Nashville is a happening city – two days really didn’t do it justice, but I did pack a lot in. Stayed in an Airbnb in the 12 South area. According to locals, the only reason you’d go here 15 years ago was for hookers or dope. Now it’s trendy and gentrified, with strollers, bicycles, and a ton of restaurants, coffee bars and other hipster/millennial accoutrements.
I had a delicious raspberry-with-lemon-cream-filling 100 layer doughnut at Five Daughters Bakery – a cross between a croissant and a doughnut. Picked up a cinnamon bagel with raisin-walnut cream cheese at Proper Bagel – they also had real lox as well as smoked sable and whitefish (flown in from Brooklyn). I didn’t need it, but couldn’t resist also getting a flagel – a bagel flattened out to about 10 inches wide and half an inch thick – more surface area for all those seeds and delicious things.
A little online research reveals another benefit to flagels: a better crust to interior ratio; many people feel that bagels have become too big and soft and doughy – like eating half a loaf of bread. Those flat pretzel crackers (Pretzel Crisps) have moved in the same direction. As you can see, my gastronomic expertise tends towards carbs. And sugar.
Trish and I achieved the perfect balance regarding sweets: she craved chocolate – a bag of chocolate chips theoretically purchased for cookies didn’t stand a chance on overnight survival. I, on the other hand, like my sugar straight: gummy bears, Hot Tamales, and the ultimate in consumable glucose: Jelly Belly jelly beans, which also have achieved the perfect crust-to-interior balance. [Factoid: most jelly beans only have flavor in the coating, while Jelly Bellies flavor both the outside and the inside.] Now I’ve done it … I wonder if there’s a candy store in town … I’ll distract myself … um, pasta … doh! (dough?) … I feel like Homer Simpson.
I was there on the weekend, when venues have booked acts, so missed out on open mics. It would have been cool to play in Nashville. Touched base with some folks from the consulting group that worked with Mount Auburn Hospital on our Epic electronic medical record implementation. Went with Sam and Ryan to Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern – described by them and my Lyft driver as a gritty shack of a bar – on Friday. Good local music, up close and personal, just the way I like it.
Met them and Layna and Thomas the next night for dinner, after which I headed over to Lower Broadway to experience the Saturday night scene – dozens of bars and cover bands, thousands of raucous tourists, noisy, tacky, probably a lot of fun if you’re stinking drunk (when everything seems awesome and cool until you puke). A weird sociological phenomenon if you’re not. Ryan had advised walking the strip during the afternoon before the human deluge, but I hadn’t gotten to that (working on the blog!) However, I went again the next day when there were fewer people and better music.
I spent a little time exploring Music Row, which was kind of neat.
I did have two unanswered questions: Where was this party? And why wasn't I invited?
My original itinerary also included Memphis – I’m more inclined towards blues than country – especially because the 39th annual Blues Music Awards were last week. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t make the timing work out, so I missed seeing a friend, Michael “Mudcat” Ward, win in the Instrumentalist-Bass category. Go, Mudcat!
