Travel in city Chattanooga

Flying out of Newark the other day, I got one of those perfect IG-friendly aerial shots of New York City. Lower Manhattan was in shadow, but Lady Liberty was bathed in glorious sunlight, and as cheesy as it sounds, I got misty about all that she still represents. She stood watch when my Hungarian mother arrived as an infant; last year my half-Korean daughter, whose own mother also came to America as a child, visited Ellis Island on a school trip and was so proud to find her grandmother's name among the digitized immigration records. The plane continued over the Bronx, and I imagined the rest of America splayed out in miniature, like Saul Steinberg's View of the World From 9th Avenue, and I thought about how much I love this beautiful, fractured country, in spite of everything. The Fourth of July is upon us, so let me count the ways. An incomplete list:

Founded in 1850, Cartersville, Georgia, rests between Atlanta and Chattanooga at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A charming small city, Cartersville is carving a niche of its own as a cultural and historical hub for tourism. Headlining are a slew of museums: the Booth Western Art Museum, Tellus Science Museum, and Savoy Automobile Museum. In addition, Cartersville is home to two state parks, Red Top Mountain State Park and the Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site. Despite the attractions, the small town feels connected with a welcoming community.

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Surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, Chattanooga is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts with plenty of hikes and bouldering spots within an hour’s drive. Not to mention the gorgeous Tennessee River that runs through downtown, offering a variety of watersports activities. Over the past decade, the word has gotten out about Chattanooga for more than just outdoor enthusiasts, too, with a mix of restaurants, attractions, and accommodations that have made the city and surrounding area one of the coolest weekend getaways in the country.

A new service called Wanderift has launched a new approach to booking air travel. Travelers can join the program for a one-time fee of $500, and then pay $100 to $125 each for up to 50 airfare “tokens” per year. One token can be used for a one-way itinerary anywhere in the lower 48 states and some Caribbean points, but bookings can only be made eight days in advance or fewer.