write about. Maybe a travel life list would be good. Boring, but very "keyword rich" as we webheads say. LOL

So, my first travel was as a kid with driving vacations to Yellowstone National Park, Utah, and many times to Tucumcari, NM (where my mother is from), and all around the Southwest. Then, of course the move to Puerto Rico. During our time there we went to every city on the Island, like Ponce, Mayaguez, Fajardo, Aguadilla, etc. We also flew over to St. Croix a few times. My dad's boss owned an old sugar mill, built by Bluebeard for his mistress Judith.

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The sugar mill, and restored "castle" is gone, but Judith's Fancy is a seriously high dollar subdivision, now. I found this out in 1985 when I went back to St. Croix with my first wife.

Also, during the Puerto Rico years were trips to Key West, Florida and a memorable trip to Havana, Cuba. Those of you who remember 1970 will recall that hijacking planes to Cuba was a pretty routine event. All we did was sit in the airport for 8 or 9 hours, eating Cubanos and drinking warm Coke, then we all got back on the plane (well, all but the two hijackers) and continued on to San Juan.

My next travel came as member of the U.S. Air Force. They sent me to San Antonio, Tx - Biloxi, Ms - and Victorville, Ca (where I live now). Also a few brief TDY's to Germany, England, and Okinawa.

Then I discovered cruising. Starting in 1981 with Carnival to Mexico, followed by Carnival to the Caribbean twice, the Norway once, Crown Monarch Line once, and a couple of others. All told, cruising has taken me to Florida, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cancun/Cozumel, Belize, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. John, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Hilo, Honolulu, Kona, Maui and Kuaui.

In between those cruises are multiple trips to Hawaii, many land based sojourns to Mexico and Canada, and trips to Tokyo, Taiwan, Vietnam, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Switzerland, Germany, Prague and Amsterdam.

Then I bought a boat, and for 3 years or so Catalina and San Diego was the extent of my travels (my boat was in San Pedro).

Then, of course, I decided to hit the road for real, and in almost 5 years running a traveling sales company I hit 47 states. Somehow I missed North Dakota, and Hawaii and Alaska are both too far to drive.

So, there you have it. The Places I have been.

Riding the Rails - Amtrak re-visited

An oft-overlooked vacation style, Amtrak. Although the Golden Age of Train Travel passed decades ago, there is still much to recommend using Amtrak for your next vacation. I have taken the Amtrak's Sunset Limited (Los Angeles to Orlando) round trip, the Southwest Chief (Chicago to Los Angeles) end to end and the Texas Eagle (San Antonio to Chicago) end to end.
I have also ridden partial routes from LA to Oregon, St. Louis to Kansas City, and New York to D.C.

One thing about a train: It is both transportation and destination. The train ride itself is faster than driving, the seats are more spacious than airline first class, and the sleepers are quite comfortable. And besides your personal seat/sleeper there is a Bar Car with a snack bar, a good place to hang out and talk to people or play cards, the Observation Car, which is mostly windows, another great place to meet and get to know your fellow travelers, as well as watch some great scenery slide past, and finally, the Dining Car with better meals than you might expect (and lower prices), served on linen table cloths with real cutlery and crytal to boot.

Most Amtrak routes combine city sights with lots of wide open spaces. Even the East Coast routes are very scenic, and the Coast to Coast routes all have amazing scenery.

As well, when you are on the longer routes, you develop a camaradiery with your fellow passengers, much like on a cruise ship. Cocooned away from the rest of the world, in your own little moving universe, friendships develop, and stories get swapped. It is really quite a fun break from the everyday.

Personally, I don't mind driving, but to really enjoy the trip I prefer the train. It leaves you free to walk around, talk, gawk and snooze, without endangering the other passengers.

Also, as a way to get from here to there, the Amtrak is, as I said, faster than driving, and the Train Stations tend to be in the middle of town, rather than 10 miles out in the 'burbs, like airports, so generally there are hotels and tourist areas within walking distance of the station.

I said earlier the sleeper cars are pretty comfortable (and when you book a sleeper, all your meals are included). Besides the little rooms one generally thinks of, Amtrak also has Family Suites, and Wheelchair Accessible Suites. The Family Suites, which will sleep two adults and two children, stretch all the way across the car, giving a window on both sides.

The Wheelchair Accessible Sleeper also stretches across the car, and is located on the lower level, making boarding easy. The only downside is that the rest of the train is not accessible without climbing stairs. There are some stations where wheelchairs can be boarded to the upper level, but it takes careful planning, because you are then stuck until the NEXT such station, to reboard on the lower level of your room. The good part is, it not only includes all your meals, but there is room service.

Both Family and Wheelchair Accessible Accomodations are limited, and generally sell out early, so you need to plan well in advance if you need them. Other sleeper and regular coach seats are usually available right up to the last minute.

Of course, we here at www.daveholmantravel.com can help you with all the arrangements.

