New. Urban. Living.

Near the end of our vacation, Kenneth and I spent a late afternoon strolling around downtown Knoxville, killing time before that evening's Grand Ole Gospel Reunion concert (an event that we both enjoyed but which Kenneth is much more likely to blog about. I lack the patience to articulate and qualify the pleasure I took in many of the performances.). For years, downtown K-town was abysmal: but for weekday lunch hours, it was empty, dead, and dreadful. I'm happy to report, however, that Knoxville's downtown is currently undergoing a renaissance. We dined at The Tomato Head, which has long been in Market Square but which now-- with its airy, alternative atmosphere-- typifies the square. We shopped at Mast General Store. We popped into the terrific Yee-Haw Industries, a Hatch Show Print rip-off more pleasant and enjoyable than the Hatch original, which takes itself mighty seriously. We had a beverage at a coffee shop/cleaners in a beautifully renovated building on Gay Street. We took cellphone calls while checking out the East Tennessee Historical Society's exhibits on the 1982 World's Fair and Henry Horenstein's honky-tonk portraits. Then we entered this drug store so that Kenneth could purchase a ChapStick:

I couldn't resist snapping a cell-phone pic of old downtown Knoxville, my old downtown Knoxville, that is, as many others preceded my experience: ashamed, denuded, confused, plain yet garish, ugly, desperate. Upon returning home and reviewing my pictures, I was delighted to discover that the reflection of the window captured what I hope will remain the future of the city: New. Urban. Living. Keep it up, Knoxville!