Day 11: Assume the tortoise position

DAY 11: Smyrna, Georgia
Miles traveled: 1,542
States visited: 7
Weather: 79, hailstorm of the century

I spent the past two days with my couchsurfing host Stephanie just outside Atlanta. On Wednesday we checked out a local bar in Smyrna called Varner’s. We got there too late to join in their weekly poker game, so we waited around for trivia night to start. This was a lot like any other trivia night, except it was adult trivia night. Two-thirds of the questions were about movies and the other third dealt with obscure sexual terminology (the “tortoise position,” anyone?)

Our team managed to take second place, though I was no help at all. (I need to find a trivia night that focuses more on music!) Our prize was a $20 bar credit, which helped defray the cost of our food and beverages, of which there were many.

On Thursday we headed into Atlanta proper to check out Piedmont Park, a park downtown that is similar to Central Park. Lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife, including turtles (but apparently no tortoises.)

We went to Little Five Points for lunch at Vortex, a restaurant with lots of attitude. Their menu contains a full page of rules and regulations, detailing their “no whining policy” and “no idiot zone.” Their food was outstanding – the chili cheeseburger & tater tots I got were big enough for two meals.

We got hit up by a spiky-haired individual named Casey to contribute to some environmental cause. I thought Casey was a guy but Stephanie insisted she was a girl. I suppose we’ll never know. Unless this blog catches fire throughout the internet and Casey stumbles upon this post.

Little Five Points is a really funky neighborhood, but it’s small. It is definitely the hipster capital of Atlanta but I don’t know if I’d want to live there, necessarily.

Last night I encountered the hailstorm of the century. I always hear about golf ball-sized hail, but I’d never really seen it until now. The storm, and an extended invite, prompted me to stay an extra night in Atlanta, where I spent the evening playing poker with Stephanie’s roommates. We played Texas Hold Em, which I hadn’t played before, but a combination of beginner’s luck and an unlikely series of flushes allowed me to emerge victorious.

Stephanie and her roommates were very accommodating. I’m glad I chose to couchsurf in Atlanta. Today I’m off to Knoxville to meet some family, and then to the Smoky Mountains to do some hiking this weekend, before heading to Nashville and New Orleans next week.

Day 10: About food and Fred

DAY 10: Atlanta, Georgia
Miles traveled: 1,400
States visited: 7
Weather: 68, windy

I’ll be here in Atlanta for another day so I’ll file a full report on the city tomorrow. For now, I thought this would be a good time to address my food budget. As noted before, I’m living on a $7/day food budget, which sounds impossible, but it’s really not. First off, that doesn’t include the snacks & canned foods I already have in my van. And I’m only drinking water, so I never have to pay for drinks. I’ve been taking advantage of the $5 footlong at Subway – that’s big enough to serve as lunch and dinner. Those are great because they’re cheap and they allow me to get some fresh vegetables in my belly.

This is my best friend on the road: a giant bag of Tootsie Roll midgees.

I’m rolling over the food budget from day to day. So if I only spend $5.50 for food on Monday, the extra $1.50 carries over to Tuesday, meaning that I have $8.50 to spend. Whatever I don’t spend on Tuesday rolls over to Wednesday, and so on. So far I’ve been running a surplus on my food budget, so I actually have close to $20 available for food today, in the event that I feel like splurging and hitting up a chain restaurant (don’t count on it!)

I’ve had surprisingly little fast food, thankfully. Some meals I’ve cooked myself in a mini-oven which runs off the cigarette lighter. Other times I’ve eaten at diners or gotten hot food from a supermarket (the Harris Teeter chain in North Carolina is my new favorite grocery.) In terms of fast food, I’ve done Taco Bell, KFC, and Moe’s Southwestern Grill once each, and that’s it. Moe’s is great because you get a huge serving of free chips & salsa with every order, so you only have to order 1 taco, and you get enough food on your plate to stuff yourself. For less than $3!

On a somewhat related note, I keep seeing this store called FRED’S. But I have no idea what it is. A department store? A grocery store? A home improvement store? There’s absolutely no indication from the signs or from the outside of the store what it might be. I’m dumbfounded that Fred would be so secretive about his establishment. Doesn’t he want anyone to shop there? If I see another one, I’ll scope it out.

Day 9: What’s the frequency, Athens?

DAY 9: Athens, Georgia
Miles traveled: 1,360
States visited: 7 (just added: Georgia)
Weather: 68, sunny & incredibly windy

Athens is the second college town I’ve visited, and it puts Charlottesville to shame. Compared to Athens, Charlottesville is a DUMP. It’s a WASTE OF HUMANITY!

Ok, I exaggerate, but Athens might be the coolest college town I’ve ever visited. It reminds me of State College, only with more interesting shops and more alternative types wandering around. There are a bunch of restaurants with outdoor seating that faces the university. There are small music clubs. There was a Ben & Jerry’s which had a line around the block – apparently it was free cone day. There’s a place called The Junkman’s Daughter’s Brother, which is a lot like Spencer’s gifts, only it’s four times as big and sells stuff you’d actually want to buy. I could’ve spent hours there.

There was a thrift store called Dynamite! that I liked, except that it was a bit too pricey. There was a restaurant called the Last Resort Grill, which fully lived up to its name – it was completely empty, even while all the other restaurants were doing plenty of business.

I wanted to grab a meal at Michael Stipe’s vegetarian restaurant Grit but didn’t get a chance. I did stop in to Wuxtry, the record store where Peter Buck used to work. I also drove by something called The Tree That Owns Itself. Evidently, in the 1800s, this guy owned a really nice tree, and when he died, it was in his will that the tree be given to the tree itself. I’m not sure how that works legally but now the tree is famous. If you ask me, that tree is just a publicity whore.

Today I’m on to Atlanta to stay with some folks from couchsurfing.com. I’m not sure what to do there but I’ve been told to visit Five Points. I’ll be there until late Thursday.