it is only right that the update on nashville begins the day before we arrived, since, for me the effects of that day had an impact on the entire trip. oh, and i’ve taken down the ‘placeholder blog’ and replaced it with this one.
thursday was our annual senior principals’ and officers’ event. there are about 250 who are invited to attend, and about 200 who actually do so. the last major event i had was in october, and the last event of any kind was in november, so i’ve been slowly ramping myself up for this one.
on wednesday night, i checked into the host hotel, the mandarin oriental (recently rated the #1 luxury property in dc). typically, when i have a local event, i don’t stay overnight, but this meeting had an early start time, and given the dc location, i didn’t want to have to be up at 4 the next morning in order to get the setup time i needed.
once checked in, i finished a few things and called it a night, but was up early thursday morning to get started. the meeting went smoothly--in fact there were virtually no glitches. the buses did not get lost, my ‘help’ arrived on time, the food was excellent, the audio visual worked, the guest speaker was a hit. all in all, it was one of the more perfect events.
the day’s meetings concluded with a cocktail reception, after which, i headed back to my room to get my stuff and headed home.
once there, i unpacked my work things and started packing for nashville. at about 12:30am, i was finally able to call it a night.
come 2:30, the alarm clock was ringing and it was time to get up. no. that is not a typo.
i showered and ran a couple of errands (bank, 24 hour harris teeter, gas) and headed over to pick angela up, and we were on our way to baltimore.
we arrived at danielle’s shortly before 6, where we met up with her and lara, consolidated our luggage into lara’s suv, and headed out for bwi. it was early, and we were all tired. i was impressed with angela’s packing ability, as her ‘suitcase’ was smaller than an average rolling carry-on. she later showed us how she did it, but i still don’t quite understand. i will say that i now see the benefit of mini-hair dryers, and travel sized sundries!
we made it to the airport with just the right amount of time to spare, and boarded our flight. it was nearly empty, so lara and danielle took the window and aisle in one row, and angela and i in the row behind. most of us were able to catch a few z’s during the two hour flight.
when we arrived in nashville, we caught a cab and checked-in at the hotel. we were early enough to make breakfast, so we dropped off our bags and enjoyed a bite before getting started on the day.
i have to confess that i don’t remember the last time i was so exhausted. having been to nashville before (albeit briefly), i knew there were a couple of things that the group would likely want to do, which i would prefer sleep to.
so, a plan evolved. the first order of business was a nap. for everyone.
we headed back into the room and turned on the tv. angela struggled to get comfortable and finally admitted that she has told her husband on many occasions ‘no street clothes in bed’. since she and i were sharing a bed, i felt badly, but my exhaustion overruled my guilt and i eventually had to slip under the covers--street clothes and all. she followed quickly, apparently also deciding that a change was not going to happen. and with that, the four of us were pretty much out.
fun group, right?
after napping for a couple of hours (and by now it’s about noon), we all started coming to. danielle was interested in going to the ryman auditorium, the original home of the grand ole opry. i had already seen it, and angela wasn’t interested, so she and lara left us behind to sleep even more. i should say that while i was in desperate need of sleep from the night before, i was also preparing for the night ahead. lara had mentioned on several occasions that she often stayed out until 3 or 4am when in nashville, and i knew that was her highest priority on the trip, so i was trying to get much needed rest in order to do that. that’s even late for me--the perpetual night owl.
a couple hours later, the two girls returned, and we decided to head down to broadway to do a little shopping.
while there, we happened upon a western store that had a ‘buy one, get two free’ boot sale going on. i was thrilled, as i have been looking for a pair of brown boots for some time. i don’t typically spend a lot of money on shoes, and a good pair will start around $200. i was hopeful that i could find a pair and get a deal at the same time.
well, i found a pair, and i fell in love with them. perhaps it was because i usually wear a size 11, and in this case had to go down to a 9 1/2 for a good fit, or perhaps it was the boot itself. actually, i know it was.
