Oxford, Mississippi

cotton field in MS 

We went to Oxford from Memphis on Saturday afternoon as part of our assignment for Dr. King's class.  As part of the travel option for our final assignment, we were asked to visit the famous American writer William Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak, in Oxford.
This was an exciting experience for me, as Faulkner is one of my favorite writers. It was amazing to see the town that he based so many of his stories off of, to actually walk in the woods behind his house and stand in the rooms where he wrote some of the greatest literature in American history.  The house itself was very beautiful and bigger than I thought it would be.  Everything was so perfectly preserved and authentic looking.

After touring the house I found the only liquor store I could find on the square in Oxford to pick up some whiskey. We drove around looking for Faulkner’s grave and found it off under some trees.  There were already a few bottles there, including my favorite Maker’s Mark and we had a couple glasses and left the rest for the next people who may pass through.  I thought if I ever lived in Oxford and didn’t have any money or something, his grave is the first place I’d look for a drink. 

Memphis, TN

Memphis, Tn 
Instead of doing a traditional ten page term paper for Dr. King's Southern Literature class, we decided to take advantage of his travel option and took a weekend trip to Memphis, Tn and Oxford, MS. I had never been to Memphis before, but it easily became one of my favorite cities in the South.  We went out on Beale Street both nights we were there and checked out the various bars and restaurants and heard some awesome Blues.  
When we first drove into town on Friday night I was surprised how bright Beale Street is.  With everything lit up it's like a theme park for adults, and I think the energy of the people out really reflect this.  

 











Beale Street is closed off to traffic so everyone's free to walk in the streets and take their drinks from bar to bar or order them on the street from a vendor or walk up window. The streets and bars were super crowded both nights, even more so than Nashville usually is. Unlike Nashville, most of the bars have a $5 cover charge, but it is definitely worth it to see the live music and some of the covers are dropped after 1A.M. or so (the bars are open until 3 or later). 
 

 

One of my favorite bars we hung out at was the Rum Boogie Cafe. We saw the same Blues band,James Govan and the Boogie Blues Band, play there both nights. We ate at a few different restaurants while we were there, and the food was awesome at each place.

GA State Parks

State Parks are great places to visit if you love the outdoors and are looking for a fun, no to low cost thing to do away from the city. The Blue Ridge Mountains in north Georgia are beautiful, especially in the fall, and are only about an hour and a half drive north of Atlanta.  I planned on getting somewhere to camp for a weekend before it got cold, but it never ended up working out but we did make it up for a couple day trips for hiking and such.

Tallulah Gorge 
The first hike we went on was in Tallulah Gorge, which is a two mile long 1,000 feet deep canyon in Tallulah Falls, GA. The rubber mulch trails to the various overlooks are only moderately difficult, but the 800 something metal stairs you take down to the Gorge floor hurt quite a bit coming back up.

at the bottom 

from the top 

Anna Ruby Falls 

Anna Ruby Falls is right outside of Helen in Unicoi state park. The hike to the waterfalls is pretty simple and only about a half mile and on a rubber mulch trail.  

Amicalola Falls 

Amicalola Falls State Park is near Dawsonville GA and features the tallest cascade in the South East at 729 Feet.  We parked at the top of the falls and hiked down the trail/metal stairs. There is a five mile hike to a backcountry lodge, the Len Foote Hike Inn, which we unfortunately did not get to do.  We also found a lost Boxer named Mary Jane that I tried to take home with us, but it did not happen. 

Panola Mountain 

Panola Mountain is a small park south of Atlanta in Stockbridge GA.  The mountain is granite and similar to Stone Mountain.  There are a few small walking and bike trails and picnic and playground areas.  There's not much to it but it's really pretty. 

Nashville, TN

Nashville is by far one of my favorite cities in the South.  As tourist-trappy as it may be, I absolutely love going out to the bars on Broadway and seeing live (classic) country/western and rockabilly music.

