Post-refueling, we re-started the day with much better results. We saw: the Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry); the 2nd avenue historic district (Wildhorse Saloon, BB King’s); Broadway avenue; Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Legends, both former hotspots for singers at the Ryman Opry; Ernest Tubb Record Shop; Gruhn Guitars; and the Gaylord Entertainment Centre (horrible name!). Everything was a tad grungy and many buildings were unoccupied. In fact, all day we kept noticing the city was virtually abandoned except for homeless people. It seems that no one actually lives in Nashville – they all drive in from the surrounding regions. Kind of weird when you’re used to the crowding of Toronto.
Next, we detoured and had a look through the Frist Center for the Visual Arts housed in the historic US Post Office building. Inside, a number of galleries were under construction, but we saw two exhibits – one of American silver dishes and another of impressionist art. The highlight was a Monet water lily painting. Sadly, no pictures. I was practically subjected to a body cavity search by an overly polite but militant guard when I showed up embodying their worse nightmare: two cameras (film and a digital), a backpack, and a bottle of water. Consequently, I had to behave myself inside and take no pics – the art gallery popo was everywhere.
Next door to the art gallery is the Union Station Hotel. Built in 1900, this hotel was Nashville’s main passenger railroad station and was renovated in 1986 into a luxury hotel. Beautiful interior, full or Tiffany stained-glass windows. They also still have railway artifacts in the lobby such as the train schedule board behind the check-out counter.
Following the Union Station Hotel, it was off across the street to the LifeWay Christian Store. I have never seen so much god-paraphernalia in one place. The place was massive. Among my favourite items: bible decorations (1. choose a cover, 2. select a bible, 3. accessorize!); the “full armour of god” plastic crusade outfit for kids that is advertised as a “Christian character-building costume” that has “righteousness” emblazoned on the breastplate; and a neon “open” sign in the form of a Jesus fish. Joey, we’re not in Canada anymore.
Off to Americana central: The legislative plaza, the War Memorial Building, the Tennessee State capital. Amercians are big on war memorials and war, come to think of it. Vietnam, Korea, WWII.
After a brief detour through Walgreen’s and Dollar General (for price-checking, a work-related activity for Cindy) we had afternoon tea in the lobby of the Hermitage Hotel. The Hermitage is Nashville’s last grand hotel, built in 1910 in the beaux-arts style. Re-opened in 2003 after and 18 million dollar restoration the lobby is filled with marble columns, gilded plasterwork, and a stained-glass ceiling. Beautiful and very expensive to actually stay in. The tea (peach and ginger) was very good, sandwiches were OK (a bit stale and Cindy didn’t warn me that the ham sandwich was of the ham-in-a-can variety, so I am harbouring a secret grudge now since she didn’t stop me from eating it).
After some apart-time when Cindy went to the dreaded J-Y-M (gym) and I posted the first blog, we went for a little soaky-soak in the hotel hot tub and a very brief swimmy-swim in the hotel pool.
For dinner, we went to Mirror, a fusion restaurant and ultra-hip bar. Metallic furniture, pale blue walls, and gauze curtains define the “casual chic setting.” Cindy and I ordered tapas so we were able to sample a number of different things. The food was pretty good but overall it was a bit of hit (crab cakes, Caesar salad) and miss (jerk chicken). One of the better items was the bruschetta with roasted red pepper instead of tomato, and the white chocolate dessert soup.
Next, off to “boot scoot” in the District at the Wildhorse Saloon! The largest dance floor in Nashville. We did a bit of line dancing to the live band even though we seemed to be the only ones who did not know the dances. Interestingly, whereas the song “Cotton-Eyed Joe” clears the dance floor in Toronto, in Nashville it starts a frenzy!
After that, we hit Coyote Ugly where a group of barely-dressed coyotes (“is she wearing underwear???” “I’m not sure…”) danced on the bar and humiliated male patrons. Even though a scary man wanted Cindy and me to dance on the bar, sadly, we did not, nor did we contribute our bras to the hundreds of bras thrown over the clothesline stretching across the bar. Opportunity: lost. Reputations: intact.
***Note: sorry for the lack of pictures. The internet is very unreliable here!
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