i’ll be honest, i don’t ‘love’ the stem of the boot, but the toe is a beautiful brown suede, and slightly more pointed than a typical boot. i really was in love, but they were $300 and it didn’t look like enough of the girls in our group were going to be purchasing a pair for me to get the ‘deal’.
thanks to a great sales person though, angela (also buying a pair) and i hooked up with two other girls in the store (who, ironically, were buying the exact same pair i was), and we were all able to get our boots for $100. for me that was 1/3 of retail, so you can only imagine how excited i was!
we did a little more shopping, and danielle found a pair of boots in another store, while lara, angela, and i fell in love with belt buckles there. lara and angela purchased them, but i couldn’t decide, so i left it behind. incidentally, i changed my mind, and did end up buying the buckle the following day (as did danielle), and we all ended up with the same belt buckle (though 2 square, 2 round). as angela (in particular) and danielle (who at least had already owned a pair of boots) are not real country girls, it was fun to watch them become countrified. lara continued to jest that angela’s husband would never let us travel with him again, given this result!
after shopping, it was time for food, and we popped into rippy’s for some babachew (as lara puts it), or bbq for the rest of us. we enjoyed some live music while we ate our dinner, and headed back to the hotel.
it’s possible that some or all of us napped again at this point, but i really can’t remember, nor would i confess it at this point!
eventually, it was time to start getting ready. for some (ahem lara and angela) that process is more time consuming than others, but eventually, we were all ready, and it was late enough to hit the town.
our first stop was the wild horse saloon. the wild horse is fairly large with a good size dance floor and three levels. there was a little dancing, and a lot of people watching.
we were approached by a pair of guys who were in town for a waste management conference (oh yeah. so hawt!) and it wasn’t long after that we were swarmed by another 8 guys (i kid you not) not related to the first two, but in town for the same conference.
i have to say, it was a strange scenario. most of them were married. a couple of them were drunk enough that i’m not sure how they were still standing on two feet, and a couple who just gave up the effort. is it sick and wrong that i think it’s so hilarious being sober in a primarily drunk environment? the entertainment value far exceeds reality tv, and for me, that’s saying something!
eventually the hive of 10 became altogether too overwhelming. the advances were becoming uncomfortable and the drinks were still being drunk, so we did the only thing we could, and we left.
we headed over to a honky tonk called ‘the second fiddle’ which would become our home away from the hotel while in nashville. it was a small bar, but with enough space that you didn’t feel claustrophobic. the crowd was diverse, and mostly respectful. there was a little dancing, and a little less unnecessary groping and grabbing.
it was there that we met our new best friend. she approached me like this:
her: ‘are you havin' a good time?’
me: ‘yes, we are’
her: ‘where are you from?’
me: ‘virgina’
her: ‘well, there are two things you have to do when you’re in nashville. you’ve got to sing. and you’ve got to shake your ass!’
i hope you read that while infusing a super-heavy souther drawl on this blond bundle of energy!
it turns out that she was originally from ohio, and had come to nashville three years prior on a girls trip. she loved it so much, she decided to move. i think that was her goal for us too, as she quickly determined that for the rest of the evening, she would be our cruise director. it became her personal mission to make sure that we were experiencing what nashville had to offer, and she worked hard! she was an absolute riot! she was there with her boyfriend, and another friend, who i swear, was a midget, so you can just picture this ragtag crew, can’t you?
it was something else. we found her often turning to strangers and saying ‘it is my personal goal to get as many people in here to shake their ass. and guess what? it's your turn!’ perhaps the funniest moment of the evening came when she had just said that to danielle, and a random guy (not privy to the conversation) literally grabbed d and ‘whisked’ her onto the dance floor.
after unsuccessfully trying to get the band at second fiddle to play ‘dixieland delight’, a nashville anthem, as i’ve come to learn, jae (our new friend) decided it was time to move on to greener pastures, and led us a few doors down to a place called ‘the stage.’ the stage was much bigger and far more crowded than second fiddle.
we knew walking in we weren’t going to like it as much, but we gave it an honest shot. after about 15 minutes, however, lara was sick of the guys behind us talking about my butt (i was blissfully unaware) and ‘grazing’ hers, so it was time to go. we headed back to the second fiddle and settled in for the night.
at about 1, danielle was ready to call it quits, so i walked her back to the hotel (about a block and a half away), then returned to join up with lara and angela again. we spend the next 2+ hours dancing, singing our hearts out, and just generally having a good time. we were amused by the ‘stories’ we would hear and the people we met.
the talent for the night was dustin bogue, who put on a good show. it is incredible to me that these artists/bands will go on sometime between 10 and 11 and just play until the place shuts down. if they need a bathroom break or a beer, they go get it, and another band member sings, or someone hops on stage from the audience. it is a truly unique experience. i also appreciate how hard they work. the honky tonks do not charge covers, so the band makes it money entirely off tips. it means there is a lot of crowd interaction and a lot of request taking.
near the end of the show, a girl introduced herself to me, and as were chatting, revealed herself to be the singer’s girlfriend. she then proceeded to invite us to be his entourage, as apparently labels are more likely to sign an artist who already has a following. i’ve never been invited to be in someone’s entourage before, but i don’t think i’d like it;) at any rate, she was a really sweet girl, and we chatted until the band finished and it was time to call it a night.
we made it back a little after 3am and crashed hard.
saturday morning found us entirely too early. at one point, i vaguely remember lara asking if anyone wanted breakfast, but i was still in dreamland. it wasn’t until later (5 minutes? 30?) that i realized what was going on and decided to drag myself out of bed to eat. i knew if i didn’t have breakfast i would be thrown off for the day.
angela stayed in bed, and when the three of us returned, we all climbed back in.
at noon or so, we woke up, showered and got ready. we had decided to head to the grand ole opry, so we caught a cab, and made the 20 minute trek. i had been to the opry before too, but it was next to the ginormous mall, and more shopping was scheduled.
the opry itself was closed for the season, as performances are being held at ryman through march, but we took some photos, perused the gift shop, and headed across to the mall. we meandered and bought. angela bought a fabulous belt, adorned with silver mudflap girls, and she is the only person i know that could get away with wearing it!
i think we all ended up with a little something, and after a couple of hours, decided to head back.
it’s possible there was more napping.
then it was dinner time!
we headed back to broadway where lara picked up a shirt she had seen the day before, and danielle and i bought our belt buckles. then it was on to the big river grill, where i enjoyed the most incredible gorgonzola pear salad with hazelnut crusted chicken. i have been trying to find a recipe ever since!!
dinner was low-key and took quite awhile as the restaurant was busy and the service slow. eventually we made our way out and chilled at the hotel for awhile before getting ready to go out. i let angela play with my face, and she had a good time. i don’t think i even ended up looking like a clown...at least in the dark;)
the singer at the second fiddle was one lara had heard before and liked, and who was scheduled to go on at 10. we arrived shortly thereafter, but they didn’t end up getting started until 11ish.
the singer/band on friday night had been decent, but i too thought adam wayde was pretty darn good. and he had a fiddle player. the minute lara and i saw that, we knew there was potential for some really fun songs (i.e. devil went down to georgia).
we stayed and listened for a good amount of time, but danielle had previously expressed an interest in moving around. wanting to accommodate her, we headed out on broadway to stop in some other places.
the first stop was tootsie’s. from the moment we walked in, it was difficult to breathe. the room was packed (in a truly frightening way), and i will say that i have never felt like such a piece of meat before. hoping that the backroom would be better, we made our way through the length of the bar ( a feat in and of itself) and up the stairs to the back room. it was less crowded there, but the band was much more hard rock than country, and i continued to feel uncomfortable with the type and size of the crowd. i lasted for all of 7.3 minutes, and i was done. to be honest, it didn’t matter to me if the other three came with me or not, i simply could not be there anymore. there were entirely too many people and a pervasive feeling of lechery. i don’t know how else to describe it.
