Dotson's Restaurant

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I love breakfast food.  So when Mom & Dad wanted to catch a hearty meal before they headed home, I took them to a local place that my friend VB introduced to me over a year ago: Dotson's Restaurant.

It's been open for over 60 years, and it's simple, delicious, home cooking.  Country style!  Their foot-tall pies (the meringue is incredible!) are gorgeous, but I really love it for its breakfast.  We all had omelets, plus some delicious sides.  The prices are great, and it's open 7 days a week.  It may not look like much, but you're sure to leave happy.

Don't forget to look at your menu's cover!  Most of them are autographed by country stars, movie stars, and other famous folks who've passed through.

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Carnton Plantation

The family's smokehouse

My parents came down to Franklin to visit before I start my new job.  Dad's a big Civil War buff, so we made sure to spend a few hours at the Carnton Plantation, a gorgeous estate that once hosted hundreds of injured Confederate soldiers as a field hospital.

The story of the place, and its McGavock family, is just remarkable.  There's so much soul to the place... and even on a beautiful day like we had, an eerie ambience.  There are still blood stains in the wood floors, which were covered in carpet during the Battle of Franklin.  Those five hours were the bloodiest of the Civil War, with almost 10,000 casualties.  Most of those occurred within the first hour.  No wonder the Carnton Plantation is known as the most haunted building in Tennessee.

Mom and Dad in the back of the house

I can't imagine what it was like to see a battle happen from your front porch, and what it was like for the McGavock family to see the wounded and dying come into their house.  Six Confederate Generals died as a result of that single battle.  It was pretty fascinating to tour the house, and the grounds.

The Confederate cemetery at the plantation is almost a moving sight.  While I feel the values of the Union better match my own, I can't forget that these were brothers and fathers and friends fighting one another, all Americans.  They believed in something, and they died for their cause, some very young.  To know that there are almost 1500 soldiers buried there is unreal.

The Carnton Plantation came highly recommended as a sight to see in Franklin, and it did not disappoint.  I'm pretty sure it was the highlight of the trip for Dad!  What a fascinating way to spend a gorgeous morning in Tennessee.

Los Angeles

Park's BBQ

To me, Los Angeles has always meant family. Sure, over the years I've been a tourist (Disney, Knott's, Hollywood, studio tours...), but now it is all about Koreatown. We got in to LA in time for dinner. Our uncle picked us up, and we met our cousins and grandparents for some Korean food at Halabuji's favorite food court. (I call my grandparents Halabuji and Halmoni,, Anglo spellings of the Korean words for Grandpa and Grandma.). My grandparents also insisted on taking us to a grocery store and buying us Korean treats; I chose Pepero! Sissy and I also stopped at a coffee shop, Korea's answer to Starbucks called Tom n Toms, before calling it a night. What a whirlwind of a day! (And I did a scratch my sister's car in LA, which was mortifying... subsequently I avoided and dreaded driving for the rest of the trip. Sigh.)

Halmoni cooking my favorite kalbi!

The next day, we visited the Melrose Farmers Market to see our friend AA, who is selling this amazing kombucha called Better Booch. It is unlike any kombucha I have had, all because of its freshness. I also splurged on some phenomenal raw honey from Isabell's Honey Farm. (Sissy says I bought it because the guy was hot... but it was really amazing honey!) I finished up with some gourmet tomato basil and garlic pastas from Pappardelle's.

Rumer Willis

Our uncle KH picked us up for lunch at Park's BBQ (featured in this month's Delta Sky magazine!) and took us on a driving tour of LA, ending with a walk around the Mexican market on Olvera Street.

After that, Sissy and I spent the afternoon with our grandparents at their apartment, watching Korean game shows and napping. It was nice just to spend time with them; I only see them every other year or so.

We had my favorite Korean BBQ for dinner, but this time it was made by my Halmoni. :) What is better than a grandmother's cooking?

Afterwards, we met up with a couple of high school friends who are now LA transplants, and headed to a very cool bar, Harvard & Stone. The cocktails were just superb (A+ for mixology!) and we even had a pseudo-celebrity sighting... Shane West from the movie A Walk to Remember, and Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce/Demi) who was actually singing with the band. She was very pretty in person (tiny waist!) and had an interesting sound. Kind of soulful.

My uncle took me to a great diner breakfast at The Original Pantry Cafe. It is an LA landmark open since the 1920s, where Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and even mobsters would frequent for some awesome breakfast platters. Then Sissy and I stopped by Santa Monica for a quick shop (H&M!) and met her college buddy for lunch at Kokomo Cafe.

Then it was time for the long drive back to Phoenix... but fortunately traffic wasn't too bad!  We made it back before sunset, and relaxed in front of the TV.  On my last night, Sissy took me to dinner at Prado, at the Montelucia Resort.  The Nonna's Spaghetti was to DIE for... so fresh and delicious.  Yum.

I had such a good time visiting my sister.  I was definitely sad to leave her.  But I'll get to see her in Tennessee at the end of this month!

View from Prado of Camelback Mountain