The Tuttles' Madcap Adventures

the tuttles' madcap adventures

Posts tagged chattanooga

5 notes &

Lately…

Since Megan is now an 8 to 5-er at her new gig, we’ve been adventuring into the late Spring evenings these days.  That consists of after-dinner strolls with the pups, early evening cocktails (the house gin and tonics down the street at The Blue Plate are very tasty! They make their own tonic!) and bike rides to the bridge to watch the sun go down.  (And we’re not telling you how many times we’ve walked to Rita’s for Italian ice these past two weeks.) These warm, lingering nights are getting us excited for Summer.  We can’t wait to experience our first Chattanooga Summer.

What have you all been up to lately?

Filed under chattanooga the blue plate gin and tonic bikes downtown summer

10 notes &

places worth going  Taco Mamacita on the North Shore

***warning:  this post includes some taco snobbery***

After living in Austin, when we think tacos we wax nostalgic about those  floppy, juice-running-down-your-arm, slow cooked, taco truck tacos.  Oooh they are delicious.  That is not what you are getting at Taco Mamacita, so just stop it!  Get those messy tacos outta your head right now!  Because Taco Mamacita is an entirely different kind of delicious.

They specialize in funky-fusion tacos so the more creative your thinking, the more Mamacita excels.  Just embrace the fact that they put cucumber, lamb and feta cheese in your taco.  Because cucumber, lamb and feta cheese are delicious.

And hey, look at that!  A vegan menu for Megan!

And hey, look at that!  Half price sangria on Sunday!

Also, here’s a tip… if you like spicy (which we do!) ask the server to ask the cook to whip up a super spicy salsa to add to your tacos because otherwise if you say, Can you make it spicy? they will assume you want Sriracha.  And though we love Sriracha, Sriracha does not make sweat bead on our forehead quite like the good pepper-loaded salsa that comes out of their kitchen.

And since we’re talking Tex-Mex tacos, does anyone know of a place in Chattanooga that comes close to those classic taco truck tacos that we miss so much?

Filed under chattanooga cha taco mamacita taco austin vegan north shore tex-mex taco truck

3 notes &

Tour de Noog with David from PPRWRK

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Saturday was a great day.  After wandering the booths at the Chatty Crafty art show at Ross’s Landing and grubbing on a couple of delicious burgers (veggie and meaty) from the Southern Burger Co truck, we met up with David Ruiz of 423 Bragging Rights and one half of PPRWRK (remember? from this post?) for Tour de Noog - an art guided bike tour of Chattanooga.  We took off from the river, headed over toward Honest Pint then down to Main Street toward Velo Coffee Roasters and back.  

Here’s a little peak at our ride…

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David was such a great tour guide giving us the stories behind his own wheat-paste murals of local musicians, how they go up and how old building surfaces can affect the paper, and also taking us around to a few tucked away corners of the city where we spotted those beautifully painted murals and that crazy mannequin art class.  We also learned a lot about this new city of ours from him and the other riders like where to get the best spicy hot chocolate (The Hot Chocolatier on Main Street), where to get a crazy/awesome/delicious pastry (Niedlov’s Bakery) and where to pick rosemary that’s growing aplenty next to an abandoned building.  He and his PPRWRK collaborator are planning another tour with new art going up this summer.  If you’re in town, check it out!

Filed under chattanooga cha tour de noog pprwrk art street art graffiti mural paper mural wheat paste mural bikes

3 notes &

lately

Happy weekend!  What are you all up to this weekend?

We’re going to check out the new food truck lot downtown, Center Park - we get pretty excited about food trucks.  Then we’re thinking of starting a 1/2 price sangria Sunday tradition at Taco Mamacita, who’s in?  And we’ll also be helping out with the Four Bridges Art Festival Saturday and Sunday.

It’s going to be a beautiful weekend!

Filed under chattanooga cha warehouse row downtown center park taco mamacita four bridges art festival ava art food truck

3 notes &

second best

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We’re plant based eaters for the most part.  Megan has tried a vegan diet for the better part of the last year with a few exceptions of eating with family and friends and eating out.  Kaylon has therefore been a de facto vegan for the better part of the last year because as I’m sure you’re all aware by now, he is the cook.  Megan is not.  (proof)

We’ve been a bit slack on the strictly vegan diet since arriving in Chattanooga because while there are plenty of vegan options, there are also A LOT! of other delicious, fresh and local options too that we didn’t want to miss out on.  Case in point, these farm fresh colorful eggs (with a bit of chicken poop still on them) that we picked up at the farmer’s market this week.  Along with two bags full of produce, we picked up a dozen eggs and a half wheel of soft, creamy, perfectly salty raw cow’s milk cheese from Sequatchie Cove Farm, which is about 35 miles away.

So while we’re no longer “vegan” - if we could ever really call ourselves that - we are trying to keep our dairy intake moderate and on the local side of things.  From the farmers market to the delicious eateries, there is no shortage of fresh and local food to devour.  And short of having our own garden and backyard chickens (which we do miss), I’d say this is second best.

Filed under chattanooga cha farmers market main street farmers market vegan vegetarian food local local cheese local eggs

4 notes &

yesterday’s

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this was yesterday’s walk around.  when the sun is shining, we roll out of bed, hair unkempt, sneaks thrown on, camera in hand and we take off to explore.  here’s what we found…

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windows open everywhere.

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hey look, this guy now has company.

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as spring splashes color between grey buildings, this city gets prettier and prettier…

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and finally, a stop at lupi’s pizza for a slice.  i imagine many-a-slices being consumed here on our way to watch lookouts baseball games this summer.  ooooh they were so delicious.

Filed under chattanooga cha downtown spring flowers street art pizza lupi's pizza

4 notes &

places worth going Chattz Coffee, next to Pickle Barrel on Market

Coffee shops… always worth going to local coffee shops.  For the usual:  an Americano and a latte.  Plus a piece of chocolate cake and a little chat about living in new places.

We’ve moved about every two years since 2007 and every time each new place feels so foreign for the first few weeks.  Nothing is familiar, nothing connects, there’s no rhythm to our discoveries.  Our wandering in a new place is like a piece played staccato - we went here…pause…then here…pause…then here.  But then you find the connections.  Streets start to come together, neighborhoods emerge, new hangouts start to become favorite hangouts and then they become regular hangouts.  

We always love coming out of that “foreign” place, feeling less like a visitor and more like a part of the community.  We definitely still feel like newbies and our connections are still a bit blurry, but we’re finding our rhythm here in Chattanooga for sure.

Filed under chattanooga coffee downtown moving nomadic nomad life chattz coffee rhythm lifestyle