Here’s the latest take on Ashvegas, this time from a Houston Chronicle reporter apparently visiting for the first time.
As usual, the reporter zeroes in on “a city of contradictions.” Ashvegas is where “suit tie meets tie-dye,” according to one person quoted in the story. It’s where pristine mountains “hug the sky,” but there’s plenty of upscale restaurants, art galleries, “remarkably diverse” restaurants and Art Deco stylings. O, and of course, there’s the Biltmore Estate, a visit to which is the what the story is built around.
Here’s a bit of the story:
In a sense, this is a city of contradictions: It’s a favorite retreat for retirees but also a playground for 20-somethings, hip enough that Men’s Journal magazine named Asheville one of America’s 50 best places for singles. It’s a haven for hikers, bikers, mountain climbers, white-water rafters and other adventurous souls but ideal, too, for a lazy, romantic interlude.
It’s fast emerging as a center for young musicians — folk, jazz, hip-hop, indie rock — and it showcases high-quality resident ballet and opera companies. Devotees of gourmet cuisine arrive from all over America, but the strong emphasis is on locally produced ingredients. It’s home to America’s most visited winery — on the Biltmore Estate — and to Green Man ales.
If there is a common bond, it’s an Ashevillian flair for creativity and individual expression in music, food, art, design and a freewheeling zest for life. One young woman scooted past me in the heart of the city driving a bright-red mo-ped and wearing a richly embroidered black-and-silver peasant skirt that fluttered in the breeze. Nearby, a stroll along Lower Lexington Avenue — Haight-Ashbury in the mountains — revealed the Liquid Dragon Tattoo Art Studio, Chevron Trading Post & Bead Co. and Funky Mutt pet shop.
Over breakfast at the Early Girl Eatery, where specialties include spinach-potato cakes with tomato gravy, Jen & the Juice’s Greer described the city of 90,000 residents as “a creative vortex inspired by the mountains and by the people around you.” This pull isn’t new — Thomas Wolfe, one of America’s most esteemed early-20th-century authors, was born and raised in Asheville and based Look Homeward, Angel at his mother’s boardinghouse. It’s not limited by age, either; the University of North Carolina-Asheville’s services include the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement.