Chattanooga Is Home

I have been suffering from allergies since I was young, but it wasn’t until I moved to the Tennessee Valley that they really became a nuisance in my daily life. In fact, the day after I moved into Carter Hall up on Lookout Mountain, I immediately got a sinus infection due to allergies.

This season has probably been the worst for me. I blame part of that on the fact that I am now at home full time, without the benefits of conditioned air in an office building. Another place to put the blame is on the new playground where we have been spending a lot of time. And then there is just the overall quality of the air here in Chattanooga.

The Times Free Press has had two articles about the air quality in Hamilton County- reporting that Monday we were actually in the red zone. A lot of the air quality issues are due to smoke from recent forest fires on Walden Ridge. Add that to the pine pollen that is making Chattanooga look a little yellow (my car used to be white, now it is yellow) and things are just not fun for allergy sufferers.

The Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau is a great resource to check out the current air quality conditions in Chattanooga. And there are a list of suggestions on what we can do to help improve the quality of the air we breathe.

The main suggestion that people get when air quality is so bad is to stay indoors. Also, keeping windows and doors closed can help those who are suffering in these unhealthy air days. But, just like the cold winter days, people can get a bit stir crazy being indoors all day.

My top five Chattanooga indoor (but out of my house) activities are:
1. The Creative Discovery Museum- let the little ones burn off energy in an indoor environment
2. The Tennessee Aquarium- leisurely visit the life aquatic where the butterflies calm you and the fish hypnotize you
3. Shopping at Hamilton Place Mall- stimulating the economy, but not your heart rate, in this air conditioned space
4. Movies at the Rave- no physical exertion here, just entertainment
5. Painting Pottery- let your creative juices flow, producing something

Try to stay healthy, and breathe better Chattanooga.

[tags]Chattanooga air quality, Chattanooga activities, Air Pollution Control Bureau, Hamilton County[/tags]