Mar 3, 2014

Hot Springs Soaking with Flames

Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs, AR on fire 2-28-14 at 5:45pm
Fire Fighters on all sides to put flames out and keep asbestos contained until the next Saturday morning. Entergy Arkansas turned off the power on the streets so many businesses had to close for the day and night.
After five and a half years, we returned to Hot Springs, Arkansas for two birthdays (Whitley's and JT's), we were excited for soakings and hikes in the mountains.  What a historical place Hot Springs is and now get to see one of these remarkable historical buildings in flames.


 As we got to the Central Ave-Grand Avenue intersection, one fire truck passed us by.  Then by the Oaklawn Horse Track a second fire truck passed us by.  Once we made it to Central Avenue and Park Avenue, our road to our rental home was blocked off.

We saw fire on the roof of the original Majestic Hotel of 1888.  Owned by Garrison Hassenflu of Missouri.

Pulling out the GPS, we made our way around the burning Majestic Hotel up Pine St to Glade St across the one lane bridge back to Park Avenue where we could clearly see the flames shooting off the roof of the old historic Majestic Hotel.  We could see no water being put on the hotel yet.
First floor of the old Majestic Hotel, rubble

After working all night, Firefighters still watch over the former Majestic Hotel

Final corner of burned Majestic Hotel is knocked down on Saturday afternoon, March 1, 2014
The Park Road to downtown was shutdown all weekend due to the fire, so you had to use Gorge Road through the National Park.  It is so beautiful.  We need to return in the fall during the leaf change.
For a beautiful drive and walk go through the Gulpha Gorge on Hwy 7 S and on a clear day with no smoke go up the mountain to the Mountain Tower for viewing.

Cook your own food.

 The closest grocery stores and farmer markets in town are the following:
Accommodations: 
Fitness: reduce this corpulent society by using the many trails around town.
For a place with so many trails for hiking and mountain biking, kayaking or canoeing on lakes, and health spas, I would expect the foods to be healthier and the people to be sinewy.

Prepare for lots of (cancer sticks) smokers. 
My family's aunt and uncle died from smoking related cancers (pancreatic and lung), lost their teeth and a toe, damaged their dog's health, Honey, and then our family cared for them until the painful bitter end.  The aunt stopped a few months before her death ("If I had known it was that easy, then I would have stopped long ago").

 Please stop, watch the video of lungs from 20 years of smoking!  Find whatever motivating factor to stop (if not you, then do it for a loved one), and get your sense of smell and taste back.  It is time to wake up Hot Springs (sad when I still see doctors and nurses still smoking - you know better than that).  What is that smoke and those chemicals doing to your dog's body.  Thank you to my family for never smoking!

 The cooking style by the cooks in Hot Springs needs improvement.  Too much sauce are covering up the good food.  Herbs and aromatic vegetables (leeks, onions, and garlic) is what the cooks need to focus more on. Butter is fine in moderation but focus more on monounsaturated fats like olive oil or polyunsaturated fats (not solid at room temperature).
Buckstaff Bathhouse, 509 Central Ave (Bathhouse Row), Hot Springs, 501-623-2308, first floor for men and second floor for women up an old style elevator; old fashioned med-style treatment, soaking 15 minutes in an old crawl foot tubs in hot spring water with one added jet (like an outboard engine) directed at the your legs, loofah scrub, wrapped in hot towels for 15 minutes, hot steam tank for 4 minutes (not bad but felt like Jambi in a box, give me a quarter and I will grant you a wish), and sitz bath, needle (just 6-spray nozzle shower).  Each transition with the same attendant, Latoya, wrapped you in a white sheet. Wish I had a cold plunge in between the tub and wrapping of the hot towels.

Quapaw Baths and Spa, 413 Central Ave (Bathhouse Row), Hot Springs, 501-609-9822, private jacuzzi baths for singles or couples for 20 minutes or more, but had loud road noise during couples massage.

 Fordyce old Bath House Museum, free tour of how the old bathhouses were run and used, 369 Central Ave, Hot Springs, 501-624-2701

Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery, live acoustic music, loved the black eye peas hummus but not the crispy pita chips, would be better with fresh pita bread, soon will be making their own beer, north end of Central Avenue (Bathhouse Row), 501-624-2337.

Ohio Club, beautiful and oldest bar (for Hot Springs, very good beer selection) and restaurant (good grilled chicken sandwich with fries and old traditional burger with delicious onion rings), 336 Central Ave across from Park, 501-627-0702

Bella Arti Restaurant, 719 Cental Ave (or enter from Malvern Ave), 501-624-7474, (T-Bone Steak with pepper and whiskey sauce, prawns, and bell peppers, and zucchini, and Spinach Pasta with Ricotta and tomatoes, delicious Bourbon sauce bread pudding)

Rolando's Restaurant, 210 Central Ave, Hot Springs, 501-318-6054, (upstairs in the speakeasy part with traditional and merengue margaritas and spinach burrito with rice and black beans and quesadillas with sauce along the sides of the plate, location that I love.)

 Steinhaus Keller, 801 Central Ave, Hot Springs, 501-624-7866, german restaurant with good beer.  Remember to order the sauce on the side.

Oaklawn Club, private club with a dress code (men bring a nice dinner jacket, no denim, and ladies bring a dress or pant suit), call 800-625-5296, ext. 241

5 Locations to collect fresh spring water (Hot or Cold)
1- Happy Hollow Spring, cold spring, turn northeast by Arlington Hotel
2- Whittington Springs, cold spring, northwest to Whittington Park
3- Noble Fountain by Park Service office on Reserve Ave
4- Hale-Maurice Jug Fountain and Dripping Springs, warm, between old bath houses on Central Ave
5- Stevens Balustrade Shell Fountain, between Maurice and Fordyce Bathhouse
Headed east for some off-roading in the Superlift Off-Road Vehicle Park, 2100 Millcreek Road, 501-625-3600, 5 level of trails for stock vehicles, motorbike, ATVs, modified vehicles, jeeps, etc.  Level 2 got one of us worried since we were by ourselves and needed to head back to Texas in this vehicle.  Use to get to the pond, where we ate our lunch and let the pups go the bathroom.  Whitley found a lovely cool mud puddle to lie in, her own spa treatment, and a cold shower with the outdoor hose at home.
Down from Ridge Top on Superlift ORV Park
Trail Blazing
Downhill Land Cruiser, need some clearance
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Location: Hot Springs, AR, USA