Chattanooga – Page 6 – Seeing the Scenic City

Our favorite coffee shops in Chattanooga

Derek and I love coffee shops. Going out for a drink and a light meal/snack is our favorite thing to do on the weekends. Our first date was actually at a coffee shop in our college town, so I guess that’s where the whole habit started.

Chattanooga, and the Chattanooga area, has many different coffee shops to choose from. I am highlighting our favorite five: Frothy Monkey, Milk & Honey, The Meeting House, Rembrandt’s Coffee House and Mayfly Coffee.

Full disclosure: I don’t even like coffee! So if you’re looking for coffee recommendations, I am sorry, but I cannot help you here. My husband on the other hand though loves coffee, and loves trying out the different flavors. I always order a chai latte at coffee shops.

The Frothy Monkey is my favorite overall. It is inside the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. I love trains and history, so it’s a treat to be able to go there, walk around the hotel grounds a bit, and then get a drink at the Frothy Monkey. The location is gorgeous, with two levels of seating, and large exposed ceilings.

They have the most expansive menu too. However, I will admit they are a bit on the pricier side. We’ve ordered it all though, sandwiches, salads, and pastries. Most recently we ordered a huge cinnamon roll to share. It was delicious.

Milk & Honey was the first coffee shop we went to when we first moved to Chattanooga. I think their chai latte is the best out of all of these coffee shops. I’ll drink a super sweet chai but it’s not my favorite. (I’m looking at you Starbucks…) I prefer my chai to have spices in it, like cinnamon.

We have also ordered many different things off the menu there too. Derek likes the “Hot Mess” open sandwich, and I recommend their oatmeal, and their grilled cheese and tomato soup.

The downside to Milk & Honey is that it’s small, so there’s not much inside seating. There is plenty of outdoor seating, but it’s not really helpful when we’re in the middle of winter.

The Meeting House is in Red Bank, Tenn., a few miles north from downtown. This is the coffee shop that is closest to where we live. The Meeting House, like the name implies, is used for many community events. The coffee shop business side is closed on Sundays, and the building space is a church. Some people have warned us about this closure when we asked for coffee shop recommendations, but this doesn’t bother us, because I work on Sundays, so our weekend is Friday and Saturday.

Their menu is small, but the most reasonably priced out of this bunch. You can get a large bowl of grits for cheap there. Grits are one of my favorite breakfast foods, so I was sold from the start. You can also get an oatmeal bowl with cranberries and almonds in it. Yum!

Rembrandt’s Coffee House is in Bluff View Art District, and our go-to when we want to spend an afternoon out and about. We park in the free two-hour parking spots, get something to eat/drink at Rembrandt’s and then walk across the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge, which is just a few blocks over.

Rembrandt’s, like Milk & Honey, does not have much seating inside. This coffee shop is the most packed out of them all, at least from our experience. However, when it’s warmer out, their outdoor patio is my favorite.

They have an pretty good sized menu, and have an expansive pastry selection. I really enjoy their biscotti. I also like to order the Italian Flag sandwich, which is mozzarella, tomato and pesto.

The last but not least on this list is Mayfly Coffee, which is in Signal Mountain. We usually couple a visit to Mayfly with some other things in Signal Mountain, like a visit to Fairmount Orchard’s store or the Cookie Lady for some delicious tasting cookies.

A visit to Mayfly Coffee feels special. After living in Houston for three years, “going up the mountain” for the afternoon is like a mini adventure.

I like the ambiance of this coffee shop a lot. It is in a rustic looking building. The decorations inside are eclectic and adventurous. There is one wall that is covered with a mountain print that I’d love to have in my house! There is a nice outdoor seating area too.

So far to eat there, I’ve had a delicious breakfast bagel sandwich, and some cookies too. They have soups on their menu in the winter time that I’m planning on trying out next.

Of course there are so many more coffee shops than just these few I have listed here. Others that we have been to, but only once, include Mean Mug and Stone Cup Cafe. Do you like coffee shops? What are your favorites in your area, or in Chattanooga?

Reflecting on the past decade, new year

So much has happened in the last 10 years, and in just 2019 as well. I’m sure everyone has claimed that, but Derek and I have gone through so many changes.

From 2010-2019 we went from being engaged to married, we bought our first house (and then subsequently had to give that house up when we felt we had no choice but to leave Pennsylvania), we started new jobs and careers and then got laid off from jobs.

We added two bachelors degrees in graphic design to our education, and then moved cross country to Houston, Texas, for Derek to get a masters degree in fine arts.

We enjoyed life in Houston for three years while he was in school, and I had a job that I loved. We had hoped to stay in Houston for a few more years, but when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers a job to teach graphic design, well, you pack up again for another (at least smaller) cross country move.

