Chattanooga is a very impressive and upscale city. The community leaders here have clearly done a good job of developing the waterfront, starting with establishing the Tennessee Aquarium which opened in 1992. This modern fresh and salt water aquarium attracted visitors and spurred the development of parks, the Arts Bluff, and many upscale restaurants and shops. Chattanooga also boasts having purchased the old bridge connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, and converting it into the nation's longest pedestrian bridge.
Fortunately, as in any community development, there are companies and patrons whose donations make these things possible. One interesting thing we learned was that Coca Cola, which originated in the Atlanta area, was first sold only at drug store fountains. A couple of attorneys in Chattanooga came up with the idea of bottling Coca Cola and approached Coca Cola for that purpose. They managed to get an exclusive contract in perpetuity for most of the United States. They built bottling plants and created distribution channels, which brought incredible wealth to the Chattanooga area.
Today we took a National Park Service historical walking tour of downtown Chattanooga, learning about why people came to this area and how they prospered. Then we visited the first of the two Tennessee Aquarium buildings.
Of high priority was listening to Michigan vs Illinois, and we won easily 45 to 0. GO BLUE!!! Thank goodness for Sirius Radio, as all the TV networks in this area broadcast is SEC games. I can't really blame them, as this is passionate football country just like the Midwest and the Big Ten.
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