Known as the City that Water Built, Eureka Springs is a quaint, charming tourist destination in northwest Arkansas. A family trip recently took me to its city limits for a delightful getaway. In fact, I’m having difficulty getting back into the swing of the normal routine, and I’m blaming it on traveling!

A bed and breakfast known as Cliff Cottage was our destination. The others in our party – my mom, two of her sisters, a cousin and one of my sisters – all arrived at the Kansas City airport Thursday afternoon. I met the others at their respective terminals, and we all tromped over to the rental company, picked up a van and we were off.

Driving south from Kansas City offered a view of some spectacular Missouri landscape, although we were hoping for a bit more color in the fall foliage. It’s a straight shot from KC to Joplin, where we stayed Thursday night. Heading south and east from Joplin was fairly straightforward until close to the Arkansas border when the road began to curve. From then on, it was mountain driving.

It’s a pretty drive into Eureka Springs, and once in the city, we weren’t disappointed. Lots of Victorian houses perched on the mountain side, winding and steep streets, and while there were lots of visitors, the townsfolk were for the most part friendly and helpful.

Back in 1856, hundreds of “healing springs” were discovered, and the town of Eureka Springs was founded in 1879 to accommodate those seeking the cure as the local waters were said to have magical, healing properties. The Web site, Eureka Springs Then and Now, has video and more on the history of the town. The Crescent Hotel, for instance, opened in 1886. The town’s spa era continued until around 1910, when “to take the waters” as a means of treating illnesses became outmoded in light of modern medical practices. Low in minerals, the spring waters are extremely pure, and it was bottled at one time through the Ozarka Spring Water Co. Although the company is now located in Pennsylvania, the brand can still be found in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and portions of Tennessee, Missouri and Kansas.

Cliff Cottage is actually three cottages in a row on an upper road (an extremely narrow road) overlooking Main (or as it used to be known, Mud) Street. Each suite in the cottages has a well-known name. We were in the Emily Dickinson Suite and the Sarah Bernhardt Suite, complete with photographs and drawings of the women, and in the case of Emily, a few of her books. In Sarah’s room, a biography of the actress was displayed on the coffee table.

A trolley ride took us to the grand Crescent Hotel atop the highest point of town and to a number of shops filled with art, jewelry, pottery and more. We visited the Eureka Springs Historical Museum (did you know Carrie Nation lived in town until her death in 1911? Even smashed a few of the town's liquor establishments.), bought fudge at Two Dumb Dames Fudge Shop, and made a quick stop at The Inn Convenience Store (I just had to mention the names of those shops!). We ate at the Main Street Café, Local Flavor (great salmon and steak!), Geraldi’s Pizza, and the Mud Street Café (which is located in Underground Eureka at the level of the former Main Street).

Outside of town, we visited Thorncrown Chapel, an amazing glass structure open to the gorgeous scenery around it. As we sat in the stillness of the small sanctuary, a hawk winged its way around the chapel, heading for the trees up the slope. The chapel contains 425 windows and more than 6,000 square feet of glass. Opened in 1980, the chapel almost wasn’t finished. Read more about its history, and see some amazing photos, on the Web site.

Another stop was the Blue Spring Heritage Center, which spotlights the largest spring in Northwest Arkansas and the heritage of the several Native American tribes. The spring, now surrounded by a large circular stone wall, is a fissure about 3 feet wide and estimated to be 500 feet deep. Each and every day it pumps 38 million gallons of pure water into the White River. As you look down into the pool of water, it looks as blue as the sky.

The weather cooperated with us. After a rainy Thursday, the rest of the weekend was perfect fall weather. Cool, crisp temperatures combined with fresh mountain air to create the perfect atmosphere for our weekend escape. Thank you, Eureka Springs!

The area is also known for the huge Christ of the Ozarks statue and the New Great Passion Play. A few other Web sites to visit: Eureka Springs; Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce; Eureka Springs Network; and Eureka Springs Online. 

This past weekend was spent cleaning up my video files. For a change, I started the week with my DVR at zero percent and all my videotapes rewound and put away.

If this had been any other fall television season, that feat would not have happened. At one time, I was quite proud to say I watched the first episode or two of every new drama on network television. I usually ignore sitcoms, and I avoid reality shows at all cost!

It’s been different this season. First, there weren’t as many new shows. The five networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW) scheduled a mere 22 shows (and several have already been canceled). For some networks, that was a normal fall pilot season back in the days before the writers’ strike. There is an interesting midseason contingent waiting in the wings, which may salvage the 2008-09 television season in the end. But I’m not holding my breath.