fortunately, i was not alone in my assessment, and as danielle was the only one who wanted to stay, majority ruled and we made our way (with great difficulty) out of the back room and down the stairs. when we reached the main level, the line to get out virtually stopped. there were simply too many people who were too drunk to take a step back and let someone squeeze through. we were going nowhere fast.
the thing i dislike most in life, is feeling trapped. if it snows three feet, i must drive, because i have to know i CAN get out. and here i was, trapped. and i wasn’t having it. so the inner bouncer in me manifested, and i started pushing people out of my way. at that point i did not care how i got out, just that i got out. in my head, i think i was convinced there was going to be a fire and we were all going to die, like in that club that one time. so i was getting out. i would have walked on people’s shoulders or crowd surfed out the door if necessary, but in the end, my pushing and elbowing worked. i was pretty fired up to begin with and every guy that grabbed my butt fired me up even more. frankly, i hope i left some bruises. and all this coming from a completely non-violent person. i’ve never hit someone in my life, and i was closer than i’ve ever been.
unbeknownst to me, i was carving a path behind me for others feeling similarly trapped. and as i finally reached the door, out poured 10 or so people behind me who had all been struggling to get out and were thanking me for ‘freeing’ them.
so is it a violent tendency when you are really just doing a good deed?
at any rate, it is safe to say that that part of the evening was completely unfun.
we decided to try another place, and went into a honky tonk called crossroads. it was far less crowded, and felt more like second fiddle, with the exception of the crowd, who may have been the drunkest group of people i have ever seen gathered in one place. we knew danielle was looking for some variety, but after about 10 minutes, lara, and angela, and i all agreed that we weren’t, and we headed back to our favorite little bar to catch the rest of adam wayde’s set.
we ended up being soooo glad we had returned. shortly after our arrival, they did in fact play ‘devil went down to georgia’ and it was incredible (even though the sound on the video is a bit rough.) danielle headed out a little after 1, and lara, ang, and i closed out the bar yet again. it was a really enjoyable show, and we were exhausted as a result!
once more, we found ourselves back at the hotel, preparing to sleep (sensing a theme for this weekend?).
sunday morning, we woke and packed. showered and checked out.
we headed to lunch, and while walking down broadway, were approached by a guy who asked us to come see him play that night. he is a drummer for hire, and was probably getting ready for his first show of the day. another unique thing about nashville is that there is music all the time. a musician can play three shows per day in some cases.
we told him we were leaving, but spent some time talking to him. he was a really sweet guy, who turns out was a former fastest feet award winner, hitting 768 drum beats in 60 seconds. he offered us signed (well-used) drumsticks, and we said our farewells.
for lunch it was bailey’s, where i had a black and bleu burger (i have a major thing for bleu cheese, gorgonzola, and feta!) and then back to the hotel to pick our bags and find a cab.
we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. our flight was full, but i managed to score an aisle seat in an emergency exit row, while the other girls resigned themselves to middle seats in the rows behind me. the flight was short however, and when we arrived at bwi, angela left to meet her husband, while lara, danielle and i drove back to d’s (where my car was). i loaded my pics onto d’s computer and lara and i went on our separate ways while talking to each other on the phone for most of the drive.
all in all, it was a really fun weekend. it’s hard to say if it might have been a bit different had i not had an event and very little sleep just before. i am certain that it would have been different if it had been just lara, angela, and i however.
i will make only a passing commentary on that... lara, angela, and i have known each other for many years (lara and angela even passing boyfriends back and forth for a time), and lara has known danielle for even longer, but danielle was a relative stranger to angela and i. if there is one travel note i read time and time again, it is that you see an interesting side of people when you travel with them. danielle was a little difficult to travel with, so we all did some negotiating and some accommodating that would have been otherwise unnecessary. however, it was not enough of a distraction to prevent us from having a great time. and oddly enough, as evidenced by her question about when we could go on another trip it seems that she also had a good time, even though we would not have guessed it!
even though i accomplished virtually nothing during the day, i was reminded how much i like live music, and how much i love my girls. girlfriends are the bomb, especially ones that put up with you when you are being completely irrational, and ones who buy matching belt buckles!
