Getting a large group of friends together is always a challenge. Getting everyone to get along is nearly impossible. Holly pulled off the impossible by not only getting everyone to get along but also having a swell time. This trip found us going to Nashville with friends we had met before and some new friends we were excited to meet.
JJ in Charlotte to JJs in Tennessee the JJ’s Know Best
As we deplaned from our American flight to Charlotte, our very unpleasant seatmate at the window called his mother (or only someone that could love him) to dive into a deep tantrum about how little the seats were on this flight. I snickered to myself thinking— this crybaby is complaining about the space in this seat... I could only imagine what he would be like on a Spirit flight. It did serve as a sharp reminder that each person has their perspective and people will view each situation differently.
With this in mind— Grant and I thought Charlotte was a bit vanilla. We had heard amazing things about North Carolina and had big expectations, but this particular part of the state just didn’t match up. We checked into our hotel courtesy again of Roger Sissom our sponsor/benefactor. This time we were able to get a suite so we were living the high life.
Upon checking-in to our hotel, we met JJ. A spunky desk agent who had an opinion about everything. He told us where we needed to go, what we should eat, and if prompted would have told us how to walk. We asked for restaurant recommendations, which was our downfall. He gave us a crazy piece of paper with red dots all over it ranking restaurants and we went to his favorite— Mert’s Heart and Soul. Afterward, we were told to check in with him again to give us a review. Followed by in the morning when we get up to speak with him to get direction for his other favorite. Grant said it was like he was an RA at a dorm.
Following dinner, we wandered around Charlotte’s downtown. I am not sure if something was happening in the city, but we were greeted with security guards and fluorescent lights everywhere. It was the best lit city we had ever been to. I don’t think the city thought about photos when making this decision as none of them came out well because of this excess lighting. We checked back in with JJ on our return and called it a night.
The next morning we got up and grabbed breakfast based on JJ’s suggestions. The city is clean and beautiful, but missing that wow factor. There seems to have been some fun water activities to do so we may have to return when it’s a bit warmer. Tennessee was calling so we jumped in the car and floored it out of town.
The real surprise on this trip was Gatlinburg. Thankfully Rachel and Emily Newman reminded us about this city as it did make the trip. Our original plan was to head straight to Pigeon Forge where we had tickets to Dollywood, but this small tourist trap is a must-do. Want to go to Ripley’s Believe It or Not— cool there are 8 different ones here. Want to go up high to look at the surrounding view— take your choice with a ski lift, aerial tram, space needle, helicopter, etc. Tip for this area: park and walk. Get your steps in. But be sure to park on the outskirts of town or else you are going to be stuck in traffic coming in and going out. The locals in traffic are extremely friendly in these parts and talk to pedestrians and they move by.
One of the most do things in this area was to stop at Ole Smokey Moonshine Distillery. They have a few spots throughout the area and of course, I convinced Grant to try a few sips. We were greeted by our bartender who also happened to be named JJ who poured Grant 7 different sips of booze. I think his favorite was the salted caramel whiskey and the mango habanero whiskey. They didn’t have a sample size so we couldn’t bring any back.
Time got away from us due to the unexpected traffic so we only got to walk half of it. We hopped back in the car and drove the rest of the way to Pigeon Forge. On the way from Charlotte, Grant and I wrestled with the idea of going to a show and due to limited capacity and availability, we settled on Pirates Voyage (think MidEvil Times with pirates). The show was Arggh-ful, but I think that’s kind of the point. It was fun watching the acrobatics and divers, but the story got lost midway through. Our “scarlet side” did prevail so we do have some bragging rights.
We bolted a smidge before the show officially ended because we still had the main attraction to go to— Dollywood. With traditional theme parks and haunted houses closed we decided to try and go somewhere that was a) open, and 2) had some sort of Halloween theme. Dollywood was celebrating the Great Pumpkin LumiNights so the park was decked out with some spectacular pumpkin displays. There were a lot of people in the park, but that was expected since it was Halloween. They allowed people to wear costumes so that was fun seeing those that participated wander around. We stayed and rode rides up until the close and then called it a night.
