5/28/17 (5/31/17)
This post is technically for Sunday 5/28, but I was too tired when we got home to write it so here it is a few days late.
Sunday was really a fabulous day - tiring, but fabulous. We really packed it in. First thing we got up, packed our stuff and left the BNB for the last time. It really was a nice place to stay, it had a few minor issues, but overall it was nice. I had planned today, but the rest of the week went a little different than originally planned so we pivoted and changed our agenda.
First we went to breakfast at American Cafe in the Grand Ole Opry Resort. We really wanted to see the place and so we killed 2 birds with one stone, breakfast + sight seeing. Breakfast was nice, we sat next to a waterfall and generally enjoyed the food and ambiance. Afterwards we walked through the resort and looked at their indoor conservatories. It was amazing - we didn't get to see all of one of them due to an Indian wedding, but that was neat to see in itself. Their dress is so elaborate and pretty - It was a gorgeous wedding.
After leaving there we drove downtown to do a second day on the Trolley. Below are a few of the sites we saw:
1) We stopped and took a better picture of Tootsies - the bar where Loretta Lynn's husband and others used to hang out while they performed.
2) We went into Ernest Tubb's Record store
3) We went to see the outside of the State Capital and the War Memorials they have in the park outside of it. The grounds are really pretty and they have several statues that are interesting. They also have the tomb of James K Polk, whom my father claimed was a relative - who knows if it's true.
4) We went into the Farmers Market for a snack and walked some more of the Centennial Park. By this time Mama was getting pretty tired. Also, when we got back on the Trolley our bus driver was hilarious. she asked what I had to eat and I told her a hot dog... she said "with all of that international food, you had a hot dog? " Yep - I said! She was a hoot, you would have had to hear her. She had road rage with the local traffic and was generally entertaining to listen too!
5) By time we got back to our car it was roughly 5 PM so we started home.
We stopped by Bryan's on the way home, it's a bout 1/2 way and visited him for a bit. I am amazed every time I see him and Jack together how much they look alike. It was good to see him and the kids, who have grown like weeds and will be adults before I know it.
Around 10:30 we left his house, grabbed some dinner at Waffle House and then I drove us on home. We got here about 2:30 AM on Monday and rested most of the day. Overall it was a fabulous trip and we made some great memories.
I hope you enjoyed trucking along with us via the blog. If you ever get the chance to go, I do highly recommend the city...
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Nashville Day 3
5/27/2017
I didn't sleep well last night so I woke up grumpy and edgy. I'd like to say I got past it as the day wore on, but I'll be honest that it overshadowed the day and I was constantly trying to control my reactions that were way over the top at any little thing. Jack was also not at 100% as one of his kidney stones has decided to make itself known. However, despite these issues we made it a great day.
First we got up and went to Another Broken Egg. We had to wait 30 to 40 minutes so Mama sat inside on a bench, I hung around outside and Jack went to get us some sunscreen. Once we were seated service was extremely slow and didn't really get better through the meal. That being said the Cinnamon Roll French Toast is still worth it. This one was a little drier so Charleston still wins for the best, but it was good. Mama got something she hated, but refused to let me send back and Jack's bacon had to be remade due to being burnt beyond recognition. I had to track down waiters to get it fixed and was fortunate enough that the guy I asked for help went above and beyond to get it taken care of... or waiter well, I hope it was an off day and he is more on his game tomorrow.
After breakfast we bought our Trolley tickets and headed out. The first thing we wanted to get off and see was the Ryman. The media introduction they did was fabulous - it was informational, but also extremely entertaining. I loved it. The rest of it was neat -- it didn't really grab my fancy, but I think it was the mood hanging over my head more than anything. We got our picture made on the stage and walked the pew areas - I will admit it is amazing to be in the same building that you know the greats of country music performed in.