Avett Bros photo credit

Our primary reason for going to Nashville this time, though, was to see the Avett Brothers play at Bridgestone Arena. If you haven't listened to them before, you really ought to because they are a really awesome folk/alt country band from North Carolina...perfect for country lovers who hate mainstream country music, like myself. They put on a great show and the venue wasn't bad, though I would've preferred seeing them at the Ryman or some other smaller venue since my seats kind of sucked for the price, but other than that the show was awesome. The arena is right on Broadway, which was convenient for after-show activities.

Nashville is always one of my favorite towns to go out in because it is always packed and pretty rowdy. It may be too much for every weekend, but it's a nice change from the stuffy, almost non existent Kennesaw scene. It's really fun to people watch, too, because there's all sorts of people out and about at night in Nashville, from couples in their seventies on the dance floor, to loud rednecks, to hip college kids. Pretty much every bar has live music/a band playing, both day and night, and there's all sorts of different styles of places to choose from. My favorite place to hang out is Robert's Western World, because they generally have the best bands from what I've seen. It is always super crowded during the weekends, though, so be prepared to stand around awhile waiting for a seat. I like the bar area upstairs, it's usually less crowded and you can get a better view of the band. Always fun to get out on the dance floor too.

Helen, GA

 A couple weeks after getting back from NJ/NY, we decided to go on a hike in Tallulah Gorge (Georgia State Parks edition post forthcoming). After realizing how close to Helen we were, we decided to stop there for dinner and a beer.  If you aren't familiar with Helen, it's a small Alpine Village replica town in the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains. All of the buildings in Helen feature German-Bavarian architecture, and many of the specialty shops and restaurants offer traditional German food.  


We got there around 5 on a Sunday afternoon, but the town was still lively and crowded. After we found out it was Oktoberfest, we impulsively booked a room for the night.  Most of the hotels were moderately priced for a Sunday night, but the more unique places like the Helendorf River Inn and the 
Castle Inn were a bit steep, so we decided to stay at the Super 8, which was clean and cheap. 

After we got a room, we went to get some dinner at one of the local bars. The food and drinks were very fairly priced for such a tourist hotspot, which was pretty surprising. The town has a great atmosphere and look to it, and it felt great to sit outside by the river and watch some live music.  The bar had a wide selection of German beers,  but I don't really recall the names of the ones we tried.  The big ones came in these cool souvenir mugs, and were refillable at most of the places in Helen. 

The next day we walked around and checked out another  restaurant and some of the shops in town.  We also went to their bear exhibit in town, which was really cool and only cost $5. There are 14 rescued bears in the exhibit of Black, Grizzly, Syrian, and Cinnamon Bears.  For a dollar per tray you can feed them pieces of bread and fruit, which the bears will do tricks for and catch in their mouths.


Helen is a really cute town to spend a weekend or, in our case, just a day.  The town is really small, though, and besides the shops, bars, bear exhibit and mini golf course there isn't that much to do.  I'm not sure I could spend a whole week here, but it is fun for what it is.  It is also really close to some cool state parks, which I'll be posting about soon.  

NY, NY

view from moving train 

I never got to why we had to make the whole drive to New Jersey in one day in my previous post, but our misery of driving around Newark at 5 a.m. looking for a hotel is pretty ironic when we look at the next day.  See, my brother's girlfriend had an interview/tour at an art school in Brooklyn the next morning, so we had to find a place to stay that would be a short train ride away so she'd get there on time. Cue 3 hours of driving around creepy NJ and almost staying at Bates Motel the King's Inn, and we finally find ourselves at a Newark Econo Lodge, just across the way from New York. Well, we overslept and she missed it anyway so all of that was absolutely pointless, but hell we were on our way to New York so we didn't really care. 


I had been to New York once before this on a High School trip that was more or less a disaster, so I was obviously excited to experience it again.  One of the first things I noticed this time around was how easy it was to get a drink.  At the bar in the departing train station.  At the bar in the arriving train station.  At the pub right outside of the train station. Also, there is just an overwhelming amount of cool stuff on every corner and we barely had time to look at anything. We walked to Times Square and I did a little shopping for clothes and shoes I didn't need and then took the train back to Newark. 


