@ Lightstriker:

As far as tabards, I just discovered that the Triumph emblem vendor in Dalaran (just outside the Inn, up the stairs for horde) sells rep tokens for the tabard-reputation factions that would get you from neutral to friendly for a few emblems, then you could grab a tabard and get to exalted from that point. I'm sure lots of people know this already, but it was a new thing to me