Chattanooga 2

   








     When I left you yesterday, we had finished day one of the trip.  So Friday, we went to see the Chattanooga Choo Choo.  What used to be the former train depot is now an historic hotel.  They have old train cars that have been converted into hotel rooms, 2 per car.  The Choo Choo train was the first train to connect the North to the South, via Cincinnati to Chattanooga.  
     Well while we were there looking around, we kept seeing these fancy street rod cars drive by...loudly.  There happened to be a National T-Bucket car show behind the hotel.  These are all hand-built kit cars.  One guy said you can give the same kit to 3 guys and come out with 3 different cars.
     The weather was hot, 98 average, so during the heat of the day we went to Tennessee's biggest mall, Hamilton Place.  I thought I had hit the jackpot when I left with 3pairs of jeans and 2 shirts.  Apparently, I'm too tall and too small.  I had to return 3 of the items.
     Later that night, we went to ride the Incline Railway.  It's the steepest railway in the world.  It is not handicap accessible so my dad carried me on and I left my scooter there.  You can miss out or adjust to the circumstances.  The ride is smooth and fun, it just looks intimidating.  A great view.  They say you can see 7 states from Lookout Mtn.
     Now it's 10pm, are we going to eat dinner?  We went to an italian/greek restaurant called Portofino's.  It is excellent.  My dad and I split chicken florentine canneloni..yum..and my mom had chicken parmasean.  We met another family there from Columbia, MO.  They gave us their bruschetta as they left.  It was sooo good, I had it for breakfast the next day.
      So Saturday begins with the I-75 Flea Market.  It was not impressive and literally means flea market.  Was it a waste of time?  No, I bought 3 skirts for 5 bucks each and my mom bought some dishes.
     After we returned my stuff to the mall, we cruised around downtown and went to Coolidge Park.  There is a carousel down there that was built in 1874.  It closed an hour before we got there so I didn't get to ride it.  We walked around down there for awhile, probably more than my dad's feet had in mind.
     My friend, Betsy, had told me about Clumpie's Ice Cream shop and it was down there so we went.  It was no secret that this was a good place because there was a long line.  Yes, it's worth the wait and I got a '1/2 Pint' t-shirt that called my name.  You might be thinking, I thought ice cream made her cough?  Yes, it does and it did but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and hope for the best.
      Sunday we drove back and despite us leaving early and gaining an hour, the terrible traffic past W.Memphis got us back at 1130pm.  We all had a great time and made some good memories.