Derek moved out here first, on August 1, and I joined him on Sept. 12. We were apart for about five weeks, with a one week visit to Chattanooga in the middle of that time period.

It was rough to be separated from Derek for that long, but the time ended up going by fast, and now we’re better off for it.

I always enjoy starting over, for the sense of adventure, but with it also comes feelings of depression and hopelessness. Derek got to move to a new place, and have a plan in place for himself, whether it was starting school as a student or a teacher, but I had to worry for two months about finding a job.

We’re finally over those hurdles, and I’m happy that we’re starting the new year and decade with a little bit more of a permanent plan in place, or at least a longer term plan.

Chattanooga feels more like home to me than any other place I’ve lived in, and we won’t be ready to leave any time soon.

It would be great if we could stay here permanently, but because Derek ultimately wants a tenure track position, there will possibly be another move in our future. The nice thing though is that it won’t be in the near future.

Derek and I seem to do things in twos or threes: We lived in our first apartment in Pennsylvania for two years. We owned our house in Pennsylvania for three years. We went to school for the second degree for two years. Derek went to school for three years for the masters program. We were in Houston for three years. We were in our first apartment in Houston for two years.

It will be a relief to break free from that cycle for a while. No more moving, no more schooling. No more new jobs. I am quite happy with my current job, so I hope this rings true for me as well as Derek.

It’s comforting to know that, with any luck and barring any unforeseen circumstances, a good part of this decade will be the same, with no changes.

So far the first month of 2020 has been quiet for us, and I expect most of the winter to be quiet as well, but we’re enjoying our time together, and enjoying getting back on track.

For this year, I’m looking forward to spring coming, and with warmer weather comes more exploring. We have already seen so much of the Chattanooga area and I’m excited for all the things we still plan to do.

Needing a sunrise simulator

One thing that we did not expect to happen while living in Chattanooga was a noticeable difference in the timing of the sunrise.

We did not notice anything at first, being that we moved here at the end of the summer when the days are still long, but as we made our way through October, and into the beginning of November, we were wondering why it was so dark out when we got up in the morning.

A few times Derek wondered why I was getting out of bed, because he thought it was still the middle of the night!

By Halloween, and for a few days until the clocks fell back in early November, the sun was not rising until 8:03 a.m.! We have never lived anywhere where the sun rose that late. I didn’t understand why, until we realized it was because we were on the edge of the eastern time zone. About a half hour away to the west in Tennessee, and about a half hour to the south of us in Alabama is the central time zone.

After the clocks fell back the sun was rising at 7 a.m., which was good for about a month or so, but now that we’re just past the winter solstice the mornings are quite dark again. We can also expect this to happen in March, when the clocks spring forward.

I am naturally a morning person, and do not sleep in much on the weekends. I can usually get up out of bed easily, but I now realize how dependent I was on natural light. I have struggled multiple times, and have found myself turning the alarm off and falling back asleep until it was a little lighter out.

We decided to buy ourselves a sunrise simulator, and last night was the first night we used it. It did the trick.

I took this picture when I got up at 7:15 a.m. As you can see from the blinds, it is still rather dark out.

We set the simulator to start lighting up 30 minutes before the alarm goes off, so for us that is 6:45. I woke up naturally when the light turned on, but stayed in bed and dozed lightly until 7:15, when it was at full strength. I felt awake and was able to get out of bed.

I am glad that we found this gadget. I know that it will be beneficial. Even if we move away from Chattanooga in the years to come, it will still be nice to use during the winter months elsewhere.

Wreaths Across America

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Wreaths Across America, a national program held at many different cemeteries at the same time, honoring veterans by laying wreaths at their graves.

I was familiar with this program, but I have never participated before. I was there to cover the event for work, but I still enjoyed it and I was glad I got to have the experience.

There was a ceremony at noon before the wreath laying, and it was moving. There was a man who played the bagpipes, which sounded amazing. The ceremony also featured two men playing echoing taps, which brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of my grandpa, who was in the Navy.

Chattanooga National Cemetery, which is where I was for the program, has about 47,000 graves. About 30 percent were able to be decorated with wreaths, which are sponsored and purchased by the public. I would like to possibly do this next year, sponsor a wreath or two, and then lay them at a Civil War soldier’s grave, because of my interest in Civil War history.

There is an interesting side note in this story.

A Civil War reenacting unit fired a cannon during different times of the ceremony. I got my hands on a program, and I realized with excitement that it was Burrough’s Battery.

