This is the James Beard "Outstanding Award" winning restaurant in #Asheville. I think they have adjusted to the post- #Helene economy via a buffet, but not a problem for me.

Can *you* be there about that time? (I'm sure it's early for many) DM me (before anyone else) and I'll buy you dinner!

After supping, I'm heading to The Crow and Quill, recommended by @fuzzbomb
Will eventually check out my hotel's rooftop bar. Hope they have hot drinks.

Join me! Use replies/DMs to make sure we connect.

[edit: corrected the fuzzbomb mentioned]

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 16

Jan 16

Joe Wynne @joewynne

On the way here, I drove through the route created as an alternate to the interstate highway gouged out by #Helene. Stopped to check out Hot Springs NC.

This relatively remote small town with hot springs had been developing with businesses like a brick oven pizza spot and nice new Inns.

The ones on main street have been gutted by the small scenic branch that passes through town. Demolition/reconstruction activities, high car traffic and many trucks associated with rebuilding now make the town a noisy, dangerous mess.

intersection with sign for Town of Hot Springs Welcome Center.

An area between buildings and the waterway filled with demolition and construction debris.

Part of old building previously modernized as a tavern, restaurant and Inn, now closed and being cleared of wet debris from hurricane.

#WNC #Travel

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 17

Jan 17

Joe Wynne @joewynne

Chai Pani: Food and atmosphere superb. Music made you feel like you were eating in the end of a Bollywood movie, and everyone was about to get up and start a synchronized dance.

I needed to do that after several trips through the buffet.

Silver rectangular sectioned tray on table with bowl of salad beyond next to dinner menu from Chai Pani. The tray sections are filled with colorful Indian foods of many textures. Also seen partially are a lit candle and a hot toddy.

#Asheville #AVL #TravelThursday

Joe Wynne @joewynne@mindly.social

On to The Crow and Quill bar. It's a trudge up the "slope" in a cold wind.

But it was worth it! I love this place! The music is fantastic! They even played an obscure tune by Professor Longhair. Noticed other #NOLA music as well. Tis the season.

Chose a quiet alcove. They had hot buttered rum! Just what I needed.

#Asheville #AVL #TravelThursday
#Travel

Inside of a bar created in an old building. Distressed old leather chairs - from a long history of use, not some kind of special treatment. Old tables, old wall lights and old chandeliers. Also groups of white holiday-type string lights hang vertically on two walls. Still the place is dark inside. Also seen is a stairway to a patio.

A cozy corner in a bar with exposed brick and stucco wall. There is a muted color fringed lamp with thick ornate metal base on a small ornate wooden table in the corner. There is a partially-visible simple wooden table with a hot-buttered rum drink on it and a partially visible comfy leather love seat.

Jan 17, 2025, 04:00 AM··Web

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**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 17

Jan 17

Joe Wynne @joewynne

Now breakfast...walked over to Early Girl Eatery on Wall street and there was no line! Never seen it like this.

Good because I am famished. Come to me vegan sausage. Doing my part for as many businesses here as I can.

After this, I'm taking a few pics in the city then heading over to the River Arts District.

View down a sidewalk with shops on the left and seating on the right. There is a sign for the early girl eatery. An office building is in the background under a blue sky.

#Asheville #AVL #Travel

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 17

Jan 17

Joe Wynne @joewynne

Now at Ultra Coffee as my base.

Not sure why I wanted to come down to the River Arts District. Just to thrill at devastation? Find signs of hope? Probably both.

Reconstruction is in full steam. Earth moving vehicles and construction workers are everywhere. Among the many abandoned studios, some have reopened.

A scenic stream under one small building turned into a raging torrent of destruction.

A workers scrapes in the window of the lower level of an upscale apartment complex built into an old brick warehouse. It is surrounded by a fence.

Back of small brick building with a stream running under it. Mudline shows extent of flooding halfway up the building.

In the foreground, a stack of pallets. Then a street and beyond a long metal sign saying 'All feet stand under the stars'

Sidewalk with warehouses on left, parked cars on right. High sign for Odyssey Gallery and sidewalk sign saying Artist Studio Open.

#Asheville #AVL #Travel

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 18

Jan 18

Joe Wynne @joewynne

Ultra Coffee

Inside a window overlooking flood debris, two Zillennial women discuss the latest social media topic. Years from now, they will realize too late how much society had eroded their confidence, not their value.

Next to the coffee sweeteners, two young artists with edgy hair, tats and piercings take a selfie and talk about their restricted ability to exhibit and sell their wares. Years from now, their kids will laugh at the photo. The couple will wonder how they lost their vision in the unrelenting flow of adulting.

Nearby, a mid-career couple commiserate about work-life balance. Decades from now, they will face an urgent wave of decisions for retirement. They will wish they had started preparing earlier.

In the corner, an old, weathered traveler types wistfully on his phone.

#Asheville #AVL #Travel
#RiverArtsDistrict #TravelPhotography
#Helene #WNC

Flood debris consisting of remains of artists' studios and display spaces. On the right is a street sign for the intersection of River Arts Pl. and Lyman St.

The front of a coffee shop painted white. There is a flag pointing out to the left saying "Open". Above an awning is painted Ultra Coffee Bar. A bench and picnic table sit in front. Leafless trees rise above the rear of the building under a bright blue sky.

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 21

Jan 21

Joe Wynne @joewynne

#ThickTrunkTuesday

I was trudging up the "slope" from Chai Pani in #Asheville in darkness when I came upon this specimen in front of an old brick church.

A large old tree with a very thick trunk where about five large branches arise so high the top of the tree is not shown in the view. The tree grows in a small piece of ground in front of a four-story tall brick church. The nearby street can be seen in part. The clear sky in back is an unusual dark blue, lighter at the horizon, as this photo was taken at night.

#AVL #Travel #TravelPhotography

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Jan 24

Jan 24

Joe Wynne @joewynne

#FootpathFriday

Pack Square Park Walkway
#Asheville #AVL #Travel

Walkway with one meter (yard) concrete sides topped with two-meter high concrete columns, five visible along the left side as it curves to the right. A couple of the columns are in the foreground on the right side of he walkway, a few more in the distance. The sky is clear blue and the top of the closest column on the right blocks the sun which creates a shadow out of a curvy type of canopy made out of thick metal strands at right angles to make open rectangles. The canopy is held up by the simple doric columns, and the shadow on the walkway shows the curvy rectangle pattern. An office building is in the background.

**Joe Wynne** @joewynne · Feb 21

Feb 21

Joe Wynne @joewynne

#GoodNews

We hear about major highways being rebuilt after #Helene, but what about the many private bridges that allow people to get to their homes in the devastated mountainous areas? Many locations still have no access, some replacements have collapsed.

Emily Davis, engineer in Ashe County, has co-founded Lansing's Bridge to Recovery which engages University of NC Charlotte engineering students to design new long-lasting bridges and culverts.

Students get real-word experience and neighbors get faster, better replacements. The current goal is one bridge per student per semester. The demand is so great they need to expand.

#Asheville #AVL #Travel

https://www.lansingbtr.org/

Lansing's Bridge to RecoveryLansing's Bridge to RecoveryLansing Bridge to Recovery is dedicated to supporting residents of Ashe County, NC, affected by Hurricane Helene through organized recovery efforts, volunteer opportunities, and fundraising initiatives. Our mission is to restore access to essential services and rebuild our community. Discover how yo