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The Best Ice Cream in Town

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Stay Alfred Vacation Rentals — No Comments ↓

Source: State Library of Victoria, via Flickr

July is National Ice Cream Month, which gives you the perfect excuse to enjoy your favorite frozen treat. If you’re one of our guests, check out this list to find the best ice cream in town:

Boston:

Picco: The Pizza and Ice Cream Company (Picco for short) is a popular Boston restaurant that delivers the dream combination of delicious pizza and homemade ice cream. A little bit lighter than the typically dense New England offering, Picco’s ice cream explodes with sophisticated flavors.

Denver

Little Man Ice Cream: Denverites love their ice cream, and Little Man serves up the best in town. Easy to find, just look for the 28-foot tall milk can with a line of people queued up to get their sweet fix. They rotate a great mix of classic ice cream flavors, as well as few you wouldn’t expect, like salted Oreo. They even have vegan ice cream.

Memphis:

Jerry’s Sno-Cones: Kids and adult alike seem to flock to this local favorite when the weather turns warm. Although snow cones made with homemade syrup are this shop’s specialty, they also offer soft serve ice cream, either on its own or combined with a snow cone (order it “supreme”).

Nashville

Pied Piper Creamery: Across the river in East Nashville you will find this funky ice cream shop located in a vintage house. The ice cream is delicious and features wacky pun-filled titles like Minty Python, Oreo Speedwagon, and Handlebar Pistachio.

New Orleans:

Angelo Brocato’s: No dessert shop in New Orleans is as beloved as Angelo Brocato’s. Established in 1905, this gelateria and pasticceria is steeped in Italian tradition and offers authentic gelato you have to taste to believe. And if your love of cold sweets extends beyond ice cream, this joint is also known for its delectable granitas: fresh Italian fruit ice.

Philadelphia:

The Franklin Fountain: This old-timey ice cream parlor dishes up some of the best and most authentically Philly-style ice cream in town. The old school soda fountain theme, from bow tied servers to the antique cash register, adds to the charm, but it’s the achingly delicious handmade flavors, like Teaberry gum, that will keep you coming back.

Portland:

Cool Moon Ice Cream: Sure, you could go to Salt & Straw like everyone else. Or you could skip waiting in a forty-minute line for overhyped “artisanal” ice cream and just head into Cool Moon. Much more family friendly and still offering intriguing flavors made with local natural ingredients, Cool Moon will satisfy your cravings while the rest of those people are still waiting.

San Antonio:

Justin’s Ice Cream: Hometown boy Justin Arecchi’s ice cream has been called a national treasure by President Clinton. After a four-year absence, his new family-run ice cream shop has reopened right on the River Walk, making it a breeze to sample the same cool treats that have been enjoyed by kings and dignitaries.

Seattle

Molly Moon’s: The ever-popular chain of modern-rustic ice cream shops are frequently wrapped with lines of people, and for very good reason. Molly Moon starts with a base of Snoqualmie ice cream and mixes in a wide variety of locally-sourced ingredients to create unique flavors like honey lavender and balsamic strawberry. You can also find many vegan-friendly sorbets and coconut milk-based treats.

 

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Stay Alfred Opens 5 New Locations

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Stay Alfred Vacation Rentals — No Comments ↓

Once again Stay Alfred is expanding its ever-growing inventory of fantastic vacation rentals. Just in time for summer, we are moving into new buildings in Denver, Seattle, Nashville and Boston, as well as opening our first building in a brand-new city: Philadelphia. We are very excited about these new downtown vacation rentals, and without trying to toot our own horn too much, we think these may be some of best properties we’ve offered so far! Let’s take a look at our new rentals:

The Garrison, downtown Boston

Garrison Square, Boston: After opening our wildly successful properties in the Kensington, we couldn’t wait to offer another downtown Boston vacation rental. The Garrison Square is an elegant nineteenth century-style oasis in the fashionable Back Bay neighborhood, surrounded by shops, restaurants, and galleries. Our guests will enjoy relaxing in the private garden courtyard or one of the several rooftop terraces.

