fromthemanorborn

OP did say a "recent" job application and vicinity to family but since this is a 4 month old thread the job either didn't come off or there was a change of heart.
Good luck with your plans, Asheville is a lovely place.

fromthemanorborn

Hi Karen, does the 68 in your username denote the year of your birth? If so, that could put us in the same maternity ward at the same time. I was born in early October.

Aah, the old Black Country boundary debate. I think as a concept to distinguish ourselves from Brummies, that those from Walsall and Wolverhampton should lay claim to the term and embrace it. Both boroughs have parts that are undeniably Black Country,(Darlaston/Willenhall in Walsall and Bilston/Coseley in Wolvo)
I always think of myself as BC as I spent the majority of my working life in Wednesbury.

PS. Not too worried about hi-jacking thread as I think OP is long gone.

Karen68

Yes, but March, so I had come and gone when you arrived!

I was actually a Rushall girl, OH's family from West Brom/Hill Top way.

Nice to make your acquaintance.

fromthemanorborn

Your's too.
I lived in Bloxwich until I was 18 and then moved across to Pelsall, so right nextdoor to Rushall.
I assume, as you are married to a Brit, that it is work that brings you to the States. I, on the other hand, have married a Knoxville native.

Karen68

Yup, work it is. Will be here for a while yet.

Dewey

There are loads of breweries and bars, so downtown you'd encounter drunk/stoned young hikers later on in the evening but its fine away from the town center. The view of the blue ridge mountains from the sunset terrace restaurant at the Grove Park Inn is lovely. Greenlife Grocery is a great place to pick up picnic food before touring the Biltmore estate. Good luck with your move and job search.

jukes

Thanks Dewey! England has a huge pub culture, we have one of the worst reputations for binge drinkers, so i am sure it's nothing i haven't seen before! Bonus will be if one of Asheville's pubs shows English soccer for husband!

Dewey

Check out the info here for home viewing options.

HHK

Hi Brits in Knoxville. I'm a New Yorker myself; I'll be settling down in Knoxville with my soon-to-be wife. She's a Brit, but we both have lived in Knoxville for a bit--over a year for her, five for me.

We love Knoxville. I have ties in New York, Palm Beach, and Nashville, yet we've picked Knoxville as our city for the first few years of our marriage. Anyway, obviously I don't have any questions about the city, in fact, I've given tours to newcomers through the university. My knowledge base's lacking is in the area of British culture in Knoxville.

Crown & Goose aside, any British hotspots my soon-to-be wife might appreciate? I'd love to hear your recommendations. Rugby venues, groceries, or fashion come to mind, but whatever suggestions you have for hidden British-esque gems in Knoxville would be great!

Brit In TN

The Krogers in Farragut and Fountain City both have excellent 'International Aisles' with fairly large sections of British grocery items as does World Market in Turkey Creek. Whilst in Turkey Creek the Irish Times is worth a visit for some of its menu items eg. the full Irish breakfast is great as is the fish and chips (with a side of curry sauce!)
There is a newish place in the Old City called Jig and Reel which I haven't yet tried (on my agenda for next Friday) but I'm told it has a good selection of British menu items.
The Irish Times is always happy to tune into any football or rugby games on its satellite tvs. Just find out which channel first.
As for fashion... well.... I'll be watching a footie game I'm afraid.
For a city of its size Knoxville now has quite a few places that can help keep homesickness somewhat at bay for us Brits. Enjoy and please do give them your patronage.
PS.. Apart from its name The Crown and Goose really does not have too much to offer to expats.

HHK

Thanks Brit in TN! Both of those restaurants sound great. Yes, we never found Crown & Goose especially remarkable, and personally I find them a bit overpriced compared to Mahogany's down the block which has finer food and bigger portions at a comparable price point.

Knoxville doesn't have any worthwhile live Rugby matches or Guy Fawkes Night events, do we?

Brit In TN

Rugby can be found I believe. I think UT has a team and there are rugby pitches out here in Karns but I'm not sure when games are played on them. Fox Soccer Plus shows quite a few rugby games as long as you subscribe to the correct carrier.
As for Guy Fawkes, I've never heard of any kind of celebration here in Knoxville. I know there are at least a few dozen of us around here so maybe you could be the catalyst in starting a Nov 5th celebration!
I'll give you my review on the Jig and Reel next week.

Brit In TN

As promised my review of Boyd's Jig and Reel restaurant in Knoxville's Old City:

It's in the place that used to be called Manhattans. Pretty good selection of British/European beers, a choice of over 100 different malt Scotches and they sell Walkers crisps and Twiglets behind the bar.

Menu had a nice selection of British items amongst usual American type stuff.

I had Scotch egg appetizer which was on the plus side of okay. Worth trying.

Then had fish and chips. Huge piece of cod, nicely cooked with batter just like you'd expect from your (once) local chippie. Next time I'll ask them to serve the chips unseasoned. Otherwise an A+ on that.

We also tried the mac cheese and bacon pie which was good enough to deserve a mention.

Next time I'll be trying the haggis and one of the meat pies I think.

They had toad in the hole listed but the description sounded more like a sausage roll.

Not too expensive, about $18 for an appetiser and main course. Import beers range from about $3.50 up to $15.00 (I'm sure the $15 beer is fantastic, just not paying that much to find out!)

Well worth a visit.

With Jig and Reel, Irish Times, the two Indian restaurants a few Mediterranean places, World Market and the Super-Krogers, Knoxville has a pretty fair selection of restaurants and shops offering food that expats 'of a certain age' probably yearn for. Really not too bad for a city of its size and location.

tnimplant

Would agree with the majority on the assessment of Knox. I have been here for 13 years so far. Its not the best but its far from the worse place a person could live.

Brit In TN

Assuming you are an expat, where from?