As told by Stefany: Our drive to Gadsden, AL was full of cheesy awesome-ness. We took a familiar route north, I-75. I would take this route every time I drove to and from Clemson; however, I was oblivious to one awesomely cheesy sight sitting on the west side of the highway, just south of Exit 82. Ashburn, GA is home to “The World’s Largest Peanut.” That’s right folks, in southern Georgia is a 15-ft brick column that is topped with a peanut perched upon a crown. How I have always missed this spectacle, I will never understand.
Crossing over into Alabama, we exited I-20 in Anniston, AL, the home of the Guinness Record Holder for “The World’s Largest Chair.” In a vacant lot next to Miller’s Office Furniture stands a 31-ft office chair. The space beneath the seat and between the legs of the chair was so large that Billie easily fit underneath. So, of course, I parked underneath and Chris jogged across the street to capture the enormity of the chair.As told by Chris: Twenty minutes later, we arrived in Gadsden, AL, the new home of my former Clemson roommate Chase Paterno, who is like another brother to me. Chase, who works for Cintas Corp., was transferred to a new Cintas plant in Gadsden just a week prior to our visit. Perfect timing for our trip through AL! After catching up for a bit while relaxing in his new temporary digs, I took Chase (notoriously BAD with directions) and Stefany on a tour of the town of Gadsden. My work for my previous employer Regional had taken me to Gadsden a few times, so I knew the lay of the land. Prior experience told me that even after a week, Chase did not. I was right.
Later that evening we met up with Gadsden residents Stan Sutton, a former colleague of mine from Regional, and his wife Melissa at the legendary Top of the River Grill. Since Chase is new, I thought it might be nice to help him make a quick connection in his new town. After introductions, we immediately initiated Stefany as true Southern girl with two TOTR staples, collard greens and fried pickles. YUM! Afterall, this is Alabama! After an enjoyable catfish dinner filled with great conversation and plenty of laughs (Stan is hysterical!), Chase and Stan exchanged numbers to keep in touch. We headed back to Chase’s to retire for the night and ready ourselves for the long drive in the morning to the next destination on our road trip: St. Louis, MO.
