Nashville Day 2

Missed the free breakfast. It was over at 9:30! Like, we’re on vacation, ya’ll, and breakfast was OVER AT 9:30.

Went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. There is SO MUCH to see there! They take you up to the top floor by elevator and drop you off to begin the long journey through a century and a half of music history.

We started at the very big exhibit honoring Brenda Lee, continuing our walk through time with priceless guitars, instruments, iconic clothes, sheet music, photographs, Elvis’s 1960 gold Cadillac, Webb Pierce’s 1962 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible. Loretta Lynn’s white and red polka-dotted dress she made herself at age 14, later worn by Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter.

There was a large exhibit featuring Luke Combs and Todd said, is he really a big name? Uh, yes honey. Some people think so. It’s okay. He is still catching on to some of my favorites. I even caught him humming Tennessee Whiskey.

Late lunch/early dinner at Hattie B’s. Timing was good, the line was only to the end of the outdoor seating area and we were able to get a seat at the counter overlooking the street for people-watching. I ordered my half white mild with pimento mac and cheese and cole slaw. I also learned today that you can buy Jack & Coke in a can and no, I did not order that.

Boot shopping. Tecova, Ariat, and Freebird. I have two pairs of Freebirds and went there hoping to find a pair in brown. Freebirds fit me like a glove. The staff is friendly and welcoming and there is a full bar I shit you not and live music. Spoiler: I bought the boots.

After multiple stops in all the ubiquitous boot shops on Broadway, Todd wandered into French’s Shoes & Boots a few store fronts from Freebird. I was skeptical. The dude who had been smoking a cigarette outside when we passed earlier turned out to be Most Helpful and Awesome and Todd found The Boots.

I spent a great deal of time on this trip looking for shorts and jeans and damn. Every store I went in had plenty of size 28s and I haven’t been a 28 in over 10 years. I kept thinking I needed to lose weight every time I saw something I loved, and then we went to a bar and drank instead.

Later, we booted up and went to Honky Tonk Central again to watch Peter and Brandon play and while we’re on the subject Todd is friends with them on Facebook now and I’m really hoping they don’t think we’re some creepy middle-aged groupies. We sat at our same spot at the bar (again, creepy… no?) and had some bar snacks and drinks. A lot of serendipitous things happened on our road trip and this night was no exception.

So there was a woman from Liverpool at a table on the other side of the bar who wanted to sing a song with the band. They asked her what she wanted to sing and she said…… Purple Rain… and I almost dropped my mozzarella stick. Seriously, I stopped eating and dropped my head down. Ya’ll know how I feel about this. I was praying to the gods it would be over quick and –

She brought the motherfucking house down. I had tears in my eyes and only this tiny cocktail napkin. I wish you could have heard her. I don’t claim to be an authority but I have very personal feelings about hearing people sing his music. She was AMAZING.

Soon after, another woman – this one from Canada – wanted to sing Zombie. Shit Todd, this oughta be good. (One of his favorites). And guess what?? SHE blew the roof off. It was breathtaking to watch this ordinary woman take the mic and hit that range of notes made famous by Dolores O’Riordan.

When “our band’s” set was up, the next one in was PJ Ferguson and the Tennessee Strange. Todd remembered them from our last night out in Nashville last year, at Kid Rock’s on the top floor. They play a healthy mix of alternative to pop music and PJ writes his own music as well. They’re a great party band – the crowd was up and dancing and singing along.

This time of year all the big windows, some floor to ceiling, are open to the sidewalk at a majority of the bars/restaurants. It’s what makes Nashville so cool to walk – you’re passing by venue after venue where you can sample the bands playing without committing. One thing I noted about Nashville this time – so many places were only half full, and some even empty. It was odd.

We ended our night at Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, softly glowing in pink and purple lights. We sat at the end of the bar closest to the door, with several empty seats running the length of the bar next to us. The band was good. Shortly after, a bridal party filtered in – Nashville is a popular spot for lots of bride-to-be’s; you’ll see plenty of bride sashes and mini veils and white cowboy hats and white boots. One of the men in the group went and laid down in a nearby booth, his hat over his face, and security quickly moved in and told him to get up.

Nashville Day 3

Slept until 8:30 a.m. (out till 1 a.m. the night before) and rushed to shower and throw on some clothes for breakfast. Breakfast at the Hyatt Place was waaaay better than the previous hotel, like not even comparable on the same planet, even though the scrambled eggs were still the same reconstituted egg mix. Sausage, bacon, home fried potatoes, fresh fruit, steel-cut oatmeal, French toast sticks, bagels, croissants.

Went back to the room and promptly passed out until early afternoon. I can’t remember the last time I did that!