With daylight savings time and falling back an hour, we got to sleep in an extra hour, but not lose out on adventure time. Our first stop in the morning was the Old Mill Restaurant. Prepare for a long wait, but the food is well worth it. I would recommend getting there at 10:15 am and put your name down for lunch and get brought in at 11:00 am. Thankfully we made nice with the hostess Jan Jones (JJ x3) and she switched us from breakfast to lunch. Both Grant and I devoured the pot roast and chicken fried steak. Don’t expect substitutions at this place as they are by the menu, but that’s a good thing.
Since we didn’t finish Gatlinburg we wanted to make sure we got back over there first thing before our flight out of Knoxville. As you travel south between the cities you are going through the Great Smoky Mountains and its national park. The setting was amazing as the leaves had started to turn and so we stopped for a bit to breathe in the mountains and have leaves fall on our heads.
Once in Gatlinburg again, Grant was like a kid in a tacky candy store and wanted to do several of the silly touristy things there. The ski lift to the longest suspension bridge in North America was the first one we agreed up and so we boarded the lift and walked across the bridge. If your scared of heights this might be a bit of a challenge, but for those that can stomach it is rewarded with aerial views of the city and mountains. The next stop was an earthquake simulator. Why an ape was in a subway I will never know. Then finally we stopped at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. Lots of the walkthrough was completely in the dark and would have made it terrifying for a kid to do. Thankfully we only act like kids and made it out unscathed.
The final leg of our trip was Knoxville so we mustered what leg strength we had and crawled to the car. It was not long until we were there and had no idea what to do. The research on this trip was a bit spotty, but our go-to is always to just hop on a scooter and just go wherever the scooter takes us. Grant loved that the main street in the city was Gay Street and kept snapping photos of any sign that mentioned it. After scooting for a while we ventured to the University of Tennessee Knoxville area before timing out and leaving for the airport.
Each person is entitled to their perspective. Some people will find Charlotte to be an exciting place; some people will find Gatlinburg excessive and trashy, but there is no denying that we are going home to the best city of them all—San Diego. Now where to find a JJ in this city?
Fact Checker Needs to Review: “Atlanta Open”
The news would have you believe that Georgia is open and operating just like normal. The news is wrong. Anything remotely touristy and even the majority of restaurants (even though allowed for a few weeks) to open have chosen to remain closed or operational only for take-out/delivery. Having just visited Phoenix and Nashville that were open, this came as a huge shock to travelers hoping to engage in activities circa February 2020.
After traveling from Nashville to Atlanta, I was excited to pick up Grant from the airport and begin our adventure in Atlanta together. Our flights were a little more than a day off as I had just spent about 36 hours in Nashville prior. About an hour before his arrival the weather shifted. This should have been an indicator as to what was about to come as it started to pour and lightning zigzagged through the sky. This ominous sign was completely ignored by me as I was more focused on trying to navigate the airport. Eventually, Grant found his way out and the rain subsided.
He was on California time and I was on Tennessee time, which means he wanted to go out and I wanted to go in. I relented and went out with him touring a mostly closed Midtown Atlanta. After about an hour the excitement for him wore off and we decided to check into our hotel — Crown Plaza. At about 2:15am, we were awoken by sirens going off notifying us that a potential fire was happening in the building. At first, Grant and I just laid there and did nothing…hoping that it would go away. Eventually, we got dressed and grabbed our valuables. As soon as we walked toward the door the PA went off letting everyone know it was a false alarm. We did open the door and the entire floor smelled like marijuana so we are pretty sure someone lit up in one of the neighboring rooms and set off a smoke detector.
