Nashville, Tennessee: Music City. The Country Music Hall of Fame. Elvis Presley. This is the place where legends were born, where people with high hopes and big dreams come from around the country to be "discovered," and where the next installment of the Hubertys' adventure occurred.
After a beautiful, winding drive through the Great Smokey Mountains from North Carolina, we arrived at the apartment of Jillian's high school friend, Renee. She was gracious enough to be our hostess and tour guide for the short time we had in Nashville. Though our stay was brief I believe we got a good feel for the many things this city has to offer.
Our day started out by visiting the trendy shops of Midtown (I think?). Jillian and Renee bought matching parasol mobiles that could pass for genuine Hong Kong merchandise. They really do call for a picture, but unfortunately I was too interested in reading about neckties and James Bond trivia in "The Man Book" to take one so your imagination will have to suffice.
Our next stop allowed us a chance to try some local flavor at the famed Pancake Pantry. These skillet-fried delicacies pass for breakfast, lunch, and dessert rolled into one and are enough to send Lance Armstrong into cardiac arrest. I must say they were delicious and aesthetic.
Bananas, Chocolate, Raspberry; it doesn't get much better than this...
The Pancake Pantry
With our blood sugar deliriously high, we went though a touristy stroll across a pedestrian bridge crossing the Cumberland River and connects the honky-tonk downtown to LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans. I must take a minute to commemorate the historic flood that occurred a few short weeks ago and nearly destroyed much of what makes Nashville Nashville. We saw much of the devastation that the waters left behind. Thirteen inches of rain in two days covered much of the downtown area with feet of water. Cars were floating. Homes and businesses destroyed. Pavement was literally torn from the streets. The river consumed the historic Grand Ole Opry hotel and theater, calling for months of reconstruction. For a beautiful and haunting video showing much of the damage as it was happening, visit the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwCGz1vSh_M This video was filmed and edited by a friend of Renee's and does a great job of capturing the experience.
The Mighty Cumberland River
After visiting the gift shop of the Country Music Hall of Fame (none of us are diehard country fans and it was closing soon anyways) and walking around the downtown area, we returned to Renee's home, enjoyed a dip in the pool, and made dinner . . . delicious handmade guacamole and chicken quesadillas. Personal thoughts regarding the pool and pools in general: I love swimming. Although I hated nearly every minute of my mother forcing me to take nearly a decade of swimming lessons, since being in the South, I am loving every chance I get to jump in a pool. Even back home in Connecticut, though it's been months since I've moved in 20 minutes from my in-laws and their backyard pool, the novelty has not worn off and I can't imagine it wearing off anytime soon. Lately I've been really into the feeling of sitting or lying at the bottom of the pool. Try it some time: hold your breath, go underwater and blow out as much as you can stand (so you sink to the bottom), and sit there feeling hundreds of pounds of liquid over you, around you, in you and through you. It's quite peaceful. Perhaps womb-like. Anyways, I'm on a tangent... It's hotter than Gehenna in the South and I'm glad for water.
Later that night we ran out to a local venue and watched some local talent in a showcase. They were alright and it was fun to see a show.
We hope everyone is doing well!
-A
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