Blacksmith working on Union Avenue, Rossini Festival 2011, Knoxville When something like the Rossini Festival comes along pictures loom more important than words, so this post will be long on the pictures and shorter on the...

I’m going to give a shot at a contest, of sorts. We’ll run this on Saturdays for a while and see just how well the Urban Blues community knows downtown Knoxville. I have to confess that I think...

Urban Toddler, Recovering Mardi Gras Addict, Dancing on the Square, Knoxville What makes a city feel like a city? Most people would agree that downtown Knoxville didn’t really feel like a city twenty-five years ago. What...

So much of the allure of downtown is the excitement of the unexpected. The city’s ability to surprise is as important as the amenities and joys you assume. First Friday often holds at least one, if...

Pamela Neal creation, Emporium, Knoxville, April 2011 Every First Friday features art with a capital “A.” The Art Market features an artist each month and somehow I usually miss that, so I’m planning to put more effort...

Piano reverie on the square, Market Square, Knoxville, April 2011 As the experiences of a First Friday broaden, it is becoming more difficult to put it all into one post or under the umbrella of a...

Starting line for the Knoxville Marathon at the World’s Fair Park, April 2011 It was a jam-packed weekend in downtown Knoxville. A weekend like this one makes blogging difficult in a good way: Where to start? Chronologically,...

Have you ever had the experience of hearing music in the distance and realizing it isn’t your neighbor’s stereo or  a distant boombox, but real, honest to goodness music played by live musicians? What did you...

I hate for a blog to come across like a list, but I’m afraid this one might. There is so much going on this weekend downtown that I’m not sure where to start. Some of it...

 Weather reporter Cheryl Scott on Market Square, Knoxville, March 2011 I’ve done this before, usually toward the end of a month when it becomes apparent that certain photographs, while fun, good or otherwise interesting, simply...