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Last we took the hour and a half ride down to Chattanooga with my son (who now lives in SFO). He was participating in the Ironman Triathlon. I really like the downtown Chattanooga. I think they have done a better job than Knoxville, but my wife disagrees with me. To me it just seems cleaner and more modern. There are more modern hotels and it seems to have more of a vibe than Knoxville. But I guess 3000 competitors and their families adds something to a town.

One of my frustrations with most of medium sized towns in the US like Chattanooga and Knoxville is the dearth of non-chain restaurants that serve a different cuisine to the standard fair you get in America – burger ….  To me food, it very much part of the experience of a city. Travel to places like Lima (Peru), Cape Town (South Africa), New York or San Francisco and you don’t have to work hard to find really interesting plates. To be sure, I am sure there are such places in each and every city, but you have to dig deep to find them. I know commerce drives the menus of most restaurants but I sure like to try new and interesting things. Maybe I should follow Anthony Bourdain around.

This was another one of our Air BnB experiences. This is becoming a regular feature of our travel, made imperative this trip because there wasn’t a hotel room to be had due to the race. As is normally the case, the experience was excellent, although the bed was a bit soft for my liking.  This Air BnB gig is such a win-win situation for travelers and people wanting to earn a little bit more. If you haven’t used this option yet, make sure you give it ago.

Anyway I was very proud of my son completing the IronMan Triathlon in a good time. Clearly some other genes slipped through when he was conceived. The swimming and bike make sense to me, but running at the end of all of that makes no sense to the human body (mine anyway.)

 

IronMan Triathlon in Chattanooga
Jason completing the IronMan Triathlon in Chattanooga
Jason finishing the swim section of the Chattanooga Ironman Triathlon.
Jason exiting the swim section of the Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga
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Piers van der Merwe

Born in Zimbabwe, educated in Cape Town (UCT), now living in Knoxville, USA. I travel a lot for work, to a wide variety of venues that affords me the opportunity for taking interesting and varied photos. Hobbies, other than photography, include cycling and reading.
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