Nashville: Where Claudia & John Get a Day Off

It was time for a day off.   Last night we got to watch the Rangers-Montreal game (I'm soooo excited!!!!!) and caught up on laundry.  Today we took care of our bikes, bodies, and business and then headed downtown.

First stop was lunch at Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant.  I finally got a hot chicken sandwich, which was pretty damn tasty, and had a great beer - Good People IPA from Birmingham, Alabama.

Then I took my dad to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The ladyfriend and I had gone when we'd come to Nashville a few years ago, but we got there late and couldn't take the whole thing in.  So this time my dad and I made the time to go downtown and check it out.

You can never have have too many hats, gloves, and shoes

Those are some steppy outfits!

I could wear this.

Thought this was a nice take on the bike rack although I'm still not convinced that Nashville is really bike-friendly.

And then, we came back to our home base, and I made dinner.  It was the perfect way to end the day.  Tomorrow, onto Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Oh Yeah - Nashville!

Springtime in Nashville was quite lovely.  Sunday was spent mostly hanging out with friends and making a trek to Ann Patchett's bookstore, Parnassus (stopping for donuts along the way).

Monday was the day where we had to get to some of the must-dos/must-eats of the trip, starting with a trip to Arnold's, a "meat plus three" establishment.  The ladyfriend had the kielbasa and kraut with mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes (some people love carbs!), and brussel sprouts.  I had wanted the catfish, reckoned to be the best in America (meaning the States) by Bon Appetite, but it wasn't on Monday's menu.  Instead, I made the radical choice of liver and onions.  I know, liver and onions!  I chose mac-n-cheese, turnip greens, and brussel sprouts as my sides.  There was some cornbread involved as well and a shared piece of pecan pie.

Rick, who ordered the tilapia, looks a little less, shall we say "full"?, than I do here:

Note - I'm wearing my Imogene + Willie jeans, which might contribute to the "full" feeling.

After a couple of diversions, we made our way to Hatch Show Print, an amazing letterpress poster maker.  They've made posters for all kinds of acts, not just country.

And then it was time for the Country Music Hall of Fame!

Thanks for the reminder!  Good thing I left my rifle at home.

The Country Music Hall of Fame was great.  I don't really consider myself a country music fan, but I actually do like the earlier stuff.  I was particularly interested in their Bakersfield Sound exhibit, which highlighted the honky-tonk sound out of Bakersfield.  Unfortunately the lighting was not great for photos (no flash, please!), so I'll have to rely on these few photos and my memory (such as it is).

More Hatch Show Print work at the Hall of Fame

In the meantime, I've checked out some country music CDs from the library; I think they'll jog the memory a bit until we make it back down.