I had the opportunity to see below the Mason Dixon line and road trip with my childhood friend to Alabama. Victoria goes to The University of Alabama. I agreed to drive 15 hours to Tuscaloosa, AL. Little did I know, I would actually enjoy the drive, 1,051 miles to be exact.
Oceanside, NY
Our first stop after filling up on gas and Long Island bagels, was to pick up another person in the Bronx. She was one of Victorias sorority sisters. She added another voice and topics of discussion for the road trip.
Roanoake, VA.
It took us seven hours to get to Virginia. We had to drive through the state of Pennsylvania, in an area that I have never been before. Coming from suburban New York, the mountains were beautiful to watch from inside the car.
I’ll never forget the way the sunset looked against the mountains. It created a purple color that I’ve never seen before. After settling into the hotel room in Roanoke, we went out for a bit to eat and some drinks at Mac and Bob’s (shoutout).
The next morning, we stocked up on the complimentary breakfast from the hotel and an iced coffee from Starbucks and hopped in the car and headed toward our next stop.
Knoxville, TN
I was excited, to say the least, to be going to Tennessee. We had her Spotify playlist going and snacks on deck. It went by awfully quick because of the non-stop reminiscing of the shenanigans we would get ourselves into. All the things I heard about driving for more than 5 hours was bulls#!%.
On the drive down, there were signs along the highway for different civil war exhibits and battle sights. It seemed unrealistic, but we were driving through so much of American history. I actually remember asking if we passed the Mason Dixon line, to which Victoria replied, “Yeah we did, yesterday.”
In Knoxville, we stopped at one of the best barbeque places in America, Dead End Barbeque. If you ever have the opportunity to get good, authentic southern food, this is the place to go. The homemade banana pudding is definitely worth it if there is enough room in your stomach for more food.
After Knoxville, we detoured ( a.k.a got lost) back toward the highway to complete our last leg of the trip until finally, we’ve ARRIVE AT OUR DESTINATION.
Tuscaloosa, AL
The University of Alabama is so different than The University of Scranton in so many ways. For instance, there are no HILLS. Their Greek life is crucial if you want to excel at the school socially and academically. The fraternity and sorority houses are actual mansions, and that is no exaggeration.
The second day in Tuscaloosa, AL, we went to the bar called Innisfree to watch the Basketball championship game. According to Victoria, she goes the Innisfree because ‘in is free’ (no cover), cool Vic. We spent the day watching the championship coverage and game with the students and people from the area. Another thing their school is known for is how they come together and watch the game and take pride to go to Bama.
All in all, this road trip has taught me that there is so much more to see in America. Those 1,051 miles don’t compare to the beauty that the rest of the country and the world brings. My road trip to Alabama was exciting, spontaneous and adventurous. The next morning, I hopped onto a plane and made my way back up to New York.