I'll be honest: it wasn't love at first site. I resisted her charms because I was so attached to my previous love.
I was blind, I was deaf and I was…dumb.
Sure, her beauty was obvious enough, but it took me a long, long while to see everything she had to offer–her depth, her breadth, her style, her substance.
Today I am absolutely smitten–
Chattanooga, Tennessee, home to the famed Choo Choo and the heart and soul of the Tennessee Valley.
My hometown of the last ten years, the place where I've watched my children grow up, the setting where I started blogging – likely the reason I started blogging! – a town that has burrowed her way under my skin and taken up residence in my heart.
It's not unusual for me to receive emails asking about what to do and where to eat when people visit Chattanooga; I love sharing my favorites.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to introduce you to Chattanooga in the series Love Where You Live and I'm inviting you to join me by introducing ME to where YOU live.
We'll start on Monday, August 19th. For four weeks I'll give you a topic to share your favorites on that subject, giving all of us an opportunity to be virtual walking, talking billboards for the places we live. It's a Chamber of Commerce dream!
The more I thought about it, the more I realized it would be even more fun to invite others to do the same thing. Please join me in this fun, weekly Link-up! Invite your readers to take part, too–share this post and be sure to Pin it, Tweet it, Facebook & Stumble to amplify our reach. If you aren't already a subscriber, now is the perfect time to get email updates to alert you to each weekly prompt.
Feel free to grab the button at the top of my page that my wonderful friend Sarah created for me–I love it! She made it customizable at the bottom so you can add the name of your hometown, too (I created mine below at PicMonkey.com).
First favorites? Restaurants! Tell us all about the places you frequent, the best kept secrets, the scroungy diners it takes years to discover and that only the locals know about. Share a simple list of five or write mini-reviews on a dozen–it's up to you.
Let me know in comments if you're planning to join–the more the merrier!! Then remember to pop over on Monday, August, 19th to link your post and virtually visit those who join in.
If you like German food there is “Frieberg’s” in Downtown Johnson City, TN. It has all the authentic smell & taste of a German bar & the food is delicious.
Go for a longer drive to Weber City, VA just off I-26 (main interstate in town) and you’ll find truly the best German Food at Gasthaus Edelweiss. It is only open Thursday -Saturday 11am – 2pm and 5pm -10 pm or so. A nice older couple run the place. She is from Germany and while he was over there they met and married. It is in a cute little house–kinda hard to find–but worth the trip!
Sounds like lots of fun – I’m in!
Beth, Were you reading my blog when we were in Germany last year??? I love that you cited two German restaurants. While German fare is NOT my favorite, I have such an appreciation for it…it certainly has a piece of my heart. Just the name of the second one you mentioned–Gasthaus Edelweiss–is reminiscent of our time there. We saw many a place that was Gasthaus _______ :).
FANtastic, Elaine!! I’m SO thrilled that you’re the first one “committing”!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Does this mean you’re going to dust off your blog and start writing again??? I noticed you haven’t written in quite some time.
Hey there…I’m in. =)
I hope lawton’s Boathouse will make the TOP of your eats list!!
Hugs!
Can I tell you I’m in love with Chattanooga? Due to a series of family vacations as a teenager it’s my dream to live there someday…
Sounds terrific! I moved to a new town in central Kansas last month, so this will be a fun way to explore my new town.
Uh, I’m in! I’m military and just moved to Leavenworth, KS. This will give me a chance to discover this cute little town more in-depth!
I’ll be sharing about Chattanooga too, but I’m in 🙂
Sounds like fun. Maybe this’ll be the kick in the pants I need to get blogging again, too. Count me in for Colorado Springs. 🙂
Love this! We actually just wrote about our favorite ice cream parlor in our small town, but this gives me a great chance to share some more of our local favorites. Terrific idea, Robin! Thanks for letting the rest of us play along and share 🙂
Lori,
Yaaaaeeee! I loved your coffee shop post so I know you have GREAT stuff to share!
Lib,
It might not make the top spot but it registers pretty high up :).
Why, YES, you can tell me that, Joy :). She’s only gotten better with age, I promise :).
(Will you be joining in??)
Perfect, Abby! We’ll learn about it together :).
Maria,
I love this; you’re the second person in a row in a new town, and I’m thrilled to be a part of your discovery :).
Emily Rose,
I can’t wait to compare our lists :).
Dianne,
REPRESENT, girlieQ :). I’m all about the kick in the pants ;).
KARA!! Yaaaaeee! Ice cream is a great start; I’m realizing I’m going to have a difficult time narrowing my recommendations. There’s THAT much to love about Chattanooga :).
Hi Robin! I love this idea. I’ll try to come up with something–we have a ton of great restaurants here! 🙂
I’m in a new town (Great Bend) in Kansas, too! I’m excited to see what we both discover.
I love Chattanooga too! Didn’t think we’d stay and now we couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.