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Chattanooga
Written by: Dominick A. Miserandino
Photography by: Margherita Miserandino
A family friendly destination and an adventure in rediscovering Dominick's Grandma's wedding history.
When most people think of Chattanooga, they think of the famous song. They envision a young man asking about Track 29, boarding at New York and heading to Chattanooga and they picture a little train heading south. I’ll burst that bubble. The song took a large bit of poetic license.
The good news is that the real story is a bit better. Picture it: America in the early 1900s. The Civil War is over, but generations of veterans aren’t too happy. They’ve lost friends, families and entire towns. How would things ever get better? Well, inevitably, when people did business they had to travel. The old confederate or union veterans would log onto the Internet, find the lowest fare, and take a train north or south (depending, of course, on which veteran we are talking about). To go north or south, there was one main hub, only one location where you had to pass. Yes, you guessed it... Chattanooga.
Today, the train stops for people to do a quick track change but, back then, the passengers would get out, relax, stretch their legs and possibly buy a coffee. While there, who did you meet? Somebody passing through just like you.
Inadvertently, Chattanooga became the place where people from the north met people from the south and eventually, slowly, they got to know each other better.
Today the station is not only a landmark, but also a hotel.
We walked around and discovered lovely rooms where you can stay in one of the original boxcars from that early travel era and envision how they once arrived.
We had a meal at Chattanooga Choo Choo’s Station House, where the waiters pride themselves on singing for tips ... literally. They go on stage, sing a song and then ask you what dressing you’d like on your salad.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
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