AROUND THE USA

Join us as we explore America

Sometimes the travel books don't tell us what we really want to know about a place. Few of them are as candid as we might wish. And sometimes the copy seems to have been written by the Chamber of Commerce. Not here!

We've traveled extensively in the United States -- visited more than 40 of the 50 states -- and lived in three distinctive areas for lengthy periods. It's a pleasure to share our experiences, and we hope our wisdom will help other travelers.

Itinerary

Washington, D.C.

Pensacola, Florida

Tennessee

• Statewide report about visiting and about the people
• 50 Years of Tennessee Politics, a chronology

Tennessee city reports

• Memphis
• Nashville
  • Map of Downtown
• Oak Ridge

Coming Soon: The Tennessee Valley Draft version posted

You'll find our recommendations more useful if you know more about our expectations and perspective:

Restaurants that serve American standard food, such as steak or fried seafood, should do an above-average job. We judge a steak by its flavor and tenderness, not by its size, and we tend toward leaner cuts such as filet and sirloin. Fried food should be freshly cooked and crispy, not greasy. Side items should be freshly prepared.

Sauces should be smooth and alive with flavor, not gloppy. Brown lettuce and food that's lukewarm instead of hot are a big turnoff.

We tend to be fairly adventurous diners, enjoying creative cuisine but shying away from raw entrees (sushi) and exotic seafood (calamari). We appreciate good cooking with vegetables and can be quite content with a well-prepared meatless meal. We adore a great Caesar salad and find iceberg lettuce boring.

We like ethnic foods, especially Italian, Mexican, Indian, Asian, Greek and Middle Eastern. We can tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Thai cooking. We once had a delicious Cuban meal in New York City.

Like many Americans, we try to be careful about our fat intake. We are very impressed by restaurants that make low fat taste good. We don't explicitly judge presentation, but it inevitably has a subconscious effect on our opinions.

In general, we are more concerned about food taste and texture than about quantity. We aren't trying to fatten pigs; we're trying to indulge our taste buds. We never worry about getting enough to eat.

Attentive service matters very much, and our expectations rise with the class of the restaurant. Few things are more agonizing than sitting hungry with a mouth-watering menu before us and no one to take our order. We are more impressed by waiters who get the order right than by by waiters who memorize our order without writing. And we don't understand why so many servers drop off the check and then let many long minutes elapse before processing the transaction -- just as we are contemplating the amount of our tip.

We enjoy wine but feel unqualified to judge the quality of a restaurant's wine list. Perhaps you like white zinfandel; we don't. We won't downgrade a place just because white zin is its featured wined.

Restaurants should be clean, although we realize some slippage might occur right after a rush. This applies, especially, to restrooms, which should also be well-stocked.

Where the restaurant has a particularly great location or view, we mention it separately instead of letting it affect our overall opinion. One of our best French restaurant experiences was in a cheesy Atlanta shopping center, but once we were inside we forgot about the parking lot outside. The breath-taking view atop the World Trade Center in New York City didn't matter to our taste buds nearly as much as the delicious dinner we were served.

• Upscale restaurants should offer ambiance that makes us feel comfortable and service that is nearly perfect. A good upscale restaurant accepts reservations and has the table waiting at the appointed time. Valet parking should be available if self-parking isn't convenient, and coat-check services should be available where weather dictates. We expect a captain who's knowledgeable about the menu and can describe specials and help plan a good meal, including wine. He/She should be professional without being haughty. The captain should be assisted by waiters who anticipate a diner's unspoken needs, such as a water refill or fresh bread, and who promptly fulfill requests. If an upscale restaurant meets these standards, we hardly care about the price.
• Mid-range restaurants with entrees in the realm of $9 to $19 don't require a captain and can be more casual with service. We don't mind asking the waiter for water, but we don't want to wait 10 minutes before receiving it. Food quality should be superb, though. Lower prices should reflect skipping the expensive ingredients (caviar garnishes, for instance) rather than mediocre ingredients or preparation. In a theme restaurant (Italian, Southern, etc.), old standbys should be outstanding. If they're departures from the norm (mushroom lasagna or thrice-fried grits), they should be listed as such. We adore creative chefs who take a standard category and do something new with it (such as the way Vidalia's and Georgia Brown, both in Washington, treat Southern food). Deserts should be prepared by an expert, not by an institutional wholesaler. We expect fabric tablecloths and napkins in this range.
• Budget range restaurants are mentioned where they rise above the ordinary. Anyone can buy canned soups and frozen pies from Sysco and call themselves a full-service restaurant. We value good preparation where the chef is doing the best possible with the resources available. Service can be completely casual, if it's prompt. Even a sandwich shop can be outstanding if it serves fresh, top-quality ingredients.

Useful Travel Links

• The World Clock gives the current time for cities around the world.
• Passport information from the U.S. Department of State

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For Fun

We have a brain teaser that you can work on for hours, share with a companion and use to make a trip -- or an airport wait -- seem shorter. It's G-rated but is probably too difficult for anyone younger than about 15.

Lodging

We expect hotels and motels to be clean and feel fresh. Our reservation should be accurately recorded, and registration procedures should be started before we arrive if we've made a reservation. We expect mechanical systems such as elevators and hot water to be fully reliable. Every lamp should work, and there should be adequate phone lines for outside calls.

We aren't big fans of bed and breakfasts because we enjoy more privacy and anonymity than those facilities tend to promote. We've stayed in some serious fleabags from time to time, usually by accident or unavoidable necessity.

We tend to land in two types of facilities when we travel:

• Upper-quality hotels such as those in urban areas. We rarely stay in the top tier such as the Waldorf-Astoria or Ritz-Carlton, but we have stayed in a few Hyatts, Radissons, Doubletrees and the like. Hotels in this tier should have front desk clerks who are informed and able to solve problems. There should be bell clerks and room service. Special requests such as extra towels or different pillows should be handled smoothly and promptly. Rooms should have a few extra amenities such as a hair dryer or an ironing board.

Motor hotels such as those along the interstate highways. Our standard here is Courtyard by Marriott, although we can tell a difference between company-owned (better) and franchise (worse) Courtyards. Courtyard is the epitome of what we want -- fair-sized rooms, dependable staff, secure environment, safety conscious and convenient. Hampton Inn is a more vanilla experience but darned reliable. Super 8 and Best Western can be good in rural areas, but it usually depends on how new the facility is.