Knoxville: It Just Keeps Getting Better

To be fair, I haven’t lived in Knoxville for more than a month here and there since I moved to college in 2009, but each time I come back, I can’t help but be surprised at how awesome my hometown city is.  Every time I come home I’m taken aback by a delicious new restaurant, a cool yet budget friendly boutique, or a fun festival- Biscuit Festival, that was most definitely directed at you.  

 The only thing that makes coming home to Knoxville even better is getting to see it through new eyes with out-of-town friends.   In similar fashion to the Great Smoky Mountains, I made sure to hit downtown Knoxville with both Sadie and Natalie, because the repetition sure didn’t bother me.

The International [Made for Me] Biscuit Festival

Though the Biscuit Festival is now several years old, for some crazy reason last year was my first chance to go, and let me tell you, I fell in love.  One of the first things I did when I found out I was coming home in May was to check the dates of the 2014 Festival.  Because life is grand and America is amazing, my visit coincided perfectly.   If you’ve been around me very long, you know that Biscuits and Gravy rank right up there will pickles and chocolate as one of my favorite foods, and ALL THREE of those things were to be found and eaten at the Biscuit Festival.  I was obviously in food heaven. 

My dad, Sadie, and I made sure to get to Biscuit Boulevard on Market Square early, but even then it was insanely crowded.  Apparently lots of people love biscuits.  So this is how it works: You buy a $10 ticket good for 5 samples and you have your choice of over 20 vendors.  The only thing that keeps you from buying more tickets is your rapidly expanding belly, because thankfully most of the vendors don’t take the term “sample” too seriously.  It was a tough choice, and certainly line length played into the biscuits I got (who can wait?! I WANT BISCUITS!) but here are the 6 I tried.  If you’re smart you’ll commit to teamwork, because then you can sample DOUBLE the biscuits.  Unfortunately it took until our last sample for Sadie and I to figure that little trick out…

1. The best came first.  This fried steak with tomato and arugula biscuit was southern with a twist, and I was a 100% fan.  It was one of those biscuits that as youj were eating you would hear people say, “Hey, where’d she get that one?!”

2. The Chocolate and Bacon Biscuit.  I’m a chocolate fan, but this one just didn’t do it for me.  It seemed like they just took a mediocre biscuit and drizzled some chocolate sauce on it, which was a little sad. 

3.  The Pickle Biscuit.  If you’re curious, you should check out Southern Living, because they were the providers of this delicious creation.  I only regret spending a sample on it because they were giving unlimited free biscuits later on.

 

4. Some-Fruity-Delicious-Thing-That-May-Have-Had-Pineapple.  Recommended by a friend, this one was a winner; I just wish I could remember the details. 

 

5. A decent but nothing special bacon biscuit with some delicious jams.  That pretty much says it all about this one.

6. Honey-Bourbon Ham Biscuit.  Yep, it was as good as it sounds. 

 

While reflecting on it, I just had the most terrible revelation that I’ll be missing the 2015 festival.  So, some may consider it to early to say, but I can pretty much guarantee I’ll be in attendance in 2016.  That’s only 22 months, right?

Coke Factory

It’s no secret that I’m addicted to Diet Coke.  The taste, the carbonation, the slight burn at the end of a satisfying gulp: I love it all. And no, Pepsi just doesn’t cut it. 

So I guess it’s also no surprise that I’ve managed to make a trip down to Atlanta specifically to visit Coca-Cola’s World of Coke almost every year since my first visit in 2009. 

Having had so many good times (and tastes) in years past, I made the day trip this year with my sister, Tiffany, and college roommate, Sadie.  I’m pretty sure Tiffany’s favorite part was the 4D Movie, while Sadie loved getting familiar with the history of advertising and branding.  In my opinion though, the tasting room can’t be beat.  For my third time, I tried ALL 65 flavors available for testing, plus a handful of make your own coke flavors.  Sadie and Tiffany might have suffered a slight Coca-Cola bellyache afterwards, but not me.  

And now that I’m several weeks and way too many miles removed from that delicious experience,  where can I get a Coke?

A Capital Summer: Eastern Market

One of the things I miss most about Europe is the popularity of open air markets throughout the year.  I think it's so neat that you can find such a range of food and products in one location, and in many cases even strike up a conversation with the producer.  

A Capital Summer: My Favorite Monuments

Snowy, cold days in Pittsburgh have got me reminiscing about the long days of summer, which might as well be a world away!  So, over the next few days I'll be sharing some of my favorite spots in the city I spent this past summer. 

