Old City | Stuck Inside of Knoxville

Knoxville Marathon 2013

Posted on April 12, 2013 Written by KnoxvilleUrbanGuy 2 Comments

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

It’s hard to know at the end of this week whether I should continue recounting last weekend or move the focus to the upcoming weekend. I’ll go with last weekend, but I must mention that this weekend is likely the biggest of the Dogwood Arts Festival, with the Arts and Crafts Festival on Market Square and throughout Krutch Park. The artisan works are phenomenal and the food tent, in which chefs prepare dishes with wine pairings, is one of my favorite single events of the year.

Mayor Rogero, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

American Flag on Clinch Avenue, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Still, I must give a nod to last weekend’s Knoxville Marathon which drew several thousand people. The race has grown to include a 5K, Half-Marathon, Marathon and Marathon Relay. Urban Son-in-Law backed off to the half-marathon this year and many Urban Friends ran various other races. I think one reason for the massive crowds last weekend was the marathon, as a number of people came in from out of town or simply stayed downtown to enjoy the other events going on.

Health and Fitness Expo, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists2, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists3, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

I love the fact that a fitness-based event has become so big in the city. It also works beautifully to have so many great activities downtown to greet any out-of-town visitors. There is no way someone visited the city last weekend, encountered the beautiful weather, pianos on the square, Chalk Walk, First Friday, Rhythm and Blooms and came away with anything other than a very positive impression of what is happening here. They also spent time and money in the Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday.

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Runner, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

The starting line and staging area always attract me. Nerves jangle about at every turn, runners giddy with excitement warm up maybe a bit too much. Proud families wish their loved ones well. The mayor spoke at this year’s opening and the national anthem makes any sporting fan’s blood reach a quick boil of anticipation. Some are there to win, others to have fun and others simply to finish. Music pounds from a PA system as it will throughout the race as live bands play for the runners.

Entertainment on Market Square, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

John D. Cable and the Empty Bottle Band, Clinch and Locust, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

I photographed eventual winner Wojciech Kopec (2:22:15) as he left the start line (red jersey above, number 2), but missed him at the twenty-five mile mark. I did catch Edward Tabut passing the UT Conference Center, heading into the final stretch. He was about three minutes behind first place. He also nearly left the course by not turning onto Locust, but a policeman yelled, pointed and Edward corrected his course.

Second Place Runner (No. 4), Mile Tweny-five, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Second Place Runner (No. 4), Edward Tabut, Mile Tweny-five, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Third Place Runner, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Third Place Runner, Bryan Morseman, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Fourth Place Runner, Mile Twenty-Three, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Fourth Place Runner, Stewart Ellington, Mile Twenty-Three, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Fifth Place Runner, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Fifth Place Runner, Abraham Kogo, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

About four minutes behind him was Bryan Moresman in third and I really felt for the next two guys as I photographed them leaving Market Square. They ran within steps of each other around the twenty-four mile mark and clearly, they would battle to the finish line. In the end, while Stewart Ellington (No. 6) lead by a few yards at that point, Abraham Kogo (No. 3) would pass him in the end to win fourth place. Two seconds separated them at the finish line. You can find complete results here.

Half-Marathon Medal, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Others would pass through downtown on into the afternoon. In fact, Urban Son-in-Law spotted a couple going through around 4:00, well after the official times have stopped. It reminds me of Cake’s awesome song, “The Distance.” All that matters at that point is finishing. And whether anyone else knows or acknowledges the fact, you know. It has to feel good. I never made it to the complete marathon and I admire those who do.

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Urban Bar and Corner Cafe: New Memories at a Old Favorite Spot

Posted on March 21, 2012 Written by KnoxvilleUrbanGuy 12 Comments

Urban Bar and Corner Cafe, Old City, Knoxville, March 2012

During my meanderings last Saturday night I had very little in the way of plans. I’d already eaten a wonderful cheese plate from Just Ripe before I left home, so I wasn’t hungry. I really like Ian Thomas, so I knew I wanted to hear his set at the Market Square St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I really had only one other item on my agenda and that was to walk to the Old City and to the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe to meet Ally the manager and frequent reader and commenter on Stuck Inside of Knoxville.

