Metro Pulse/Gamut/Look Homeward, Barbie

Photos by Ryan Collins

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The blondest Vol comes to her hometown to take in the sights. Thanks to a fortunate discovery of her vacation diary, you can follow this Big Orange girl's adventures.

Although this is a B&W picture, today the summer sky is blue in Knoxville. Perfect weather for my sight-seeing adventures!

I decided to go to the Knoxville Museum of Art to check out this Chihuly everyone keeps talking about, but there wasn't a Taco Bell inside—just this big glass sculpture.

At least there was love outside of the Museum. Funny, it looks awfully familiar to me for some reason and I have a huge desire to lick its back.

How could any girl resist going to where it all started? Not this one, anyway!

Knoxville is such a bright and shiny city. I love the big balls in the skyline!

Everyone I asked told me that I should go down to the new waterfront. The tanks are nice and all but I'm not sure what the big deal is.

Here I am walking around downtown. The sidewalks are so neat and clean it looks like no one uses them.

You can always make new friends no matter where you go.

Vic (or was it Bill?) posed for a picture with me before he went back to serving up the food UT students love.

Outside of the restaurant, two nice guys ask for my picture. Everyone I meet is so friendly!

Knoxville seems to be full of signs like these. I have my picture taken with one since they seem to define the character of the city.

The Old City at night wouldn't even make a Junior Varsity cheerleader blush! Here I am with a man of the cloth!

At Moose's Music Hall, I find a girl who looks just like me! I don't know why I've waited so long to see this city!

At Modern World Records, I take a spin on some vinyl. The owners promised to put on "Mickey" the next time I came through town.

I soak in some of the Old City outside of a club called The Pilot Light.

I'm sad because I got to the Tennessee Theater too late to see Grease, my favorite movie because I love Olivia Newton-John's cheerleading outfit. She was so cute!

A nice DJ named Col. Bacchus helped me comb my long hair. Phew! The humidity is giving me split ends!

Here I am taking a bow for having such a fun day in a Scruffy Little City!