Three weeks ago Cliff and I jet-setted across country on a red eye to meet my dad in Nashville for a few days of vacation. We had three nights and three and a half days to take in as much of the city as possible while spending some quality time together. The trip was a success. And I have photos to prove it.
The story actually begins before we landed in Nashville. Our flight from Portland to Houston was incredibly bumpy. We were at the back of the plane. It was loud. If I was lucky enough to lull myself to sleep during the infrequent bump-free moments I was immediately woken back up when someone flushed the toilet. I was relieved when we landed as I hoped our short flight into Nashville would allow me a few minutes to try and sleep. The terminal was weird and we quickly realized why as we were moved past ticketing downstairs so that we could board the plane from the outside. FROM THE OUTSIDE. Small plane. I hate small planes and this one was the tinniest yet for me. Cliff couldn't even stand up inside. Fortunately, to my surprise the flight was so much smoother than our first. I actually slept for about 30 minutes and even had the courage to drink a ginger ale. Victory.
Dad met us at the airport and the adventure began. We got breakfast at Shoney's and then we checked into the hotel (that I booked for a deal on Hotwire) so that Cliff and I could actually get some sleep. Five or six hours later we felt like real people again (sorta). We headed downtown to get dinner and take in the scene. We ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory then toured the city on a horse drawn carriage. Our tour guide was Lee and his dog Rio. They told us about architecture and local history. It was a great way to get the lay of the land. After the carriage ride we got candy from Savannah's Candy Kitchen then walked up to Live on the Green. Live on the Green is a weekly free concert series that features really big headline names. The night we were in town was Michael Franti and Spearhead. It was incredibly hot (for us wimpy folks from the Northwest) and the humidity was draining on us all. We waited around by a fountain for the music to start. All of the kids running around were pretty entertaining and I wished that I could join them. After about an hour we called it a night as our nap magic was wearing off and we were really sticky. Even though we didn't get to see the headliner it was still a really nice night.
The next morning we woke up to get breakfast. I purchased two Groupons in advance to help us find some fun- Nashville places to check out. The first was the Pfunky Griddle a little south of town. The concept is that you cook your own food. Crazy. I know. We paid to make our own meal. But don't think I'm crazy as it was as much about the experience as it was about the food. It gave us a chance to hang out, slow down, and chat while managing to not burn pancakes, potatoes, french toast, and eggs. Dad and Cliff took turns as grill master.
After breakfast we headed to Antique Archeology. Our family in general is a big fan of those shows on the History Channel that show people finding old cool stuff and trying to make money off of it. Antique Archeology is the storefront for American Pickers. We went in hoping to see treasures that Mike and Frank have found on their travels. Instead what we found was an incredibly cool and beautiful storefront for Antique Archeology t-shirts and bumper stickers.
As you can see from above, Cliff was already a little tired. Despite the fact that we have been together for more than a decade he still hasn't gotten use to the Johnson way of vacationing. We like to take lots of stops, shop, browse, eat, and generally roam all day long. Vacations are less about relaxing and doing nothing than jam packing your days with as much cool stuff as you can possibly find. With this said, we dropped Cliff off at the hotel for some RnR and then hit the road again. Dad and I decided to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I admit that I'm not much of a country music fan these days (or at least the stuff they play on the radio) but I was a huge fan back in the early 1990s. I was really excited to see all of the memorabilia that the museum had to offer. We got to see a whole lot of spiffy classic country outfits and super fancy objects like Elvis Presley's gold piano (and his Cadillac that was painted in crushed diamonds and fish scales). Other things I learned while at the museum: country music was/is a big deal in Bakersfield, California. Apparently many people migrated to that town after the dust bowl. Some of those folks became popular musicians that became icons of country music (Buck Owens and Merle Haggard). I also leaned that Carrie Underwood is the smallest and skinniest person alive. There was a whole exhibit on her costumes from her latest tour and he leg seriously looks the same size as my arm. Mind blown.
Afterwards we went to Hatch Show Print, the oldest working letterpress print shop in the country. Their posters are everywhere and are pretty iconic. I was hoping to see the presses at work and possibly get a tour or look through back catalogs of their prints. Instead it was once again a store front for selling a few classic prints plus ones for popular artists. Oh well.
That night we went to my cousin Karen's house to eat dinner and visit with family. I think it had been 10 years since I had seen cousin Karen and aunt Donna and I had never met Tippy (Karen's husband) or Courtney (their daughter). It was wonderful to see everyone. We got to tour their beautiful house, chat, and eat some really good southern food (fried okra..I ate three kinds of meat!). I discovered that Karen also have a love of Fiestaware (orange and brown). We pulled up Karen's profile on ancestry.com and discovered that the Butlers are pretty Irish (who knew?!?) and that we have family who were some of the first responders in Concord, MA when the British were coming. Very, very cool. Within a blink of an eye over six hours had gone by and it was time to go back to the hotel.
