Sorry for the light blogging around here lately. As you may be aware B and I have been moving into our new place in Fourth and Gill, so the free time has been scarce. I spent Saturday moving the bulk of my stuff to the new place (the one that's requiring B and I to take up lawn care as a hobby), leaving behind West Knoxville, which I've called home for nearly two years now.
Despite the impression the Wigshop may have given you, I actually kind of like West Knoxville. Sure, there's plenty not to like such as the traffic on Kingston Pike between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., but there's something to be said for the comforts and conveniences that line Kingston. There's plenty of character to be had in the heart of Bearden, albeit character I couldn't always afford.
Still, the front porches and sidewalks of North Knoxville and the prospect of living with B lured me away from the west side. I love our new home, but there are a few things I will miss about the old one. Like seeing the Arby's sign at night as I either crested Bearden Hill or rounded the corner at Papermill. It's been like a beacon to me. When I would see the call of delicious roast beef after a long day on the job or a late night out, I knew I was nearly to my Deane Hill home. I've yet to discover a similar beacon for my new home.
None of the other cities I've lived in had the gigantic Arby's hat signs, so the Arby's hat to me means Knoxville.
Thanks for being a good home for the past two years, West Knoxville. I promise not to be too much of a stranger.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Like beacon shining bright
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20 comments:
I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and believe it or not, one of my earliest memories is the huge Arby's hat on Concord Pike, which is almost identical to Kingston in every way.
I don't know that Wilmington and Knoxville have anything in common other then the hat actually, but it is a recognizable landmark in either place.
You're not too far from a big Arby's hat even now. There's one on Magnolia.
we'll have to find another beacon for you. maybe when you near home, there will be a stream flowing down the street from our kitchen, or Juicy can be waiting at the top of the hill. We'll think of something.
isn't there an arby's hat on chapman highway?
We need to convince Everything Mushrooms to invest in a huge mushroom shaped neon sign to attract business. That would be a beacon. Indeed.
that's a wonderful idea.
if they ever tear that sign down i'll cry. (or any other neon 10 gallon hat in town)
oh and.
only if the freezo had incorporated neon... that would rock my socks.
I remember the big Arby's hat from when I was a kid in the seventies, but Arby's quit using them for several years. I was very happy when they started using them again. It was also just recently that I got the "joke" of their name. ("Arby's" equals "R.B.'s" equals "Roast Beef".) Now if they would just start making Taco-flavored Doritos again. And seafood and crab subs at Subway.
I never knew how clever the Arby's founders were. Amazing.
"America's Roast Beef Yes Sir" was one of their slogans in the seventies and early eighties.
Arby's roast beef sandwich - is delicious!!
Depending on your route home, the likely beacon on Broadway may be the homeless-lined street in front of the salvation army thrift store or other ministries.
Pianoman: There's also one not too far up Broadway.
B: We should try that stream running from the kitchen some time. I
Ben: That's a fantastic idea. I'm going to speak to them about that.
I never expected to learn so much about Arby's in doing this post. Thanks, friends!
Does Bearden even technically qualify as West Knoxville? It doesn't seem fair that "West Knoxville" should stretch all the way from Bearden to Farragut. I think we should gerrymander Bearden.
Bearden traditionally is considered part of West Knoxville, yes. My dad, who attended UT in the early '70s, likes to remind me every time he comes to town that at that time there was no life around or beyond the brand spankin' new West Town Mall.
In the same vein, is North Knoxville really north? It's all relative, I suppose.
the local apartment finding websites classify bearden as such.
ha.
Yep, there is one right up the road from 4th & Gill on Broadway in Fountain City.
http://tinyurl.com/luzzsm
Perhaps the flashing blue lights of city police cars will be your beacon in that part of town.
ha - perfect!
I just move to Knoxville this weekend, from Athens GA. Until last week the Arby's in Athens still had it's giant hat, but it was torn down for "renovations" I'm glad to know that my new home town has a giant hat!
True story:
My freshman year roommate (Wes) and I almost got in a fight with a redneck at the Bearden Arby's during freshman orientation. He thought Wes was ogling his girlfriend. He also expressed his hate for Wes' "faggy" cub scout shirt. It was, quite literally, our introduction to Knoxville.
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