Batty For Chatty! Pt. 1

This past weekend, Missy and I headed up to CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE to check out the scene there and to support our fellow crafters sweating it out at the big CHATTY CRAFTY summer indie craft fair. Chattanooga is just a short 3 hour drive from Athens, Georgia...we left a little after 9pm and got there a little after noon, the only hitch being a little bit of traffic we hit halfway thru our trip in Atlanta. Our first stop was the VISITORS CENTER, which was conveniently located at the bottom of the parking garage we pulled into downtown...



If there's one thing Missy and I share, it's a dorky love for visitor/tourist/info centers world-wide. We loaded up on BROCHURES, MAPS, and SOUVENIRS before heading out into the June heat...









We headed towards the TENNESSEE AQUARIUM in search of Chatty Crafty...there were little man-made wading pools and creeks where people could cool off in the water. Here and there, the pavement swelled like a breaking wave and opened up to reveal a pool of water underneath, as if an earthquake tore apart the sidewalk...







I thought they were selling some sort of new exciting drink called MARSHMALLOW SHOOTERS, but it turns out they were just basically POPGUNS that used actual MARSHMALLOWS as ammo:



There was this LIVING BRIDGE, a concrete arch that supported an elevated garden...see if you can spot Missy in the greenery...









Everywhere we walked there was PUBLIC ART and HISTORIC LANDMARKS, especially all along the riverfront...

















We finally found our way to Chatty Crafty and the familiar sight of white E-Z UP TENTS...we made a beeline to another familiar sight - the rainbow umbrella signifying Atlanta's own KING OF POPS gourmet popsicle stand. I got myself a STRAWBERRY LEMONADE popsicle and Missy opted for the BANANA CINNAMON. We found some shade under a tree and cooled off a bit before venturing back out into sun...

















Despite the heat, Missy couldn't resist testing out the HULA HOOPS being offered up by one of the vendors:















They had these GUMBALL MACHINES that dispensed little crafty items, with all the proceeds going LOCAL TORNADO VICTIMS. Missy ended up getting some sort of HEADBAND thing.











We had another chance to participate in some CRAFTIVISM at the activity tent, where, for a small donation, you could make your own KEYCHAIN or BOTTLE CAP REMOVER. Of course, Missy couldn't resist making a couple of keychains for herself and help a good cause in the process...































Our original plan was to eat at this PUNK ROCK VEGETARIAN CAFE called SLUGGO's, but that plan quickly evaporated under the hot afternoon sun. After Chatty Crafty, we headed back into the downtown area in search of air conditioning and sustenance. Naturally, we gravitated towards THAI SMILE 3, their cute hand-painted billboard beckoning to us. Taking their hilarious SPICINESS RATING SYSTEM into consideration, Missy ordered a curry dish at SPICE LEVEL 2, while I ordered a different curry dish at SPICE LEVEL 3...even though the rating was in the "WHIMPY AMERICAN" range of spiciness, my meal was still hot enough to clear my sinuses and permanently sterilize me...totally worth it, though!















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