March 2007

Revisiting downtown Natchez

One of our writers, Tommy Ford, recently visited Natchez again (see his previous writeup here). Tourists come from all over the world to tour the stately mansions, and experience the hospitality and rich history of the old Southern town. One area of concern noted in his writeup was the downtown area, which had most of the old buildings boarded up. The old downtown movie theatre was still closed, with old celebrity photos in the windows now gone. There have been some positive developments, as new local businesses have moved into the downtown area into some of these old buildings, including coffee shops, antique stores, a brand new book store in another.

The downtown area has alot of potential in attracting tourists who come in droves on tour buses for the Natchez Pilgrimage Tours. We always encourage preservation of historic buildings where feasible, which uses existing building space and preserves the unique architectural character and sense of place for future generations to enjoy. There are too many downtown areas that have destroyed their historic old buildings in the name of progress or have neglected them and have suffered for it.


Thankfully, many towns and cities we have visited have had the insight to focus on preserving their downtown areas and have seen them blossom and become revitalized again. These are positive signs for the Natchez downtown area. It is a gem in the rough.

For an interesting read, check out Natchez and the Mississippi, signed by the author

Are you claiming your IRS refund?

Being tax time, here is a reminder to claim your one-time refund from the IRS for phone bill taxes charged.
A website has been created to explain the process. If you kept old statements, your refund could be over $200, but average refunds are alot less.
Go to http://www.refundsforgood.org/ for more information.

If they build it, they will come...the Grand Canyon Skywalk

In my three visits to the rim of the Grand Canyon, I have always come away with a sense of awe as to the expanse of it all.

In a feat of engineering, the Grand Canyon Skywalk will open for visitors this month (March 28,2007), and provide visitors with a unique glimpse into the Canyon. To be operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe, which owns land along the West rim of the Canyon, it will overhang the canyon edge by 70 feet with glimpses of the Colorado River 4,000 feet below through the glass sides and bottom of the half-circle shaped walkway. This futuristic design of steel beams with earthquake reinforcements will be able to accept 120 visitors at a time, who will pay a $25 admission fee.
--->Be one of the first to experience this unique attraction!

The South Rim is where most people travel when they explore the Canyon. In our previous visit, we explored the South and North Rim (which gets more snow and is more remote). If looking to visit the Grand Canyon, plan well ahead to make best use of your time, especially if wanting to go on a mule ride into the Canyon, visit beautiful Havasu Falls next to the Grand Canyon (up to a year ahead of time to reserve), or either Rim.

For a handy reference if traveling to the Grand Canyon, I recommend getting the book:

Now, I'm itching to get back to explore more...

Since this post, I have received some exclusive photos of the Skywalk from Grand Canyon West -