the rest of the pics are here
thursday was our annual senior principals’ and officers’ event. there are about 250 who are invited to attend, and about 200 who actually do so. the last major event i had was in october, and the last event of any kind was in november, so i’ve been slowly ramping myself up for this one.
on wednesday night, i checked into the host hotel, the mandarin oriental (recently rated the #1 luxury property in dc). typically, when i have a local event, i don’t stay overnight, but this meeting had an early start time, and given the dc location, i didn’t want to have to be up at 4 the next morning in order to get the setup time i needed.once checked in, i finished a few things and called it a night, but was up early thursday morning to get started. the meeting went smoothly--in fact there were virtually no glitches. the buses did not get lost, my ‘help’ arrived on time, the food was excellent, the audio visual worked, the guest speaker was a hit. all in all, it was one of the more perfect events.
the day’s meetings concluded with a cocktail reception, after which, i headed back to my room to get my stuff and headed home.
once there, i unpacked my work things and started packing for nashville. at about 12:30am, i was finally able to call it a night.
come 2:30, the alarm clock was ringing and it was time to get up. no. that is not a typo.
i showered and ran a couple of errands (bank, 24 hour harris teeter, gas) and headed over to pick angela up, and we were on our way to baltimore.
we arrived at danielle’s shortly before 6, where we met up with her and lara, consolidated our luggage into lara’s suv, and headed out for bwi. it was early, and we were all tired. i was impressed with angela’s packing ability, as her ‘suitcase’ was smaller than an average rolling carry-on. she later showed us how she did it, but i still don’t quite understand. i will say that i now see the benefit of mini-hair dryers, and travel sized sundries!
we made it to the airport with just the right amount of time to spare, and boarded our flight. it was nearly empty, so lara and danielle took the window and aisle in one row, and angela and i in the row behind. most of us were able to catch a few z’s during the two hour flight.when we arrived in nashville, we caught a cab and checked-in at the hotel. we were early enough to make breakfast, so we dropped off our bags and enjoyed a bite before getting started on the day.
i have to confess that i don’t remember the last time i was so exhausted. having been to nashville before (albeit briefly), i knew there were a couple of things that the group would likely want to do, which i would prefer sleep to.
so, a plan evolved. the first order of business was a nap. for everyone.
we headed back into the room and turned on the tv. angela struggled to get comfortable and finally admitted that she has told her husband on many occasions ‘no street clothes in bed’. since she and i were sharing a bed, i felt badly, but my exhaustion overruled my guilt and i eventually had to slip under the covers--street clothes and all. she followed quickly, apparently also deciding that a change was not going to happen. and with that, the four of us were pretty much out.
fun group, right?
after napping for a couple of hours (and by now it’s about noon), we all started coming to. danielle was interested in going to the ryman auditorium, the original home of the grand ole opry. i had already seen it, and angela wasn’t interested, so she and lara left us behind to sleep even more. i should say that while i was in desperate need of sleep from the night before, i was also preparing for the night ahead. lara had mentioned on several occasions that she often stayed out until 3 or 4am when in nashville, and i knew that was her highest priority on the trip, so i was trying to get much needed rest in order to do that. that’s even late for me--the perpetual night owl.
a couple hours later, the two girls returned, and we decided to head down to broadway to do a little shopping.
while there, we happened upon a western store that had a ‘buy one, get two free’ boot sale going on. i was thrilled, as i have been looking for a pair of brown boots for some time. i don’t typically spend a lot of money on shoes, and a good pair will start around $200. i was hopeful that i could find a pair and get a deal at the same time.well, i found a pair, and i fell in love with them. perhaps it was because i usually wear a size 11, and in this case had to go down to a 9 1/2 for a good fit, or perhaps it was the boot itself. actually, i know it was.
i’ll be honest, i don’t ‘love’ the stem of the boot, but the toe is a beautiful brown suede, and slightly more pointed than a typical boot. i really was in love, but they were $300 and it didn’t look like enough of the girls in our group were going to be purchasing a pair for me to get the ‘deal’.
