I have to say that by the time we reached Nashville, Tennessee on our cross country odyssey, I was sick from exhaustion, the weather was finally getting fairly warm and sunny, and we were on our last notable stop.
Did I, by any chance, stay in my room and rest? Nope. I took a covid test, which was negative. I took another one, which was negative. Then I realized that I could taste and didn't have a fever, so I said screw it, I'm in Nashville.
Nashville was kind of my husband's stop. I've been there a few times, even for work at one point. My husband is a huge "American Pickers" fan, so we had to stop and check out Antique Archaeology in Nashville. They have multiple stores, but they definitely have one there.
The store was in an old Marathon car factory just south of downtown and Broadway. The building has several unique shops to visit and some food options as well. The common areas between stores in the hallways are museum like exhibits of some of the old machinery and fixtures from the factory days. It is a beautiful building, beautifully preserved and an interesting stop away from most of the fuss in town.
Antique Archaeology is an interesting shop, however, most of the merchandise that's for sale are souvenirs. There are a lot of items on display that aren't for sale, and the odds that you'll see anyone who appears on the show are next to none. That's the way it always is if you visit a store or restaurant or any venue that is shown on TV. The owners and persons on camera very rarely are in the venues.
Following our nice and very interesting visit to Antique Archaeology and the Marathon Factory, we headed downtown to what has come to be known as Broadway.
Broadway is the historic, very musical neighborhood directly downtown in Nashville. It basically is a few blocks wide, up and down the hill and runs from the Cumberland River with the Titans Nissan Stadium just across the way to the east to the Predators Bridgestone Stadium at the west end. In between are enough western stores, country music museums, barbecue joints, souvenir shops, and bars with live music to keep you busy for days.
I will be perfectly honest, Broadway is busy. I don't care when you go there or what you intend to do. There were absolutely no signs of the pandemic anywhere, and when we arrived at one in the afternoon; well, most people were already a little bit drunk. I was blown away by that one, because even in New Orleans, they didn't really start drinking until late afternoon.
There will not be any street parking available. Best option is to park in the parking garage at the west end of the area by the hockey arena and just walk. I felt like crap that day, but walking was still the better way to go.
There are rules on Broadway. First and foremost is pay your tab! Oh my God! I saw signs about what happens if people don't settle their tab in every store, bar, restaurant and even in the parking garage there were warnings that if you didn't settle the bill in time, you would be charged for a whole 24 hour day. My guess is that there's problems with people settling bills. So, pay, will ya?
Fact, a lot of musicians got their start in the Broadway neighborhood. We stopped a few places and listened to the music. There's some fabulous live music there. It's worth dealing with crowds and crowded bars. We heard some good stuff.
We also had some good food. I can't say it enough. When you're traveling, try the local cuisine. In Nashville it's barbecue, wings, and barbecue wings. There are dozens of ways to try these things, and there were fewer pizza places on Broadway than anywhere else we visited. I found it refreshing.
We found a Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline museum. We saw a lot of interesting things. We shopped for boots and cowboy hats, because Nashville is famous for selling them. We talked to the people and saw a lot of art and arts and crafts for sale on the scene. It was a fascinating culture and a culture shock to us old people. Broadway is largely a young person's venue. Most of us old people can't drink like that.
We did find that all the drinking has brought about some interesting facts that you to will discover if you head out to Broadway. It's hard to find a draught beer. In most places you buy beer by the can or bottle. Not sure why that is, but it's common in the neighborhood. In several of the restaurants there are no choices of sides with your food. A side is assigned to nearly every meal and that's what comes with it. No substitutions. Be aware. Crowds are a way of life. No one is concerned about a pandemic, and if you are, don't go there. Always take your receipt. Everyplace gives a paper receipt and you don't want to leave any personal information sitting around.
Now, I am going to leave out some things about Nashville. It was too early and chilly to think about going to Opryland to catch a river cruise. It is a great resort and they have a great boat cruise on the river. We didn't take any of the multitude of tours available. If you are in Nashville and have some time there, by all means, take a tour. There are tons of them and they go to fascinating places and do interesting things. I recommend it, and it's not real expensive to take a tour in Nashville. There are a lot of cities that have far more expensive local tours. If you get a chance, check out a sporting event. The venues are great in Nashville.
And that's what we did. We headed down to the west part of the neighborhood and went to see the Predators play the Pittsburgh Penguins on the ice. My husband is a huge Penguins fan, and the timing was great. They just happened to be playing on the one night we were in town.
Inside Bridgestone Arena is a little museum honoring several local sports and athletes. It was interesting, but on to the main event. To be honest, it is worth checking out. We took some time before the game and looked around.
Notes. For one thing, don't be stupid like me. It was actually nice out that day, so I wasn't wearing a coat for the first time since I left Arizona. Why I didn't think about it, I don't know. Always wear a coat or other warm clothing to a hockey game. It's self explanatory, but I mention it anyway.
I don't talk about going to sporting events often, because we don't go often. However, it was an irresistible stop in Nashville. I recommend going to live sports events. Most sports I don't watch on television, but give me an opportunity to go to the game, and I'm there. You just don't get the real experience at home. If you've never gone, go. Whether it's hockey, football, baseball, basketball, soccer or whatever. If you can, go. You won't regret it.
Unfortunately for my husband, the Penguins lost that night. But, we had a really good time, despite my being cold and sick. It was still worth it.
Nashville is a busy city all day, all night. There's so much going on that one day just doesn't do it justice. If you like a multitude of options for activities, it's a great place. No matter what your preference is, they've got something that caters to it. I didn't have enough time or energy to show my husband all that the city has to offer. I wish that we'd been able to stay longer.
So, if you're traveling across the country, Nashville is a great stop. You can eat, drink, dance, and enjoy!
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