Day Trip to Chattanooga, TN

Troy and I have been itching to travel, but we currently don’t have the time or money for a full blown trip. Our solution? A day trip two hours north of Atlanta to Chattanooga! I put off my school work, Troy put off cleaning the kitchen, we dropped the dogs off at my parent’s house (thanks mom and dad!), texted our friends for some Chattanooga tips (thanks Greg and Alison!) and we headed north on I-75.

I’ve been to Chattanooga a couple of times – I’ve even stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo twice! But it’s been a while since I’ve explored the city.

Chattanooga is divided by a river and there’s an amazing pedestrian bridge that connects the two sides. I love how many people were walking with their dogs even on a relatively gray day.

On me: hat • Target | coat • Tuelle | scarf • Echo (thrifted) | sweater • Target | cords • Blank NYC | boots • Frye | bag • Claire Vivier
On Troy: hat • Lowes | coat • some store on Melrose in LA | shirt • thrfited | jeans • H&M

Speaking of dogs, Troy and I were tempted to stop into Good Dog – a local hot dog place. It was written up in a couple of the local papers, but we had just eaten lunch. I’ve already made a mental note to stop by here next time we come up for a visit.

Chattanooga has a vibrant art scene and great public art. Troy and I couldn’t pass up taking cheesy photos with this guy (anyone else noticing a dog theme? Hmm.):

Look! It’s Harold and his purple crayon! Lar and I loved that book when we were little:

For the most part Troy and I spent the day walking around, taking breaks at coffee shops and eating (it’s what we do best). Here are a few places that we stopped in:

The sales woman at Bone Appetit was probably one of the nicest people we met today. She has ten dogs at home so she knows her stuff. She even gave us some samples of her new grain-free, meat-free treats for our golden doodle who seems to be allergic to almost everything.

Rembrandt’s Coffee House is right by the art museum and the perfect pit stop for an afternoon break. It’s located on the bottom floor of what looks like an old 1930s apartment building and has a European vibe to it. We also stopped into the New Moon Tea Room on the north side of town. I got a cup of vanilla and citris rooibos that was delicious.

We finished our day off at Easy Bistro & Bar, which ended up being such a treat. The bartender, Sarah, was super friendly and the drinks were delicious. Housemade cucumber gin? Don’t mind if I do!

All in all, it was a great mini road trip. My biggest Chattanooga tip: don’t go on a Sunday. A lot of the restaurants and shops either closed early or were closed for the whole day. We lucked out that places like Easy Bistro & Bar were open.

To finish off this post, here’s Troy showing off the only items we purchased the whole day (we spent most of our money on food and drinks):

_________

Dearest Lar,

Do you remember when we went to Chattanooga a few years ago with mom and dad? It’s built up a little more since then. The antique mall is still there (located on the north side near the Whole Foods). Troy and I went in there looking for a mid century end table for our living, but didn’t have any luck. In fact, apart from a dining set, there was no mid century furniture to be found! I’m determined to find the perfect piece, so the hunt continues!

Love and miss you as always,

Cath