DAY 2 - FRIDAY - KNOXVILLE, TN

Knoxville, TN

First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the original capital of Tennessee until 1817 when it was moved to Murfreesboro.  Located in Knox County, Knoxville is the third largest city in the state with a population around 180,000. 

During the Civil War, the city was bitterly divided over the secession issue, and was occupied alternately by both Confederate and Union armies.  Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major wholesaling and manufacturing center. The city's economy stagnated after the 1920s as the manufacturing sector collapsed, the Downtown area declined, and city leaders became entrenched in highly partisan political fights.

Hosting the 1982 World's Fair helped reinvigorate the city, and revitalization initiatives by city leaders and private developers have had major successes in spurring growth in the city, especially the downtown area.

University of Tennessee

Knoxville is also home to the University of Tennessee Volunteers.  Founded in 1794, the university has an undergrad enrollment of just over 21,000. Some of the notable graduates of the University of Tennessee include: author Alex Haley, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient James Buchanan and former Dallas Cowboy Bill Bates.

DAY 2

Terry and Styx, who evidently get up with Willard Scott every morning, let me sleep until about 9.  We loaded up the rental car, merged into the flow of traffic on I-40 E and arrived in Knoxville two and a half hours and a time change later.

 

TERRY AND THE OAS AT CALHOUN'S

After throwing our bag in the room, we headed down to a place called Calhoun’s On the River www.calhouns.com  I don’t know, maybe people in Knoxville are tired of this place, or they think it sucks, but I thought the place was awesome.  It had a huge deck (careful how you say that) and as the name might suggest, was located on the river, about ¾ of a mile from Neyland Stadium. The place was packed with Sooners by a ratio of about 8-1 the entire weekend.

 

CALHOUN'S ON THE RIVER - W/ NEYLAND STADIUM IN THE BACKGROUND

After spending most the day at Calhoun’s, we decided to take a tour to get the lay of the land. Campus was nice, handsome, but not pretty by any means.  At OU, Styx and I were both members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity…so when we saw the Delt Tennessee chapter, Styx decided to go in and chat the guys up as to where the best places to go that night.  While I can’t say enough about how friendly and welcoming the Tennessee fan base was, the same can’t be said for the UT Delt Chapter.  The only people that didn’t ignore Styx, were the ones who asked him to leave.

THE UT DELT HOUSE - NOT SO FRIENDLY BROTHERS

After the hour or so tour, we moved up the hill from Calhoun’s for cocktails and dinner at Ruth’s Chris, which also looked out over the river.

RUTH'S CHRIS

About 8:30, we headed down to a place called Market Square.  If I were a member of the chamber of commerce, I would describe Market Square as “an eclectic blend of culinary delights with music, performers, niche shops and gallery walks. Adjacent to the scenic Krutch Park, Market Square is a place for all ages…but since I’m not the chamber…

DON'T LET THE PICTURE FOOL YOU...BRING A WEAPON AND EAR PLUGS

I’d describe Market Square to be…an eclectic blend of weirdo’s, with live music that makes you start losing the will to live, shops with nothing you’d ever buy, and places you’d walk only if you have your own personal security. The only reason you'd bring a child down here is because you needed a public place to exchange them for the ransom.

When Styx went to use one of the port-a-pot’s located in the square, he pulled open the door to find the largest, wide-eyed black man I’ve ever seen staring him down, and then threaten to kill him.  The bar we bellied up in, Preservation Pub, would’ve reminded me of a half-way house…if a half-way house had scarier looking people.  I wanted to leave the minute I saw the 400 lbs. voodoo fortune teller who was slumped against the wall.  Look, it’s not like I’m a bar rookie, as much time as I spend in bars, I should be receiving my mail at one of them, but this place wasn’t for the faint of heart…and that was before the live music started.

 

PLEASE GET ME THE HELL OUT OF THIS PLACE

Of course, Styx is ordering Fireball shots like they’re chick-lets…which would’ve been fine if I could’ve poured them in my ears…because the music was making my ears bleed.  Minutes after Styx picked up on the fact that I’d rather eat a bullet than listen to this shit, he buys me the band's CD and a t-shirt "Funk is Alive"...I just wish I wasn't.

Then he says to me...“Hey, the good news is, when your phone starts playing video’s in the middle of their next set, no one will hear it or care.”

Somebody please ask them to play Free Bird.