Marshall Chapman, R.B. Morris, Laurel Theater, Knoxville, January 21, 2011 Suddenly Knoxville is doing what it often does: offering so many wonderful (or even amazing) concerts that a person can’t make them all. I’ve always thought it...

In a way, the city recedes just a bit in winter. It’s cold out and fewer people walk the streets. Lazy strolls disappear in favor of rapid-fire paces with the destination more in focus than the...

 Hilary Hawke and band, Knoxville Visitor’s Center, January 2010 The second artist I heard recently at the Blue Plate Special was Hilary Hawke. She and her band are from upstate New York and their sound is...

Thanks to the snow, I was able to catch a couple of Blue Plate Specials recently. Both featured young bands fronted by talented, personable singers. They also featured very retro-music. I talked about this a bit...

Knoxville has an amazing creative community and no where is this more in evidence than at the monthly meetings of the Knoxville Writer’s Guild. Writers from both the city and the surrounding area read from their works...

Food from Just Ripe at the Kickstarted Party, Daylight Building, January 2010 The owners of Just Ripe hosted a great party in the John Black Studio space in the Daylight Building, which is next door to their...

Hotel St. Oliver Estate Sale, Union Ave., Knoxville, January 2010 The Hotel Saint Oliver, a prominent piece of the Kristopher Kendrick legacy sold recently. A three day estate sale was held to clear out the contents...

Everyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows how excited I am to have Just Ripe moving into the Daylight Building. Soon, within short walking distance of my home will be what...

s Neyland Stadium on a pretty day This is a bit out of the ordinary for this blog. To get where we are going with this post, the story starts high above the banks of the...

First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, State Street, Knoxville, January 10, 2011 Downtown Knoxville did not return to normal today, but it managed a closer approximation. The roads were much more navigable as the ice and snow succumbed...

How is that possible? Everyone knows the drill in Knoxville: Snowflakes appear on the extended forecast and we panic, heading quickly to our local grocery store for milk, eggs and bread. Need it or not, it’s...

If the first few days are any indication, the new year will be filled with change for downtown. Faster than a blogger can blog or, certainly, a newspaper can publish, significant developments emerge. I hope as many...

That was the question I faced this weekend. I’m guessing it is a half mile or more from my home to Remedy coffee. It’s a walk I’ve taken many times and I don’t consider it a particularly long...

One of the oldest restaurants downtown, Arby’s abruptly announced its closing, December 2010 After featuring some changes happening in the Old City yesterday, it seems only right to follow up a bit with what’s happening up...