 

 

 

The Douglas, downtown Denver

Douglas, Denver: Enjoy Denver’s trendiest urban living in the incredible Douglas building located in the historic Ballpark neighborhood. You will be just steps away from the exciting LoDo nightlife and the popular Larimer Street eateries and boutiques. Relax poolside or watch the sun set among the majestic Rocky Mountains from the great rooftop deck, complete with oversize lounge chairs and a beautiful brick fireplace

 

 

 

Printers Alley, downtown Nashville

Banner Lofts, Nashville: If you plan on spending your time in Nashville honky-tonkin’ the night away, you couldn’t find a better place to lay your head than the Banner Lofts. This hip converted newspaper building on Printers Alley features tall ceilings, exposed original brick, hardwood floors, and the best location possible for experiencing the fabulous nightlife that made Nashville famous!

 

 

 

The Commonwealth, downtown Philadelphia

Commonwealth, Philadelphia: We couldn’t be more excited to be opening our first downtown Philadelphia vacation rentals in the historic Commonwealth building! Located in the “Midtown Village” section of Philly’s City Center, this amazing building combines vintage Art Deco charm with the perfect locale for exploring everything that Philadelphia has to offer. Reading Terminal Market is right at your doorstep and you’ll be easy walking distance to some of the city’s most famous attractions, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

 

 

 

Via6 Tower, Downtown Seattle

Via6 Towers, Seattle: Located where Downtown, Belltown, and South Lake Union meet, the Via6 is a newly-constructed vertical community featuring amazing high-rise views of Seattle and some of the best building amenities around. The ground floor in anchored by Tom Douglas’ Assembly Hall complex, which includes TanakaSan American Asian restaurant, Assembly Hall Juice and Coffee, and Home Remedy Urban Market.

Planning a trip? Click here to view all of our great downtown vacation rentals.

America’s Best Fried Chicken

Posted on February 24, 2015 by admin — No Comments ↓

Fried chicken is of those ubiquitous American meals that can serve any purpose, from Sunday night family dinner to a leisurely picnic in the park. And there are probably as many different recipes for fried chicken as there is places to eat it. Some lucky folks at Thrillist had the chance to scour the country in search of the best fried chicken in America, and it turns out there’s a few places on their list that are in Stay Alfred cities (and a couple in cities we’re looking at)! We thought we would share these finds with you, in fact you’ll probably get to try them before we do!

The following was published 2/20/15 by Kevin Alexander and Liz Childers at Thrillist:

 

Portland, OR: The People’s Pig

“People’s Pig answers a question few have asked, yet probably should: what would bacon taste like if bacon was made from fried chicken? The answer is the Smoked Fried Chicken at this food cart turned brick-and-mortar, which gives the boneless bird a light wood-based sauna session before it’s dunked in batter and fried. Not bad for a place that made its name with porchetta and BBQ. There’s a lot of great fried chicken in Stumptown (big love to Dub’s and Reel M Inn), but the People’s Pig gets mad love for taking something as beloved as fried chicken and transforming it into something utterly different and magnificent.”

 

Nashville, TN: Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack

“Yes, we know it’s technically hot chicken. But that hot chicken is fried, right? And Prince’s, on the North side of Nashville, just happens to be the best damn spicy fried chicken in America. If you can spare a couple of hours to deal with the line, hit up Andre Prince’s ode to the spicy side of the bird and get a whole chicken, some extra pickles, and bread. We like it “hot,” which is just enough to make us sweat, but not enough that it feels like you’re being punished for eating. And don’t worry about finishing the whole bird. We just wanted to leave you enough to take some home with you.”

 

Willie Mae’s Fried Chicken. Flickr/the foodhoe

New Orleans, LA: Willie Mae’s Scotch House

“New Orleanians are wont to throw around words like ‘legendary’ and ‘institution’ and ‘classic’ when it comes to their restaurants that can lay any kind of claim to those adjectives. But, well, Willie Mae’s fried chicken deserves it. That crispy, spicy chicken was enough to drive crowds of volunteers to tend to the nearly half-a-century old restaurant after Katrina flooded through, and its melt-in-your-mouth skin and juicy meat are enough to beckon even the most tourist-averse locals to wait in the lunch line on a weekday for a plate, plus a side of salty, smoky red beans and rice. So, yes, Willie Mae’s Scotch House is a legendary, classic institution — not just of NOLA, but of the South.”

