Running short on time this weekend so we chose a less time consuming venue for hiking…urban hiking.
Our Saturday morning trek was mapped by John and included a course around UT and Fort Sanders. We parked near Neyland Drive and were “on the street” by 8:30 am. Beginning at the base of The Hill on the campus of the University of Tennessee, we hiked up and down the steps between the buildings, making a circle around The Hill. Next we took in the Fort Sanders neighborhood slowing down occasionally to absorb the changes in this transitioning area. We looked at once elegant homes, now crumbling with disrepair under negligent owners and student tenant’s. We contrasted this to the brand new, massive apartment buildings that rob the neighborhood of character. We even stole into a small courtyard located in the center of an old brick apartment complex to look at the old fashion concrete fountain and bright summer flowers (we never knew this piece of tranquility existed).
The last leg of our hike took us into the neighborhood behind “The Strip” (across from Fort Sanders), where we paused on Terrace Avenue to look at the home of Jane Smith. Jane, a long-time friend of the family, passed away several years ago. Jane was a guiding force for me at different times in my life and I have avoided her house since it was turned over to the University. I was surprised to see that it still looks residential. Several houses in the neighborhood have been torn down to make way for new University buildings and I suspect Jane’s is not far behind:-( This is another reminder that change is constant.
We continued in the direction of the car, pausing to peek in the window of the Jerusalem Grocery (ground level of Shelbourne Towers) and walking backwards on the new Plaza at the Clarence Brown Theater to read the series of bronze tiles depicting the history of UT. The entire hike took about 1.45 hours and provided us with a great workout and an interesting morning.
This morning we went out again, this time on a hiking course selected by me. We parked at Calhouns and hiked from the waterfront to the end of Gay Street and from Gay Street to Henley Street, winding our way through the city. Along the way, we looked at architecture we had never noticed before, gazed in windows of downtown galleries that were new to us and looked wistfully in the lobby doors of renovated condominiums. This hike was shorter, only an hour. We ended the morning with breakfast at Market Square Grill. Although I was not happy with the food we were served several weeks ago, we ordered blueberry pancakes and were pleased with the meal. Another great morning exploring our city!
