I'm not going to lie, it was hard to say goodbye to my sweet Ally. We had such a good time in New Orleans, but it was time to move on. Jamie and I still had to finish our trip, and Ally had to get back to business (she was set to be an extra in a movie that was being filmed in New Orleans, before heading back to Belfast where she is finishing up her PhD in linguistics).
Next stop: Birmingham, Alabama. You might wonder why on earth we'd want to stay at such a (seemingly) random place, but it's just the perfect stop between New Orleans and Knoxville, Tennessee, where we were headed next. We didn't want to drive too far during such high temperatures.
Birmingham was fine. We didn't have to energy to do much, but there was a fine BBQ place across the street. The waitress, who was sweet with a very distinguish Southern accent, told me I looked like Katy Perry. Compliment or fishing for extra tips? But yeah, I tipped her :)
The next day we arrived sweaty and stinky in Knoxville. We were very excited to see our friend Denae D'Arcy again. Denae and I worked together at KVAL in Eugene; I was the producer, she was the anchor. She's one of those extraordinary talented people that will succeed in pretty much anything. Denae is a savvy journalist, reporter, blogger and businesswoman. She's also gorgeous, funny and the perfect hostess. The guestroom was better than any hotel I've ever stayed at, and we even got gifts!!
In the evening, Denae took us for a tour around town. We got too see her new workplace, WATE 6. The station is inside a castle, I kid you not. What baffled me a little, is that they still use beta tapes and linear editing! But it was a fun experience, and it looked like a great place to work.
We had dinner at a fantastic pizza place called Tomatohead. The pizza was a fabulous blend of andouille sausage, spinach, mushrooms and black beans. What a feast!
We also got to see the home of James White, a Revolutionary War officer who built a fort around the city in 1786.
Knoxville has a lot to offer, from eccentric thrift stores, music stores, fashion boutiques to fine dining. It has a little bit of everything, rich history, old buildings, fascination people and good food! I fell in love with the MAST General Store, which has pretty much anything retro or country.
We loved staying with Denae and her cat, Violet. Fingers crossed that her hubby Kingsley will arrive shortly. He's currently staying in London while the couple work out some visa matters. I'm impressed to see how much work Deane had put in to the property already. The house was flawless, and we enjoyed fresh herbs and vegetables from her garden for dinner. How does fried green tomatoes sound? Let me tell you, it's freaking delicious! We feasted on roasted chicken with fried tomatoes and okra. Heavenly!
Next stop: Birmingham, Alabama. You might wonder why on earth we'd want to stay at such a (seemingly) random place, but it's just the perfect stop between New Orleans and Knoxville, Tennessee, where we were headed next. We didn't want to drive too far during such high temperatures.
Birmingham was fine. We didn't have to energy to do much, but there was a fine BBQ place across the street. The waitress, who was sweet with a very distinguish Southern accent, told me I looked like Katy Perry. Compliment or fishing for extra tips? But yeah, I tipped her :)
The next day we arrived sweaty and stinky in Knoxville. We were very excited to see our friend Denae D'Arcy again. Denae and I worked together at KVAL in Eugene; I was the producer, she was the anchor. She's one of those extraordinary talented people that will succeed in pretty much anything. Denae is a savvy journalist, reporter, blogger and businesswoman. She's also gorgeous, funny and the perfect hostess. The guestroom was better than any hotel I've ever stayed at, and we even got gifts!!
In the evening, Denae took us for a tour around town. We got too see her new workplace, WATE 6. The station is inside a castle, I kid you not. What baffled me a little, is that they still use beta tapes and linear editing! But it was a fun experience, and it looked like a great place to work.
We had dinner at a fantastic pizza place called Tomatohead. The pizza was a fabulous blend of andouille sausage, spinach, mushrooms and black beans. What a feast!
We also got to see the home of James White, a Revolutionary War officer who built a fort around the city in 1786.
Knoxville has a lot to offer, from eccentric thrift stores, music stores, fashion boutiques to fine dining. It has a little bit of everything, rich history, old buildings, fascination people and good food! I fell in love with the MAST General Store, which has pretty much anything retro or country.
We loved staying with Denae and her cat, Violet. Fingers crossed that her hubby Kingsley will arrive shortly. He's currently staying in London while the couple work out some visa matters. I'm impressed to see how much work Deane had put in to the property already. The house was flawless, and we enjoyed fresh herbs and vegetables from her garden for dinner. How does fried green tomatoes sound? Let me tell you, it's freaking delicious! We feasted on roasted chicken with fried tomatoes and okra. Heavenly!
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