thanks to a great sales person though, angela (also buying a pair) and i hooked up with two other girls in the store (who, ironically, were buying the exact same pair i was), and we were all able to get our boots for $100. for me that was 1/3 of retail, so you can only imagine how excited i was!
we did a little more shopping, and danielle found a pair of boots in another store, while lara, angela, and i fell in love with belt buckles there. lara and angela purchased them, but i couldn’t decide, so i left it behind. incidentally, i changed my mind, and did end up buying the buckle the following day (as did danielle), and we all ended up with the same belt buckle (though 2 square, 2 round). as angela (in particular) and danielle (who at least had already owned a pair of boots) are not real country girls, it was fun to watch them become countrified. lara continued to jest that angela’s husband would never let us travel with him again, given this result!
after shopping, it was time for food, and we popped into rippy’s for some babachew (as lara puts it), or bbq for the rest of us. we enjoyed some live music while we ate our dinner, and headed back to the hotel.
it’s possible that some or all of us napped again at this point, but i really can’t remember, nor would i confess it at this point!
eventually, it was time to start getting ready. for some (ahem lara and angela) that process is more time consuming than others, but eventually, we were all ready, and it was late enough to hit the town.our first stop was the wild horse saloon. the wild horse is fairly large with a good size dance floor and three levels. there was a little dancing, and a lot of people watching.
we were approached by a pair of guys who were in town for a waste management conference (oh yeah. so hawt!) and it wasn’t long after that we were swarmed by another 8 guys (i kid you not) not related to the first two, but in town for the same conference.
i have to say, it was a strange scenario. most of them were married. a couple of them were drunk enough that i’m not sure how they were still standing on two feet, and a couple who just gave up the effort. is it sick and wrong that i think it’s so hilarious being sober in a primarily drunk environment? the entertainment value far exceeds reality tv, and for me, that’s saying something!eventually the hive of 10 became altogether too overwhelming. the advances were becoming uncomfortable and the drinks were still being drunk, so we did the only thing we could, and we left.
we headed over to a honky tonk called ‘the second fiddle’ which would become our home away from the hotel while in nashville. it was a small bar, but with enough space that you didn’t feel claustrophobic. the crowd was diverse, and mostly respectful. there was a little dancing, and a little less unnecessary groping and grabbing.
it was there that we met our new best friend. she approached me like this:
her: ‘are you havin' a good time?’
me: ‘yes, we are’
her: ‘where are you from?’
me: ‘virgina’
her: ‘well, there are two things you have to do when you’re in nashville. you’ve got to sing. and you’ve got to shake your ass!’
i hope you read that while infusing a super-heavy souther drawl on this blond bundle of energy!
it turns out that she was originally from ohio, and had come to nashville three years prior on a girls trip. she loved it so much, she decided to move. i think that was her goal for us too, as she quickly determined that for the rest of the evening, she would be our cruise director. it became her personal mission to make sure that we were experiencing what nashville had to offer, and she worked hard! she was an absolute riot! she was there with her boyfriend, and another friend, who i swear, was a midget, so you can just picture this ragtag crew, can’t you?it was something else. we found her often turning to strangers and saying ‘it is my personal goal to get as many people in here to shake their ass. and guess what? it's your turn!’ perhaps the funniest moment of the evening came when she had just said that to danielle, and a random guy (not privy to the conversation) literally grabbed d and ‘whisked’ her onto the dance floor.
after unsuccessfully trying to get the band at second fiddle to play ‘dixieland delight’, a nashville anthem, as i’ve come to learn, jae (our new friend) decided it was time to move on to greener pastures, and led us a few doors down to a place called ‘the stage.’ the stage was much bigger and far more crowded than second fiddle.
we knew walking in we weren’t going to like it as much, but we gave it an honest shot. after about 15 minutes, however, lara was sick of the guys behind us talking about my butt (i was blissfully unaware) and ‘grazing’ hers, so it was time to go. we headed back to the second fiddle and settled in for the night.
