vista balloon adventures Hotel AbRi The Larkspur Hotel group took over the Jeffersonian-styled Monticello Hotel and reopened

Hotel AbRi The Larkspur Hotel group took over the Jeffersonian-styled Monticello Hotel and reopened it in late 2008 with modern, some what masculine, decor. Gone are the festive blue hues of old, replaced by staid beige and brown tones. Wall art, which had not arrived when I visited, will hopefully liv en things up a bit. A t least the interiors ar e spanking new. Beyond that, the hotel offers sev eral two-bedroom suites with king-siz e beds in one room and pullout sofa sleepers in the other. In its early weeks the hotel was offering promotional rates of $229 for the suites, but that number is expected to r each $349/night. The standard rooms with king-size beds will be priced fr om $229 to $309, which is less of a bargain, since r ollaways aren t allowed. However, the AbRi does have eight rooms with two double beds. It claims those double beds, and indeed all of its beds, are the comfiest in town, featuring feather mattress pads, feather duvets, and, of course, feather pillows.

144 Memphis Minnie s BARBECUE If you ve got a hankering for a tender piece of slow- cooked meat, head straight to M emphis Minnie s. The owner smokes his brisket for 12 hours and adds his o wn spice rub for kick and flav or. Other options are finger-lickinggood ribs and succulent pulled por k. The protocol is simple: stand in line and choose your meat and two sides, such as sw eet potato or corn muffin, and hav e a seat at one of the tables lined up against the bright y ellow and r ed wall. Look ar ound at the playful decor, which includes plastic pigs, black-and-white co w-print ceiling fans, pinned up trucker hats, and pithy sayings like Never Trust a Skinny Cook. You can also read the favorable newspaper clippings about Minnie vista balloon adventures s under glass at each table. vista balloon adventures O nce your meal is ready, choose from one of the thr ee sauces at your table: red Texan, North Carolina vinegar, and South Carolina yellow mustard. vista balloon adventures Fortunately, each table has a full r oll of paper towels on it as well. All the meat is delicious, and most of the sides, with the exception of the overly dry corn muffins, are tasty, too.

For HIV-positive visitors, r equirements for entering the U nited S tates ar e somewhat v ague and change fr equently. For up-to-the-minute information, contact AIDSinfo (&800/448-0440 or 301/ 519-6616 outside the U.S.; www.aidsinfo. nih.gov) or the Gay Men s Health Crisis (&212/367-1000; www.gmhc.org).