 

Austin, TX: Top Notch

“Sure, you can’t start any conversation about Top Notch without mentioning its iconic placement in Dazed & Confused, but there’s a damn good reason the old-school drive-up joint’s in the movie to begin with. Since 1971, it’s made Austin’s finest fried bird. And as the city’s food scene has evolved into more haute takes on comfort classics, Top Notch still does what it’s always done: it makes a perfectly crisp, salty, old-school chunk of chicken that’s golden fried and bursting with juice. That’s the good thing about Top Notch. You keep getting older, but that chicken stays the same.”

Are you planning a trip to any of these cities? Click here to view all our our great vacation rentals.

Celebrate Halloween Like a Local in 6 Stay Alfred Cities

Posted on October 31, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓

Halloween with Stay Alfred

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s that time of year again: Jack-o-lanterns, fake spiderwebs, plastic bats hanging from the trees (along with the occasional roll of toilet paper). We’re all familiar with the trappings of Halloween but if you happen to be from out of town, it can be confusing when you want to party like a local. Luckily, we have the inside scoop when it comes to best celebrations and events, no matter which city you’re going to be in on All Hallow’s Eve!

New Orleans
There is no city that celebrates Halloween as enthusiastically as New Orleans. With its famous cemeteries, voodoo rituals, and long history of ghosts and spirits, the city practically oozes scary. It should be no surprise that its residents embrace New Orleans’ intrinsic spookiness and party with a gusto usually reserved for their other favorite holiday: Mardi Gras. Crowds will flock to Bourbon and Frenchmen for street parties and parades, so don your best costume and join in the festivities. Cate Root from The Times-Picayune has a great breakdown of all the major happenings.

Nashville
Nashville loves to party no matter what the occasion and Halloween is no exception. Any club you hit is almost guaranteed to be having a costume party or themed event of some kind. To see the cream of the crop, head to Play Nashville for their Freak Show contest with $5000 in prizes. Next door, Tribe Nashville is having a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock that’s sure to be a scream. Looking for some real excitement? You will definitely want to try the Demons on Demonbreun Hill, a combination pub crawl and zombie paintball shoot.

Boston
Costume contests, pub crawls, haunted mansions, and graveyard tours are just a few of the exciting Halloween events you can find in Boston. Before you head out for the night’s festivities be sure to stop at Dorothy’s Boutique in Back Bay, the biggest adult costume shop in Boston, to pick up some cool accessories. If you happen to have a bike (and more importantly a costume you can ride in), the Halloween Bike Ride draws hundreds of participants for a casual 10-12 mile ride through the city, starting at Copley Square.

Denver
Besides the typically nightclub craziness, Denver also has a lot of great family-friendly Halloween attractions. The Denver Zoo puts on their annual Boo at the Zoo event with over 25 trick-or-treat stations and other kid-centric activities, all free with normal zoo admission. The Haunted Field of Screams in Thornton is Colorado’s largest Halloween attraction with over 35 acres of “haunted” cornfields. For more grown up activities, ColoWeen at the City Hall Event Center is the most anticipated costume party of the year.

Seattle
Halloween in Seattle usually means one thing: putting on your sexiest costume and dancing until the break of dawn. FreakNight is the main event with big-name DJs, but if you don’t feel like spending a couple hundred dollars for the 2-day pass, there are plenty of other dance parties where you’ll have just as much fun like Pulse at the EMP Museum. Dancing not your thing? Try the Crawl-O-Ween pub crawl and see some of downtown’s hottest bars. Or if you’re feeling extra adventurous, Citizen Zero is a zombie-themed urban hide and seek game on a massive scale.

Portland
Nothing cool ever happens in Portland. You might as well just stay inside and hand out candy to the trick-or treaters. Ok just kidding, you can find the usual mix of costume contests, dance parties, pub crawls, and zombie-themed everything. Jamie Hale of the Oregonian has already put together his procrastinator’s guide to Halloween in Portland, so we’ll just skip reinventing the wheel on this one.