The second day we actually drove into New York, which was a great way to "see" a lot more of the city if you were like us and a) had no money for some nice guided tour and b) had no idea how to navigate the subway system. We drove the perimeter of the island and finally found a parking spot on the street near Central Park. 

Lincoln Tunnel 

Seinfeld!

I thought this guy was sitting funny so I told Capers to go lean some near him. Pretty sure he noticed. 

We had very little time in New York and were so short on money that we didn't really do anything besides walk around a few hours both days, but I loved it. I really can't wait to go back sometime with more time and money, but just being there was fun in itself. 

Princeton, NJ 9/8-9/11

Steps of Nassau Hall-oldest building on campus

This trip was entirely different than our trip to Tybee on the previous weekend.  First of all, I didn't really have the money to do it comfortably, but I couldn't pass up an excuse for a weekend road trip. Secondly, this wasn't really a 'planned' trip.  My brother had miscalculated the cost of a last minute flight to New Jersey and the cost of shipping all of his belongings, so driving was the cheapest option for everyone involved, since he was going to have to borrow money from me anyway.

Bates motel 

Let me stress that this is not a fun drive to make in a single day.  Just like all road trips, the drive was really fun for the first three hours or so, when the music was still fresh and everyone was talking and cutting up with each other.  Then the state of Virginia happened, and 300something miles of roadwork and nothing to look at can really take the excitement out of traveling. Hurricane Irene had just happened also, so after 2 hours of being lost in I-don't-remember-where Pennsylvania and almost being crushed by a semi truck, we ended up getting rerouted to another interstate because the highway we were on was flooded. Finally, after 14 hours of driving, we were close enough to look for a hotel.  We drove around (got lost) in the creepily deserted suburbs of New Jersey for what seemed like hours before calling and locating what sounded like a promising, cheap place to stay for a few hours: The King's Inn in Rahway, NJ.  Notice the accompanying article of a man who was shot/arrested here for walking around with a "harpoon-like knife" and generally being crazy, Norman Bates style. 


This place had it all:  knocked down walls, dirty mattresses leaned up outside, floor to ceiling glass windows in every room (really safe). I knew immediately that this was not where we would stay.  Capers, however, thought it was still "doable for a couple hours," but he was probably just temporarily delusional from exhaustion and desperation. Luckily, none of the rooms would sleep 4, so we eventually ended up at an Econo lodge near the Newark Airport at 6 a.m. 

Finally, the next day I got to see the Princeton campus again.  It really is an amazing campus with beautiful architecture. 

      Whitman College-Dorm and Dining Hall

Inside the chapel 

Nassau Street 

The actual town of Princeton is pretty small and all of the things visitors may want to do besides look at the campus is on Nassau Street. There's quite a few local bookstores and shops that are worth checking out, as well as a coffee shop and pizza place. There's really not much in the way of "night life" in Princeton, besides Princeton Brewery and Princeton Sports Bar. We walked in the brewery and it was expensive and had an uptight atmosphere, so we left.  Princeton Sports Bar was underground and a lot friendlier. 





Princeton Record Exchange is by far one of my favorite stores to visit in Princeton, as they have a great selection of new and used vinyls. This time around I bought Beirut's newest The Rip Tide, a reissue of Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate, and a cheap Greatest Hits of Bob Dylan. 






Another great thing about Princeton is the fact that its a short train ride from other awesome cities, such as Philadelphia and New York.  My next post will talk about our experiences in NYC.

Tybee Island, GA

Tybee Island  is a small beach town on the coast of Georgia, just fifteen minutes outside of Savannah. Since it’s only about a four and a half hour drive from Atlanta, it is a great option for weekend trips.  Tybee is best suited for those primarily interested in spending an entire day under the sun with a cool drink in hand.  Though it is a tourist hotspot, you won’t find much of the gimmicky attractions that seem to be a part of every beach town in Florida. Tybee’s main attraction is the beach itself, as well as a few local bars and restaurants with friendly locals and staffs.  With its beautiful scenery and friendly atmosphere, Tybee is the perfect place for a quiet, low-key beach experience.

