June 4, 2011: Asheville

Mom and I left the hotel a little after 9 a.m. and spent the entire day exploring Asheville. First, we went to check out this apartment on the north side of town. It was alled the Springs of Asheville. The apartments were built in 2009 and way up in the mountains. They were similar to the apartment we are currently living in, in Norton Shores. I thought they were gorgeous. The view of the mountains was spectacular. It was about 1 mile from the nearest grocery store.



Then, we went to the Asheville Mall to check that out. Of course, we had to stop at the Barnes & Noble store. Neither one of us was impressed with the mall. If you know the two of us, you know that whereever we live, there has to be a nice mall and a Barnes & Noble nearby. We thought the mall seemed dark and gloomy inside. It had a Dillards, but didn't have the Ralph Lauren and Jones New York brands in the petite section, which is what my mom likes.


After the mall, we drove to Biltmore Village and did a little shopping. We had a bite to eat at the Biltmore McDonalds, which was featured on the Travel channel a few years ago. It is supposed to be the fanciest McDonalds.


Then, we drove on the south end of town to Hendersonville, which is about 18 miles south of Asheville. We didn't like Hendersonville at all. We both thought it was too much of a hick town for us. It had a pretty courthouse, though.


My friends, Jerry and Jamie Depoy, who were from Muskegon, moved to Asheville almost 2 years ago. They live in Mars Hill which is about 16 miles northeast of Asheville. I thought that area was gorgeous. It is way up in the mountains and the most beautiful area. There is a liberal arts college there that had a beautiful campus. We drove all around it. We found the elementary school which overlooked the hills.


Then, we went back to downtown Asheville and walked around. We stopped at the Chocolate Fetish store and got a piece of their chocolate. We went to the Grove Arcade. Unfortunately, the stores closed at 6 p.m. which was disappointing.


We found where Jerry Depoy's new church is located (inside the Asheville Community Theater). Tomorrow, we plan to attend his service, which I am excited about.


For dinner, we went to the Olive Garden.


I talked with several people today about the job situation in Asheville. Most of them said finding a job here is either tricky or challenging. I have done alot of research online which said the same thing. The city is great to visit as a tourist, but different if you live here. There are a lot of hippies and artists here. It is great for people watching. I am just not sure it is the place I want to live. Hoping I can find my new home soon. I don't want to stay in Muskegon after next year. I had planned to only live there a few years after living in Chicago, but ended up there 10 years now. I need a new place to live, so could use some prayers in finding that place.