We had dinner at Puckett’s (corner of Church Street and 5^th Ave, also known as Rep John Lewis Way) – another favorite for BBQ and ribs. Last year I had the Salmon with mashed sweet potatoes, which was delicious and just what I needed after several days of fried food.

This year I had a pork BBQ sandwich with cole slaw and mac n cheese. Todd had the ribs. Had to send the ribs back because they were too tough. Got a new order that was falling off the bone as it should be and a very attentive and apologetic staff. Katrina Burgoyne, pretty, blond, talented, Australian-born and now living in Nashville, provided the entertainment.

Musical bar adventures this night included Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk – much as I’m so NOT a fan of his, I have to admit his venue is a superior place for music. Kid Rock’s is on a corner, so there are five floors with windows open to the street. John Stone was playing on this night – again, to sound like a broken record – really, REALLY good music. The place is always packed like sardines in a can, the first floor is standing room only, IF you can find a place to stand around the massive bar.

We made our way to the back where the elevators are and waited what felt like an eternity and behind us is the men’s room with a door that sounds like gunshots when it slams shut. I don’t think this is intentional, but with Kid Rock I guess you never know.

There was a dude who appeared to be “with” the band, wearing David Lee Roth-style tights and dancing around in front of the stage like he was having a stroke. We found a couple of bar stools on the second floor with a perfect view for people-watching. John Stone introduced his band members and – I cannot remember the name of his sax player because my mouth fell to the floor – one was from Pottstown, PA! (My hometown, for those who don’t know.)

So we left there and Todd suggested we visit some places we haven’t been, so we ended up at Jason Aldean’s which turned out to NOT be Jason Aldean’s but I didn’t figure that out until we left. For real did not see the sign pointing up for Jasons’ and the sign over the door we walked through that said, Tequila Cowboy.

Cool place but another of those empty EMPTY bars. Again, sat at the bar near the door and ordered some adult beverages and watched the band play. There was a couple on the dancefloor looking like they just stepped off Dancing With the Stars and I told Todd we needed to learn how to do that. He said there’s a place back home and, well, it’s been a month and we haven’t given it another thought. Maybe this weekend….

Last stop was a friend’s request to let her know how Garth Brook’s new place – Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk – was. This place was crowded and yes, another great band – Frankie Moody – was playing. It was crowded when we arrived but there was room to move and we made it to the bar in the back unscathed, found two seats at the bar with a perfect view of the dancefloor in front of the band. Energetic, fun atmosphere. The bartender reminded me of Tom Sandoval, for those who follow Vanderpump Rules. The crowd was thinning out by the time I took the photos below.

Miscellaneous

I’ve added pictures this time to break up the monotony of my word salad. I’m going to try to add pics to the previous posts if you want to check back; however, Todd wants to go to Costco so I’ve gotta get off my ass and shower.

Some tips for going to Nashville: stay IN town. It’s very walkable but you do NOT want to be hiring a cab/uber to get to and from Broadway (expensive AF). A friend cautioned that it’s noisy if you stay too close and I won’t dispute that. We were three blocks away and it was just fine. Of course, I’m not bothered by city noise so there’s that.

Wear comfortable shoes. Most tourists seem to be wearing sneakers. Plenty of people wear boots. I’d say if you have a pair that are comfortable, you’ll fit right in. Todd wore his boots every night and absolutely no complaints about foot pain. (IYKYK)

Research the menus. A lot of the Broadway establishments have the same food. If you like that sort of thing, by all means enjoy. At our age we want a little less fried and a little more … different. All the places I mentioned are great – and yes, Hattie B’s is an “attraction” but trust me – NOT to be missed. You can’t go to Nashville without having Hot Chicken. Seriously, somebody’s bound to ask you and if you say no you’ll look like a loser. I mean, I only had the “mild,” and I still felt somewhat embarrassed to tell people.

Shopping. There’s plenty of it. We bought several t-shirts and I found some great shot glasses – for Neph because he asked – at the shop next to Legends Bar. I get the impression that a lot of people buy boots when they go to Nashville. You can expect to pay anywhere from $125 – $800+ depending where you go. Remember, you get what you pay for. Also, don’t get sucked in to the Buy 1 Get 1.

Some bars only take cards. However, make sure you have cash for the tipping the bands if you want to! It’s how they make their money. Also, most establishments have ATMs on site.

Like any US city, there are homeless here. They sleep out in the open on most of the side streets, and on the pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River. They sleep at the Fort Nashborough on 1^st Avenue. They malinger on the old steps of the Ryman. Most will leave you alone. One woman slid into my pace on Broadway and mumbled something at me. I said, without looking at her, keep talking to me and you’ll regret it. She was gone like a ghost. I’m not sorry. I don’t play.

There are others who make signs out of old cardboard that are less, “homeless, please help” and more, “I’ll kidnap your exs and feed them to the gators for $5” or, “Will smell farts for $1.”