Fri
Jun 6 2008
03:38 pm
Knoxville in NY Times Today
By: Bill Lyons

FYI.. Knoxville got a nice write up in Today's Travel Section of the NY Times (link...), although I am not familiar with "The Couch" to describe our city. Check out the slide show too. There are mentions of lots of local businesses, Yee Haw, Mast General, Magpies, Crown and Goose, Preservation Pub, Vagabondia, Tomato Head, Littons, Farmers Market,etc. and our great jewel.. WDVX. No mention of the South Knoxville rodeo, though.

Pretty good for our scruffy city on the river. First Friday is tonight. Come on down. It has turned into one great event. If you haven't been by all means come down. Plenty of free parking in the garages.

Topics:
lovable liberal's picture

And here I always thought

Submitted by lovable liberal on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 5:51pm.

And here I always thought that Knoxville was a nice place to live but you wouldn't want to visit there. (Except on the way to the Smokies.)

Liberty and justice for all.

My home

Konaville's picture

WARNING

Submitted by Konaville (not verified) on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 6:09pm.

Be advised, Knoxville.
captainkona will be invading your town on Sunday the 8th.

Please remember to lock your doors, hide the UT cheerleaders, and bring me burnt offerings in a gesture of respect, reverence and recognition for the blogging genius that you all enjoy so.
Of course, you know what I mean by Burnt Offerings ;-]_~

BTW, how close is the airport to I-40 and where's a good place to have lunch?
I've got a friend coming in from ugly-ass Arizona and he needs some Southern Food instead of those tacos and shit they all eat out there.

This is not a drill.

mjw's picture

Which I-40?

Submitted by mjw on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 7:38pm.

It's in two parts now. ;-)

Really, though, you can get to I-40 two ways, either take I-140 (Pellissippi Parkway) to far west Knox County around Lovell Road, or Alcoa Highway into town near the University. Either way is about a 15-20 minute drive.

For meat and three, there are a passel of Cracker Barrels around, but my favorite hole in the wall (Gracie's in Alcoa) is closed on Sunday. For upscale southern, you might try Puleo's Grill on Cedar Bluff at I-40.

Konaville's picture

:)

Submitted by Konaville (not verified) on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 7:49pm.

Thank you.

I guess I mean the I-40 I catch off the 81 S.
Coming from Bristol.

I'm somewhat familiar with the area around the bus station but that's all I know about Knoxville.
But hey, knowing where one's going takes all the fun out of an invasion. ;)

Been eight years since I came that way.

"Puleo's Grill on Cedar Bluff at I-40"
Perfect, thanx again.

mjw's picture

The Hard Way

Submitted by mjw on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 9:21pm.

Ouch. You picked the "can't get there from here" direction to come from.

I-640, which is the I-40 bypass, takes you way out of the way from the airport. Instead, stay on I-40, and exit where it dead ends into Hall of Fame drive. Turn left off of the exit. Just past Summitt Hill Avenue you can turn right from Hall of Fame onto the James White Parkway going the opposite direction from the one you are traveling. You can then follow a temporary entrance ramp back onto I-40 westbound and follow the signs for Alcoa Hwy/Airport/Hwy 129.

Google and Mapquest have not been updated for the break in I-40, but you can look at them for alternate suggestions, if you feel adventurous. One nice route is to take Hall of Fame to the Neyland Drive entrance ramp and go around by the river.

Good luck.

Rachel's picture

Man, I wouldn't screw around

Submitted by Rachel on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 10:15pm.

Man, I wouldn't screw around with that I40 mess. Take the HOF to Neyland Drive route around town. Eventually you'll see signs for the airport and 129S (Alcoa Highway), but basically you stay on Neyland to Kingston Pike, take a right and then the right lane beomes an onramp to 129 - and on directly to the airport.

bizgrrl's picture

81 S from Bristol. Take I-40

Submitted by bizgrrl on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 5:22am.

81 S from Bristol.

Take I-40 W, I-640 W, approx. 12 miles on I-140 (Pellissippi) to Maryville/Alcoa, right on Alcoa Hwy (US 129) about a mile, the airport is right there.

Taking this route you will have passed Cedar Bluff so you will know how to get back, I-140 (Pellissippi), I-40 East, Cedar Bluff. Right on Cedar Bluff, almost an immediate left on Peters Road.

Nobody's picture

Puleo's upscale?

Submitted by Nobody (not verified) on Sat, 2009/08/01 - 7:39am.

Puleo's upscale? Thats like comparing Andre champange to Dom Perignon

redmondkr's picture

There's another Puleo's at

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2008/06/06 - 8:07pm.

There's another Puleo's at the Straw Plains exit of I-40 before you get into town. It should be easier to find. Westbound you will see it on your left.


Visit us at

The Home

Pam Strickland's picture

I like Rachel's directions

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 8:31am.