Things to Do in Nashville, TN: The Johnny Cash Museum

Posted on December 17, 2013 by admin — 2 Comments ↓

The Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, TN

130426_cashmuseumA tribute to the man in black - Johnny Cash, ranks among the top must-see-must-do’s of Nashville, Tennessee. Whether you’re staying with family and friends at a vacation rental in Nashville, or staying in a tiny, stuffy hotel room (a bit harsh, but we couldn’t resist) - Johnny Cash & country music lovers alike should pay tribute to the memorial museum of a man most known for having one of the most unique voices in country music in history. The museum has recently been acclaimed by Forbes: Nashville’s Johnny Cash Museum Ranks Number One on Forbes and National Geographic Travel Lists.

The museum’s grand opening represented a major moment for Cash fans. Johnny and his wife, June Carter Cash, died months apart in 2003 in Nashville. His house burned down in 2007, leaving fans without any real destination to visit, according to Shannon Miller, who founded the museum with her husband, Bill.

“Elvis has Graceland, but there was really nothing left anymore for us,” Shannon Miller said. “We really needed to bring it back to Tennessee. We needed to have something for all of the fans. We’re just really happy to be able to tell the fans there’s a place to come celebrate Johnny Cash.”

The museum, on Third Avenue in downtown Nashville, features a treasure trove of Cash relics acquired through various donors and collectors. Bill Miller, a close friend of the Cashes, donated his own expansive collection of Cash-related rarities, which he had been piecing together one item at a time for four decades.

“Every artifact here helps to tell the story, and this needed to be in Nashville,” Bill Miller said.

At a media walk-through in late April, Cash siblings Joanne Cash Yates and Tommy Cash smiled to see their brother’s old Martin guitar with a folded dollar bill stuck through the strings: In the 1950s, before he had a drummer, Cash used a dollar bill to create a percussive effect when he strummed the instrument.

There was a display filled with family photos and artifacts from the Cashes’ hardscrabble 1940s days in Dyess, Ark. There was a radio like the one the family used to listen to the “Grand Ole Opry.” There was Johnny’s Future Farmers of America card, and a school yearbook page.

Daughter Cathy Cash-Tittle became emotional upon seeing her parents’ marriage certificate for the first time. Others in the family gasped to see a stone wall that was part of Johnny and June’s Hendersonville home before it burned. There were tin cups from Folsom Prison, where Cash recorded a classic album. There were stage outfits, awards, gold and platinum albums, and a remarkable collection of instruments from Cash, The Carter Family and supporting musicians Luther Perkins, Marshall Grantand W.S. “Fluke” Holland.

“It’s just unbelievable,” said Tommy Cash, who followed his brother into the music industry and recorded hits including “Six White Horses.” “I’m amazed at what’s here. People from all over the world will come and see this.”

Judy Morris, a Northern Ireland native on a music tour of Tennessee, said Thursday that Cash’s music is timeless and resonates with all ages.

“I think people can just really connect to him, and I think a lot of young people can connect to his rebelliousness,” Morris said.

For more information on the Johnny Cash Museum, visit http://johnnycashmuseum.net.

 

 

Famous folks have been to this exhibit, and according to the museum’s home page, this is what they have said about their visits:

“Whatever anybody needs to know about my dad that they don’t know already is in that museum.”

Cindy Cash, Johnny Cash’s Daughter

“I’ve seen a lot of museums around the world. A world class collection of items that tells the story of Cash’s life. I was blown away by how well it is put together. It’s first class and you will see, you can mark my words, this will become one of the major tourist attractions for Nashville.”

Former Vice President Al Gore

“When I went through the museum, it just captivated my every thought. It was so real, and so classy, that I almost felt that just around the corner, the Man in black would rise, again, from his easy chair, and give me a big old bear hug. I dearly loved that man. I will go back to the museum again when I have time to really listen to and read all of the wonderful collection pieces.”

Duane Allen - The Oak Ridge Boys

 

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