Nashville Weekend

Let me tell yall about the Nashville weekend that we had last week. I love Nashville known as music capital of the world. More songs are said to be written before noon in Nashville than all songs written elsewhere added together in the world elsewhere. We had been in Nashville before while we lived in Alabama in 2008 but the trip here was still something that I was very exited about and had looked forward to for quite some time. Even before we decided to go to Alabama I had dreamed of going back to Nashville again. You see these kinds of signs all over the city.

Last time we were here in Nashville we were not yet crazy about country music. We did go to a Grand Ole Opry show held at the Ryman Auditorium and that is how my love for country music all got started. Live music is played almost at every bar and restaurant here. This city is all about music. The big country stars of tomorrow are all here, playing and writing songs hoping for the big break through to happen.

 We stayed at a cool very modern Aloft hotel on the south side of town I believe it was. Friday evening we enjoyed live music downstairs in the hotel bar. Four different musicians took turns playing their songs and music.

 Our first night we went to a great steak house called Stock Yard. Me and C had discovered this steak house the first time we were in Nashville and if you are a meat lover you are in for a real treat going here. The restaurant is located in an old historic building where they used to have cattle sales. It is a very cool place. It is considered one of the top steak houses in the US. 

 Old historic Southern style.

 I love that they have kept much of the original decor and the old signs above the doors such as these.

Downtown Nashville at night is all about bars, music and colorful neon signs. Broadway is lined up with bars and restaurants with live music. A night of barhopping is a must if you are here to really get the feel of the city. Have a beer at once place and listen to the tunes they play before you are off for the next place. 

 Saturday morning after breakfast we drove out to Opry land which is a huge resort. They have three beautiful indoor garden areas covering acres of space with restaurants and shops. It is almost as if you feel you are in Vegas rather than in small town Nashville when you come out here. If you checked in here you could stay here for the entire weekend without stepping outside and be totally happy and busy with all that you find here.

Nashville is not only Music city of the world but I would also say it is Boot city. If you are into cowboy boots you will get all your needs satisfied here. Since I am boot crazy my heart was racing and my head spinning just being here. There are plenty of boot stores. Choosing a pair of boots is really hard because the choices seem limitless and endless. There was one place where they had a deal of buy one pair / get two pair for free! Yes, that is correct, buy one pair get TWO pairs for free. My dilemma was how would I get three pairs of boots with me home and how many pairs of boots can you have as I already had one pair at home that I bought last year in Texas. Kim came up with the perfect solution. She bought got one pair and I got two pairs. We got the great deal and split the cost.

 I am totally in love with my new boots. One pair in black and one pair in brown. But it was a hard choice making the decision of what boots I wanted. I don't know how many shops I went in and out of. Had to make sure I got the right ones.

My mind was originally set on a pair of Lucchese boots. We did find a Lucchese boot store that me and Kim slipped into quickly as the guys were parking the car. I sort of knew that C would not really want me to go in there and fall in love with a pair of boots in that place as they are just as crazy expensive as they are beautiful. Kim picked up a pair there but quickly put them back on the shelf when she realized they were 2,000 dollars. Hand made of course. I realized that I just could not get boots for 700-800 dollars. I don't have that kind of money for boots. If I was a country star singer I would but I am not.

Broadway that is where it all happens. The very hart of Nashville. Touristy yes but also lots of fun.

Hanging in one of the bars along Broadway just enjoying some great live music Saturday afternoon. 

Great music makes people want to dance like this couple. No need to be shy in Nashville, just have fun and enjoy yourself. Loved when this band started to play "Sweet Home Alabama". C was wearing his Alabama t-shirt and he got a lot of Roll Tide greetings.

I really like these old ad prints on some of the buildings. I think they are really cool.

Nashville is a very nice city. It has a great mix of old buildings as well as modern high rise sky scrapers. Downtown is walk friendly and it is a city where you feel pretty safe in as well. However it is kind of like Vegas that it is mainly for adults rather than kids. Bars and night life require that you have the age and the ID to show proof of that. The four of us had a great time here. Mike's mom was very kind to take care of the kids during this weekend so that the four of us could really enjoy ourselves and make the most out of our Nashville weekend.

The At&t building that is also know as the bat man building is one of those land marks of Nashville and a great example of modern cool architecture.

I love all the cool signs you can see here in Nashville. Late afternoon we passed the famous Coyote Ugly bar and slipped in there, however, it was to early for any real action going on there so we headed out again.

 The blue "Musician loading area" is one of those I guess you only see in Nashville.

Saturday night after dinner we decided to split up. Kim and Mike wanted to enjoy the live music going on at our hotel whereas me and C wanted to head downtown to do some barhopping. All kinds of music and bands play at the different bars. At the Silver Dollar Saloon two gals were the lead singers and their band played rock inspired country music. We stayed there for quite a while. 

Next we headed to the Legends Corner where more traditional country was played. The nightlife and the people hanging around are also worth taking in. Nashville seems to be a popular site for bachelorette parties. We saw a number of bachelorettes having fun this evening.

Nashville is a lot of fun. The city is filled with great music. You never know if you have just met or listened to the next Taylor Swift or Tim Mac Graw as you step out of one of the live music venues. Sunday we stayed in Nashville but did something entirely different but I will tell you more about that later on.

Today is my first day back at work. I have been working on getting over the jet lag all weekend but it has hit me hard this time. Yesterday I fell asleep midday as I was reading a book. Hopefully I will be fully cured from the jet lag in another couple of days. C is right now on a flight over seas again. He is on his way to attend a conference in Boston. Yes it might seem kind of crazy to fly back to Europe for two days and then again return to the US but this was the only way to do it. He will be back in Sweden again on Friday.