Tennessee (10/24/17)

After a #blessed time in DC I ventured on to my next stop, Tennessee. I first headed to Knoxville to meet up with my college friend Alan, and then spent a day in Nashville. Thanks Alan for hosting me!

Some highlights:

• Coolest chemistry lab
• Best BBQ
• Best hot chicken

Knoxville

Peroxygen Systems

My first order of business was to visit Alan at work. Alan recently finished his PhD in chemical engineering at Oak Ridge National Lab and now works at an electrochemistry startup.

Alan was kind enough to give me a lab tour and show me some science!

Science is cool!

American Museum of Science and Energy

The stimulating chemistry lesson left me energized and craving more science, so I headed to the Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The museum has exhibits relating to various energy forms (coal, wind, etc.), with a focus on nuclear power. Oak Ridge played a key role in the Manhattan Project: the Y-12 uranium enrichment facility is considered to be the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Crazy!

World’s Fair Park

After satisfying my science craving I headed to World’s Fair Park, which commemorates the 1982 World’s Fair held in Knoxville. The highlight here is the Sunsphere: an 81m-high steel structure topped with a glowing “sun.” The sphere is composed of glass panels covered in 24-karat gold dust! Fancy.

While an impressive part of the skyline, the Sunsphere has struggled commercially. Floor 4 (observation deck) and floors 6/8 (commercial rental space) are in use. Floor 5, however, has had bad luck. After several bar and restaurant attempts, the most recent restaurant closed for not being “cost effective.” Let’s hope at some point the Sunsphere can spin its fortune around and brighten its investors’ day!

Sweet P’s BBQ

After a full day of nourishing the mind and the soul it was time to nourish the body. Alan and I headed to Sweet P’s BBQ, a local favorite, and it did not disappoint. Best BBQ I’ve ever had.

Downtown Knoxville

After dinner Alan and I took a romantic evening stroll through downtown Knoxville, a nice area filled with hip restaurants and shops.

Nashville

The next day it was time to continue on, but before leaving Tennessee I had one more stop: Nashville!

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

My first destination in Nashville was President Andrew Jackson’s home and plantation, the Hermitage. I suspect the name was inspired by the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg 🙂

The Hermitage, occupied by Jackson from 1804 until his death in 1845.

My Hermitage visit began with a horse-drawn carriage tour. The tour guides Dolly and Molly really knew their stuff, navigating around obstacles and finding the scenic routes.

Jackson was the 7th US President (1829 – 1837). Previously an army general and a national hero, he gained prominence after leading US troops to high-profile victories  against the Native Americans and British. Nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his mental toughness on the battlefield, Jackson was a gritty man who was not afraid of confrontation. In fact, he once had 6 members of his own militia executed for disobeying orders. Yikes!

Muddy shoes? No problem!

Jackson is an influential figure in US history. He was the first Democratic president and is considered one of the founders of the modern Democratic Party. A war hero and the only president to completely pay off the US national debt, Jackson made significant contributions to his country.

Despite Jackson’s military and political successes, his legacy is controversial. A slaveowner himself, he opposed policies to outlaw slavery in Western states. In 1830 Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in forced relocations of over 50,000 Native Americans, including the tragic Trail of Tears.

The placement of Jackson’s face on the $20 bill is ironic: as president he vetoed the establishment of a National Bank and opposed paper money, instead preferring specie (gold/silver currency). He even cautioned against paper money in his farewell address to the nation. I wonder what Jackson would have thought about Bitcoin..

Andrew Jackson died at the Hermitage in 1845. At the funeral his parrot started swearing so loudly that it had to be taken inside, away from the attendees.

Duel Demonstration

The highlight of my Hermitage visit was a dueling demonstration (with audience participation!), conducted by two historians in costume. In the day and age of Twitter wars it was both a fascinating and barbaric concept to learn about.

Dueling, outlawed in the late 19th century, was once a socially-acceptable way for wealthy gentlemen to settle disputes. Counterintuitively, dueling had nothing to do with temper and everything to do with defending honor. Honor back then specifically referred to one’s standing in the community, the public persona. An example of a duel-worthy dispute could be a damaging public false accusation, impossible to resolve with words. Yikes.

According to the code duelo, the duelers were to choose seconds who were entrusted with ensuring fairness. After a challenge any communication between the gentlemen was prohibited, perhaps due to their inability to remain polite with each other. It was thus on the seconds to mediate and try to find a (preferred) peaceful resolution. If that failed, the gentlemen fought.

The challenged party had their choice of weapon. While any weapon was fair game, the most common was the dueling pistol. It was inaccurate enough where a duel wasn’t a death sentence; “only” an estimated 1/5 duels ended fatally.

In the event of a fatality the “winner” was charged with homicide. Given that the juries of the day consisted of other wealthy gentlemen, however, the murderer rarely got convicted.

It is perhaps unsurprising that Andrew Jackson was involved in a number of duels himself. In fact, he challenged over 100 men, and killed one of them. The unlucky fellow, Charles Dickinson, had accused Jackson of reneging on a horse bet. In the duel, Dickinson shot first and wounded Jackson in the chest. Jackson, covering the wound with his hand, kept standing and killed Dickinson with his next shot. What a twist!

The Parthenon

Full-scale replica of the original Parthenon.

After a thorough lesson in American history, I headed to the Parthenon to experience ancient Greece.

Originally built in 1897 for the Centennial Exposition, the Parthenon is a full-scale replica of the ancient Greek temple in Athens, inspired by Nashville’s nickname as the “Athens of the South.” The building is now an art museum.

The Row Kitchen & Pub

After spending a day exploring Nashville I worked up an appetite, so I headed to the Row for dinner. I ordered some hot chicken with mac & cheese, and both were the best I’ve ever had.

And with that my time in Tennessee came to an end. Next stop, Chicago!