Nashville Day 4

Our last day in Nashville we skipped breakfast, got a late start, and walked to the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium. Purchased $36 tickets at the ticket window, entered the main lobby, and climbed the grand staircase. The daytime tours are self-guided after you watch a short film about the Ryman’s history.

You begin on the upper floor – the doors opening to an expansive semi-circle of original wooden pews gently declining toward the stage below. There are arched stained glass windows on the wall behind them and display cases with memorabilia from the venue’s long, storied history.

There are more display cases on the first floor and the stage is lighted behind a circular riser where the Ryman Auditorium mic stand is. This is where you’ll take your included-in-the-admission photo. You’ll feel a little pressure to move along when there’s a line behind you, but take a moment to look out beyond the spotlights at the 132-year-old Oak pews and imagine for a moment, what every person who’s ever graced that famous stage felt that first time. It’s breathtakingly beautiful in its simplicity and intention.

It has been more than a musical stage, originally named the Union Gospel Tabernacle for religious revivals, later hosting secular events, speakers, and performances. Samuel Porter Jones, Harry Houdini, W.C. Fields, Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy gave a lecture in 1913 to a sold-out audience. The Fisk Jubilee Singers from the nearby all-black Fisk University performed regularly from 1913 to integrated audiences at a time when segregation was law.

Afterward, we walked back to Broadway via Printer’s Alley, once home to an early 20^th century thriving publishing industry. Part of the alley is a nightclub district that dates back to the 1940s before the sale of liquor was legal. On this alley is renowned club and restaurant, Skull’s Rainbow Room. I spotted the doorway to Skulls beyond several boarded up buildings as we walked down First Avenue last year and was instantly intrigued. Stay tuned.

We ended up at Acme Feed and Seed at the corner of Broadway and First Avenue. It was a recommendation from last year and we didn’t make it. We walked in around 2:30-3:00 to an empty restaurant. We sat at the bar with only two other patrons at the opposite end. We shared a Beer Belly Taco – pulled pork, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers, sweet chili with cilantro black beans and rice – and a house-smoked brisket Quesadilla with white cheddar, pico, jalapenos, peppers and onions. The food is killer.

At this point I will mention that the bathrooms are subterranean in some venues. (Also, I will take photos of public bathrooms.) Always an elevator available but subterranean, nonetheless. I could not help but think of the dangers of going underground to urinate when no one else is around and how one could be easily assaulted in such circumstances. Clearly forgetting that middle-aged women are hardly desirable and I am a middle-aged woman.

We took a walk on the pedestrian bridge afterward – it goes over the Cumberland river to the Nissan stadium. There was a woman lying on a bench on the way over and another person lying on the sidewalk across the way with socked feet sticking out under a blanket. One lone white guy playing guitar near the beginning of the bridge with a tip bucket in front of him. The views are spectacular. Great views of the downtown Nashville skyline. And, it turns out, the pedestrian bridge empties out to Third Avenue, our street and mere blocks from our hotel. We walked past it multiple times without realizing it.

We stopped at GooGoo’s Chocolate Company on the way back to the hotel – America’s first combination candy bar – round with marshmallow nugget, caramel, peanuts, and chocolate – was created in 1912. We spent $50+ on this candy and still have some left if anyone is interested. But you gotta move quick because we’re eating it.

Our first stop for our last night in Nashville was Skulls. We arrived soon after they opened and were greeted by two hosts, one pale-skinned young man with lots of curly hair that looked like he dropped out of Interview with a Vampire. Atmosphere: dark, mysterious, sexy. Felt very … underground. The bar was full, but the bartender was kind (and also reminded me of the character incarnate of Commander Graham Gore from The Ministry of Time) and told us the seats against the wall were leaving. So – we got two seats on the end of the bar closest to the band.

I ordered a Rainbow Room martini,* and Todd ordered a rye. Skulls has long history in Nashville and I was looking forward to experiencing this Speakeasy. I ordered a salad and the world-famous Lobster Bisque, which was as good as – if not better than – the one at Tavern on the Green after my 1992 graduation from NYU. They have an extensive list of bourbon whiskeys and a great band playing soon after we arrived. The burlesque shows start at 11 p.m. We didn’t stay for that.

Our intent was to plant ourselves somewhere where we could watch opening night football and ended up at Luigi’s City Pizza, a place that seemed always to be empty but they were open and had plenty of seats at the bar near the TVs. The bathrooms were also subterranean. The pizza .. $6 for a plain slice! was good.

Miscellaneous

Thomas Ryman, initially attending Samuel Porter Jones’ tent revivals to heckle him, instead became a devout Christian who was inspired to create this indoor space for his friend that he named the Union Gospel Tabernacle. The name changed at Jones’ suggestion at Ryman’s memorial service. Years later it became known as the Grand Oley Opry from 1943 to 1974.

In 1904 Lula C. Naff, a widow and mother, began booking speakers and events there, eventually becoming the Ryman’s full-time manager in 1920.  A trailblazing woman and champion of racial diversity, she won a landmark lawsuit against the National Board of Censors in 1939.

Skulls Rainbow Room was founded in 1948 by David “Skull” Schulman.  David was a flamboyant character known for his charity to the homeless and for his poodles, one of whom was a gift from Elvis, who he was often seen around town walking on rhinestone leashes. He was murdered during a robbery in 1998 and the bar closed for 17 years. The original checkerboard stage lives on with new acts today.

Schulman was known as the “Mayor of Printer’s Alley” and was a regular on Hee Haw. Willie Nelson was a member of the house band. Johnny Cash often brought the guests from his show at the Ryman . “One night, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell were all on that little stage.” Paul McCartney also played there. According to other lore, Tim McGraw was introduced to music execs by Schulman. The rest is history.

I’ve been making my own Rainbow Room martini using my favorite vodka, pineapple juice, orange bitters, ginger beer and prosecco. It might not be 100% authentic, but it’s close enough! Look for it at Mom’s. Next up: Lobster Bisque.

Acme Feed and Seed’s building was built in 1890 and housed various businesses before it became Acme Feed and Hatchery in 1943, and later became Acme Farm Supply in 1968. This latest iteration closed its doors after 56 years and in 2014 was acquired by one of Nashville’s many business developers to open in its present incarnation. Acme Radio Live, housed on-site, is an online streaming radio station featuring Nashville local artists and all genres of music.

More Nashville tips: Lots of murals. There are tours you can book to see many of them. Alternatively, do your homework and know where to look. Lots of photo ops around the city. Don’t miss: What Lifts You – the 20-foot white butterfly lace wings on a black wall at 302 11th Avenue South in the Gulch. It’s a huge tourist draw but last year we hit it on our way out of town and the line was less than ten people long.