We returned to Nashville a few weeks ago to celebrate Niecelet’s 21^st birthday. It’s partially – ok, entirely my fault. After our first trip to Nashville, I was telling her how cool it was and OMG you should go there for your 21^st birthday! She never forgot and I was half-hoping she would but then the day came where she was all, we have to book the trip now.

As our favored hotel’s nightly rates were nearly $400 a night and this was going to be a short excursion, I looked into Airbnb. I’ve never stayed in an Airbnb. I found a loft one block from Broadway (for the unfamiliar: where the action is) for $397 for TWO nights. It was an absolutely perfect location, in a secured building, and the loft itself was beautiful. King bedroom, fully-equipped kitchen and living area, and large bathroom. Not much natural light, as others reviewed, but that was hardly a concern for me. One does not go to Nashville for the room view.

The best airfare Todd found meant we arrived a full day early, so I booked one night at the Capitol Hotel on Seventh and Union. Note to self: book the flight first, then the accommodations. The location was a few blocks from the “action” of Broadway but not impossible to walk, other than the steep hill that made my shins burn for days afterward.

We arrived at 11:30 and took a cab to the hotel: $38 (in my experience, standard for any cab ride in Nashville) and were able to check in right away which was wonderful. The room was tight: we had to turn sideways to pass each other at the foot of the bed, but it was bright and cheery and clean. Super nice bathroom, though the barn-style door did not have a great “seal” on it and so it didn’t feel very private but at some point in a marriage you just have to not give a fuck about those things anymore. At least until things go awry. And did they ever…

We ended up at Puckett’s for an early dinner. I was jonesing for pork BBQ and mac-n-cheese. Todd ordered the wings and brisket. We had a great server who was super attentive. Two bourbons and two chardonnays later and we were on a mission for boots and a travel mug for Todd’s coffee (the man needs his coffee).

Brandon and Peter, two guys who play in a band together – we met the first trip to Nashville and just loved their vibe. We look for them every time we come down. Brandon told Todd he would be at Kid Rock’s Saturday night on the roof which is where we ended up. I hate to admit it’s one of the best places for music. It has always been top notch, every time we’ve gone. I never considered that lawlessness, or the shadowy ghost of danger, was a thing here. But then again, we’re a couple in our 50s. Nobody cares who we are.

I posted our location on FB and a friend mentioned a friend from high school who lives and performs in Nashville. I recognized the name as the very person leading the band Brandon was playing with just 10 feet away. Funny coincidence! So… we got a little drunk. Walked the long walk back to our hotel and I puked my guts out the minute I hit the bathroom. Todd was right behind me.

The stress of waking up the next morning was magnified by the deadline of check-out and the four hours we’d be in limbo until the Airbnb was ready. Todd couldn’t keep anything down, not even water. He insisted it wasn’t the alcohol and, in spite of my secret eye roll, I would tend to believe him because I’ve never seen him that sick. Like, ever. At some point I floated the idea of booking the room again so we’d have a base to rest and access to a bathroom.

He slept for a couple of hours and was somewhat improved. We ventured for “NY-style” pizza and it turned out to be the right choice. Whether it was truly NY-style I won’t comment but the slice was the size of a cocktail tray and delicious.

Once we were able, we packed up our things and made the trek to our Airbnb. The entry/vestibule featured a brick wall with colorful, mixed media art above an olive-green, midcentury-modern couch and additional seating and similar art pieces flanked the adjacent walls. The aforementioned loft was perfect for our needs. I’m so glad we went that route and will definitely do it again. We dropped our bags and headed out on that mission for a travel mug.

A series of text messages from Niecelet followed, confirming their arrival and a bungled attempt to share her location ( she said “I have no idea where I am”) only proved I am a failure at Gen Z technology. It turned out they were across the street from the Walgreens Todd and I were in (buying the travel mug). Minutes later they appeared inside and Niecelet and I made a scene as we ran toward each other squealing.

As she and her mom (my friend) were hungry and as it was literally on the same block, Todd suggested …. Puckett’s. Really? After last night and you want to eat there again? The four of us shared nachos. No BBQ for me this time. I had the Country Cob salad with buttermilk ranch. It was delicious.

There was much shopping to be done afterward and I was tour guide, pointing out places of interest and trying to get Mel and Niecelet oriented. Niecelet was on a mission for boots. OF COURSE. She had a long list of “wants” and an equally long list of bars.

After a day of shopping, we returned to our respective Airbnbs to change and drop off purchases. We strolled Broadway until midnight when Cinderella turned 21. We started at Redneck Riviera, a smallish bar with great music. We were standing near a table of folks around my age that were having a great time. One of the ladies was hilariously trying to get her enormous husband off of his stool, by dance-bumping him with her ass. When she finally succeeded, we all cheered. There are hilarious pictures of Niecelet and I on a giant rubber ducky (location: 2nd Ave near Commerce Street).

