Travel The World

The last few pictures from Matewan.  Of course, no soda fountain would be complete without a picture of Audrey Hepburn, one of the classiest actresses of all time.  I will definitely be returning to this town, probably staying in its BnB for a night or two.  With more time, I can explore a few of the museums and charter an ATV ride on one of the Hatfield-McCoy wilderness trails.  Until then.

I have such fond memories of visiting the local soda fountain when I was a little boy.  The closest one was just across the river in Kermit, West Virginia.  Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter one in Matewan during my trip there last week.  In the pictures, you can see several items that trigger memories of the 'good ole days.'  Members of the Brat Pack, Elvis, a jukebox, licorice, checkers, etc.  I will be visiting again soon.

More pictures from my trip to Matewan yesterday.  Not sure what the barrels hold.  Any ideas?  The ATVs were everywhere on the street.  You can pay them to take you up into the mountains and follow the old Hatfield-McCoy trails.  Finally, coal imagery is everywhere as can be seen in the mural painted on the building.   

I just returned from Matewan, West Virginia, another small town I'd never visited until today.  You may have already heard of this town from the movie, "Matewan" directed by John Sayles of "Eight Men Out" and "Passion Fish" fame.  The movie explores the Coal Wars of the early 20th Century and their aftermath.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found there during my stop.  In contrast to so many other towns in this area that failed after the decline of the coal industry, Matewan has totally transformed itself into a popular tourist destination.  The hook is a fusion of coal mining history and the Hatfield and McCoy feud.  I'm particularly interested in the latter for obvious reasons. These first five pictures are far from the most interesting ones but show the entrance to the town via its main street along with some nice buildings along the way.  Also, notice the reference to the feuding families, a reference you can see almost everywhere...