Most Popular Cuisine By State

I haven't posted since November 9th? Wow, that's ridiculous! Apologies readers! Let's just call this my winter break and move forward, shall we? :-)

I still owe you one final entry from my Labor Day weekend trip to Atlanta (I know, I know...). I'm actually headed BACK to Atlanta next week, which is how I remembered that I still hadn't posted about Sun In My Belly. I'll make it a video and post some pics. For my next foray into the "A", I have tours of CNN and Chick-Fil-A already scheduled. I really wanted to go to the Waffle House Museum, but I won't be there when it is open. Meh. I think I'll survive.

Additionally, I have a major update-- I have a car now! Yes, the Queen of Public Transportation has sold out and purchased a 2012 Nissan Rogue SV. Now, don't think this means I don't still have the skills needed to navigate my way without one! But, I do have to admit it makes the thought of completing my journey in the year and 8 months I have left more realistic and affordable (still holding out for an airline or hotel sponsor of some sort...) I have a LOT of travel planned for 2015.

That's my un-named baby! Well, the Edmunds stock image of her anyway

Anyway, let me get to the point of THIS article. I often see articles (mostly on the Huffington Post) that talk about the top/best/worst/largest/greatest/nicest/etc of stuff for each state. I often reference these for ideas on what unique aspects to check out for my adventures. I thought I'd start sharing them with you on here! Just click the "50 State Lists" topic over there on the right (or where ever it ends up once I upgrade my site to something people in 2015 actually like to look at) and check them out!

Out first 50 State List discusses the food preferences of each state based on Yelp reviews. Now, admittedly that's automatically a little biased, because only a certain type of person even uses Yelp to begin with, but as it has cheesesteaks as the top food in PA (the state of my birth and current residence), it kinda makes sense, I mean, with Philly being IN the state and all. Of course you'd expect lots of seafood in New England, and beef in America's heartland (in the form of steaks or burgers). But there are a ton of random ethnic foods categories scattered across the country as well, such as Peruvian food in the Mid-Atlantic, and Hawaiian food in land-locked Utah. I'd be interested to learn what this means about the people in our country- I think it shows we are a lot more diverse than we may care to admit-- and I don't think that's a bad thing! This has probably been my favorite part of my blog- yes getting to travel and see new places- but learning how our differences are much less significant than we'd otherwise believe and seeing how interconnected we really are!

Okay, enough with my "world peace" speech, here's the link...enjoy!

Here Is The Most Disproportionately Popular Cuisine In Each State

PS, you can read about all my food adventures here!

A King's Birthplace

No trip to Atlanta would be complete without acknowledging the Civil Rights era's most prominent voice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Having previously visited his monument in DC and the place of his assassination in Memphis, it seemed fitting that I visit the places he grew up and developed his earliest ideologies in. Enter my abbreviated visit to the MLK National Historic Site.

Tunicia and I visited here in between trying to hopefully find a dress for me to wear to a formal event I had coming up a few weeks later. While the sites themselves are free, for certain aspects, advance reservations are strongly encouraged as there are capacity limits. This was the case with Dr. King's childhood home, which we could only walk past and take photos of.

We walked very quickly through the visitor center. There you were given a very general glimpse of the way America operated in segregation and how this influenced a young King. Outside of the center was a statue of Gandhi, a major influence in the way King would approach leading others for change.

We got to go inside of the historic (and still used!) Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King attended and preached. They had one of his sermons playing in the sanctuary and visitors could go into the pews and listen.

I also got to see the tomb where Dr. King and his wife Coretta now rest. It was strange because I remember visiting when I was in high school (while Coretta was still alive) and it was a little sad to see it doubled in size. It was still a very beautiful way to honor these two American icons.

Well friends, only one or two more entries about my time (nearly two months ago) in Atlanta. I'm actually going to be back there in January so I'll be sure to visit a few more sites. In the meantime, I want to thank you for following me along on my journey, and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure.

What'll You Have? What'll You Have?

Hello readers! I've had a busy fall, so I am super duper behind on blogging about my time in Georgia.

When I first moved back to Pittsburgh, it was a huge adjustment. One of those adjustments was not having cable. No more HBO series, no more ratchet reality television. But I did get lots and lots of cooking shows and public television specials. One of those shows was "A Hot Dog Program", and one of the locations featured was a place called The Varsity in Atlanta. Having previously lived in Atlanta and having tons of friends from there- yet never hearing of this place- made me intrigued to see it. This Labor Day trip made it possible.

The floor underneath the lines to the registers

I went to the first Varsity location with one of my best friends Tunicia. We pulled up to a huge diner-looking building with two parking decks packed with cars. Later I would find out that this location is actually the largest drive-thru in the world. We went inside and it seemed as if we had stepped back in time- but in a good way. We walked past small displays that covered the history of the restaurant, and an ice cream shop was to our right...while crowds lined up to several registers

The menu

Eagerly I approached the woman at the counter wearing a paper Varsity cap (that was no match for my huge afro...the only other people wearing them were Tunicia and a bunch of little kids who awaited their food) and was greeted with their famous "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" welcome. I ordered two number ones for us. Tunicia got an orange frosty looking thing and recommended we each get one of their famous pies (they offer apple and peach- seeing as it's Georgia I opted out of my usual apple and ordered a peach one at her suggestion).

My Varsity cap-- before it fell apart on my afro

The food came relatively quickly, and tasted pretty good. I mean, there isn't but so delectable a hot dog and onion rings can be and the only other famous dog places I know are Ben's Chilli Bowl in DC and Original's here in Pittsburgh. I actually hate the taste of Ben's (greasy and flavorless in my opinion) and Original's is ok, but Varsity is the best for sure. (I'm sure many of you remember my trip to Chicago where I had a Chicago dog...but that's more of a regional thing, not a specific restaurant). I really enjoyed my food but more importantly, I enjoyed spending time with my friend in her hometown while we caught up on all of our girl talk stuff.

My hot dogs and orange drink

My peach pie

I WILL say that I loved the peach pie. Again, peach usually isn't my flavor of choice but this one was delicious. Not too sweet, not "fake" tasting. It was probably the best homemade but not in a house dessert I've had in a long time. I will probably cajole one of my Atlanta friends into taking me back for a round two the next time I'm in the city (which will be at the latest January 2015).

Tunicia and I with our Varsity caps

Well, now that life has started to slow down a bit, I can get the last of these Georgia blog posts out. It's starting to get cold though, so the snow is probably not far behind. It will most likely hinder my travels until the spring, but we shall see.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and for following me on my journey! As always, I'll see you on the next adventure!