Into the Cesspool of Sin

We visit Asheville as the DNC starts back home

Ever since our original plans to evacuate, thus avoiding the entirety of the DNC, fell through, we have been trying to find ways to stretch our limited budget and still escape. My husband happened to be downtown at the end of last week, so he saw all the tables and chairs being packed up. So for the smaller eateries that rely on outdoor seating for their customers, they are being well rewarded for not throwing in the towel and closing down. Late last week, some small business owners were reportedly still on the fence about closing down and fleeing the DMZ until the DNC’s occupation ends. No word on how those business owners reacted to another slap in the face. Our local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, has switched gears to giddy reporting about just how wonderful this experience is. The Observer maintained the joy even after learning they would have significant problems delivering papers due to all the road closings.

We spent Sunday in Asheville and stumbled onto a street festival. I titled this entry “The Cesspool of Sin” because that is a very popular T-shirt in Asheville. The residents have embraced this status and flaunt it. And compared to staid Charlotte, it is a cesspool. At the festival, there were many people wandering about with open containers of beer. Beer! My husband and I didn’t see a single police officer, and the smell in the air wasn’t just tobacco. And despite the signs prohibiting dogs from entering the festival area, they were there too. Some of the merchants and many of the attendees were dressed in various costumes, ranging from a gorilla suit, a rabbit suit, to a Xena outfit, into the realm of I’m not sure what they were aiming for. Fairy wings were popular fashion accessories.

We had lots of fun. Tiger embraced the weirdness and bought an adorable fox mask so he could be in costume too. We saw a small parade led by a Chinese dragon followed by people wearing wings and walking on stilts. I can’t imagine the skill required to walk uphill on stilts, but they made it look easy. The many artisans were from Asheville and nearby counties; the diversity of wares was amazing.

We eventually wandered off in search of dinner and found the Laughing Seed Cafe. Tiger was horrified at having only vegetarian options, and he struggled with the meal. (He’s not picky when compared with other boys with Aspergers, but he is picky. He tried hard, but we did make a fast food stop on the way home for some fries.) The rest of us enjoyed the meal very much; my husband and I were able to find gluten free options. I was really bold and had one of the their raw plates. I wish I could make kale that tasted that good, and the portobello mushrooms were terrific. After the meal, Random said he thought he could manage being vegetarian.

We finished the day going uphill, as we had spent most of the day. (Early in the day, Random was trying to help us navigate downtown and find the “cool” section he’d visited before. “It’s on a hill!” he exclaimed repeatedly.) My husband’s help was invaluable in getting me back to the car because I was leaning on him heavily by this point. Today I’m paying for being so adventurous and spending most of the time flat on my back, moving my heating pad around. (If you’re curious, I can touch type while lying down.) But it was worth it.

We’re planning to head to the coast for our next outing. If everything works out, we’ll miss the biggest days of the DNC and return for the packing up phase.