We also decided to take Ginny along! While she has certainly been on her share of driving trips, they've all been day trips or trips to visit family – never a trip involving a hotel. Let me just say that way back, Residence Inn was the only hotel chain that allowed dogs. We took Chelsea to a hotel twice when we lived in Chicago because we didn't have any family near us who could dogsit, and both were Residence Inns. Thankfully, more hotels have gotten their acts together and C was able to find two Hampton Inns that allow pets!
While we were happy to find two places where she could stay with us, the bigger question was her behavior. She is a nervous little dog at all times. All times! We didn't know if she'd be able to settle down in a strange place or if she'd bark her head off at every unfamiliar sound. These were serious concerns even as we were already on our way on Saturday!
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| C bought me one of those headrest contraptions that allow you to sleep in the car and it worked very well! |
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| we hadn't even left town yet and Ginny was already nervous |
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| after about 30 minutes, she settled down and was so good for the remainder of the drive! |
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| it was an overcast day, which was perfect for driving |
We'd been to both Tennessee and Kentucky many years ago when we visited all 50 states the first time. We'd gone to Louisville in Kentucky and both Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee. Louisville was fine, we loved Memphis, and we did not like Nashville at all. When we went back to Nashville a few years later when we were going to games at each of the NHL arenas, and we stayed outside of Nashville, went to the Predators game, and spent as little time in Nashville as possible. I've written before about having a "feeling" about each of the cities we've visited and Nashville is not my kind of city in any way, shape, or form. I'm not a country music fan (exceptions being Shania and Dolly), so the vibe of Nashville is not my cup of tea. (Side note: interestingly enough, despite our dislike of the city, the Predators arena is in our Top Ten NHL Arenas because it was such a great experience as hockey fans!)
When we were figuring out this weekend, we knew that we absolutely did not want to go to Nashville, so we decided to go to Knoxville instead since we'd never been there. As for Kentucky, we also decided to go somewhere new to us – Lexington.
We drove to Knoxville on Saturday, with quick stops in Sevier and Pigeon Forge, then spent some time downtown Knoxville when we arrived. We then checked in to the Hampton Inn and the Ginny Hotel Experiment began. To our surprise and delight, she was absolutely perfect at the hotel. She was happy to sniff around the room and then settle right down! Honestly, we were pretty shocked. We had anticipated a night of nervous panting interrupted only by nonsense barking. Nope! We spent the evening watching a very disappointing Leafs game and then took Ginny for a late night drive. Knoxville gets a big thumbs up from us – a super nice downtown area with lots to do!
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| Tennessee! |
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| of course I needed a pic of this sign |
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| found this cool restaurant that served Impossible burgers |
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| it had a lot of monster-themed decor |
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| I only took a couple of photos because I didn't want to seem like a creeper while I was waiting to pick up our order |
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| Dolly |
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| downtown Knoxville |
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| Knoxville Pride |
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| there's an entire alley filled with beautiful graffiti and murals |
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| the Sunsphere from the 1982 World's Fair |
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| first hotel stay |
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| making herself at home |
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| clearly excited to be there |
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| unexpectedly calm in an unfamiliar environment |
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| at one point, she fell asleep on my laptop |
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| we watched the Leafs game... |
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| and she did, too |
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| the post-game disappointment |
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| keeping an eye on me while we packed up our stuff the next morning |
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| she really took to hotel life |
On Sunday morning, we got up pretty early, found a local park, and took Ginny for a walk before she'd be sitting for several more hours in the car as we made our way to Kentucky. While we were driving, a friend of mine recommended an ice cream spot to visit, so after we stopped at the Wild Turkey Distillery, which was a very cool place, we took her suggestion and went to Crank and Boom. She had mentioned how good the bourbon flavored ice cream was, so we got an ice cream flight to try that and a few other flavors, and she was so right! The bourbon and honey ice cream was outstanding! The other flavors were great, too, but the bourbon and honey was out of this world! We drove around Lexington and while I had not predicted it, I ended up loving Lexington! It's so pretty, with a great eclectic vibe! I would definitely go back there again!