at about 1, danielle was ready to call it quits, so i walked her back to the hotel (about a block and a half away), then returned to join up with lara and angela again. we spend the next 2+ hours dancing, singing our hearts out, and just generally having a good time. we were amused by the ‘stories’ we would hear and the people we met.
the talent for the night was dustin bogue, who put on a good show. it is incredible to me that these artists/bands will go on sometime between 10 and 11 and just play until the place shuts down. if they need a bathroom break or a beer, they go get it, and another band member sings, or someone hops on stage from the audience. it is a truly unique experience. i also appreciate how hard they work. the honky tonks do not charge covers, so the band makes it money entirely off tips. it means there is a lot of crowd interaction and a lot of request taking.near the end of the show, a girl introduced herself to me, and as were chatting, revealed herself to be the singer’s girlfriend. she then proceeded to invite us to be his entourage, as apparently labels are more likely to sign an artist who already has a following. i’ve never been invited to be in someone’s entourage before, but i don’t think i’d like it;) at any rate, she was a really sweet girl, and we chatted until the band finished and it was time to call it a night.
we made it back a little after 3am and crashed hard.
saturday morning found us entirely too early. at one point, i vaguely remember lara asking if anyone wanted breakfast, but i was still in dreamland. it wasn’t until later (5 minutes? 30?) that i realized what was going on and decided to drag myself out of bed to eat. i knew if i didn’t have breakfast i would be thrown off for the day.angela stayed in bed, and when the three of us returned, we all climbed back in.
at noon or so, we woke up, showered and got ready. we had decided to head to the grand ole opry, so we caught a cab, and made the 20 minute trek. i had been to the opry before too, but it was next to the ginormous mall, and more shopping was scheduled.
the opry itself was closed for the season, as performances are being held at ryman through march, but we took some photos, perused the gift shop, and headed across to the mall. we meandered and bought. angela bought a fabulous belt, adorned with silver mudflap girls, and she is the only person i know that could get away with wearing it!
i think we all ended up with a little something, and after a couple of hours, decided to head back.it’s possible there was more napping.
then it was dinner time!
we headed back to broadway where lara picked up a shirt she had seen the day before, and danielle and i bought our belt buckles. then it was on to the big river grill, where i enjoyed the most incredible gorgonzola pear salad with hazelnut crusted chicken. i have been trying to find a recipe ever since!!
dinner was low-key and took quite awhile as the restaurant was busy and the service slow. eventually we made our way out and chilled at the hotel for awhile before getting ready to go out. i let angela play with my face, and she had a good time. i don’t think i even ended up looking like a clown...at least in the dark;)the singer at the second fiddle was one lara had heard before and liked, and who was scheduled to go on at 10. we arrived shortly thereafter, but they didn’t end up getting started until 11ish.
the singer/band on friday night had been decent, but i too thought adam wayde was pretty darn good. and he had a fiddle player. the minute lara and i saw that, we knew there was potential for some really fun songs (i.e. devil went down to georgia).
we stayed and listened for a good amount of time, but danielle had previously expressed an interest in moving around. wanting to accommodate her, we headed out on broadway to stop in some other places.
the first stop was tootsie’s. from the moment we walked in, it was difficult to breathe. the room was packed (in a truly frightening way), and i will say that i have never felt like such a piece of meat before. hoping that the backroom would be better, we made our way through the length of the bar ( a feat in and of itself) and up the stairs to the back room. it was less crowded there, but the band was much more hard rock than country, and i continued to feel uncomfortable with the type and size of the crowd. i lasted for all of 7.3 minutes, and i was done. to be honest, it didn’t matter to me if the other three came with me or not, i simply could not be there anymore. there were entirely too many people and a pervasive feeling of lechery. i don’t know how else to describe it.fortunately, i was not alone in my assessment, and as danielle was the only one who wanted to stay, majority ruled and we made our way (with great difficulty) out of the back room and down the stairs. when we reached the main level, the line to get out virtually stopped. there were simply too many people who were too drunk to take a step back and let someone squeeze through. we were going nowhere fast.