With very little sleep in our systems, we woke up with a spring in our step to go explore. Our spring quickly got sprung when we found that most of the city's iconic tourist spots including the World of Coca-Cola, CNN tour, Aquarium …were all closed. We made the best of it and walked through the Centennial Park commemorating the 1996 Olympics. We did stop at the giant CNN sign, which made a great photo opportunity. Even though the signs clearly say— No climbing….Grant decided to do just that and even got inside the C. When it was my turn to take a photo— the security guard rushed out scolding me. I guess being a security guard is essential to guard against heathens such as Grant and I. We did get a few fun photos that we probably would not have been able to if the city was open.
Knowing that there were going to be unexpected closures we paused to do a little bit of research on places that actually would be open. The first place on our list was the Junkman’s Daughter. A weird hippy shop that is known to have a good assortment of vintage and new items to peruse. When we arrived we knew something was off. The store was dark and alas they were closed. While the website reflected “open” the newly printed sign on their door told a different story. So we did a quick circle around the block and wandered over to our next stop the Krogg Street Market. This time the market was open, but when we went inside there were only 3 or 4 vendors who decided to offer items for sale. There was really nothing of interest.
At the point it came clear that we needed to change our approach. We were not going to be able to go into anything, but we could see things that we would not normally see. This led us to drive to the Tyler Perry Studio. Then we went to the original Chick-Fil-A known as the Dwarf House that was open and operational. On our way back, we saw quite a few people on an overpass taking photos. As we went to see what was occurring, I quickly realized that this was the iconic shot from the Walking Dead series that is filmed in Atlanta. We stopped and got our version of the shot, which came out great! Finally, we stopped at our intended destination the Ponce City Market. This place was an old factory that they repurposed for mixed residential and commercial use. People were out in full force walking around, eating, and shopping. This was by far the most people we saw in one location and probably about 2/3 of them were not wearing masks.
What we did find in doing our research earlier that day was the one attraction that was open for visitors was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This is not normally something Grant and I would flock to, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point. I am particularly fond of sculptures and to see the Alice and Wonderland sculptures made from plants was of particular interest to me. We snapped a few photos and is it got toasty we decided to vacate before we needed to be hosed off.
Having eaten fried chicken every day so far on this trip-- I wanted anything besides fried chicken for dinner. While I was thinking Italian, Grant who hadn’t eaten anything southern wanted to eat some local cuisine. So I found a place that was open for dine-in and looked like it had a good mix of non-friend chicken items. Upon arrival, I quickly noticed that the menu they had to order from was different than the one online. In fact, the main protein in 95% of the entrees was….you guessed it…fried chicken. When in Rome….I mean when in the South! After eating this hardy meal and exploring all we could— the bed was calling.
Right before we were going to turn out the lights, Grant received an emergency text from one of his staff about a situation that needed his immediate attention. Of course, due to the severity and sensitivity, he took the call and tried to ameliorate the situation the best he could from far away. Due to him dealing with this issue— neither of us was able to get a good night's sleep. In the morning, Grant checked out and I went to get the car. Without even noticing I drove right through the gate to get out without paying. In looking in the rearview mirror, I realized someone had just driven right through the bar and it laid in several broken pieces behind me. With parking being $36 a night I said—WOOOHOO and kept driving.
I dropped Grant off at the airport for the second part of his trip (Miami) and I drove back to Nashville to get home to San Diego. For a city that houses CNN you would think that the news would accurately depict the city being open. What we learned and what we are taking from this trip is even though something says open-- call just to be sure.
Rome Falls…Nashville Rises?
Due to COVID-19, traveling the world has changed. Back in October of 2019, I found a smoking good deal for Rome roundtrip for $385. Grant was asleep so I only booked myself. By the time he woke up the price had doubled. So I was going to Rome by myself. Having a very tit-for-tat relationship he decided to go somewhere that I had no interest in visiting— Atlanta. So the running joke was that I was going to Rome and he was going to….Atlanta. Fast-forward to May and my Rome flight was canceled and Grant’s flight was still a go. Now it was me who was wanting to go to Atlanta to at least get out of San Diego. Roundtrip tickets to Atlanta were well over $600, but for some reason there was a cheap roundtrip flight to Nashville. I grabbed it before it went away and planned on driving down to Atlanta to meet up with Grant when he arrived.