On the way home we got pulled over for a sobriety check point. Everyone was being stopped so I rolled down my window to chat with the officer. He asked if I had anything to drink and I replied "yes sir, about a half a glass of wine about 5 hours ago". He asked where I had been and where I was going "We have been at my cousin Karen Baker's house on XYZ Road and we are now heading back to our hotel as we are from out of town....". I went on and on. I could not shut up. I was sober as could be but was so incredibly nervous that I would have told that man anything. I think I almost did. Because I had one drink much earlier in the night I had to do a dexterity task with my fingers and count forwards and backwards. I obviously passed but my heart was pounding. I felt like a crazy person.
We headed back into the city, drove by the Batman building, and went to the Ryman Auditorium. It was wonderful. Just being in the building made me feel all warm and tingly. So many musicians got their start on that stage. Home of the Grand Ole Opry from '43- '74 it has hosted personalities all all types from all over the world. Ballet, opera, politicians, the list goes on and on. Such a wonderful, magical place.
We continued our cultural experience by heading to White Castle as Cliff and I had never eaten at one. So when in Rome....eat White Castle! Surprisingly, it was pretty good. Between the three of us we ate ten little sliders, two fries, and two drinks. Perfect snack to get us ready for the Grand Ole Opry.
I had been excited to go back to the Grand Ole Opry from the moment that we bought our plane tickets. As I mentioned before, I was a HUGE country music fan when I was younger. One year we went to Fan Fair, met all sorts of country music stars, and watched countless acts perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage. This time, we lucked out as we got tickets for a night that featured Martina McBride. Before the show we decided to go to the Oryland Hotel to look around. I put on my cowboy boots (don't get to wear them often enough) and we set out for the hotel to get BBQ at the Jack Daniel's Restaurant. As remembered, the hotel was amazing.
After BBQ we took the complimentary shuttle to the Grand Ole Opry. Can you tell we were excited?
The show was wonderful. With eleven performers on the schedule we got to hear yodeling, old time music, gospel, bluegrass, contemporary country, and we even got to see some pretty sweet clogging. We saw John Conlee (Rose Colored Glasses), Joanna Smith, Mike Snider, Jeannie Seely, Jimmy C. Newman, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs, Jean Shepard, The Whites, the Opry Square Dancers, and Martina McBride. Scott Hamilton was even there! I know, right?! I would be lying if I said I didn't well up with tears quite a few times. I loved it.
Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was the performance of Jesse McReyonolds, an 84 year old bluegrass mandolin player who has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1964. McReynolds had been ill for the last few weeks/months and the night we were there was his first time back. After coming on stage, he said that he is known for playing all sorts of music on stage and tonight he was going to play a little Grateful Dead. People laughed but then he started into his cover of Black Muddy River. It was so great. It made my heart so happy. Best part of the night. Hands down.
We packed our last day with as much as we could. We visited the Nashville Parthenon. Thats right, Nashville's Parks and Rec. owns a replica of the Parthenon. Awesome. Afterwards we bought butter beans, tomatoes, and peaches at the Nashville Farmers' Market. We ate our very first beignets in the market food court. We went non stop until we landed back at the airport.
Dad met us at the airport and the adventure began. We got breakfast at Shoney's and then we checked into the hotel (that I booked for a deal on Hotwire) so that Cliff and I could actually get some sleep. Five or six hours later we felt like real people again (sorta). We headed downtown to get dinner and take in the scene. We ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory then toured the city on a horse drawn carriage. Our tour guide was Lee and his dog Rio. They told us about architecture and local history. It was a great way to get the lay of the land. After the carriage ride we got candy from Savannah's Candy Kitchen then walked up to Live on the Green. Live on the Green is a weekly free concert series that features really big headline names. The night we were in town was Michael Franti and Spearhead. It was incredibly hot (for us wimpy folks from the Northwest) and the humidity was draining on us all. We waited around by a fountain for the music to start. All of the kids running around were pretty entertaining and I wished that I could join them. After about an hour we called it a night as our nap magic was wearing off and we were really sticky. Even though we didn't get to see the headliner it was still a really nice night.
The next morning we woke up to get breakfast. I purchased two Groupons in advance to help us find some fun- Nashville places to check out. The first was the Pfunky Griddle a little south of town. The concept is that you cook your own food. Crazy. I know. We paid to make our own meal. But don't think I'm crazy as it was as much about the experience as it was about the food. It gave us a chance to hang out, slow down, and chat while managing to not burn pancakes, potatoes, french toast, and eggs. Dad and Cliff took turns as grill master.
As you can see from above, Cliff was already a little tired. Despite the fact that we have been together for more than a decade he still hasn't gotten use to the Johnson way of vacationing. We like to take lots of stops, shop, browse, eat, and generally roam all day long. Vacations are less about relaxing and doing nothing than jam packing your days with as much cool stuff as you can possibly find. With this said, we dropped Cliff off at the hotel for some RnR and then hit the road again. Dad and I decided to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I admit that I'm not much of a country music fan these days (or at least the stuff they play on the radio) but I was a huge fan back in the early 1990s. I was really excited to see all of the memorabilia that the museum had to offer. We got to see a whole lot of spiffy classic country outfits and super fancy objects like Elvis Presley's gold piano (and his Cadillac that was painted in crushed diamonds and fish scales). Other things I learned while at the museum: country music was/is a big deal in Bakersfield, California. Apparently many people migrated to that town after the dust bowl. Some of those folks became popular musicians that became icons of country music (Buck Owens and Merle Haggard). I also leaned that Carrie Underwood is the smallest and skinniest person alive. There was a whole exhibit on her costumes from her latest tour and he leg seriously looks the same size as my arm. Mind blown.