I like Rachel's directions best. And there are many more, and some would say better, places to get Southern food other than Puleo's.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

mjw's picture

And there are many more, and

Submitted by mjw on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 11:08am.

And there are many more, and some would say better, places to get Southern food other than Puleo's.

The trick is to find one that's open on Sunday. In South Knoxville, Downtown, and Blount County I can't think of anything that serves Southern food (not counting breakfast) on Sunday other than Cracker Barrel in Maryville. I'm not as familiar with East, North or South.

Michael's picture

Simple enough

Submitted by Michael on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 11:17am.

Don't know why no one's mentioned it. But getting off at the Asheville Highway exit and following it onto Magnolia will get you straight to Chandler's.

And they're open Sundays.
~m.

Bill Lyons's picture

Uhh.... what about the article?

Submitted by Bill Lyons on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 11:27am.

My first reaction was - "Hey, this thread got hijacked." But on further reflection taking it to Chandler's is consistent with the article - comfortably ensconced on the couch.

Bbeanster's picture

OK, Bill -- you ever heard

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 12:21pm.

OK, Bill -- you ever heard anybody call Knoxville "the couch"?

Bill Lyons's picture

Tongue in cheek intent

Submitted by Bill Lyons on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 1:58pm.

OK, Bill -- you ever heard anybody call Knoxville "the couch"?

Actually, as I said in my original post that started this thread, I never had until I read the article. A bunch of us have been puzzling on that one for a while, especially since the author is pretty familiar with Knoxville. My comment was intended to continue to play on the strangeness of that. Still a pretty fine cheerleader-worthy article, I would maintain, despite that bit of bizarreness.

Bbeanster's picture

Yep. That town looks like a

Submitted by Bbeanster on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 2:12pm.

Yep.
That town looks like a pretty darn good place to visit.
Wouldn't it be cool to take a week's vacation and go do all that stuff?
And seriously, I've lived here my whole life long, except for a couple of sojourns elsewhere, and never have I called it or heard it called the couch.
In fact, at my grandmother's house where I spent the first four years of my life, we didn't even call the couch the couch because my grandmother always used to call it the davenport.

Bill Lyons's picture

Inside joke?

Submitted by Bill Lyons on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 3:00pm.

It is not exactly Jason Blair level stuff. But given her familiarity with the town, and the fact of the insight and accuracy in the rest of the article, the more I think about it the more the only conclusion left is that Ms. Glock is having some fun with an inside joke among a handful of people. Maybe our reaction is part of the fun.

None of us would ever do anything like that!

Pam Strickland's picture

This makes sense to me. I'd

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 6:39pm.

This makes sense to me. I'd sure never heard it, but I recognized the essence of the meaning. Still, truly weird.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

GDrinnen2's picture

Cheerleader

Submitted by GDrinnen2 on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 7:10pm.

"Still a pretty fine cheerleader-worthy article, I would maintain,"

Wow, I'm slow. I've been meaning to ask you about the cheerleader photo for a long time now, but I always seem to forget. Always the clever guy. . . . .

Rachel's picture

Thanks, Pam. Actually if it

Submitted by Rachel on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 11:25am.

Thanks, Pam. Actually if it were me, I wouldn't even do that. I'd get off I40 at Asheville Highway, take Magnolia in to Winona. Take Winona/Harriet Tubman to MLK/Hill. Follow that around all the way past C/C Bldg to Walnut. Down to Neyland etc.

That keeps you from getting in any possible backups on I40 or HOF. But it seemed like too much to explain to somebody who doesn't know Knoxville.

Pam Strickland's picture

I don't know all those

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 6:36pm.

I don't know all those streets, and I live here, so you're probably right about splainin' to a nonresident.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

jbr's picture

What about I-81 south/I-40

Submitted by jbr on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 9:28am.

What about I-81 south/I-40 west/Strawberry Plains exit/Strawberry Plains to John Sevier Highway/John Sevier to Alcoa Highway

There is a Puleo's at Straw Plains exit I think

or

I-81/I-40 west/Asheville Highway east exit/Asheville highway/John Sevier Highway to Alcoa Highway

Rachel's picture

I hate driving on John

Submitted by Rachel on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 11:22am.

I hate driving on John Sevier Highway. Seems like somebody's always getting killed out there. But yeah, that will get you there.

StaceyDiamond's picture

First Friday on the "Couch"

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 2:49pm.

I've seen some very interesting art during First Fridays, its a great event. I've lived here most of my life and have never heard the term "Couch." I get over columnists and their lame slogans, local columnists and writers do it too. You can't even read a story on murder in the Sentinel without cutesy slogans thrown in.

StaceyDiamond's picture

Glock

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 2:51pm.

I think Glock wrote for the MP years ago.

R. Neal's picture

Couch mystery

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2008/06/07 - 4:32pm.

Couch mystery solved?

(link...)

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