The Non Toronto Trip + Greenville SC Expediton

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Months ago Chloe and I planned our trip around my birthday to Toronto. We had mostly everything booked ranging from excursions to Airbnb to restaurants. It was months in planning and that all went away in one day. We woke up at 5AM but as I woke up I had a text that the flight to Toronto was cancelled. I checked my email and saw the same thing. It was cancelled due to crew cancellations at 4:56AM I received the text. We scrambled right away to call United Airlines and Air Canada. Chloe called United Airlines since had a credit card through them and I called Air Canada. My flight got rescheduled leaving from Boston to Toronto for the next evening and get into Toronto late. The only issue is I live in North Carolina and wasn't going to be driving to Boston. I was on hold for 35 minutes until I got someone. There were no available flights going to Toronto until tomorrow. We were given options ranging from indirect flight to Nashville then Toronto, using Delta Airlines but they wouldn't release seats for us to book with them or flight to Atlanta overnight, stay over and then fly to Toronto. Most of the options we would have had to pay thousands of dollars. There weren't great options so we said forget it. The Air Canada representative tried very hard but it was unsuccessful and told us to call United. Chloe was on hold for 1.5 hours until she got someone and after a lot of back and forth we cancelled the flights.

We scrambled to cancel the Airbnb, however the insurance we took out for the rental doesn't cover staffing shortages. The insurance company wouldn't help us and told us that it wouldn't cover it. The host was graceful to give up 1/3 of our money back but we are still out 2/3 of the money. Chloe put in a claim with the airlines which we are currently waiting to see if they will reimburse us for this amount. United didn't help us much and claimed we were getting our money. At this time we only got back 1/2 our money and still waiting on the 2nd half. It was such a frustrating and disheartening experience for us to go through. We got all excursions cancelled and thankfully got our money back for them. In addition, all restaurants was cancelled.

We booked an excursion for a food tour, lake tour and hotel that Friday. It was a weird day because we lost power in the house with a minor storm of 5 hours. In addition, we had lunch and sat next to this guy and we saw a throw up but didn't see our dog do it so not sure where it came from. We got Goodberry for dessert which we love. We had Corner Yaki for dinner which was ok. We hoped that tomorrow would be a better day. It was a 4 hour drive the next day with three stops. On the way we saw a big peach which was featured in the show House of Cards, funny lawyer signs and a large Confederate flag. We arrived at the hotel and parked down the street in the public lot since the valet was pricey at $20. Self parking is $7 a day though we didn't end up paying for it on Sunday when we left the garage. We stayed at the Westin Poinsett Greenville in the downtown area. We took the elevator down a few floors to walk across into the hotel. It looked old school with vintage photographs on the wall with intricate detail on the ceilings. We checked in and went to the room. It was a comfortable room with no thrills.

We went on the Chefs table culinary tour. We met at the Lazy Goat. We had a Brussels sprout dish to start which we did like. However, the 2nd dish was awful with mini bread with cured meats I could have made this at home. There were 2 drinks paired with it which I hated. One had an aperitif in it and the other had blood orange which tasted like grapefruit. We learned some history on the tour and walked near this beautiful walking bridge dam. It was Falls Park and there were dogs and kids in the water playing It was such a cute riverfront. There was a large Junteenth event going on in the main street with markets and very loud music going on. We walked by the Peace Center which hosts a lot of concerts. We went to Soby's 2nd for food and drinks. It had beautiful architecture and the pairing was an amazing red wine called Evodia. We had a delicious grilled barbecue chicken with greens and rice. The greens were ok but the chicken was delicious. It had a spicy taste to it. The only downfall was hearing that the vegetarians on the tour got a dish that looked quite boring and the artichokes tasted like a can. We walked into the wine cellar which had over 12,000 bottles of wine and is the most in South Carolina for collection. There was wine that dated back to 1939. We saw a lot of old pictures on the tour and back in the old days the city hosted a lot of textiles. We went to Nose Dive for the 3rd place. It was a gastropub and we got a Caroline spritz drink that had gin in it. It was refreshing. They served a beet dish which was decent but sweet with coconut grits. It was tasty but very sweet. The final place was Camp. It was a dessert restaurant with chocolate cake, coffee mousse with white chocolate. It was a tasty cake but very rich. There was an espresso chocolate drink paired with it which wasn't great. In total, the tour was ok with John the tour guide being decent, but it was all owned under one restaurant chain. It didn't allow a variety of restaurants to try. Most of the food minus the bbq chicken wasn't great and the wine was decent. Most of the drinks wasn't great and the dishes was created by sous chefs not even the head chef. It didn't pair well with the food. It wasn't worth the money.

We went back to the room to relax. We did the Greenville Westend walking tour with big Chuck. It was only an hour but learned a lot on the tour. We walked by Falls Ready Park and the Liberty Bridge. We saw Eugenia Duke Bridge which was dedicated to the creator of Duke mayonnaise. In addition, we saw a statue dedicated to the inventory of the laser. There were beautiful statues around the city. We went to the Grand Bohemian Hotel. It had a lot of beautiful art and stunning views of the river. We went to Takosushi for dinner. We got shrimp shumai, Japanese roll, spider roll and Hannah roll. It was ok with a very hot shumai. The Hannah roll was the best and everything else was mediocre. In addition, the place was rather dirty looking and not recommended. We went back to the hotel to bed. Outside the room it was noisy with very thin walls hearing people as they walk to their rooms. Otherwise, the room was comfortable.

