Hello, everyone!  I am finally back.  I’m guessing you didn’t notice I was gone due to the magic of pre-timed posts, however.  I spent the last weekend+ in West Virginia attending the wedding of one of my very dearest friends.  I had never been to that particular state before and it was really interesting and about as far away from San Francisco as you can possibly get.  I stayed in the little town of Fayetteville (named the “coolest” small town in 2006), close to the wedding location at Adventures on the Gorge.  I tried in vain to find things to do in Fayetteville that didn’t involve white water rafting ahead of time (seeing as though I am not really all that outdoorsey) & had a hard time.  In case there’s other people planning a similar trip, here are my tips on things to do in the area:
* I spent time at the darling coffee shop in Fayetteville called “Musical Grounds” that’s only been open for a month.  It’s a very California place — think compostable to-go cups, designer coffee and tea, hand-crafted snacks with artisan jams.  It also had lots of seating inside and out and is located in an old home that’s been renovated as a coffee house.  The wi-fi is great here too (trust me, this isn’t the case everywhere in this part of the world).
* For other eats, the Secret Sandwich Society got my business a couple of times.
* We also spent a fabulous afternoon at the pool at Adventures on the Gorge – lots of chairs, towels, and a great snack bar where they also made California-style pannini’s.  I couldn’t find any online information about the pool, and I think it’s connected to the resort and that I snuck in because most of the wedding party was staying in cabins there (I opted for a B&B in town).
* After the wedding, I drove to another town that also won the “coolest small town” designation at some point — Lewisburg — and had a wonderful dinner at the Livery Tavern there.
* I spent time poking around antique shops in Lewisburg & noted a lot of china from “The Greenbrier” in each place.  The Greenbrier will be the subject of another post, but note that it is close to Lewisburg (about 10 minutes away) so if you’re looking for something to do, that is a spa option.

Okay, more to come later . . .