Around dinner time, we arrived at the Hampton Inn. C ran in to check us in while I waited in the car with Ginny because we wanted to find something to eat before taking Ginny into the hotel. We drove past a chili place that had vegetarian chili, so we decided to try it (I've since been informed by several people that it's a popular chain!) and it was super delicious! While we waited at the drive thru window, the employee made a huge fuss over Ginny, who was watching the goings on from the back window, and gave her a hot dog, which Ginny was thrilled to have. Who is this dog? She is usually so scared of everything and now she's making friends with strangers at drive thru windows!
After our car picnic, we went back to the hotel and took Ginny in. This room had a large mirror on the wall and Ginny apparently didn't understand what it was because whenever she caught a glimpse of her reflection, she growled. Despite our shushing, this continued. She would creep up to the mirror, see herself, growl, and skedaddle away. Our solution was to drape my travel blanket over the mirror, which was not quite long enough, and left a gap at the bottom of the mirror where she could still see herself. However, it did the trick because even though she walked up to the mirror a few times, there was no more growling. I don't know if the blanket just disrupted the illusion or made her realize it wasn't a window to another space with another dog in it, but whatever the explanation, it worked beautifully!
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| Kentucky! |
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| gold horses at the welcome center |
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| in case you forgot which state you were in |
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| I took think from the car as we were driving... what a beautiful place |
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| a fun stop at the distillery |
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| while we were there, we ending up having a great discussion about Disney with one of the employees bc I was wearing a DCL pullover and C was wearing an Aulani shirt... not what I expecting at a bourbon distillery in Kentucky! |
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| Lexington turned out to be a pretty awesome city |
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| this used to be a pharmacy and now it's a liquor store designed to look like a cocktail |
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| here's a water tower that looks like a Dixie cup |
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| this is the place my friend recommended for ice cream and it was so good |
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| found a very colorful building as we driving around |
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| the entire side was painted |
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| the best name for a university |
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| I think I know what Dwight Shrute would say about this place |
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| this incredible Mary Poppins art was on the side of a fireplace business! |
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| Ginny's favorite place bc she was gifted a hot dog |
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| the vegetarian chili was amazing |
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| hotel #2 |
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| the blanket over the mirror to curb the growling |
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| went to the other location to get more of the bourbon and honey ice cream |
Yesterday, we got up early because we had a seven-hour drive home and we weren't sure what holiday traffic might be like. We did encounter some slow downs, but overall, the drive was fine! Our goal was to get home in time to watch the hockey game, and we arrived home around 4:30 in plenty of time!
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| a foggy drive for most of the morning |
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| such an excellent little traveler |
Unfortunately, the hockey game was an unmitigated disaster and the Leafs lost. They'd been up 3-1 in the series and they lost their last three games in a row to an inferior team. But unpredictable things seem to always happen in the playoffs, and I guess this was one of those times. Our house was not a happy place last night because the disbelief and disappointment is real. We are not casual fans. The Leafs schedule really rules most of our plans throughout the season and it's awful to have such high hopes and then be completely and utterly devastated.
The only positive takeaway from this series is Montreal's goalie, Carey Price. I've been a huge fan of his for over a decade, even though he plays for my team's rival. He is an absolutely amazing goalie and by all accounts, a wonderful person who carries himself with class. I have honestly never heard or read a bad word about him. His stellar play helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and he is the epitome of grace under pressure. It's not easy to be a hockey superstar in Canada – constant media and fan scrutiny and insults – and he received more than his fair share during the regular season this year. So for him to battle and emerge the victor against his team's rival in a series of two of the NHL's most historic franchises who haven't met in the playoffs in more than 40 years? I have a hard time being upset about that.
As for the Leafs, it's once again, "There's always next year!" Sigh.
Happy Tails to you!
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