At The Greenbrier

It’s spring break at the Academy, and Kish wanted to get away from Columbus for a few days. But where to go for a short, relaxed, not-too-pricey holiday?

Part of the main dining room at The Greenbrier

We’ve always wanted to visit The Greenbrier —  that ancient, rich-with-tradition hotel-resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — but it always seemed too expensive to be a realistic option.  With it being off-season, and with the economy still struggling and people traveling less, I thought perhaps we could get a deal this time.  Sure enough, a visit to The Greenbrier website showed that was the case.  To comply with the terms of the deal, we arrived yesterday and are leaving Wednesday.

I didn’t know quite what to expect of The Greenbrier, but it is an extraordinary place.  First, it is huge.  When you arrive, you see this enormous, all-white, multi-winged building looming in the distance.  I was stunned by the sheer massiveness of the place.  Second, the hotel just reeks of older days, when people spent times in common rooms and waiters and bellmen and doormen were everywhere to be seen.  The Greenbrier has an enormous number of public rooms, and all of them are colorfully, strikingly decorated.  The effect is jaw-dropping.

Yesterday we drove over from Columbus and wandered around, and last night we had a splendid meal in the main dining room.  Today we will be taking the “bunker tour,” where you can see the facilities that were constructed to house the legislative branch of government in the event a nuclear attack wiped out Washington, D.C.  I’m very much looking forward to that tour.