Day 23: Two days in Arkansas

DAY 23: Little Rock, Arkansas
Miles traveled: 3,645
States visited: 13 (just added: Arkansas)
Weather: 77, thunderstorm

One of the great things about this trip is that I’m seeing cities I would never otherwise have a reason to visit. Case in point: Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock has a nifty River Market area, which I strolled by yesterday afternoon. Not a ton of interesting shops, but lots of appealing restaurants.

Just down the road is the Clinton Presidential Library. I spent a great deal of time there checking things out. I really need to work in a museum – that stuff just fascinates me.

They had a room that was re-created to look exactly as the Oval Office looked during Clinton’s tenure (though they neglected to mark where the Lewinsky incident took place.)

My friend Sarah, an ex-Little Rocker, gave me recommendations of places to check out and pointed me to her friend Maggie, current Little Rocker who showed me some of the town’s more interesting spots.

The city was more progressive than I would’ve imagined. Whereas in New Orleans, I didn’t find my kind of people, here I found them everywhere. We went to local hangouts Whitewater Tavern, Vino’s and Pizza D, which all have a welcoming, dive bar kind of feel. I would definitely spend time in these places if I lived here.

Another good place was the Station, a grocery with lots of locally-grown and organic foodstuffs. One of my favorite spots was Savers, a massive thrift store with one of the biggest selections I’ve ever seen. I had about 5 or 6 shirts in my hand before settling on a Little Rock 10-year-old Little League All-Stars tshirt with the players’ names on the back. This was quite a find, take my word for it.

Maggie has a porch swing which I took advantage of for some relaxation and quiet reflection. I need to make an effort to do more of that on my journey. Next, it’s off to Austin!