A few years ago, while I was still reenacting myself, we fundraised to have a group from Tennessee with six horses come to Gettysburg to pull our original 1863 cannon in the 150th Remembrance Day Parade. I was actually got to ride one of the horses. And I guess you know where this story is going now. The group firing the cannon during the ceremony was Burrough’s Battery.

After the ceremony, I introduced myself to some of the members, some of which I recognized through my photos. They did not remember me, but they did remember that parade. They even tried to recruit me. I said, thanks but no thanks. I don’t even have my uniform anymore! I just wanted to say hi. But it was a small world to be in the same place that morning.

Wreaths Across America6 — The start of the ceremony.

Wreaths Across America19 — People starting to unbox wreaths to lay at the graves.

Wreaths Across America21 — The cannon belonging to Burrough’s Battery at the top of the cemetery’s hill.

Holiday Cheer at the Pier

Holiday Cheer at the Pier is a Chattanooga riverfront event that signals the start of the Christmas season.

There were lots of food vendors and craft vendors (we did not check out the craft vendors though.) Derek had a hot apple cider and I had a hot chocolate. We enjoyed our drinks for a few minutes in front of a fire pit.

The two main parts of the event are a lighted boat parade and fireworks. Santa was also available to take photos with kids.

I was happy to be able to see the lighted boat parade. There was one on Galveston Bay, about a half hour from Houston, but we were never able to make it in the three years we lived there, due to the timing of Derek’s classwork. It is nice when things work out in a different way.

The highlight of the boat parade for me was seeing the Southern Belle riverboat in the lineup.

After the parade, we walked a few minutes towards the Bluff View Art District, where we had a nice view of the Walnut Street Bridge, and the fireworks.

Fireworks are one of my favorite things to photograph. I am always happy to be able to take photos of them in different spots with different backgrounds.

Thankful for a job, and for living in Chattanooga

I’ll admit, Thanksgiving is not one of my favorite holidays, for various reasons that I won’t go into detail here. Judge me as you will, but I can do without it.

This year felt a little different though. Three weeks ago, I got a job.

Thinking that some form of a job needed to happen soon, I decided to post on Craigslist. I wrote a short post saying I was an editor and a designer seeking employment, with a link to my resume.

I am thankful that I decided to think outside of the box. I thought that Craigslist would mostly attract scammers, and it did, but it also landed me a job.

That night, my now boss emailed me. He is the publisher of the Trenton Daily News, a new paper that was started last spring in Trenton, Georgia.

I am both reporter and designer for the paper. It is a small magazine sized paper that is printed in our office on a large printer.

The first week on the job was a tough adjustment period. While I have always written in some capacity, I have not had to cover meetings and events full-time, for some time now. This means that I have to cover evening meetings and some other evening events that come up from time to time. After working an 8 a.m.-4 p.m. shift for the last three years, and only writing 1-2 stories a week, I found this to be difficult.

My first meeting was a commissioner’s meeting, and it lasted until 8:30 p.m.! Everyone told me that it went an hour longer than usual. Because this job is in Georgia, I had to add a half-hour commute home on top of that. I was not happy to get home at 9 p.m., eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, and go straight to bed. I understand that this will happen from time to time, but it was almost shocking to me that this happened my second day of work.

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the meetings got pushed up a week. Also, I went to the mall one evening to report on the high school students gift shopping for underserved children. So, to summarize, my first week I worked late three nights in a row. Since then, it hasn’t been like that though. I just need to take it day by day, and be thankful for the days when I can work an earlier shift.

My boss is impressed with my work, and has said so many times. It’s nice to go in to the office, do my job as I normally would, and have someone be thankful for the work I’ve put in for the day.

We also have a sports reporter and video guy, and we’re going to get two interns from UTC next semester. Things are looking up.

59640958343__0F809733-C921-46FC-BB9E-2B8710CD7FC3 2 — The issue of the paper that we put out this week.

We were originally not going to do anything on Thanksgiving. Normally, I will try to make a somewhat special meal, like butternut squash soup or a gumbo, but I did not have the time to get the groceries or prepare due to being busy with the job.

I suggested Cracker Barrel, and it ended up being a good decision. The food was delicious and it made the day seem a bit more special. I have missed going to Cracker Barrel; there were not any nearby in the Houston city limits.

My plate at Cracker Barrel. Not pictured is a big slice of pumpkin pie that I took home.

I am also thankful to live in Chattanooga, especially now that I have a job (in my career field no less), because it was the last part to be filled in order to be truly settled. This is what I posted on social media on Thanksgiving morning:

“This year I am thankful for finding a place to live that truly feels like home. I am thankful that Derek loves his job at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I am thankful that I recently found a journalism job. I am thankful for the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, I am thankful for the abundance of grits and I am thankful for drive times through the mountains. I am thankful for Clumpies Ice Cream and thankful for Coolidge Park. I am thankful for Tony’s Pasta Shop and Trattoria and I am thankful for hikes on Signal Mountain. I am thankful for Civil War history sites, the Mountain Opry, and the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel. I am thankful for chai teas at Milk&Honey. I could go on and on! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.”

