Knoxville, TN was the first stop in a different US, away from the tourists and the big city life. It took almost a full day to get there from DC, with some intense weather along the way. My host had advised me to pack an umbrella, yet rain was still the last thing to come to mind when thinking of the US south. I met some new friends on the bus (hey Michael and Melissa!) and we spent the better half of the coach ride talking. Megabus kept up its track record, actually arriving well ahead of schedule. Tanya, my Couchsurfing host, headed to the bus station as soon as I told her we had arrived, and five minutes later we were off on a scenic drive around town.
My first impression of Knoxville was of a small place; a downtown of a few blocks giving way to green suburbs full of elegant, spacious houses all having large lawns and porches. It was already getting dark by the time we made it to Tanya’s place, and I mostly took it easy for my first night there. Nine hour coach rides tend to drain you of energy, even when all you’re doing is sitting on your ass the entire way. I made plans to meet Kim, a friend from a few years back, the next day. We had worked together for a few months in Switzerland in 2010 and had not met since, so were both really looking forward to it. Apparently it’s not too many foreign friends that make it to Knoxville.
The following morning started with a walk around Tanya’s neighbourhood and a bus ride into town. I stopped near the university to pay Kim a visit, and eventually hunted her down in her very own personal lab.
The rest of the day consisted of a walk around town – I felt I had seen most of it by noon, but then made a few more loops and found plenty of hidden spots which I had missed the first time round.
Kim had promised to take me out for a proper Southern dinner, and so that evening we drove to the one and only Cracker Barrel. Somewhat of an interesting mix between ‘the real thing’ (moose and shotgun on the wall, wooden interior, lit by lanterns) and ‘by-the-highway chain restaurant’ (I didn’t know it back then, but they’re everywhere, stretching all the way to New Mexico!).
While waiting for the food to arrive we both got addicted to the ‘Cracker Barrel game’, for lack of an actual name. The aim is simple enough – jump over your own pieces Checkers-style on a triangular board, and finish off with only one piece. Well, easier said than done. Fifteen minutes later, though, I had found the trick. And once you’ve gotten it, you can solve it every time. At least that’s the idea… right, Kim? The food itself was great – it was, after all, real southern fried chicken.
I didn’t hang around Knoxville for too long. I had no choice, in any case. My relatively short (four hour) trip to Atlanta was booked for the next morning, just about giving me enough time for another short walk round town. A day and a half wasn’t much, but it was enough to see the city. Knoxville may not have been somewhere to spend a week, but it was great visiting nonetheless.
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Country mode really kicked in on the bus ride down to Atlanta. I was practically the only male and only foreigner (i.e. non-Tennessean) there, surrounded by handbag saleswomen off to Atlanta for a company convention. Two of them, Ginny and Abigail, decided that I needed a crash course in being a true southerner.
And so, the list of interesting and friendly people I’ve met in the US continues to grow. Whether it’s on the bus, waiting in line for your burger, or on the street corner looking lost, you can rest assured that if you’re in the US it’s only going to be a matter of minutes before someone comes up to you and strikes up a conversation. That’s what I like so much about this place. Especially when they find out where I’m from (following the whole geography lesson, of course), that’s subject matter enough to keep the conversation going for a long time.
Driving into Atlanta, I could instantly feel the return to a big city. One with a high-rise skyline and urban sprawl in all directions. My host Max was waiting at the bus stop with a few friends, and as soon as I tracked them down we headed to his place. Max already had big plans for the night. A party was brewing, and a big one too in typical US college-dorm style. Small taste of what’s to come in a few months’ time. Max’s apartment was pretty spacious, and even then it filled up after an hour or two. It didn’t end there, either. His was just one of several apartments in a student housing block, and if you’d had enough of one party, all you had to do was move down a few doors or up a few floors, and join another. Too bad we didn’t get any photos of the night.
The next day was my only full one in Atlanta. It was a bit of a late start after the night’s festivities, but a full day nonetheless. Max was also hosting Ann and Marlena, two other Couchsurfers from the US, and I was invited to join them for a drive round some of the city’s sights. First on the list was Little Five Points, a hip artsy district with a real character of its own. Plenty of records stores, thrift stores and small restaurants.
The next stop was the Martin Luther King Jr. district, where MLK grew up, lived and preached not too long ago. Really interesting place with a lot going on, especially with this year being the 50th anniversary of his famous speech.
My newfound friends soon had to head out of Atlanta towards New Orleans, to continue on their road trip which would take them all the way up to Seattle a couple of thousand miles away. It’s incredible when travelling how quickly you meet and get to know people, to the extent that when you part ways you feel as though you’re saying goodbye see-you-soon to old friends, rather than to the people you’d met barely 24 hours earlier. And it’s not easy either, having no idea when and where you’ll ever see each other again.
There were still a few hours left to my day, and I faced a crucial choice. Coca-Cola and CNN are both headquartered in Atlanta, surprising as it may be. Both offer guided tours for approximately the same price. But both tours also take a while, and there was only time enough for one. Feeling educated and all that, I picked CNN and headed there for an inside studio tour.
Just seeing the massive complex was already impressive in itself. Getting a close-up view of those newsrooms and backdrops which I’ve seen splattered across TV screens countless number of times was an experience like no other.
Once the whole CNN experience was over, I decided to head back to Max’s place on foot and see some of downtown on the way. There didn’t seem to be too much going on, especially for a city that size. I passed the Georgia State Capitol, but besides that and deserted office buildings there was little to see. It’s proven to be quite characteristic of the US that once office hours are over, downtowns and business districts become quiet, hollow shells. Nice to look at, but otherwise entirely void of any life.
The only thing left on my checklist was buying some food for the next day’s long ride down to Orlando. I stocked up on some quality Georgia peaches (’tis the Peach State, after all) and the age-old bread and ham, and was good to go. Next stop – Florida!