July 12-18, 2008: Chattanooga

The in conclusion destination on my overseas journeying was - bizarrely - Chattanooga, Tennessee. Not an obvious stop-over afterward traversing the UK, perhaps, but ane time again it was piece of employment commitments that brought me there. And if the town of Chattanooga reminds yous of a certain song, perhaps yous tin percentage a gaffaw at my accommodation - the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo!

The Chattanooga develop station serviced passengers from 1909 through to 1970, as well as was so converted into a vacation complex. The terminal station is at ane time the grand vestibule of the hotel.

Guests tin remain inwards renovated develop railroad vehicle rooms or the to a greater extent than ordinary hotel edifice at the far destination of the quondam develop platforms.

The platforms stretch every bit paths from vestibule to hotel, as well as the lines bring been filled inwards every bit pretty manicured gardens.

Downtown Chattanooga tin live pretty lifeless. There's a small-scale zone of family-friendly restaurants surrounding an IMAX as well as an aquarium but that's it. There are blocks as well as blocks of tall grayness buildings as well as broad streets without a cafe or clothes store inwards sight. It doesn't brand for peculiarly interesting strolling as well as thus, at that topographic point are rattling few people to live seen strolling. Amongst the ambit clean as well as dreary streets, however, lies the Country Life Vegetarian Restaurant. With its cafeteria-style tables as well as harsh fluorescent lighting it didn't really evoke whatever province life I aspire to, but the gentle staff as well as nourishing nutrient were ample compensation.

The eating seat offers but a yoke of unlike dishes each twenty-four hr catamenia with baked goods as well as a salad bar. The legume-filled fajita with soy sour cream was fantastic, every bit was the tender as well as herby shredded soy chicken. Coleslaw seemed similar a complementary side but I should bring known it would come upwards with triple the dressing it needed - the United States of America of A's master copy salad sin.

Tracy (you recall Tracy? She as well as Lee were my Choo Choo room-mates!) tried ane of Country Life's huckleberry muffins as well as every bit yous tin see, it was larger than her exclusively adult-sized fist. It was soft as well as cakey (particularly for a vegan muffin, which I intend it was) as well as non every bit excessively sweetened every bit I aspect American muffins to be. Indeed, this was to live the healthiest repast that nosotros would swallow inwards Chattanooga... past times a loooong way.

The horror began rattling presently afterward this repast every bit nosotros took an exploratory aspect inwards a nearby diverseness store (you know the variety - they sell junk nutrient as well as plastic materials as well as inexpensive toys as well as shampoo).

Just state no.

No.

NO.

Noooooooooooooo!

Nuh-ugh grfgllll...... can't resist... the lure... of Reese's. The peanut butter loving cup has long been my undoing. H5N1 nasty, nasty American convenience food; amount of sugar, tabular array salt and saturated fat, yet I honey them. Though I saw them on that kickoff twenty-four hr catamenia inwards Chattanooga, I didn't allow myself to purchase a bundle until but a few hours earlier I left. I knew what temptation they'd be, lurking inwards the hotel room.

Of course, breakfast at the hotel wasn't much better. The buffet entreats guests to swallow all that they perhaps can, as well as rattling lilliputian of it is nutritious. Eggs are filled out with cheese as well as ii or iii kinds of meat. Even the granola, yoghurt as well as fruit tasted similar dessert as well as made my teeth hurt. (The promised strawberries were really but jam.) Instead, I retreated to the neighbouring cafe as well as ate sparingly, if non healthily.

Tea as well as a cinnamon roll.

I declined the offering of glaze (i.e. thick icing).

Tea as well as a bagel.

Tea as well as a foursquare cranberry muffin.
Sweeeeeeeet.

I tin run across the nutrient component subdivision of this post service is getting a lilliputian dire, so how virtually an interlude? Check out this serene garden, tucked away past times the river.

Feel the cool breeze against your skin, perhaps it carries a soft tune...
yous are at peace.

That better? Good. 'Cause at ane time I've got to tell yous virtually my repast at Cheeburger Cheeburger, as well as it's non pretty.

Certainly the decor isn't pretty...

... though the kids' meals are variety of cute.

As yous tin in all probability tell, this is the all-American franchised diner experience. It's all virtually burgers as well as fries as well as 75 shiver flavours. And did I lift over-eating? Their Famous Pounder is a burger with 20 oz (that's almost 570 g) of meat - if yous tin complete ane of those, they'll stick your motion painting on their Hall of Fame. And for all those still-growing stomachs out there, there's a smaller burger as well as junior Hall of Fame for the nether 12s.

I was non expecting to swallow much to a greater extent than than fries here, 'cause Chattanooga's non precisely a vegetarian's paradise. Country Life aside, I'd been subsisting on side orders of salad as well as fries, fifty-fifty having to social club ane salad without the measure hot bacon vinaigrette. So I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks when I saw non one, but ii vegetarian options on the Cheeburger Cheeburger menu. I initially planned on a veggie burger but ultimately chose the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich. It in all probability didn't brand much divergence either agency - it was e'er going to live served smothered inwards cheese, on a doughy white bun.

We ordered a one-half serve of fries as well as onion rings as well as received to a greater extent than than the iii of us could hope to eat. The onion rings were an speak disappointment - soggy as well as dripping with oil, they were nix similar the crunchy delights inwards the UK.

Determined to complete the nighttime with but about really enjoyable American junk, nosotros hitting Ben as well as Jerry's for H2O ice cream. They rock.

Perhaps you're feeling a lilliputian stuffed again, hmmm? Let me distract yous with but about pictures from the aquarium - I was rattling lucky to see inwards the even out every bit component subdivision of a piece of employment function. No schoolhouse groups or families on holidays, but a bunch of biologists getting a nerdy nature fix!

The temporary seahorse demonstrate was but spectacular - tin yous believe that seaweed looking affair inwards a higher house is really a body of body of water dragon?! Do a google paradigm search for but about more, you've got run across but about meliorate photos of them than mine.

By the destination of the calendar week I'd had to a greater extent than than plenty of the deep-fried fast-food American experience, but had failed to locate whatever existent Central American or Southern cuisine. But on the terminal forenoon a friend-of-a-friend took a few of us on a curt trip out of town for a province agency breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. (Another franchise - at that topographic point is nary an independent concern to live seen 'round these parts.)

As usual, at that topographic point was an awful lot of meat goin' on - with eggs, with French toast, biscuits as well as gravy. The iii "Low Carb Options!" each consisted of iii eggs, iii kinds of meat as well as a tomato. Diet-licious!

Actually, I managed a super-cheap as well as ample vegetarian breakfast of but about unfamiliar foods: hash dark-brown casserole (with onions as well as cheese), fried apples as well as a biscuit. Though I would bring liked to endeavor but about gravy with my biscuit, the thick white materials harboured chunks of pinkish sausage. Pass. The biscuit itself was groovy though, a low-cal fluffy cloud of a scone. And inwards spite of my new-found fry aversion, the hash dark-brown was pretty tasty.

I didn't intend I liked Chattanooga. The streets seemed soulless, the people obtuse as well as the eating excessive at every meal. Yet it had its charms, likewise - the tranquil as well as surprising sculpture garden, the costless as well as frequent electrical buses, as well as punchy, toe-tapping brass band at the conference dinner. What struck me most was the staggering hospitality of every ane of Chattanooga's citizens - from the suits to the unemployed folks on the autobus - all of them proclaimed their pride inwards their town as well as wished me a wonderful stay. And yous know what? It wasn't bad.