Oak Ridge TN Photos

Oak Ridge, TN Photo Gallery

kaszeta posted a photo:

Big Ed's is one of the historical institutions of Oak Ridge, TN. I'm not sure when exactly Big Ed's opened it's doors, but it's definitely the pizza place that's been around longest in Oak Ridge, since when I lived there I knew several people that had been swearing by Big Ed's pizza for at least 3 generations.

There are a lot of reasons to go to Big Ed's. The pizza is one of them, being a contender for the best pizza in Oak Ridge (however, as one coworker of mine would say, that's "damning with faint praise", the rest of the pizza in town is pretty marginal). The other draws are the pizza, the gritty ambiance (shown here, just the right amount of "dank", and a bunch of TV, sports, and military banners that have been hanging probably at least as long as I've been alive). The friendly service. The catering to the little kids watching them make pizzas while hopeing for a spare piece of pepperoni to get hurled to them. The very cheap beer. The decades of multi-lingual intercontinental graffiti in the men's room.

In other words, Big Ed's is the epitome of a "Pizza Joint".

Ed "Big Ed" Neusel ran the joint when I lived here, and he was definitely a personality that was loved by the town, and much of the love of Big Ed's pizza comes from people's fond memories of Ed (indeed, I think half the people that ever held jobs as teenagers in Oak Ridge worked for Big Ed). Big Ed died in 1998, but the family still runs the place.

It's not my favorite, but I do like to go to Big Ed's every time I'm in town.

(And, I finally figured out what made the ambiance different from my visits in '93-'95: Big Ed's is now non smoking, so the ever-present smoke haze is now gone)

kaszeta posted a photo:

A stained glass window showing "Big Ed". Having actually seen Big Ed back in the 90s, this isn't a bad likeness of him.

kaszeta posted a photo:

The front window of Big Ed's

kaszeta posted a photo:

The actual pizza at Big Ed's.

I'll be honest and say that this isn't my favorite pizza. They try hard, and get a lot right: the sauce is nicely spiced, the crust is good (if a bit thin for my tastes), and the overall pizza is nicely cooked and toasted. It's actually pretty good pizza overall.

However, it's a solid contender for the greasiest pizza I've ever had, especially if you get pepperoni. Sopping the grease off with an extra napkin is apparently part of the Big Ed's tradition.

kaszeta posted a photo:

Historical marker from the overlook by the old K-25 Uranium Separation Plant in Oak Ridge. I worked there as an intern for a few months.

I would've tried to take a picture of K-25 itself (it's one of the world's largest buildings in terms of area, actually), but the weather was pretty bad and visibility was poor.

kaszeta posted a photo:

Nothing starts a day on the road better than a solid breakfast at Waffle House.

This time, I opted for the breakfast sandwich and a double-order of hashbrowns, scattered, smothered, and peppered.

rabrittain posted a photo: