Days of Museums and Motels

I used to love and look forward to staying in hotels. I have to say, after this last trip, I don't enjoy it as much anymore. I've always been very picky about where I stay. There have been times in the past that we've pulled up to a place and promptly canceled our reservation based on outward appearance. These days, with TripAdvisor and other online review sources, it is much easier to find decent hotels. What is becoming more difficult is finding decent hotels at decent prices. I remember when I considered $49.99 to be an astronomical price for a hotel room. Then it inched up the scale. Nowadays you are lucky to find anything coming in under $100.00 a night. Oh I know about Priceline and Last Minute where you name your own price. I'm just too Type A to trust that I'll find a room that meets my standards. This past trip was interesting. Our first stop was a motel in West Memphis. The rate was $59.00. I was skeptical but the reviews were awesome. I was pleased with the quality. It was definitely low budget to the point of no alarm clock in the room but it was clean ( my biggest priority) and comfortable and perfect for one night. They got a good TA review from me. In Birmingham I wasn't sure about my choice prior to arrival. I loved that room! It was a Residence Inn and was newly remodeled. The colors were red and brown. The furnishings were lovely. Gorgeous bath area. I wish we'd had more than one night there. Frankly it spoiled me. Our next three stops were nondescript and frankly all looked alike. Nothing wrong but nothing spectacular either. And I have a question. Why does every breakfast buffet consist of eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits and wheat toast?  I know they've come along way from donuts and cereal but really, couldn't we have a little variety?  I really think it would be nice to have an RV. At least you'd be in your own space every night. I guess I'm just getting old.

You could call this trip the Museum Marathon. In the course of 6 days we visited 8 museums: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Stone Mountain, Atlanta History Center, Margaret Mitchell House, Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame, National Quilt Museum and Rocky Ridge Farm. A very eclectic mix for sure. By the time I got to the Quilt Museum I could hardly stand to read about the quilts. The words were all running together and my feet were exhausted. I think my favorite was the CMHF in Nashville. We were there more than four hours. It is a wonderful museum. The exhibits are well interpreted and cover the broad spectrum of country music. Of course Rocky Ridge was beautiful and fed my soul. I needed my "Laura fix".

We were gone 14 days. We visited 10 states and drove 2999 miles. It was an interesting trip and I'm glad we went. Next time though I think I'll find something adventurous to do.