the thing i dislike most in life, is feeling trapped. if it snows three feet, i must drive, because i have to know i CAN get out. and here i was, trapped. and i wasn’t having it. so the inner bouncer in me manifested, and i started pushing people out of my way. at that point i did not care how i got out, just that i got out. in my head, i think i was convinced there was going to be a fire and we were all going to die, like in that club that one time. so i was getting out. i would have walked on people’s shoulders or crowd surfed out the door if necessary, but in the end, my pushing and elbowing worked. i was pretty fired up to begin with and every guy that grabbed my butt fired me up even more. frankly, i hope i left some bruises. and all this coming from a completely non-violent person. i’ve never hit someone in my life, and i was closer than i’ve ever been.
unbeknownst to me, i was carving a path behind me for others feeling similarly trapped. and as i finally reached the door, out poured 10 or so people behind me who had all been struggling to get out and were thanking me for ‘freeing’ them.
so is it a violent tendency when you are really just doing a good deed?
at any rate, it is safe to say that that part of the evening was completely unfun.
we decided to try another place, and went into a honky tonk called crossroads. it was far less crowded, and felt more like second fiddle, with the exception of the crowd, who may have been the drunkest group of people i have ever seen gathered in one place. we knew danielle was looking for some variety, but after about 10 minutes, lara, and angela, and i all agreed that we weren’t, and we headed back to our favorite little bar to catch the rest of adam wayde’s set.we ended up being soooo glad we had returned. shortly after our arrival, they did in fact play ‘devil went down to georgia’ and it was incredible (even though the sound on the video is a bit rough.) danielle headed out a little after 1, and lara, ang, and i closed out the bar yet again. it was a really enjoyable show, and we were exhausted as a result!
once more, we found ourselves back at the hotel, preparing to sleep (sensing a theme for this weekend?).
sunday morning, we woke and packed. showered and checked out.
we headed to lunch, and while walking down broadway, were approached by a guy who asked us to come see him play that night. he is a drummer for hire, and was probably getting ready for his first show of the day. another unique thing about nashville is that there is music all the time. a musician can play three shows per day in some cases.we told him we were leaving, but spent some time talking to him. he was a really sweet guy, who turns out was a former fastest feet award winner, hitting 768 drum beats in 60 seconds. he offered us signed (well-used) drumsticks, and we said our farewells.
for lunch it was bailey’s, where i had a black and bleu burger (i have a major thing for bleu cheese, gorgonzola, and feta!) and then back to the hotel to pick our bags and find a cab.
we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. our flight was full, but i managed to score an aisle seat in an emergency exit row, while the other girls resigned themselves to middle seats in the rows behind me. the flight was short however, and when we arrived at bwi, angela left to meet her husband, while lara, danielle and i drove back to d’s (where my car was). i loaded my pics onto d’s computer and lara and i went on our separate ways while talking to each other on the phone for most of the drive.all in all, it was a really fun weekend. it’s hard to say if it might have been a bit different had i not had an event and very little sleep just before. i am certain that it would have been different if it had been just lara, angela, and i however.
i will make only a passing commentary on that... lara, angela, and i have known each other for many years (lara and angela even passing boyfriends back and forth for a time), and lara has known danielle for even longer, but danielle was a relative stranger to angela and i. if there is one travel note i read time and time again, it is that you see an interesting side of people when you travel with them. danielle was a little difficult to travel with, so we all did some negotiating and some accommodating that would have been otherwise unnecessary. however, it was not enough of a distraction to prevent us from having a great time. and oddly enough, as evidenced by her question about when we could go on another trip it seems that she also had a good time, even though we would not have guessed it!
even though i accomplished virtually nothing during the day, i was reminded how much i like live music, and how much i love my girls. girlfriends are the bomb, especially ones that put up with you when you are being completely irrational, and ones who buy matching belt buckles!
the rest of the pics are here
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