Did you know that Moon Pies originated, and are still made in Chattanooga today?
Being from the northeast, I had never heard of a Moon Pie before moving to Chattanooga.
According to Moonpie.com, “It all began in 1917 when a KY coal miner asked our traveling salesman for a snack “as big as the moon.” Earl Mitchell reported back and the bakery obliged with a tasty treat aptly named MoonPie. It was filling, fit in the lunch pail and the coal miners loved it. The rest, as they say, is history.”
A Moon Pie consists of two graham crackers with a marshmallow filling and is covered in a flavored coating.
The flavors are chocolate (the original) vanilla, strawberry, salted caramel and banana.
There is a Moon Pie General Store in Chattanooga, where you can buy Moon Pie anything: clothing, mugs, magnets, bumper stickers, Moon Pie ice cream, and of course the Moon Pies themselves.
When Derek and I were at the General Store this weekend, they were selling a new limited edition coconut flavor.
The Moon Pies come in different sizes. Regular (which is about the size of your palm), mini, and double decker.
I do not have much of a sweet tooth, so the minis are perfect for me. When we first moved to Chattanooga, I tried the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors. I prefer the chocolate.
When we first moved to Chattanooga, I remember noticing the Moon Pies in all of the grocery stores, and thinking about how different that was.
Have you ever had a Moon Pie? Which one is your favorite?
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?
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.
My desk area at the office.
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.”
Last weekend was the Hamilton County Fair, located at Dallas Island at Chester Frost Park.
The County Fair was the first event I found when looking up events, right after we announced our move to Chattanooga. There is no county fair in Harris County, which is where Houston is located, (there are some further away in neighboring counties though) so I was excited to be able to go to this event.
It was a good sized event. It was much bigger than what we were used to back when we lived in rural Pennsylvania, though I will say that there were more vendors and entertainment compared to the amount of animals.
We enjoyed walking around and seeing the animals, the prize winning items, and the vendors. My favorite part of the day was watching the pig races. I grew up seeing pig races at the New Jersey State Fair, and I also saw them at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but Derek had never seen them before.
We also found a new restaurant to check out in the future too. We were figuring out what to eat for lunch, and we noticed the Home Folks food truck. They were selling pulled pork sandwiches, and they were delicious! Derek also got the peach cobbler. It was hands down some of the best food we have ever gotten at an event like that. We looked at the Home Folks Restaurant online when we got home. They are located in Soddy-Daisy, and the menu looks great. It is nice to find new things to do by attending other events.
I would also like to go back to Chester Frost Park as well. The Park starts out on the mainland and then extends out into two islands in the Chickamauga Lake. Because it was on an island, we parked at the mall and took a shuttle over. It seems like a nice park, with walking trails, a beach and a campground too. We checked out some of the camping sites. Maybe that is something we could do in the future too.
Chattanooga has quite a few farmer’s markets. Each one is held on a designated day and location. The Chattanooga Market is held each Sunday from April to November at the Tennessee First Pavilion.
During our previous three years in Houston, I yearned for community type events such as these markets. While living in Pennsylvania, we alternated back and forth from the Mansfield Grower’s Market and the Wellsboro Farmer’s Market. I found one such labeled market in Houston that was each week during lunch time in front of City Hall. We went once, and left disappointed. It was less of a market, and more so food trucks and pop up booths from restaurants set up for downtown workers to grab a quick bite.
The Chattanooga Market exceeded my expectations. It is very large with hundreds of vendors. According to publicmarkets.us, “The Chattanooga Market is a producer-only market. Vendors have made it, baked it, grown it or sewn it themselves.”
The front half of the Market is produce, and the back half of the Market is crafts. Some mainstay purchases of ours have become honey, grits and apple cider. A local apparel store also sets up there, and I picked up a few t-shirts. Not to be missed is the Frios Gourmet Pops cart, which was a hit for everyone in the family. Mom got a coconut popsicle, Dad and Derek got blueberry cheesecake, and I got pink lemonade. We also picked up mini pumpkins and squash to decorate our front walkway. In the back of the market is always some kind of entertainment stage with a bunch of seating.
I have already made note of a lot of things I would like to buy for myself once I am working. Mom and dad also oohed and ahhed at some booths too. You could easily do Christmas shopping for your whole family there.
While the Market season ends in November, it moves indoors for three weeks for a special holiday market. I am looking forward to that!