San Diego airport was a ghost town, but that didn’t stop my flight from being packed. About 1/3 of the people in the San Diego airport did not wear masks including our pilot and one flight attendant. On the plane, even though American advertises the middle seat being empty there was definitely someone next to me, behind me, in front of me… Another big difference was that the flight attendant did not provide beverages or snacks so this American flight could have easily been a Spirit flight.
After a roundabout way of getting to Nashville by way of Chicago— I made it to the Volunteer State. I rented a car, checked into my hotel, and then made my way to the Nashville's staple-- Hot Hattie B’s for some hot fried chicken. There is a rivalry between Hattie B’s and the original Nashville fried chicken joint- Prince’s Hot Chicken. Having tried both I have to give it to Hattie B's. I can handle my spice and ordered the "Hot," which had a nice kick to it. Next time, I'll probably upgrade to "Shut the Cluck Up!"
I made my way around the Broadway area in downtown Nashville and even ended up going into a few of the half-empty bars. It's clear that these bars are usually overflowing with people, but the majority of tourists have not returned just yet.
Before going on this trip the only place that I knew in Nashville was the Grand Ole Opry. For those that are clueless like me as to what it is— its the longest-running radio show that broadcasts a weekly country music stage concert. It’s right next to Opry Mills Mall, which is just like Katy, Ontario, or Arizona Mills mall. I parked the car right next to the hall and hopped out and walked around. While the music hall itself was closed there was not any security that prevented you from walking the grounds at night. I just helped myself and took some fun photos before turning in for the night.
The next morning was my day to explore Nashville more, day to explore other parts of Tennessee day, to drive to Atlanta to meet Grant. I started the day by heading to Biscuit Love in the Gluch area. It would not be a true southern experience without getting more fried chicken and biscuits and gravy. After clogging my arteries further, I stopped at Vanderbilt University, the Parthenon replica in the middle of their city park, and toured the bars and clubs during the day for a different experience. Nashville is a social city and would be perfect to visit with a group of friends. Since I was traveling solo I ran out of landmarks to see quite quickly. Packing it up, I bid Nashville adieu and hit the road for Atlanta.
The car ride was pleasant from Nashville to Chattanooga (half-way point to Atlanta). Along the way there are a million signs that highlighted the upcoming attractions— Ruby Falls and Rock City. Having never heard of these I quickly got out my phone to see if this was worth a visit. Not being any clearer as to what these were I decided that since I had the time to stop. Ruby Falls was a bust because all the tour times were sold out. I kept driving down the windy road lined with American flags and made my way to Rock City. This weird, gnome obsessed, botanical garden on a cliff with a massive waterfall overlooking 7 states with a German fairytale land was amazing. Having no expectations this place over-delivered with some spectacular views and served as a really fun way of breaking up the trip.
As soon as you leave Tennessee the topography quickly changes for the worse. Atlanta itself is comparatively flatter with little to nothing to look at. The only thing that kept me focused was a million cops that were patrolling looking for speeding cars. After about another 1.5 hours I made my way into Atlanta. I stopped for dinner at a Spanish tapa’s place called Bulla and then headed to the Atlanta airport to pick up Grant who was arriving that evening for the first part of his Atlanta/Miami trip.
While Nashville is no Rome it did serve as a great escape from the new normal. San Diego appears to be opening up and hopefully by this upcoming weekend it will resemble something like normal. Grant's also instructed me that when I buy my ticket to Rome again that I buy him one as well. Lesson learned.
I did get to see 7 states at once on this trip so that’s something!