Knott's Berry Farm Hotel and Resort

I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised by this hotel. If you are going to Orange County on vacation, this would be a good place to stay. Located on the park property at Knott's, and just a short drive to Disneyland, it is a good location for exploring Southern California.

While the rooms were kind of small, the property boasts a great pool area, with some fun stuff for the kids, tennis courts, an on-site pro shop to make golf arrangements and a good restaurant. Also on the Knott's property is a T.G.I.Fridays and, of course Mrs. Knotts Chicken restaurant, which has been there since 1934 or something, and is still kicking out that great fried chicken. While I did not stay in the Snoopy Rooms (being the youngest in our party at 46), I did see the corridor, separated from the other wing, and done up in Snoopy themed decor totally different from the rest of the hotel. If I had kids with me I would pay the extra.

The most impressive thing about the hotel, though, was the level of service. It can only be compared to a cruise ship. I have stayed at hotels from W to Bellagio to the Waldorf in the last few years, and honestly, this was the best. The front desk was manned by people who apparently like their job. When I went out to get ice, a housekeeper grabbed the bucket and got it for me, and brought it to the room. I don't think I opened a door for myself the whole two days I was there. The guy in the Parking Booth saluted crisply. And every time I walked thru the hotel I saw people polishing brass and cleaning glass.

I have stayed at the Disney Resort, and while the properties there are larger and glitzier, they are not any cleaner, and the service, while good, was not at this level.

I heartily recommend your next O.C. vacation be headquartered at the Knott's Berry Farm Hotel and Resort in Buena Park, CA.

And on a personal note, I would like to thank every staff member there for a job well done.

Party at Coto de caza

On my way to a 30 year high school reunion - Not mine, my brothers. Reunion dinner is being held at a place called Gentile's in a town (Coto de Caza) that did not exist when I was growing up in the area. Hard by Irvine (which didn't really exist when I was growing up either - it was still a ranch in those days). It will be fun to see if all the new houses are an improvement on the orange groves they replaced. Certainly more pretentious - why such a Mediteranean Riviera name for a town in the foothills of Orange County is beyond me.

Should also be fun to catch up. I was only two grades behind my brother, so a lot of his classmates also had siblings in my grade.

We will be staying at the Knott's Berry Farm Hotel in Buena Park, a first for me, since I don't normally stay in hotels so close to home. It looks nice on the website, and I got a great rate. I will let you know Sunday if it is all that, or not. Sunday is a picnic in my hometown, Santa Fe Springs, CA. Nice little town, these days surrounded by not-so-nice little towns.

That's all for now

The TOP 10 cont. Greenville, NC - The Spirit of the East, or Sportstown USA

Catchy, those mottos. But, seriously folks, Greenville, North Carolina (not to be confused with Greenville, Ohio, Texas, Missouri, Mississipi, Maine, Michigan or SOUTH Carolina), while a relatively small town of 75,000 is home to a University, a regional hospital, etc, and as such has more restaurants, hotels, stores, theatres, amusement venues, etc than most cities it's size. Not to mention some really great sports bars. It is the major commercial center of the region, and also one of the fastest growing areas in the South. That growth, and a nationally recognized Chamber of Commerce, have spurred commercial development of all types in and around the city. It is also blessed with mild weather - mid-80's in summer, with less humidity than the coast, and mid 40's in the winter with moderate rainfall.

As a vacation spot it boasts lot's of amenities, and also a great central location for exploring the region. Two hours south of Virginia Beach, Va, and two hours north of Myrtle Beach, SC, with the whole outer banks in between. Using Greenville as a base you can take in the attractions in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, drive the outer banks to Cape Hatteras, and do a day trip to Myrtle Beach. Greenville is also home to some historic sites, like really old churches and stuff, and around the University there are always cultural events, concerts, shows and the like to fill out your week. There are restaurants of all types, but you have to try the Carolina BBQ. A totally different thing than Memphis or St. Louis or Texas styles. Carolina BBQ features "pulled" meats - roasted and shredded, piled on a plate with moderately hot and vinegary sauce on the side. True Carolina style (an awesome treat that everyone should try before they die) is to pile the meat on a warm bun, splash on some sauce and top it off with cole slaw. MMMMMMM. I am literally watering at the mouth as I type this. Most of the BBQ joints are of the "x Meats, x Sides" variety - you walk up and order, say, 2 meats and 3 sides, maybe pulled pork and sausage with greens, beans, and cole slaw.

Most importantly, like most of the South, the people are great. Friendly, talkative, very welcoming to tourists, and proud of their city. Everyone says "hi" as they pass on the street, the second time in a restaurant or bar, they greet you by name.

And there is just a hard to describe "energy" about this town, the result of friendly people in the midst of an economic boom, that makes if a very attractive place to hang out. If I wasn't such a dyed in the wool Californian, I might relocate. In my 4 plus years of traveling, in 47 states and at least 150 different cities, there were 2 I thought might be okay to live in forever. Nashville was one, and Greenville, NC was the other.