A week into my trip, I found myself in Nashville, surrounded by country music. My first stop was the Frist Center for Visual Arts, which housed not only a proper art museum, but also a community art gallery. The architecture of the building looked like something out of an Ayn Rand novel, and I was very impressed with it.
Nashville has an abundance of 3 things: country singers, cowboy boots, and churches. When I got to Broadway, the main strip in Nashvile leading up to LP Field, I noticed 3 churches within 3 blocks. I made my way past the churches and the local high school, also a classically designed building that I almost mistook for a church. Then came the honky-tonk bars.
Several blocks of Broadway constitute the heart of Nashville. Almost every business is a bar where local country artists perform live music. The few outstanding stores were memorabilia shops or record stores. One of famous country pioneer Ernest Tubb's record shops is along this street, just half a block away from the modern visitor's center. Every storefront has neon signs and loud music coming through the open wall windows and doors.
Ribs are also huge in this part of the country, and I chose one out of the two rib joints on the same block surrounding the record store. I asked around and people recommended Rippy's, where they had an open-air saloon with two stages. Upon digging into the vast amount of pork, I was not impressed. The sauce was funny and the ribs were dryer and crispier than I expected. I drank a Corona and continued my photography trek up and down Broadway.
One big thing I noticed, which I alluded to earlier, is that every local girl had on black cowboy boots. And it was 85 degrees all afternoon with no shade. Dedication. The streets were packed of tourists, but the locals were very friendly. They even let me take pictures inside the record store.
After spending some time listening to Waylon Jennings and snapping loud storefronts, I packed up and drove to the Grand Ole Opry. Bright foliage surrounded this campus of Tennessee musical history. However, something else also surrounded the hall. A shopping mall. Built around the Opry house. It was humongous and gawdy. It reminded me of Potomac Mills in size and craziness, for folks back home. And wouldn't you know it? It's called Opry Mills.
The speed limit in this area is 24 miles an hour, something I've never seen posted. From what I've tried to learn, this is either a trick to make people pay attention and drive safely, or it is because Interstate 24 runs through Nashville. I don't know for sure.
I had one more city to conquer in Tennessee, so I made my dash in rush hour traffic to Memphis. More to come! Bottoms up!
*For all the pics from today and the entire trip, check http://picasaweb.google.com/cyprian.mendelius.
No comments:
Post a Comment