The Bluff View Art District is a small section of Chattanooga next to the Tennessee River, filled with historic homes.
There are a few inns, art galleries, restaurants, a bakery and a coffee shop, to name a few, and there are sculptures scattered throughout the properties. There is also a sculpture garden as well.
We ended up at Bluff View because I picked out Tony’s Pasta Shop and Trattoria, an Italian restaurant, for my belated birthday dinner. The reviews are in and Tony’s will become a favorite place for us. I had the shrimp scampi, and there was plenty more on the menu that I want to try. The portions and prices were both reasonable. I recommend making a reservation though! The place was packed, but that is always a good sign.
While waiting for our name to be called for a table, we took a quick walk to the sculpture garden and the bluff overlook. After dinner, we walked around the entire district (it’s only 1.5 blocks.)
View of the Tennessee River from the overlook.
Sculpture Garden views
Tony’s, where we had dinner. Delicious!
A sculpture titled “Grandfather.”
This alley felt like it belonged more in Italy, not Chattanooga.
One of the inns. That front porch looks inviting!
The front of Rembrandt’s Coffee House. This is another place that we will have to check out in the future.
“Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Track twenty nine! Boy you can gimme a shine Can you afford to board a Chattanooga Choo Choo? I’ve got my fare and just a trifle to spare You leave the Pennsylvania station ’bout a quarter to four Read a magazine and then you’re in Baltimore Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer Than to have your ham ‘n’ eggs in Carolina When you hear the whistle blowin’ eight to the bar Then you know that Tennessee is not very far Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin’ Woo, woo, Chattanooga, there you are…”
I quickly learned the words to Glen Miller’s Chattanooga Choo Choo when I found out that we were moving to Chattanooga! My dad loves trains (he works as a breakman on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad as a retirement job) and he instilled that love in me. Seeing the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel was at the top of my to-do list in Chattanooga.
The hotel is in an old train terminal building which was built in 1906. It was supposed to be demolished, but it was saved and restored. Now, it is a beautiful hotel, and much more. There are shops and restaurants attached with a garden out back, and of course, the famed “Choo Choo.”
We explored the grounds this morning, and had brunch in the Frothy Monkey, which is a coffee shop attached off the lobby. It was a great morning. My parents are coming to visit in a few weeks, and I’ll be glad to get the chance to go back again so soon.
I have spent the last week in Chattanooga. It was good to be back with Derek for a full week, and not have most of our time taken up by unpacking, which left more time for exploring.
The reason for my visit was twofold – of course I wanted to see Derek, because we had been apart for three weeks, but then I also set up a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of communication and marketing at UTC, and I registered for a job fair. I was trying to be productive in finding a job.
Unfortunately, nothing panned out. I knew that there were no positions available at the university to begin with, but it was still disappointing to hear that confirmed. The job fair was disappointing. I was in and out in 15 minutes. There were only 12 companies represented, and only one of them was looking for “resume writers.” I went to them first, feeling hopeful. The website that the job fair was listed on said “interviews and hiring on the spot.” Maybe I could land this job? Maybe not. The man barely looked at my resume, handed me a pamphlet about the company, and told me to check them out online. I felt pushed aside. I guess job fairs don’t really fit into this type of world anymore. I’ll stick with searching online for now.
Regardless, it was good to be here, and it was good to get those things done. I can’t say I’m not trying.
I worked remotely for my job in Houston for the week, from our home office computer. I shifted my hours a little later than usual so I was working when Derek was working. He teaches two night classes. One of the nights I went to campus with him and worked from the campus library. We spent the mornings together going out to breakfast, watching movies, and setting up the apartment a little more each day.
We checked out a few coffee shops and restaurants together, as well as a bakery. We went to City Cafe, which is a 50s style diner. The place was packed, which told us it was a good, popular place. I ordered Greek food: stuffed grape leaves, salad and pita bread, thinking it would be a light meal. The plates of food were enormous!
We wandered the Riverfront one afternoon and came across a Naval ship on display. We also saw the Trail of Tears fountain. We also stumbled across a little flea market.
I’m going back to Houston tomorrow and I truly feel stuck between two states. I am glad that there will only be 11 days more until I can drive home to Chattanooga for good.
Working from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga library.
A blueberry crumble from Bread & Butter, a bakery near our apartment.
The massive plate of Greek food at City Cafe.
Naval ship on display at the riverfront.
Trail of Tears fountain and memorial, which doubled as a splash area for kids.