Where to Stay:

Since the island is so small, the variety of hotels and accommodations is pretty limited, especially when compared to other popular beaches.  We chose the Atlantis Inn, a small 1950’s style inn on the far side of the island and the closest inn to the pier and main restaurant and shopping area.  The inn lives up to its tagline, “An Inn for the Imagination,” as every room is decorated to fit a theme. We stayed in the “Scarlet Roses,” a southern, romantic style room with custom décor.  The inn is a great option for someone looking for something different, as each room is customized to fit a variety of themes, such as “Under the Sea,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Sunset Bay” and more. 

The inn was very clean and nice for its reasonable price.  The manager was easily talked down with a little hesitation and bargaining on our part, ensuring that we got the room the entire Labor Day weekend for half of the asking price of other hotels.   In my experience, I’ve found that most small motels and inns are flexible and it never hurts to ask for a cheaper rate as long as you’re polite and reasonable.

Where to Eat:

Breakfast: The World Famous Breakfast Club is the place to eat breakfast in Tybee.  There is always a line out the door and a packed house.  The Breakfast Club specializes in omelettes, waffles, and massive cheeseburgers for all you meat eaters.

Lunch: Fannie’s on the Beach is a great place for lunch or a beer. Fannie’s has an extensive menu with a lot of variety, from Mexican dishes to seafood to brick oven pizza. The restaurant is just a few steps from the beach and pier, and offers dining areas with a great view of the ocean. 

Dinner: Lighthouse pizza is not your average pizza place.  In addition to standard pies, they offer a wide variety of specialty pizzas and toppings.  They also have the widest craft and import beer selection on the island, with 130 varieties.  Their nine craft beers on draft change regularly and feature seasonal, regional, and local beers as well as beers from around the world. 

Nightlife:

Arguably one of the coolest things about Tybee is the fact that you can order a drink to go (provided you aren't driving or getting into a car, of course.) I highly recommend stopping in Tybee Time on your way to the beach and getting a large frozen drink from one of their many machines (above). They're strong but tasty, and two will get you there quick. 

The Rock House sports bar is where we ended up nearly every night we spent in Tybee. The bartenders are cool  and attentive and they don't treat you like an outsider.  Rock House is a favorite among tourists and locals alike, and after a couple nights we already felt as though we were in our favorite hometown bar. The drinks are cheap ($2 Tallboys, $2 house shots) and the atmosphere is really interesting with a focus on live music. We saw an awesome 80's cover band one night, a Tim McGraw lookalike Karaoke DJ another, and an Atlanta DJ who lit his whole set on fire on the last night.  There was a crowd on the dance floor each night with a variety of different people. It's definitely the most happening place on the island and totally worth checking out if you're into music and dancing. 

What to Do: 

There is a variety of beach rentals, excursions and activities available, such as bike rentals, dolphin tours, and pier fishing.  If you're looking for free fun, I recommend going down to the pier to fish or watch the locals fish.  We ended up seeing one guy hook a shark and try to bring it up, but it was too heavy for his line.  Even though shark fishing is illegal in Tybee, he didn't cut it off his line and instead pulled it along the pier and beached it, causing quite the scene. I'd never seen a shark in the wild before and this one was about 5 feet long and pregnant, as she had a baby shark right on the beach while a bunch of drunk guys threw her around with absolutely no respect. It was an unforgettable hour long ordeal that ended in two arrests and some of the best free entertainment I've ever had. 

Lastly, I recommend spending a night on the beach (if you're up for that) and watching how the sky, stars, and planets move throughout the night. Tybee is such a small, isolated island that the view of the sky is unlike anything you'll ever see in Atlanta or the surrounding suburbs because of all the light pollution. Take a star map if you're into astronomy and the constellations, or just look up and see more shooting stars than you've ever seen.