We left there and crossed the street to Kid Rock’s. It was well after 12 a.m. on a Sunday night. This was the first time I’ve been in there where I didn’t have to pinball my way through a hundred people. There were empty seats at the bar (on the MAIN floor), so we planted ourselves on the corner at the very back. Again, the music was great. However, despite the thinning crowd, a rather tall man at a bar-height table behind us kept bumping Todd. Todd said, if this guy bumps into me one more time... then the guy moved to the group of guys sitting at the bar to my left (who, btw, were consistently blocking my view of the stage by leaning over the bar). He brushed by me once so I turned around and said to him, could you stop bumping into me? And he apologized because he was drunk and I already knew that so I didn’t want Todd involved. That crowd left shortly after.

We decided to leave at some point, the four of us almost to the front door when Todd realized he’d dropped his glasses. We waited there while he went back. A single man walked past us and turned, winked at Mel. She turned toward me and was all, did you see that? I did. I also saw him outside through the windows, where he was lingering with his eyes on the door. And that’s when all the unconscious snapshots the brain takes in a space of time lined up, one by one, and I was suddenly on alert.

He’d been leaning against the wall behind where Niecelet and Mel were sitting. I’d noticed him then like I notice people all the time. I’m an observer. When the group of guys departed, he’d moved to a bar stool a few stools away from me. Just one lone guy. Nothing to see here. Then he decided to leave when we did. I guess he didn’t expect us to stop because Todd forgot something. Now he was outside, leaning against a pole facing the door.

We exited and crossed the street to Raising Cane’s, where Niecelet was rabid for food and went inside with mom to order. Todd and I stood outside on the curb where I explained to him what I’d noticed, with one eye on Kid Rock’s. The guy was now crossing the street and heading right for us. He glanced into the restaurant and I leaned toward him as he passed and said, hey! How ya doin tonight? He turned toward me and his face lit up. You havin a good time in Nashville? Oh yeah, he said. Was just thinking about getting something to eat, he said. Oh, you should eat here! It’s so good. We smiled at each other. He decided to go inside.

Niecelet came out with her paper bag of fried food, glaring at me. You sent him in there with us? she said. Damn right I did. Now he’s gotta stand in that line for food and we’ll be long gone. You’re welcome.

We got them safely to their avenue where I pointed out the landmarks that confirm they’re going the right way, for future reference. Todd and I turned back down Broadway in the direction of Raising Cane’s. We never saw the guy again.

Todd and I woke the next day, made coffee, and trekked back to the Capitol Hotel to officially check out. Grabbed some of the breakfast (included in our stay) there and then wandered around town, taking photos of some murals and things we’d never seen in previous trips. I haven’t yet mentioned how absolutely beautiful the weather was in Nashville those three days. It was sunny and warm with gentle wind to cool your skin. The rain in the forecast on our first day never came.

We hooked up with Niecelet and mom around noontime at the Mall at Fifth + Broadway. The two of them were knee deep in shopping at some of my fave stores. Todd hung out with Niecelet, who was waiting to have a “permanent bracelet” put on. I wandered around the stores admiring clothes. This trip there were plenty of clothes available in sizes larger than 0 and extra small (not my experience previously) but I abstained.

We ate at Hattie B’s around the corner because I need Hattie B’s whenever we’re in Nashville. Niecelet scoffed at the pimento mac-n-cheese and then she had some and loved it. TOLD YOU.

Several more hours of shopping commenced. She bought two pairs of boots and God-knows-what-else, announcing she’d spent $5oo and she was officially done, and then we decided to drop it all off at our Airbnb and pre-gamed a bit with the beer we bought. That lasted a whole five minutes when the building alarm went off and everyone was streaming into the street. I took my beer with me. A woman holding a pizza box and munching a slice said this was the second time today, as the blaring sirens grew closer and closer and the truck pulled up with all the firemen. We were soon allowed in but had to take the stairs back to the 4th floor loft.

Many of the details of the Birthday have melted away now that’s it’s been over a month. She was a wearing a leopard print strapless mini-dress (the kind with shorts under) and a 21st birthday sash and crown. We started at the famed Tootsie’s. Walked up to the rooftop – standing room only. We walked back down to the second floor where service was absent and Niecelet said she wanted to move on. The music on the first floor – again, really good but not even standing room.

We stopped at Ole Red and did a round of Neon Lights, basically a blue lemon drop, in souvenir shot glasses. Todd had a 20oz beer in his own Ole Red souvenir glass.

