Chattanooga In A Flash

Chattanooga, TN is one of my all-time favorite places on earth. It has that cozy deep-in-the-south atmosphere, downtown is highly photogenic, and everything from its entertainment to its restaurants are full of variety and charm. It was also recently mentioned in National Geographic Traveler's October 2014 issue as one of 50 cities all over the world that offers something surprising. High-speed internet everywhere, and wonderful hiking and biking along the Tennessee River. I love Chattanooga.

I was recently invited to a wedding a week ago from today, to which I enthusiastically responded "yes" to before I even knew the time or (at that point) the date. I vowed that, after having missed two weddings this summer, I was not going to miss this one. When the postcard invite arrived in the mail, I looked at only two things: the location and the date. August 24, at The Well in Downtown Chattanooga. Done. I would be there. I told my friends who were moving down to my Alma Mater that if they needed to leave anything behind, I would be more than happy to take things down. And, of course, they took me up on it. I had a cozy trunk full of things to accompany me. Plus, Robby decided to come along because he'd never been. And his sister was one of these friends moving down there.

However, I failed to look at the time, which was quite tragic. It's about an 8.5 hour drive from my neck of the woods, and school had already started for me (I'm a teacher, in case this hasn't been mentioned before). I hadn't gotten a sub because I was planning on coming back Sunday night right after the wedding. I had assumed (and we know what that makes me) that it would be early to mid-afternoon, and I could leave maybe around 5 at the latest to make it home at a still semi-decent hour to function the next morning. To my dismay, the wedding didn't start until 5:30 PM. It broke my heart to have to tell the lovely bride and groom I couldn't make it, but I still had people counting on me to bring things down.

So, why the heck not. Robby and I made a flash-trip to Chattanooga. We stayed less than 24 hours, and I was able to give him an infinitesimally small taste of the wonderful things the city of my heart had to offer. Of course, now he wants to go back, which was 100% my intention, and next time for much longer. We mostly walked around, stopped at a local brewery (Big River Brewery and Pub), and went back to see our friends and/or family on campus. Here are places I suggest if ever you find yourself in the lovely city of Chattanooga:

• For Great Eats: Stop at places like Thai Smile, Taco Mac, Sugar's Ribs, Mellow Mushroom, Big River Brewery and Pub, The Yellow Deli, and Hill City Pizza in the Downtown area for something a little outside the ordinary.
• For Delectable Desserts: Clumpie's Ice Cream, Milk & Honey, The Ice Cream Shoppe or Rembrandt's Café offer wonderful local atmospheres with great selections that everyone should enjoy.
• Other Enjoyments: the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga is located downtown. If you're there at the right time, you can catch a Mocs game and tour the campus. The Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball team is also another fun summer event to check out. Going to the Tennessee Aquarium, walking through the Art District or hanging out in Coolidge Park are all equally great things that can be done. You could easily spend a long weekend just in Downtown.
• Historical Sites: Lookout Mountain offers a ton of Civil War history, and not too far away is the Chickamauga Battlefield. There are also a lot of Cherokee historical sites in the area. Red Clay Park, outside of Collegedale, offers a great place to picnic that's also rich with Native American history.
• Tourist Attractions: Ruby Falls and Rock City are other places that draw in crowds. I've been to Ruby Falls quite a long time ago. It's a fun experience, and definitely something good for the family.
• Gunbarrel Road: This is the shopping strip. It has your common stores such as Target and Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and World Market. Hamilton Place Mall is also there, with a great selection of shops, and Barnes and Noble close by. There are also a ton of great places to eat. Some of my favorites in that area are Sticky Fingers, Gigi's Cupcakes, and The Melting Pot ($$$$). My all-time favorite organic grocery store is also on that strip: Earth Fare. 

Chattanooga is a great city. I cannot say it enough. From the southern hospitality to the great barbecue, it's worth a visit any time of the year.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend! So sad to see another summer go, but hopefully this opens the doors to a new set of adventures. Happy traveling!

Vermont - Day 1

Our first day in Vermont, we visited Magic Hat Brewery, the University of Vermont, and the Lakeside Boardwalk. Magic Hat Brewing Company essentially started the microbrewery revolution in Vermont. It puts out 400+ bottles a minute and includes 48 beers in its repertoire. You can tour the brewery for free and sample their seasonal and in-house beers on tap afterward. When we went, they had eight beers to sample: Single Chair, Number 9, Circus Boy, Hocus Pocus, Elder Betty (their summer seasonal), Dream Machine, Humdinger, and Big Hundo (their in-house special). You can try four samples for free, but because my boyfriend and I were together, we got to try them all :) It was an interesting experience as Magic Hat's vibe is definitely eclectic. Their tour includes a unique video, and local art adorning their walls as well as music posters from venues they've been featured at. While it was cool sampling their beer and talking with our "bartender," a factory is a factory is a factory. It was neat to see, but it looked like every other factory I've been in.

We went to the University of Vermont next. Burlington has, like, four colleges in its vicinity, which makes for a packed town during the school year. However, we came at just the right time. School had just gotten out and the tourists hadn't come in for the summer, which was wonderful. We felt like locals walking around. The University of Vermont is pretty cool, if you enjoy seeing colleges (which I do). Their bookstore and gift shop is in the Davis Building, which you can see from Route 7, I believe. It was founded by Ethan Allen's brother, Ira, in 1791. If you see the abbreviation UVM around, which you will, it stands for its Latin name, Universitas Viridis Montis - the University of the Green Mountains.

After that, we found a meter along College Street and walked down to the lakefront. It had a neat boardwalk that you can walk along the lake. We grabbed a Maple Creemee from Bob's Ice Cream and admired the Adirondack Mountains of New York from across the way. If you're a local baseball fan, the Vermont Lake Monsters have a tucked away gift shop by the ferry. Look for the green lake monster outside. There is also fun little shopping places a street up. We stayed by the water, but the walk is certainly worth it. People take lunch along the boardwalk, or sunbathe in the commons. There's a bike path, so make sure you keep aware of what's in front and behind you. If you enjoy biking, there's a suggested bike path around Burlington, and bike rentals are all along the water. North Star Sports is probably the most popular. There's also a cool Naval memorial and the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center through UVM. The Burlington Community Boathouse serves as the city's marina, and also has a restaurant, Splash, that serves food and drinks and has excellent views of the sunset over the lake.

Because we started our days around 9 AM, we never really ate in the towns we visited. We made food at our place and saved money that way. There are a lot of cute places to eat in Burlington, so if you'd prefer that route, it would be worth your time. Especially if you enjoy trying new restaurants. After we explored the Lakefront, we went back to Smuggler's Notch. The scenery is stunning, and I never quite got over the views. We didn't really push ourselves the whole time we were there, and we ended up coming back to Burlington on Wednesday. There's a never-ending selection of things to do.