Home is where the heart is. That’s what they say.
I’ve lived in the Nashville area for almost seven years now, but I grew up in a small East Tennessee town called Clinton. Clinton is one of those funny little places with small town drama, sleepy Saturday mornings, enough antique shops to choke a mule, and a quirky charm all its own. Nestled in the Tennessee Valley along the Clinch River, it’s just a stone’s throw from Knoxville, another town dear to my heart, having gone to school at the University of Tennessee. Go Vols.
One of my old friends got married yesterday, and for the first time in my entire life, I had a “plus one” to accompany me. I asked my girlfriend, Madison, if she would be willing to come with me and make a whole day trip out of it. Just like every other hair-brained idea I come up with, Madison thought it was a good one.
Madison is from Connecticut, but she’s actually been in Nashville longer than I have, just not long enough to lose her Northern accent and stop receiving all the “You ain’t from ‘round here, err you?” comments from us rare Tennessee natives. Even though she’s been in Nashville a long time now, she hadn’t made her way to East Tennessee to explore yet, so I took it upon myself to show her around.
We stopped in Clinton first. To be honest, there are times I miss the mountains, the valleys, and the rivers of East Tennessee so bad my heart aches. I feel like my blood is in the clay soil there, and I wanted to show Madison this magical place. Always the good sport, she “oohed” and “ahhed” over all the places I pointed at and stories that went with them. And always the foodie, she leaned heavily on me to come up with a good local place to eat (absolutely no chain restaurants were allowed on this trip).
Enter Hoskins Drug Store.
As I struggled to think of a place, Hoskins popped in my head like a kernel of Orville Redenbocher, and I was suddenly so excited I nearly scared Madison. Hoskins is an old-fashioned drug store with a soda fountain, oozing with stories from every dusty corner. We ordered some burgers and onion rings and seated ourselves in one of the ancient red vinyl-clad booths that demanded good posture. Having just driven two-and-a-half hours, I needed to visit the facilities, which took me past some old wooden phone booths in the back by the medicine counter. I smiled as I envisioned a man in a felt hat slipping a dime into an old pay phone, and then walked on briskly because I drank too much water in the car.
Madison cheesin’ hard as I snap a picture from the booth in Hoskins. iPhone 13 Pro.
A pimento cheese-infused Hoskins burger with onion rings. iPhone 13 Pro.
The burgers were phenomenal. The beef was crisp, cooked on a griddle seasoned with nearly 100 years of love and clogged arteries. Madison decided it was worth the hype.
We had to eat fast to get to the wedding on time, so Madison got her dress and heels and went into Hoskin’s bathroom to change, while I did my best Clark Kent costume change in the driver’s seat of my Corolla, sideways glances from passersby included. We made it to Knoxville for the wedding with fifteen minutes to spare.
Once again, Madison was a champ for watching all these strangers from my old church hug my neck, and letting me introduce her to inquisitive friends over and over again. We made lots of small talk, some not-so-small talk, watched hardened men sob at the sight of the beautiful bride, and ate some cake before making our exit.
When you forget to take a real selfie, car selfie’s are the next best thing. Madison and the author in the author’s car. iPhone 13 Pro.
With our appetite for extroversion exhausted, we piled into the car once again and headed for downtown Knoxville. I showed her UT campus first, showed her where my geography lectures were, my old professor’s offices, the building I failed chemistry in, and so on. Then we decided to stretch our legs and walk around World’s Fair Park.
When I first described the Sunsphere to Madison, she had never heard of it, and didn’t understand why or how a giant golden ball on a stick was placed so prominently on Knoxville’s skyline. It’s a strange thing, to be sure, but explaining that it was part of the 1982 World’s Fair helped a little bit. Nevertheless, she was impressed seeing it in person.
Madison at the base of the Sunsphere. iPhone 13 Pro.
Madison thought it would be funny to return fire while the author photographed her. Photo courtesy of Madison.
After the Sunsphere, we walked around in Knoxville’s charming downtown for a while, snapping photos and seeing the sights. A random stranger asked me what kind of camera I was shooting with. Then I saw another guy walking around with what looked like a film camera, so I decided to pass the friendliness on. That’s how we met Steve and Caitlin from the U.K., who were lovely to talk to, there on holiday in the States after a wedding in New Jersey. Steve and I talked film photography for a while, followed each other on Instagram, and incited snide remarks from Caitlin and Madison, who impatiently waited for us to finish geeking out.
Thus ended our trek through Knoxville. It was time for pizza.
Meat lover’s pizza from Big Ed’s. iPhone 13 Pro.
When I told my mom and sister that we were going to East Tennessee, they wasted no time in telling me “You’ve gotta take her to Big Ed’s”. Madison had looked up some places to eat almost the instant I told her about the trip, but I had to steer her in a different direction, towards this dive pizza joint in Oak Ridge. She looked it up as soon as I told her about it, and loved the look of it.
If you haven’t been to Big Ed’s in Oak Ridge (and you either live in East Tennessee, are visiting East Tennessee, or are on excellent terms with a Door Dash driver), you need to go. The atmosphere is wonderful, a dark room with photos, bowling trophies, little league plaques and vintage advertisements enough to look at for days, not to mention the tables and chairs that have seen the butts of countless loyal patrons since 1970. There’s just something in that pizza sauce.
Big Ed’s Atmosphere. iPhone 13 Pro.
It was a perfect trip. I got to see old friends, Madison got to see a piece of where I came from, and we both got to eat some dang good local food. We couldn’t believe we managed to squeeze it all in, having left home without a well-defined itinerary and lots of things on our list to see. I guess she was a fan, because she’s already talking about going back, which is no skin off my back.
Home is where the heart is.