Afterwards we went to Hatch Show Print, the oldest working letterpress print shop in the country. Their posters are everywhere and are pretty iconic. I was hoping to see the presses at work and possibly get a tour or look through back catalogs of their prints. Instead it was once again a store front for selling a few classic prints plus ones for popular artists. Oh well.
That night we went to my cousin Karen's house to eat dinner and visit with family. I think it had been 10 years since I had seen cousin Karen and aunt Donna and I had never met Tippy (Karen's husband) or Courtney (their daughter). It was wonderful to see everyone. We got to tour their beautiful house, chat, and eat some really good southern food (fried okra..I ate three kinds of meat!). I discovered that Karen also have a love of Fiestaware (orange and brown). We pulled up Karen's profile on ancestry.com and discovered that the Butlers are pretty Irish (who knew?!?) and that we have family who were some of the first responders in Concord, MA when the British were coming. Very, very cool. Within a blink of an eye over six hours had gone by and it was time to go back to the hotel.
On the way home we got pulled over for a sobriety check point. Everyone was being stopped so I rolled down my window to chat with the officer. He asked if I had anything to drink and I replied "yes sir, about a half a glass of wine about 5 hours ago". He asked where I had been and where I was going "We have been at my cousin Karen Baker's house on XYZ Road and we are now heading back to our hotel as we are from out of town....". I went on and on. I could not shut up. I was sober as could be but was so incredibly nervous that I would have told that man anything. I think I almost did. Because I had one drink much earlier in the night I had to do a dexterity task with my fingers and count forwards and backwards. I obviously passed but my heart was pounding. I felt like a crazy person.
The next morning we checked out another Groupon breakfast place called the Blue Sky Cafe. It was great as it was in a little historic part of town that we would not have seen otherwise. The food was good and the place seemed to be a popular breakfast spot of the local 20/30 something crowd. We felt hip. Or at least I did. On the way out, I noticed the "As Seen On Nashville" sign in the window. That confirmed that we were hip.
We headed back into the city, drove by the Batman building, and went to the Ryman Auditorium. It was wonderful. Just being in the building made me feel all warm and tingly. So many musicians got their start on that stage. Home of the Grand Ole Opry from '43- '74 it has hosted personalities all all types from all over the world. Ballet, opera, politicians, the list goes on and on. Such a wonderful, magical place.
I had been excited to go back to the Grand Ole Opry from the moment that we bought our plane tickets. As I mentioned before, I was a HUGE country music fan when I was younger. One year we went to Fan Fair, met all sorts of country music stars, and watched countless acts perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage. This time, we lucked out as we got tickets for a night that featured Martina McBride. Before the show we decided to go to the Oryland Hotel to look around. I put on my cowboy boots (don't get to wear them often enough) and we set out for the hotel to get BBQ at the Jack Daniel's Restaurant. As remembered, the hotel was amazing.
After BBQ we took the complimentary shuttle to the Grand Ole Opry. Can you tell we were excited?
The show was wonderful. With eleven performers on the schedule we got to hear yodeling, old time music, gospel, bluegrass, contemporary country, and we even got to see some pretty sweet clogging. We saw John Conlee (Rose Colored Glasses), Joanna Smith, Mike Snider, Jeannie Seely, Jimmy C. Newman, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Skaggs, Jean Shepard, The Whites, the Opry Square Dancers, and Martina McBride. Scott Hamilton was even there! I know, right?! I would be lying if I said I didn't well up with tears quite a few times. I loved it.
Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was the performance of Jesse McReyonolds, an 84 year old bluegrass mandolin player who has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1964. McReynolds had been ill for the last few weeks/months and the night we were there was his first time back. After coming on stage, he said that he is known for playing all sorts of music on stage and tonight he was going to play a little Grateful Dead. People laughed but then he started into his cover of Black Muddy River. It was so great. It made my heart so happy. Best part of the night. Hands down.
We packed our last day with as much as we could. We visited the Nashville Parthenon. Thats right, Nashville's Parks and Rec. owns a replica of the Parthenon. Awesome. Afterwards we bought butter beans, tomatoes, and peaches at the Nashville Farmers' Market. We ate our very first beignets in the market food court. We went non stop until we landed back at the airport.
Hanging out in Nashville with dad was great. We all had a good time. I think we should meet someplace new each year. Who knows, maybe Austin next year?
Nashville, I liked you just as much as I did the last time we met almost 20 years ago. Thanks for being a pretty great city. Hopefully we will see you again within the next 20...