Ally and revelers at the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe, Old City, March 2012

While I’ve never entered the Urban Bar before this night, I have wonderful memories of the space. It’s on the northwest corner of Central and Jackson in the Old City and it is a great location for watching the local personalities wandering down the street. It also used to be home to Ella Guru’s, which was one of Ashley Capps’ first entertainment ventures. It featured live music for a reasonable price and brought in national entertainers. Sometime back in the late 1980s to early 1990s I saw Odetta (Alex Haley was there that night), Roger McGuinn, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and John Lee Hooker among others. In every case, I got to talk with them after the show.

Urban Bar and Corner Cafe, Old City, March 2012

I’ve intended to revisit the space, but never have gotten around to it. When I realized one of my readers managed the place, that sealed the deal. As I said last week, it really is about the people. I enjoy having “friends” on Facebook and I appreciate readers and especially readers who comment on my blog, but I really enjoy meeting real people in a real place in real time which, as I’ve said before, is what the city is all about to me.

Seating at the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe

Urban Bar and Corner Cafe, Old City, Knoxville

I got to meet Ally and got a sweet hug and found her to be as nice as I had imagined. As a bonus I got to meet her partner, Mandy and a colorful couple agreed to pose with Ally and the doorman (whose name I failed to get), so it was a pretty clean sweep. The various rooms included a bar area, indoor seating and pool tables, which, I believe is different from any other bars downtown.

My favorite part of the place, as I would have guessed, was the patio. With the lights strung all about and the corner view so perfect, it feels like a movie set. The night was a perfect temperature, the crowds were happy and the people watching was excellent. But, as always, it was all about the people. Now I have new friends and I’ll be happy to see them again. I’d encourage you to drop by and see them, as well.

Patio at the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe

Filed Under: Ally, Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, Ella Guru's, Knoxville Tennessee, knoxville tennessee blogs, Old City, Urban Bar and Corner Cafe

Quick: St. Patrick’s Day and Sundown in the City – What do they have in Common?

Posted on March 20, 2012 Written by KnoxvilleUrbanGuy 14 Comments

Bronze Guy on Market Square, Knoxville, March 2012

They might have more in common than you might think by the time the evening winds down. The front page of the News Sentinel on Friday carried a big article about the fact that Sundown in the City is no more – then Saturday night we tried our very Knoxville best to duplicate all the reasons we ended Sundown. More on Sundown in a later post, but on Saturday I decided to wade into the melee and find out what this Irish celebration is really all about.

Friends out for a night on the Square, Knoxville, March 2012

Crowd for Ian Thomas, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Knoxville

First on Market Square I ran into our very own bronze statue guy! I don’t remember seeing him before and we felt like such a grown up city for a second or two! The crowd was fun and growing. People walked about in their subtle and not-so-subtle green outfits chugging green beer from very large souvenir glasses like one might expect in Las Vegas or New Orleans. Look at us drink like the big city!

Ian Thomas, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square Stage, Knoxville

Yes, we are men and we wear dresses. What?

Ian Thomas, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square Stage, Knoxville

Ian Thomas had the early shift on the Market Square stage and, as I’ve said before, brings to the stage one of the best country voices in the city. The crowd had started to build. You can judge for yourself from the photograph, but I would guess around 2,000 were paying attention and the patios of every establishment around the square was packed and waiting lists were building.

Ian Thomas, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square Stage, Knoxville

Boyd’s Jig and Reel, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Knoxville

After Ian’s set I walked to the Old City where a Pub Crawl was building. I stopped by Urban Bar and Grill which I will discuss further in a subsequent post. As you might expect on such a night, the crowds were large all around the Old City and particularly at Boyd’s Jig and Reel. It appeared there was a line of people waiting outside who were waiting to be admitted as others left because the space was at capacity.

Crowne and Goose, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Knoxville

I walked down Central Street toward the Crowne and Goose which is, of course, a English pub, but found the same situation there: They could let no one in until someone left. I don’t remember seeing this in Knoxville and this was the second spot on the block and it wasn’t the last place I saw it that night.

Cutthroat Shamrock, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square, Knoxville

Crowd for Cutthroat Shamrock, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Knoxville

Cutthroat Shamrock, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square, Knoxville

Back on Market Square to listening to some of Cutthroat Shamrock‘s set, I found and found the crowd had swollen tremendously. I’m guessing six to seven thousand were slamming around to the sounds of the Irish-punk band. I tried to get into Blue Coast Burrito to take a picture of the crowd from their Margarita Loft and – you guessed it – they were not admitting anyone due to over-crowding.

