Lobby of Capital Hotel... what a classy place!

The Clinton Presidential Library with Chihuly Art Exhibit outside entrance is quite striking.

 We sat in a replica of the the White House Cabinet Room.

 We  both  sat in the President's chair.

 One of the amazing glass art exhibits by Dale Chihuly.

South on Main Restaurant serves great southern cuisine as well as culture.

The River Rail Streetcar (electric) is a fun alternative to public transportation to get around the city.









     On Monday, we set out for Little Rock.  Roads became flatter and flatter.  As we left Tennessee, the Arkansas state sign was suspended from a bridge over the the middle of the Arkansas River.  As soon as we left the bridge, we began traveling over the worst roads we have ever seen.  We learned that Arkansas is ranked 5th for the worse roads in the U.S.  Luckily after 50 miles, the roads became smooth and quite a nice ride.  As we drove on, there were flat fields as far as the eye could see on both sides of I40, many of which were under water.  Rita googled Arkansas and learned that this is the Number one state for rice production.  Sorry to admit it but Angela thought they had received a lot of rain.
    We arrived in Little Rock in the evening and and drove up to the Capital Hotel.  This hotel opened in 1870 and soon after, President U.S. Grant stayed here and delivered a speech from the front balcony.  The elevator is very large and the story goes that Grant used the elevator to bring his horse up to his room.  We have loved staying at this historic property and the service has been awesome.
     Went to the Clinton Presidential Library which was such a great experience.  We enjoyed viewing replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room.  All the exhibits were well done and they left out nothing!  They currently have a fascinating glass art exhibit by 72 year-old Dale Chihuly.  He has had exhibits in many other U.S. cities as well as Venice,  London, Jerusalem and even one at the Bellagio hotel/casino which we will check out while in Las Vegas.  Met a grandmother who volunteers at the library whose granddaughter attends Elon University where Rita grew up and went to college.  It truly is a small world.
     Ate lunch afterwards at a restaurant called South on Main.  Angela learned from a recent talk show (The Talk) that actors Mary Steenburgen and husband Ted Danson are co-owners so we checked it out.  It is a southern cuisine restaurant that presents programming from the Oxford American magazine (musical performances, literary readings, film screenings).  We sat near the stage but missed out on the culture since we were there for lunch but the food was excellent.
     The city is much larger than we expected but has a great downtown for walking with lots of restaurants.  It seems more active than Greensboro on a Tuesday evening. We had a problem getting into several restaurants because they were all packed. It is indeed a happening place.  
     We're off to Oklahoma City tomorrow.