Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Chattanooga Choo Choo!!!

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful city of Chattanooga, TN and staying at the Historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.  What a great trip!  The hotel is a Perfect 10 when it comes to their enthusiasm and friendliness towards military reunions.  They host a lot of military reunions and are very familiar with what it takes to put on a great reunion.  All the staff members we encountered were thrilled to show off their property and eager to bring in more reunions.  And there is so much to see and do in Chattanooga!  Have you seen the barns with Rock City painted on the roof?  They're all over, and it's worth a trip just to go to Rock City.  There's the beautiful Ruby Falls, the Incline Railroad, the Tennessee Aquarium, river boat rides, and for the history buffs, there's the Chattanooga and Chickamauga Battlefield park.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and can't wait to go back again with my family.

The Choo Choo used to be a train depot.  You walk into the lobby, and you just have to stop and gawk at the beautiful domed ceiling.  The lobby area, banquet area, and lounge area are in what used to be the terminal.  When you go out the door the train passengers used to board the trains, you come into the garden/trains area.  Where the train tracks used to be, there are now hedges and rose gardens.  There are actual train cars that have been converted into sleeping rooms, dining areas, and a pizza place.  There are shops on either side that sell all sorts of neat things, including really pretty stained glass items.  At the end of the garden area, there are the hotel buildings, 3 of them, that are just as nice as you could hope for!  There is a trolley on the property that you can ride around, and learn all about the various hotel features.  It is quite a walk from the hotel buildings, through the gardens, back to the main terminal building, but the staff knows that, and they are prepared!  They have golf carts driven by the staff for anyone who may find that far of a walk to be difficult.   They really are excited to host military reunions and hope you will plan your next one with them!












Click here to see more pictures on my Facebook page!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Another Visitor!

I think maybe we should call this a "who's come to see MLRS" blog!  We got another visitor today!  Last week Michelle and her cohort from the Greenville, SC CVB dropped by to say hello, and then today, Lindsey from the Sheraton in Charleston, SC came by!  Both visits were very nice, but I have to tell you what Lindsey brought!  We (as in my family) have recently become fans of the eastern NC style bbq sauce (it's vinegar based instead of the more ketchupy based kind I've always bought in the grocery store).  I made a couple recipes of it myself, and was going to try another one this evening, so I have a pork loin in the crock pot at home, and it should just be ready for supper by the time I get home.  Did you know this is National BBQ Sauce month?  In honor of that, Lindsey from the Sheraton, brought us a bottle of Fiery Ron's Pepper Vinegar BBQ sauce!  That will be a perfect fit for my supper tonight!  Here's Lindsey, the bottle of sauce, and Karen, our newsletter editor!

If you're in our part of NC, feel free to come by for a visit!  We in the office, who don't go very often to the reunions, would love to meet you in person!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

USS CAMBRIA IN PENSACOLA, FL!



What a fine looking bunch of sailors!!!  

The USS CAMBRIA reunion group met in April in Pensacola, FL for their annual reunion.  And they had a great time!  We heard so many good comments from the group members.  There were a couple of things that happened that made this reunion even more memorable than normal.  Their memorial service was held at Memorial Park in Pensacola, on Saturday.  Participating in the service were members of NATTC Performing Unit from Pensacola Naval Air Station.  They did a superb job, and even better, they came by the banquet Saturday night, just to visit with the attendees!  What an honor it was to have them participate in the reunion!

Also on Saturday, during the tour, the group ate at McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola.  There were plenty of off-duty active-duty sailors there for lunch, and the "old" sailors and the "young" sailors had a good time sharing lunch together.  As our group got ready to leave, the young sailors formed a line outside the pub, and shook hands with each of our attendees as they boarded the trolley for the rest of their tour.  Just makes you proud to be an American!!