The HoHo Expo

Derek and I were settling in for what was to be a long, boring Saturday. We had nothing planned. Derek was binge watching a show, and I was browsing the internet.

I came across an advertisement for the HoHo Expo, a holiday gift shopping event, held today and tomorrow at the Chattanooga Convention Center. There was free admission and free parking. We figured we might as well go since it wouldn’t cost us anything but our time.

The HoHo Expo is hosted by the newspaper, the Chattanooga Times Free Press. They had a booth in the middle of the expo where they were giving out cookies and apple cider.

There were about 150 vendors selling all kinds of items. There were lots of things that I would have liked to buy, but I didn’t necessarily need any of it. I want to save money so I’m trying my best to be good! However, we did buy a loaf of maple pecan bread from the Dutch Maid Bakery and Cafe, from Tracy City, TN.

Santa was also there to take family photos, and there were also Disney princesses too! At one point my three favorites, Moana, Rapunzel and Ariel were all posing for photos together. I would have gotten in line for a photo, but I think that it may have been frowned upon. This isn’t Disney World!

We enjoyed the opportunity to get out and walk around and see the different items. Now that we know that this is an annual event, I will probably plan to do some Christmas shopping there next year.

Freelance articles for The Pulse

I have written two freelance articles for The Pulse, Chattanooga’s weekly paper, which focuses on feature type articles like events and local artists.

My first article, which was published last Thursday, was about Chattanooga’s community gardens. The piece is titled, “Get Your Hands Dirty.” This article was pitched to the editor before I even moved out here.

The second article is about The Bonnie Potter, an artist who specializes in textured pottery. It is titled, “Clay and lace.” It was just published today.

It’s great to have freelance work to fall back on while I have been job searching. I was able to freelance when we first moved to Houston as well.

These articles made me feel good about myself, and gave me a little bit of daily purpose. It is very hard to not have a job for a few weeks. Things get boring quickly!

You can read both articles here:

"Clay And Lace" by Rebecca Hazen

Bonnie Scoggins, known artistically as The Bonnie Potter, has dozens of in-progress clay plates, mugs, and bowls drying on a shelf at her in-home studio in Red Bank. On another shelf are piles of doilies, ready to be imprinted into clay. Follow link to read more.

"Get Your Hands Dirty" by Rebecca Hazen

Community gardens in Chattanooga help all types of communities. One garden helps the underserved. Another is a club providing teaching. Follow the link to read more.

Head of the Hooch

Derek and I surprisingly found ourselves to be a part of a large watch party this afternoon of the Head of the Hooch Regatta.

The Head of the Hooch is a two-day rowing regatta held the first weekend in November in Chattanooga. It was originally called the Head of the Chattahoochee, due to its location in Georgia on the Chattahoochee river. The event became so popular that it outgrew its spot, moving to Chattanooga in 2005.

I knew that the regatta was held today, but I had not looked into it enough, so I did not realize it was an all-day, two-day event. I thought it was only a morning race. I had said to Derek, “Maybe we could go watch it another year, it’s too cold to be there right now.” (We just had a strong cold front go through and its been in the 30s in the morning.)

In the early afternoon I suggested we go to Bluff View to get drinks from Rembrandt’s Coffee House, and then walk across the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. We first walked to the Bluff View overlook, and we just so happened to watch the start of a women’s 8 person team race.

We started to walk across the bridge and watched some more races there, along with hundreds of other onlookers.

It was neat to stumble upon something extra like that during our afternoon outing.

Head of the Hooch19 — The crowd up on the bridge watching the rowers.

Point Park

One of the attractions on top of Lookout Mountain is Point Park. It is part of the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park.

The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought November 24, 1863. It became known as the Battle Above the Clouds. It was a part of a larger few months long campaign to take over Chattanooga.

It was important that Union forces take control of Chattanooga because Chattanooga was the gateway to the deep south, and many railroads converged there.

History aside, Point Park has some beautiful observation points that overlook the mountains and downtown Chattanooga. There are some hiking trails on Lookout Mountain, but the paths that we saw seemed more difficult than we were willing to take on.

Incline Railway and Point Park37 — The New York Peace Memorial

Incline Railway and Point Park57 — This bend in the Tennessee River is known as Moccasin Bend.

Incline Railway and Point Park76 — An enlarged painting of The Battle Above the Clouds in the visitor’s center.