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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage “Pardon me, boy. Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?” is the line most everyone will immediately recall from the 1941 big-band Glenn Miller swing song that made the town of Chattanooga, Tennessee world famous. On June 2, 2005, over 125 Audi TT owners and enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada converged upon Chattanooga, Tennessee for TT-East 2005.
Not to be deterred by a few raindrops and with the confidence of their quattro equipped Audi TTs, a large group of attendees made the journey along the rain drenched roads to play on “The Dragon”. Along the way, attendees also traveled the “Cherohala Skyway” – a scenic highway ascending up and over mile-high mountains through the deeply forested backcountry of Tennessee and then down into rural and rustic North Carolina. A smaller group made the more leisurely trek from Chattanooga to Lynchburg to discover how “Old No. 7” is made at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. But unlike the “The Dragon” group, this group drove into clearing skies and sunny weather which made the tour at the distillery an enjoyable outdoor activity. However, and much to the disappointment of a few, there was no sampling of Jack’s product allowed here! The distillery is situated in a dry county and the best that one could do was get a “healthy” whiff of whiskey as it fermented by sticking one’s head into one of the distillery’s enormous whiskey mash fermentation tanks, but don’t take too long a whiff as you would not want to fall in… or then again, maybe you would! After the conclusion of the day’s drives and the washing away of the day’s grime from their cars, TT-East attendees headed across town for dinner and a tour of the Hunter Museum of American Art. The Hunter Museum of American Art, an architectural marvel perched high on an 80-foot bluff overlooking the Tennessee River and much of downtown Chattanooga, has an extensive collection showcasing the best examples of American art dating from the early 1800’s to the present. TT-East attendees had the entire museum to enjoy for themselves and were treated to a true Southern feast in the cavernous museum atrium catered by Sticky Fingers, a local ribs and bar-be-cue favorite. Of special interest for TT-East attendees was Georgia O'Keeffe and the Sublime Landscape, an extraordinary temporary exhibition examining the work of one of the world's most celebrated artists. After the museum and dinner, the group headed back to the Chattanoogan Hotel to join others in the hospitality suite for the “Great TT-East Beer Exchange” and to carry on the festivities.
The morning of Saturday June 4, 2005 soon arrived and it was a quick early morning drive for all attendees to the parking lot in front of the Chattanooga Theatre Center for the annual TT-East group photograph taken by Audi TT owner and photographer, Danielle Haney. And although the conditions were once again overcast, there was no rain to put a damper on this photo session… a TT-East first! With the Tennessee River, the Hunter Museum of American Art and the Walnut Street Bridge as a backdrop, the group photo could not have been more spectacular! Upon completion of the photo session, attendees were again let loose to explore Chattanooga and the surrounding area. One of the drive options offered this day that was ventured by a few attendees, was to Huntsville, Alabama to visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, a museum and collection of various spacecraft and airplanes, including a massive full-scale model of the Saturn V rocket that sent Americans to the moon, a full-scale model of the space shuttle and an actual Lockheed Blackbird SR-71 spy plane. Other attendees opted to stay closer to Chattanooga and explored the various attractions downtown or on nearby Lookout Mountain such as Ruby Falls, the Incline Railway or Rock City. An even smaller group, attended by yours truly, decided to make this a casual day and had a leisurely lunch downtown at the local brew pub. After a hearty lunch and some fine micro-brew, it was back to the hotel for some much needed rest and relaxation prior to the evening’s activities. For others it was time to clean cars, check out each others modifications and chat with others in the driveway and center court of the hotel.
Saturday evening came quickly and it was time for the closing dinner which was to be followed by the now legendary TT-East event raffle! As usual, the offerings for the raffle were extensive due to the generous donations of many sponsors including Revo Technik, Audi Club North America, PPI Automotive Design GmbH, APR LLC, TT Stuff, Modshack, Stoner Inc., Langka Corporation amongst many, many others! If the items on the raffle table did not make TT-East attendees drool, then the lavish buffet spread served by the Chattanoogan Hotel certainly did and no one went away from this dinner hungry. After dinner and a few lighthearted antics by “KrusTTy” the TT clown, the raffle soon got under way with prizes being awarded to most attendees. The raffle complete, a small group of attendees once again made their way to the hospitality suite where they celebrated another successful Audi TT owner’s gathering and enjoyed one another’s company well into the night. As most TT-East 2005 attendees would agree, Chattanooga, Tennessee, with its Southern Hospitality, endless attractions and vast beauty, was truly a perfect location for TT-East 2005… and more than one person was heard to say that they intend to return to Chattanooga to enjoy it once again, myself included. Remember to stay tuned to the official TT-East web site at www.TT-East.org for updates on next year’s event. We hope to see you there!
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