Kaleb and I were planning a visit to his family's beach house in New Jersey for Labor Day weekend when I got the idea to visit my friend Lynda, who had moved to Nashville a few months ago. She was available, so I booked my ticket out there for a few days before meeting up with Kaleb in New Jersey. The (first and) last time I was in Nashville, I was on
, back when it was worth it to buy cheap airfare and turn around in a day for status, so I only saw the inside of an airport hotel room. Now I would have a chance to check out Music City. Lynda hadn't done much of the touristy stuff, so it was great to go together to the
, and various good eats around town. I would also have a chance to try out the
I had recently applied for the
Citibank American Airlines (AA) business card that included a $200 statement credit for AA purchases within the first 12 months, which came in handy for my flight to Nashville. If I didn't have a flight planned, I could have bought an AA gift card to take advantage of the credit.
I was fortunate to have received an email a few months prior from AA, gifting me free Gold status until September 7, despite not flying very much with the airline. I received eight 500-mile upgrade certificates which could be applied to a long-haul flight. Any flights I took under 500 miles would be automatically considered for upgrade. My itinerary went through Los Angeles, then to Nashville. I didn't see many first class seats open on the seat map, but I used the 500-mile certificates to waitlist for an upgrade on the long-haul leg just in case.
As suspected, the upgrade on the cross-country portion did not clear, but the leg to Los Angeles did; not a long flight, but it's always nice to have a larger seat and drink from glasses. I was seated in an exit row with an empty middle for my flight to Nashville, the next best thing to first class; in fact, the legroom was much better. There was a USB power port to keep devices charged during the long flight.
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| in line for air-side shuttle to change terminals in LAX |
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| much more leg room in exit row |
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| got the whole can |
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| hello Nashville! |
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| displays in the Nashville airport |
Lynda picked me up from the airport and we headed towards the
Opry Mills mall, as I read that it was easier to park there for the Grand Ole Opry. We visited the nearby
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and had a pleasant pre-show meal at
Wasabi's, inside the Cascades Cafe.
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| walkway from parking lot to Gaylord resort |
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| huge indoor grounds |
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| lots of activities in the resort |
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| so much foliage |
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| beautiful view from our table |
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| Japanese offerings |
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| flip page for American food |
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| sweet tea and cold sake |
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| miso soup |
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| rolls and shrimp tempura |
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| we skipped dessert |
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After dinner, we walked over to the Grand Ole Opry. I read a review about the aisle seats in the very last row having a great view (as long as you weren't bothered by the steepness of the stairs), so I selected them during online purchase. The seating consisted of fabric-covered benches. The labeling on the seats was a bit confusing, as we accidentally sat in the wrong section, but we figured it out in the end. The show was broadcast live on the radio, as it has been since 1925.
Rascal Flatts was supposed to headline, but due to "unforeseen circumstances",
Darius Rucker (of Hootie and the Blowfish) substituted.
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| Chris Janson |
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| Darius Rucker |
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I don't normally listen to country music, but I enjoy a good tune and the show was entertaining. The
Del McCoury bluegrass band was pretty good. The audience really got into
Chris Janson and Darius Rucker.
The next morning, we took Uber to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum so we wouldn't have to deal with parking downtown. I pre-purchased tickets that included an afternoon tour of Studio B, where Elvis recorded. After roaming around the museum, Lynda and I had lunch at the
222 Eatery on the first floor. Our server saw me playing
Pokemon Go, so we gabbed about the game and became "friends" on the app; now I have a source for 7 km eggs from Nashville.
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| museum lobby |
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| listening to the audio guide |
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| Elvis' Cadillac |
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| with TV and everything |
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| 222 menu |
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| half piggywich and paleo veg bowl |
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| pound cake was dry (supposedly normal here) |
After lunch, we explored more of the museum, then went to the meeting point for the tour. It was about a 10 minute shuttle ride to Studio B. There, the tour guide talked about its history and we watched some exclusive Elvis footage before entering the recording room which housed his Steinway piano. Before the trip, I had practiced a few songs in case we were allowed to play on it (previous reviews had mentioned doing so) but we could only sit and take photos, phooey!
Since we had nothing waiting for us back at the museum, Lynda and I skipped the return ride and walked down "Music Row", with plenty of studios lining the street. We heard live music on the rooftop of Warner studios, so we went inside to inquire; the security guard said we weren't allowed to watch. It never hurts to ask though.
The music is calling us...:
There was a
Hattie B's nearby so had to get some famous Nashville hot chicken. I went with mild, and it was spicy enough for me. The chicken was juicy and delicious.
We took Uber back to Lynda's place, surprised to be picked up by a huge Chevy Silverado crew cab. I would think that the fuel costs would eat into any profits! Our driver was nice and he explained that he picked up rides after he got off work. It seemed he worked for Uber for fun rather than money, since he told us he was retiring in a few months from his state transportation job, then moving to Florida. He looked like he was in his late thirties/early forties, so good for him and best of luck! Talking to Uber drivers is always interesting.
Lynda's long-time friend Sheriden was driving cross-country to move to South Carolina and stopped by Nashville this evening. We all went to dinner at the
Loveless Cafe, serving traditional Southern eats. The
biscuits and jam were to die for, as well as the
hummingbird cupcake.
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| yes, more fried chicken! |
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| fried green tomatoes |
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The next day, the three of us headed over to the
Adventure Park at Nashville, which Lynda manages. Today was a special "friends and family" staff event, not open to the public. We had so much fun climbing the ropes and obstacles, and ziplining from tree to tree. I would totally do this again! It's a great place for families, couples, corporate team builders, birthday parties, guys/girls' get togethers, you name it.
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| doesn't this look fun? |
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| strapping on the equipment |
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| Lynda the training instructor |
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| practicing clipping on and ziplining on low ground |
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| ropes course start point |
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| challenging and fun |
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That night, Sheriden wasn't feeling well enough to go to dinner, so Lynda and I took Lyft to downtown Nashville to eat "elevated" Southern cuisine at
Husk, which had great reviews. The food was delicious. We even ordered a second helping of oysters.
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| bread in a bag |
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| yummy! |
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| beef tartare, crab rice, pork rolls |
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| we skipped dessert |
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Afterwards, Lynda and I walked over to Broadway (aka "Honky Tonk Highway") to check out the music scene. It wasn't busy yet as it was only 8:30pm, but it was also raining intermittently. The Tennessee Titans were playing that night at Nissan Stadium, and once that got out, Broadway would be full of nighttime revelers. After visiting a few bars and lounges (including unintentionally crashing a private party, proving that "act like you belong there" really does work), we decided to head home before the football game ended.
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| busy on Broadway |
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| crashed a party at The Lookout to get this view |
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And so ends my trip to Nashville! It was a fun few days there, getting a taste of Music City. Too bad I didn't get the full honky tonk experience, but have to save something for a future visit, right?
Lynda dropped me off at the airport the next day - onward to Philadelphia, then to Atlantic City...stay tuned!
***
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