I saw a Cybertruck in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
And other notes from a Summer on the road
For 48 days this Summer, I drove around the eastern half of the country. I headed from Chicago to the southeastern United States before following the Atlantic Coast north and then turning back. These are my notes about what stood out along the way.
Places
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is like a caricature of America. It’s an over-the-top strip of pavement, traffic, entertainment and dining stuffed between beautiful mountains. Picture Vegas but targeted at thirteen-year-old boys and bordering on a national park. It’s an absurd place but it’s filled with people having fun.
I saw a Cybertruck parked outside of a hotel on the main drag of Pigeon Forge. It was not parked in a parking spot. It was just parked in front of the hotel’s entrance, seemingly to showcase itself. This felt like something an early Cybertruck owner would want to do, but it also didn’t feel misplaced because of the setting. In Pigeon Forge, this was a perfect place for this truck. The air was already filled with garishness, this only added to it. The whole scene felt like a moment that would intrigue coldhealing, it was uniquely American.
The roads in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park have to be some of the most fun I have ever had driving a car. You zoom through beautiful forests and up mountains, but it’s not as intense as the roads out West. You are never white-knuckling, just cruising around the cambered curves of many glorious Appalachian highways.
Nowhere else in the US looks like Savannah, GA. Spanish Moss draping from Live Oak trees is an elite look.
Golfing near Pinehurst, NC with the smell of pine straw all around you is hard to beat. Mid Pines Club is a fantastic Donald Ross track in the area.
I’m always in awe of the National Mall’s palatial beauty. I wish there were more of these kinds of marble-stone megastructures throughout the US. This style of architecture conveys an unrivaled spirit of mightiness to me.
Similarly, Niagara Falls has a potency to it. It feels like a sacred site, a place where you can commune with nature. I did not expect to be as impressed as I was.
The University of Michigan’s campus is surprisingly quaint and attractive for a massive university. The rest of Ann Arbor is charming too. I can now see why people become such passionate Michigan fans after spending four years there.
Chicago in the summertime is undefeated. Why did I leave?
I wanted to see parts of the United States that I had never been to and would be unlikely to return to, places like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I’m glad I saw these places. For now, I’ve satisfied my craving for exploration within the US.
Thoughts from Behind the Wheel
I love the US Interstate System, or, at least, I love that it exists. It’s an incredibly efficient way to get from one place to the next.
I did, however, spend too much time on the interstate. I went into this trip wanting to spend as little time as possible on the road, but this meant I was always directed on the biggest highways. These routes didn’t leave enough room for spontaneity. I overoptimized. The hours and miles blend together on the interstate. You don’t make that many memories.
In Blue Highways, William Least Heat Moon writes of finding local diners well away from the main highways, “Inside were no interstate refugees with full bladders and empty tanks, no wild-eyed children just released from the glassy cell of a stationwagon backseat, no long-haul truckers talking in CB numbers”. I was one of those interstate refugees and I was surrounded by the other characters he describes. I didn’t particularly enjoy driving alongside this crowd.
Some of my favorite driving was on two-lane highways in Kentucky, Tennessee and Maine. These roads were romantic and serene. I wish I had done more of this instead of so heavily prioritizing efficient routes to my next destination. I’ll make adjustments for any future road trips.
I love Buc-ee’s. I also love Kwik Trip. These are my favorite sights to see when I need gas.
Spotify radio needs to be improved in two specific regards:
First, Spotify radio tends to get stuck in the same loops after you search for a specific song. I could almost predict exactly what songs the radio would play. This is not a huge problem since I like most of the songs the radio recommends. Their algorithm clearly “learns” your preferences and the company definitely has research showing that people usually enjoy getting recommended that which with they are already familiar. However, I hardly found any new music through Spotify radio. I would like to see slightly more variety in the suggestions going forward. They should randomize it a bit more.
The second problem is that within these predictable suggestions, there would be certain songs that continually appeared even after I consistently skipped them. There didn’t seem to be any learning going on with what I personally dislike within a genre. I was giving the algorithm feedback by immediately skipping songs, but it did not seem to ever adjust. Yes, I am a listener who likes X artist so it’s fair to assume at first that I would like Y artist, because many other X artist fans are also Y artist fans, but once I demonstrate that I do not like Y artist, they should be quickly dropped from the recommended queue. I hope that these adjustments can occur quicker in the future.
Outstanding Food
Cavatelli Sardi at Saint Bibiana in Savannah, GA
Green Chile BBQ Sauce (and everything else) at Lewis Barbeque in Charleston, SC
Pancita at South Philly Barbacoa in Philadelphia, PA
Campechano Taco at Taqueria Ramirez! in New York City, NY
Cappuccino and Pastries at Tandem Coffee and Pastry in Portland, ME
Other Notable Dining Experiences
I went to a Waffle House for the first time and when I arrived they happened in the middle of their annual health inspection. Halfway through my meal a pissed off employee came out of the back to announce that this establishment had received a B rating for 2024 (honestly, not that bad). He then tossed the manager’s phone at the countertop in frustration. Allegedly, he thought it was his own phone, but that was only sorted out after a slew of curse words were spat from the manager. As all this was happening, a massive midday thunderstorm rolled in so the other employees couldn’t take their desired smoke break. Tension was high but it felt like a quintessential Waffle House experience. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Bourdain points out, ”Your first two hundred and seven Wellfleet oysters may transport you to a state of rapture, but your two hundred and eighth may send you to bed with the sweats, chills, and vomits”. That’s what happened to me and two friends in Newport, RI. Tough scene. The lowest point of this whole journey.
Buffalo Wings aren’t all that special in Buffalo. They tasted the same as what I’ve always eaten in the Midwest. I’m not necessarily trying to put down Buffalo with this statement, rather wings are fried and tasty wherever you go. I feel similarly about Chicago-style hot dogs. It’s hard to make bad versions of these foods.
Appreciation
I was excited to go on this road trip and I’m thankful I did it. It was the right decision for me. Summers are the best and I was repulsed by the thought of spending another one sitting at a desk looking out at the golden sunshine. So, I went outside and enjoyed it. It felt like summer break. This made me very happy.
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who let me stay with them along the way. I’m shocked at how many people I got to see. Everything seemed to align with friends and family being available when I was in town. This really filled my cup up and made my travels so much less lonely. If one of you is reading this—thank you again for your hospitality, generosity, and laundry machines.
Thanks for reading.