Second, I find myself reaching for a book rather than the remote. My lackadaisical attitude where TV is concerned is coming through loud and clear, and it’s good for the bookworm but not for the videophile in me.

So what are you watching? What have you given up on?

Of the new shows, I’m still watching The Mentalist (it’s improving after the first two episodes failed to impress), Fringe (I’m liking the characters and their interaction, though the cases are often fairly gruesome for network television), My Own Worst Enemy (that may change in the weeks to come – it’s off to a rocky start as far as I’m concerned), Life on Mars (loving this one!), Eleventh Hour (I’m still giving this one a chance even with its similarities to Fringe) and Crusoe (I liked the premiere two hours; we’ll see about the next episode).

After the writer’s strike, I stopped recording several shows. As of last week, I stopped recording several others, as well. I quickly gave up on new shows The Ex-List and Easy Money. I didn’t even give Knight Rider a chance after the crappy movie last season (who would guess I’d miss David Hasselhoff, and that I wouldn’t warm to the voice of Val Kilmer as KITT?)

So, what am I watching, you might ask? Here goes (and it’s still a lot!), and not in any particular order: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Chuck, Heroes, Eli Stone, NCIS, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Numbers, Life and Cold Case. And on the cable networks there are The Shield, The Closer, Saving Grace, Stargate: Atlantis, Sanctuary, Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice and Eureka.

Midseason holds a bit of promise with Castle, Dollhouse, Harper’s Island and the returns of Lost and 24.

I’m still enjoying Chuck, Heroes and Bones, I love Supernatural, NCIS and Life (watch this one, please!), and the jury’s still out on Grey’s, Ghost Whisperer, Cold Case and Sanctuary. I need to see The Shield and Battlestar Galactica through to their ends, and I can hardly wait the see what happens next in the returns of The Closer, Saving Grace, Burn Notice and Eureka.

Guess it’s time to go check the DVR to see what’s waiting for me and the remote!

Despite the title, there really isn’t a battle between these movies. Both character-driven films, Nights in Rodanthe and The Duchess are quiet, emotional and heart-wrenching examples of fine movie making. Both focus on women caught in lives they never imagined and how they cope, sometimes with tears or laughter, and always with dignity and grace.

Starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere, Nights in Rodanthe tells the tale of two people struggling in lives they never thought would be their reality and drowning in loneliness they have no idea how to combat.

A chance encounter at a bed and breakfast on the coast of North Carolina leads to love for Adrienne and Paul, both with demons of their own. They help each other heal and make plans for the future. But the movie doesn’t end there, and it won’t end the way you want it to. It didn’t for me, anyway.

The acting is superb in Nights in Rodanthe, particularly from Lane. Her anguish over a failed marriage, her love for her children and her bewilderment on where to go next is evident at every turn. One particular scene is shot focused on Lane and without background music, and it is all the more poignant and emotional for the silence.

If nothing else, go see Nights in Rodanthe for the scenery – that coastal bed and breakfast is one gorgeous place. It will leave you breathless. Just remember those tissues.

The Duchess is all Kiera Knightley. In almost every scene, Knightley displays the skill, maturity and grace befitting an older actress. After all, she’s only 23.

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, married when she was just 17. The marriage and her life don’t unfold the way the young woman expects, and she struggles to make her peace with the uncomfortable role society expects her to play. She eventually discovers her calling as a mother and as a fashionista of the day.

Ralph Fiennes is the Duke of Devonshire, a man cornered by societal expectations. Fiennes offers a splendid portrayal of a man shaped by his family, his title and his uneasy acceptance of his royal role. The Duke isn’t a person I liked, but Fiennes brings humanity to the role of a man trapped by his station in life.

It’s slow going in parts of this movie, but The Duchess is worth a look on the big screen for the costumes, the settings, and Knightley’s performance.

In the Trailers: Another spine-tingling trailer for Changeling starring Angelina Jolie has me aniticipating this late October release; Defiance starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber continues to intrigue me (love this poster); Sean Penn’s turn as Harvey Milk in Milk looks like an Oscar-worthy performance to me; and The Secret Life of Bees, starring Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Dakota Fanning (among others), looks heart-wrenching, heart-warming and fascinating. I’m not so sure about Doubt (starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman) or Revolutionary Road (reuniting Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio). I’m also looking forward to Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg (a great Web site); Rachel Getting Married with Anne Hathaway (it’s getting great buzz from the critics); The Soloist featuring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.; and the epic Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

What’s getting your attention at the multiplex? Give me a few more titles to anticipate!