Englishman settling in Tennessee
Ten days into my time in Knoxville, I have met many good people, found a lovely one bedroom flat in a pretty amazing neighbourhood, been to Walmart, and met some of my fiction cohort. It's been a good introduction to Tennessee.
This is Remedy coffee shop:
Nice, right?
Househunting, I travelled all over north Knoxville, the restored historic neighbourhood Fourth and Gill, the somewhat less pretty streets of East Knoxville, and looked at apartments on the edge of UT's campus. Without a car, I was reliant on buses, my legs, and a potential bicycle, and I was leery of paying a lot, being rather short of money. I called people on Craigslist and met estate agents.
Just as I was going to accept a half-way good place just outside of the far side of campus, figuring I would live there cheaply during my busy first year, then move somewhere more central to downtown once I knew the city better, the estate agent I was about to sign with mentioned they had a one bedroom place in Maplehurst Court. Did I want to look at it.
My future fiction teacher, the highly esteemed Michael Knight, had previously recomended this tiny hilltop community, nestled right on the edge of both campus and downtown. It was the perfect location for a man without a car. And the apartment I was offered was cheap and a great size for one person. I can't completely believe my luck. I have come to the South without a car and can now walk to almost everywhere in central Knoxville.
More on Maplehurst's strange story soon. Here a few initial pictures:
This weekend, I go to the mountains for a wood-cabin birthday party, seeing friends from UNO's conference in Scotland. I return and orientation for my Phd begins, and a week after that, the term begins.
Best wishes,
Daniel
It looks like a lovely neighborhood. Enjoy!
Southerners are notorious for having strong accents. Can U understand them and can they understand U? Your apt building looks great and U should be happy and comfortable there.
I like the architecture. Good Luck!
@ Peregrine: Southerners do tend toward strong regional dialect and inflections. But just as the folk music of the region, called Blue Grass, sound remarkably Irish, the regional dialects have a certain Gaelic character. Welcome to Knoxville, Daniel.
Hi Debbie, welcome to the blog. I’m adjusting to the city little by little. Soon I’ll be sleeping through the thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms? I’ve never learned to sleep through them. My husband can sleep through a tornado–literally. He’s a native.
On the subject of accents: Last night in a bar, I tried to order a pint of “Harp.”
“Harp. Harp. The beer, Harp.”
The woman next to me eventually said it herself, and the bartender sighed, “I thought you were saying “Hop.”
Mr. Wallace: Are U sure he didn’t say: “Ah thut U wuz sayin hup.”
Mr. Wallace: Are all of the females, esp. waitstaff, etc. calling U “Honey”?
Welcome to Knoxville, it’s a wonderful city and I hope it treats you well!