Why I'm Here

I heard a rumor about a month ago that the Wigshoppers may want to recruit me. My nerd alarm started sounding. The past year of my life has been spent in part perusing the pages of the Wigshop blog while getting my start as a photographer. I can't blame my lack of early photographic stardom on the Wigshop but wonder how many hours I have invested as a reader. It feels good to be a writer on the (second) Best Blog in Knoxville!

I graduated from the University of Tennessee last December with a business degree in logistics. Despite the good job prospects for a young logistician I decided to pursue my other love, photography. You will probably see me around town with a camera and some lighting gear at some point. That is, if you don't see me reading the Wigshop first! You will also begin to see more photos of our great little city on this blog. That is why I am here.

In light of Big B's introductory post, here are 5 reasons why I love Knoxville. (and in no particular order)

1. Sports: Yes I said it. I'm a UT sports fan. I grew up spending my Saturdays at Neyland Stadium looking up in awe at the size of the place while singing Rocky Top. In college and even now, I make part of my living photographing UT football and basketball. It is fun and I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my weekends.

2. Food: Somewhere there is a statistic that says Knoxville has more restaurants per capita than any other city in America. I can believe that. Whether stuffing my face at Nama, Silver Spoon, Tomato Head, La Costa, Pasta Trio, Barley's, Naples, The Orangery (not on my dime!), Long's Drug Store, Soccer Taco, etc. I will never feel the need for a great place to eat. Knoxville knows where it's at when it comes to food. Next stop, Chandler's.

3. Venues: The Bijou Theater, Tennessee Theater, Market Square, Barley's, World's Fair Park, World Grotto, WDVX Blue Plate Special and a few others have one thing in common... they are all great places to catch a show. It doesn't matter if I am looking for the everybodyfields or some Shakespeare on the Square, I am never disappointed. If I had all the money in the world I would spend most of my evenings at one of those locations.

4. Beer: With the advent of the Knoxville Brewers' Jam just on the horizon I can't help but think about beer. Knoxville is a great place to grab a pint (or whatever measurement you prefer). Crown and Goose, Pres Pub, Downtown Grill and Brewery, and Union Jacks are a few of the great places to grab a beer. Many memorable (and not so memorable) nights have been spent on the back porch at Barley's. Oh and I can't forget about the newest place to quench your thirst, The Skybox at the Sunsphere. aka Wigshop HQ.

5. Revitalization: I know that this topic has been discussed at length on this blog, but I have to mention it. I'll keep this one short by saying that I'm very excited to see what downtown will look like in 10 years.

Now you know me. Oh and Max is a pseudonym if you have not caught that yet. It stems from the place I like to call "Heaven on Earth" (aka Max Patch) up there on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The photo above is from Max Patch. And if you are interested here is some other stuff I do. So there ya go.