Next stop: Chief’s. This is located [on Broadway] between 2nd and 3rd Avenues – an area I’ve noticed to be considerably less crowded. All of the venues below 3rd always seem dismally empty – at least in my April and September experiences. Niecelet had Chief’s at the top of her list because… Morgan Wallen famously threw a chair off the rooftop there and thank the good lord he didn’t kill anybody… so Chief’s has a special drink that features a tiny black folding chair. My mature person’s sensibilities think it’s in poor taste to celebrate something that would’ve landed any one of us ordinary people in jail while he got a fine and a slap on the wrist but it is kinda funny in an inappropriate way.

We went to Honky Tonk Central to see Brandon and Peter play their set from 6 to 10. Best seats in the bar and we had a fantastic time. Niecelet was throwing money at them to play all the songs – more rock and not so much country (which is Peter’s thing) so Brandon carried the bulk of the weight. I was happy that Niecelet was content to stay until the end. Brandon told Todd that he and his family are leaving Nashville for Vegas, so this is the last time we’ll see him. (At least until we return to Vegas, which is highly likely in next year’s national tournament, but I’m getting way ahead of myself here.)

Niecelet rabidly ripped through an entire basket of onion rings and I don’t know what else and at one point she said, Tara I don’t feel drunk at all, and I knew it was going to be a night. We stopped at Jason Aldean’s, where the crowds were thick and the floor was sticky on the rooftop, Bon Jovi’s where the mechanical bull was on sabbatical, and a bursting-at-the-seams Morgan Wallen’s place.

Last stop was Kid Rock’s. We went straight up to the roof and sat at the bar. It was chilly and I suggested we move closer to the inside to some empty stools near the band. A few minutes in a woman who looked to be in her 40s came up to the bar next to Niecelet and the next thing I know she’s leading her over to a table of men well past the age of 21 except for the kid sitting on the end. I watched from my perch and figured maybe she’s introducing her to her son who looks to be about 21 too.

Niecelet returned to the bar and the woman followed her, still chatting her up. This woman then came over to Mel and basically praised her as a mom. She returns to Niecelet’s side, now with one of the older men, and they’re buying her a shot. Todd was sitting next to her and at one point said to me, the hair just stood up on the back of my neck. Mel was watching the whole thing too. By this time the only one who wasn’t sober was Niecelet.

This woman led Niecelet out to dance and then came back for Mel. When she came back for me, I put my hand up and said no. Todd told me they were asking her questions that caused him concern. At one point I looked over where they were dancing and Niecelet’s dress had slid down on one side, exposing her “bra,” so I went out there and yanked it up and turned back to the bar. The woman jumped in front of my bar stool, dancing and waving her arms around. I looked at her and waved my hand like, MOVE. She didn’t. I took a step forward, squared my shoulders, and said, get.the. fuck. out.of.my.way. She did.

It was time to go. The three of them – Todd, Mel, and Niecelet – got into an animated and loud conversation about what just happened and how quickly it happened and how there was mal-intent with that woman, what could’ve gone wrong and how not to accept drinks from strangers and how lucky she was to be with us and not a bunch of her peers because God knows what could’ve happened. It continued into our Airbnb where their packages were earlier dropped off and I had to keep shushing them because I was afraid of being too loud and getting a bad review by the host. Niecelet repeated the same sentences over and over while belching and I’m all, it’s one a.m. and we need to go to bed and she’s gonna puke.

Spoiler: she did. Also, she puked in the bathroom trash can (not the toilet apparently because she was on it and, as she claims, she is really good about where she pukes). Also, she could not stand up on her own and Todd had to walk them back to their Airbnb to be sure they were safe. She later told us she doesn’t remember a thing after sitting down on our couch. Completely blacked out and, we are convinced, it wasn’t the alcohol. Something happened between the ordering of that shot and the bartender handing the drinks to them rather than directly to Niecelet and not a one of us can figure out HOW as we were all watching. Bartender seemed to know the couple, so there’s that. I don’t like to think about these things but here we are.

Did we have a good time? Yes. It was very different, though, traveling with a young, attractive female who is decidedly NOT street smart yet. I didn’t mention the police activity and ambulance outside of Luke Bryan’s place, where I literally stepped over a puddle of blood. It didn’t sour my feelings about Nashville, but I understood why my friend’s son – who is a police detective there – once said of me, “why does she like Nashville so much?”

Will we be back? Surely. But there are so many places to go and things to see. So, Nashville, goodbye for now.

Miscellaneous

At 3000+ words, this might be my longest post ever.

A permanent bracelet is a bracelet custom-fit and welded to the wearer. There is no clasp.

Todd started filming the two who bought Niecelet the drink, and once they noticed, they backed off.