In a "One door closes and another door opens" scenario, I wasn't initially selected for my dream internship in New York City but ended up finding an equally awesome opportunity in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. 

A New York Weekend

In addition to the conference, I had a few days to explore New York City this past weekend.  Having only been in the city for a matter of hours before this weekend, it was a great experience.  

For some reason, I never expected to like New York.  Considering that I like so many other large cities and metropolitan areas, I'm really not sure why NYC was shoved so far down on my list, but nonetheless, it was.  Luckily, one of my roommates interned for VH1 in the city this past summer and was a pretty good tour guide for the weekend.  

If you knew me or my friends, it would be no surprise that most of the stops revolved around food.  If we had a little more time (and money...) I'm sure shopping would have been more of a priority, but I'm so glad we got to experience some of the tastes of the city.  To me food is a very big indicator of local culture- even in the United States- and I loved the variety in the Big Apple!  

From frozen hot chocolates at Serendipity 3 and cupcakes from Crumbs to canolis in Little Italy and brunch in Manhattan, we got a pretty good food tour... of the sweets at least.  

I would love to go back to the city and pick up where we left off.  Watching a life taping of SNL is definitely on my to-do list as well!  What recommendations do you have for making the most of NYC?

A peanut butter frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3.  These sweets are definitely meant to be shared by at least two people.  

P.S.  Although I don't have any photos, Nice Work if You Can Get It is a great Broadway show, and with student rush tickets for only $37.50, it's a good deal too!  

Exploring Gettysburg

One of my favorite things about college is the ability to take advantage of frequent (and cheap) student trips.  This past weekend I joined two campus clubs in their trek to Gettysburg, PA.  Seeing as though the town is home to some one of the most important battles in our nation's history, and my college is only a few hours away, it's pretty surprising I hadn't made time for the trip yet. 

The dreariness of the day only added to the sadness that you feel as you think about immesity of the battle that was fought here.  While I love visiting almost anywhere, knowing the history of a location really adds to your experience as a travel, whether that be to the collesuem in Rome or the battlefields of Gettysburg.

Like many other popular destinations, some parts of the town are overrun by tourist traps; However, if you go to the right places, Gettysburg can be a really great day trip.  If you visit, make sure to visit the National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.  For about $10, you gain access to a really great museum featuring all aspects of the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg.  Coming from a non-museum fan, it actually is worth your time.  After that, take a self guided (driving) tour of important places from the battle.  Not only are these locations specified by signage and audio tours, but there are tons of statues and monuments that, in my opinion, really bring things to life.  

For dinner, we ate at the Dobbin House Tavern, which I highly reccommend.  The tavern is styled to be exactly like a tavern in the 1700s, and not in a cheesy way.  Regarding entertainment, a word to those in search of one of the many ghost tours that happen nightly- do a little research beforehand to make sure you really get what you're looking for.  Our group purchased tickets from the first vendor we came across and honestly wasted our time that evening.  

Lastly, if you do visit Gettysburg anytime soon, be sure to visit the National Cemetary and the town center- the two places I regretfully didn't make it to.  

Do you like traveling to historic places?  I need some good cities to put on my travel list! 

A Mystery Trip from Last Weekend

Weekend trips are one of my favorite ways to travel- the brevity ensures that you (probably) won't spend too much money, you don't need to take off time from work or school, and they're a fun break from the usual downtime of a weekend.  

This past weekend, a few of my friends and I went on my school's annual Mystery Trip.  The really interesting thing about mystery trips is that you actually have no idea where you'll be going.  The only prior knowledge we had of our destination was a short weather report.  

In general, I'm very plan/control oriented; my planner never leaves my side.  For some reason though, I'm a complete type B person when it comes to travel.  Even though I like to have a general idea of what to see and how to get it all in, I prefer to take the days as they come and really try to soak up the place I'm visiting.  

Although it was a little tough to have absolutely no clue where I was going to be spending my weekend, my friends and I had a great time visiting our mystery destination- Baltimore, Maryland.  

Some Baltimore Travel Tips:

Seafood here is fresh and plentiful; make sure you try some local crabcakes.

The National Aquarium is a little pricey ($30 for one adult) but is a pretty interesting and entertaining way to spend a few hours if you're in the Inner Harbor Area.

If you're a boating fan, the Inner Harbor area has paddleboating, river cruises, a water taxi, and even a pirate ship!

Although most of the restaurants around the harbor are typical chains, most do offer patio seating and a great sunset view.  

When it comes to safety, I felt like Baltimore was a complete toss-up: One minute you would be in the nicest historical neighborhood, but a two minute walk the wrong way can completely change the atmosphere.