Cutthroat Shamrock, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square, Knoxville

The band worked the increasingly drunken crowd and as I wandered through them toward Union Avenue, I wondered how different this crowd and event really was from Sundown in the City. Roaming teenagers dropped off by parents? Check. Drunken crowds stumbling about? Check. Jamming Music? Too large a crowd for the space? Check. Sure, they wore more green and a larger portion of the men wore skirts, but otherwise, I’m not seeing much difference.

Revelers on Market Square, St. Patrick’s Day 2012

Senior Revelers, St. Patrick’s Day 2012, Market Square, Knoxville

Prettiest Irish Girl of the Night!

It was fun, it was festive, but by the time they stumbled home, well, many of them stumbled. I drank a cup of coffee at Coffee and Chocolate and watched them slowly fade into the night. It was a fun night and I hope everyone got home safely. I can’t imagine it was any more appealing to the merchants who are happy Sundown ended.

It was good people watching for me and I hope you enjoyed the pictures, as well.

Filed Under: Boyd's Jig and Reel, Crowne and Goose, Cutthroat Shamrock, Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, Ian Thomas, Market Square, Old City, St. Patrick's Day

Sort of a Post/Tweet and a Clue about a Cool New Business

Posted on March 17, 2012 Written by KnoxvilleUrbanGuy Leave a Comment

Market Square ready for St. Patrick’s Day

I don’t normally throw anything out on a Saturday, but a couple of things caught my attention that I thought I’d mention in short form. There are two events running downtown tonight in connection with St. Patrick’s Day. Live music and men in skirts will be featured on Market Square, along with the usual face-painting and beer sales, etc. Ian Thomas is singing and I really think he has one of the best voices in town. Cutthroat Shamrock is also playing, and while they aren’t my usual cup of tea, maybe they would be yours.

Pub Crawl starts in the Old City

There is also a pub crawl running from the Old City to Gay Street and back. Eight dollars gets you into nine bars and I guess that must be pretty Irish.

Finally, on this beautiful Saturday, I will tell you that I have big news for a cool new business that I’ll report on Monday. Very exciting. Here’s a clue:

“On Gay Street the traffic lights are stilled. The trollyrails gleam in their beds and a late car passes with a long slish of tires. In the long arcade of the bus station footfalls come back like laughter. He marches darkly toward his darkly marching shape in the glass of the depot door. His fetch come up from life’s other side like an autoscopic hallucination, Suttree and Antisuttree, hand reaching to the hand.”

Check back on Monday.

Filed Under: Cutthroat Shamrock, Ian Thomas, Market Square, Mystery Business, Old City, Pub Crawl, St. Patrick's Day, Suttree

Boyd’s Jig and Reel – Plus: Blue Mother Tupelo

Posted on February 15, 2012 Written by KnoxvilleUrbanGuy 8 Comments

Boyd’s Jig and Reel, Old City, Knoxville, January 2012

I’ve been hanging onto the shots I took of Blue Mother Tupelo last month, but hadn’t found the right moment to work them in. In the meantime, I took a second visit to Boyd’s Jig and Reel and I have to say the place is really growing on me.

Boyd’s Jig and Reel, Old City, Knoxville, January 2012

I’d stepped in once before just to take the couple of interior shots you see here. I posted them before. I was impressed with the look of the place and the comfortable seating, with couches and soft chairs arranged to form cozy little areas of their own and small tables in their vicinity for food or drinks. Of course, there is bar seating on both sides, with a bar just large enough to hold a plate along one wall on one side and the full bar on the other. Booth seating is also available on the bar side.

Boyd’s Jig and Reel, Old City, Knoxville, January 2012

A very nice, slightly raised stage sits at one end of the room with the small bar. It was there that Blue Mother Tupelo played the second time I visited Boyd’s. I had an excellent meal, as well. I had the Smoked Salmon ($13), which is described as “Fresh salmon cured with a light smoke. Served with cream cheese, red onions, and capers on fresh baked artisan bread.” It was even better than it sounded and it filled me up without feeling as if I’d over-eaten.

Ricky Davis of Blue Mother Tupelo

Micol Davis of Blue Mother Tupelo at Boyd’s Jig and Reel

The third time was for drinks on a Friday night, but I decided to also try the seafood chowder which I really enjoyed. On that occasion I was there on a Friday around 6:00. It was late enough that a festive crowd had gathered, but early enough that it wasn’t extremely loud. Shaft and I enjoyed talking to JC behind the bar and generally hanging out on a Friday after a long week at work.