Beginning of the End

In May I move on to the next section of my life. The past five years have been fantastic. I have experienced so much personal growth in Knoxville. I have made friends that I will have for the rest of my life and have gotten to enjoy how great this city is. I leave this place, in many ways, different from when I came. The city has changed so much over the last few years. Looking back on my journey through school, or even just at my introduction/bio post for the wigshop I can see more clearly how the little quirks make Knoxville (at least the areas that I lived/enjoyed/listened) great. Originally I looked and saw tall(ish) buildings and assumed that something cool happened "down there". I was delighted to find the Pilot Light and Old City Java quickly in my first year here and have since spent countless hours in both fantastic establishments.

Recently I decided to read Suttree by Cormac McCarthy. It wasn't that I was unwilling to read it, I just wanted to save it for something special. That something special has become the end of my sojourn in Knoxville. I leave very soon and having taken an entire class on the works of James Agee it had to be Suttree and it could only end this way. Most of the places that have been formative for me in Knoxville have been places that I can read, talk to friends, or just relax. I decided that I wanted to read the book in a few of my favorite Knoxville spots and that my reading would be a good way to say farewell. Intermittently over the next few weeks (graduation for me is on May 11 and I plan on biking to campus in my robes and finishing it before I walk across the stage and move away) I will be posting my favorite places. Nothing overwhelming, just places that are important to me and why.

The first place is Old City Java. Old City Java has been my second home. B wrote a love letter in an earlier post. Now it is my turn. As a college student is apt to do, I moved a whole lot in the last five years. I never had an office (except for my favorite graduate carrell in Hodges Library, and that was frequently taken) so when I need(ed) to work Old City Java was the place. It was where I went to actually get work done and drink really great coffee while doing it. Meg and Shaun bought Old City Java a few years ago and brought about really great changes. The building is brighter and more welcoming. The alley (pictured above) has been a nice, recent development. They started serving Counter Culture Coffee which can be read about here. They also happen to be fantastic people who are passionate about coffee. They go on trips to learn about coffee. They are proud coffee nerds. It is refreshing to see people that are really passionate about something. Note: Being disaffected or too cool is lame. I love it there because you can tell that they are passionate about what they do. If you have never been, please go and check it out. It is far and away the best coffee shop in town. Enjoy the day, maybe go grab some coffee at Old City Java (109 S. Central Ave. Knoxville, TN 37902) and soak in the recent bout of great weather we have been having.