Staying at the hotel paying extra for the breakfast package is worth it. We had a choice of buffet or entree/coffee/juice. The next morning I got the granola yogurt pancakes with fruit. It was very delicious. We ended up booking the Jocassee Lake Tours. You have to put in Devils point entrance to ensure you park at the right area. You need to get there at 9AM and pay $16 for entrance to the park. If you don't get there by 9:15, the backup of the road starts. We got taken by a go cart to the visitor information center which had restrooms. It was best to take this since the main road was so backed up. We walked to the dock and you saw this crystal clear lake. It was one of the cleanest lakes I have ever seen. We got to swim near a waterfall at one point. The water was cool but not freezing. There were dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, old historic bridges and amazing views. It reminded me a lot of the Pacific Northwest and was one of the trip highlights. In addition, we found out about some wreckage that is on the bottom of the lake and saw stunning houses on the water. We picked up Starbucks on the way home. We went back to the hotel and relaxed. We tried to think of ideas of what to do on my birthday since it shares Juneteenth and a lot of places are closed on Monday.

We went to Smoke On the Water for a cocktail. I got a Moscow Mule and Chloe got a Dark/Stormy. Chloe didn't love her drink We ordered a crab dip but it tasted microwaved. It wasn't great with half of it cold. It was a cool ambiance but the food/drinks were lackluster. We walked around on Main Street. It was a lovely evening. We tried to check into Soby's early for dinner. We did have to wait a few minutes. We ordered a sherry crab soup. It was light but didn't have huge crab chunks. It had the essence of crab taste in the soup. We got the same delicious Spanish wine as the food tour. It came with fluffy delightful biscuits. Chloe got the pork chop which was very large. She ended up wanting a smaller dish and got the half order shrimp/grits. It was an ok dish. I got the short ribs dish which was delicious. Madison was a great server. We went to Better Than Sex for dessert. It was dark curtains, intimate and sensual music. There was stunning chandeliers as you entered the restaurant. The waitress used a lot of sexual puns and questions which was entertaining. We ordered the Fever. It was ok and resembled a lava cake with ice cream. However, it didn't taste homemade. The experience was better than the food. We went back to the hotel for bed.

We had breakfast at the hotel on my birthday. We had a delicious buffer with items ranging from parfait, oatmeal bar fixings, eggs (though can ask for eggs cooked however you want) and potatoes. On top of things closed with the holiday and Monday, the weather was expected to rain very steadily on and off. We went to Methodical coffee for a delightful Horchata cold brew. We went to Haywood mall. There were massage chairs to try which was 1 dollar for 3 minutes. It was a decent looking mall and killed some time. We went back to the room for relaxation. We went to Halls Chophouse for lunch. Chloe got the 1/2 salad salmon with she crab soup. Chloe enjoyed the soup a lot. I got a burger and seafood chowder soup. It was one of the best soups I had ever eaten with seafood and smoky bacon featured prominently. The burger was yummy and huge. We got a complimentary champagne for the birthday. It was delicious food and the server was good.

The weather cleared up so we walked to the Swamp Rabbit trail where we saw a part of the trail where runners can run on made of Michelin Tires. We saw unity park, a huge playground for kids, beautiful green fields and a walking bridge. Common was nearby so we walked in to cool down. There were a few casual eateries, a bar and methodical coffee. We grabbed an Uber back to the hotel as it started to rain lightly. We used Reedy Ride to do the Swamp Rabbit trail. We went to Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery, in addition to passing Unity Park. It was a 9 1/2 mile ride with semi cool weather. It was decently crowded until you escaped the main city area. Reedy Rides was not friendly and didn't give instructions on the bike features especially using electric bikes. They didn't check to see if the helmets fit us. In addition, the guy wasn't concerned that my bike wasn't working great and it wasn't as peaceful as expected to use. It cost $76 for 2 bikes for a few hours. There was no instructions on how to get back and no map was offered.

We went back to the hotel lobby and had delicious cookies. We relaxed in the room until dinner. We went to our favorite restaurant called The Trappe Door for dinner. This is a highly ranked restaurant in Greenville and you need to book this reservation as soon as possible. It was in the basement and was charming looking. I got a Cuvee des trolls beer. We split the fried Brussels salad with moules frites. We got the white and blue with truffle, bourbon BBQ, curry and grainy mustard sauces. The broth was delicious and spicy. The mussels were yummy and the fries were great. The curry sauce was the best of the sauce. It was a great service as well. Chloe said it was the best mussels she ever had. Danielle was a great waitress and very attentive. It was raining steadily on the walk to dessert. We went to Soby's and got two desserts to share. A banana cream pie and pineapple cake. They were both tasty and Michael was a good server. We went back to the room for sleep. The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. I had an egg white omelette which was delicious, but the potatoes were too peppery and salty. Chloe didn't enjoy the omelette with bacon as it was lukewarm. The pancake she had on the buffet wasn't great. We wondered if it was a different chef that was cooking. We headed home and encountered a steady rain on the way. It was a great trip and so happy we made the best of what could have been a tough weekend.

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