After that we sat and had a snack/drink before heading back to our Trolley stop. The Trolley was late, which annoyed me, because well everything annoyed me today. I called to see where they were right as they pulled up. There were only 3 seats (not together) and we grabbed them... We proceeded to ride and listen as the driver gave us bits of history about what we were seeing. The rain came and so we decided to continue to ride vs. getting off and just listen. After a while we did eventually get off and eat lunch. We ate at a restaurant called the Urban Cookhouse and it was fabulous! I had a steak sandwich and oh.... it was delicious. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip! They didn't have table service, but still it was sooo good.
After lunch we hopped back on the Trolley and rode back to the area where our car was. We bought the upgrade for the Trolley so we can use it again tomorrow, bought some souvenirs and headed back to the BNB.
Once here we got cleaned up and dressed before heading out to catch our show at the Grand Ole Opry. We had to go pick up our tickets first at a Vacation Place I bought them from and once we did that we were on our way.
We had to park quite a ways out and after the rain it was extremely muggy, but all in all it wasn't so bad. Once there we grabbed some snacks and headed to our seats. We were seated on the first floor on the very last row. You think they would be bad seats, but they were really quite good! And the show, oh the show was so good. We saw the following acts:
The show was incredible and by time it was over the grumpy cloud had lifted.
We left the show and went to grab a bite to eat at Caney Fork. This is a restaurant that serves wild game type food and it was pretty cool. Mama and I split the seafood platter and I had my first frog leg. It tasted like twangy chicken - I liked it. The food overall was good, though they need to improve upon their crabcake. The service was stellar and the atmosphere was fun, especially given how tired we all were. They have this indoor pond with huge catfish that we just sat and watched during dinner, I loved it.
And after that we called it a night. I would have loved to have gone dancing, but I'm just too tired and Jack probably didn't feel like it even if I wasn't... so here I am 12:15 on a Saturday night/Sunday evening barely holding my eyes open so I can type this. Yep I'm getting old See you all tomorrow, sleep well blogland.
I didn't sleep well last night so I woke up grumpy and edgy. I'd like to say I got past it as the day wore on, but I'll be honest that it overshadowed the day and I was constantly trying to control my reactions that were way over the top at any little thing. Jack was also not at 100% as one of his kidney stones has decided to make itself known. However, despite these issues we made it a great day.
First we got up and went to Another Broken Egg. We had to wait 30 to 40 minutes so Mama sat inside on a bench, I hung around outside and Jack went to get us some sunscreen. Once we were seated service was extremely slow and didn't really get better through the meal. That being said the Cinnamon Roll French Toast is still worth it. This one was a little drier so Charleston still wins for the best, but it was good. Mama got something she hated, but refused to let me send back and Jack's bacon had to be remade due to being burnt beyond recognition. I had to track down waiters to get it fixed and was fortunate enough that the guy I asked for help went above and beyond to get it taken care of... or waiter well, I hope it was an off day and he is more on his game tomorrow.
After breakfast we bought our Trolley tickets and headed out. The first thing we wanted to get off and see was the Ryman. The media introduction they did was fabulous - it was informational, but also extremely entertaining. I loved it. The rest of it was neat -- it didn't really grab my fancy, but I think it was the mood hanging over my head more than anything. We got our picture made on the stage and walked the pew areas - I will admit it is amazing to be in the same building that you know the greats of country music performed in.
After that we sat and had a snack/drink before heading back to our Trolley stop. The Trolley was late, which annoyed me, because well everything annoyed me today. I called to see where they were right as they pulled up. There were only 3 seats (not together) and we grabbed them... We proceeded to ride and listen as the driver gave us bits of history about what we were seeing. The rain came and so we decided to continue to ride vs. getting off and just listen. After a while we did eventually get off and eat lunch. We ate at a restaurant called the Urban Cookhouse and it was fabulous! I had a steak sandwich and oh.... it was delicious. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip! They didn't have table service, but still it was sooo good.
After lunch we hopped back on the Trolley and rode back to the area where our car was. We bought the upgrade for the Trolley so we can use it again tomorrow, bought some souvenirs and headed back to the BNB.
Once here we got cleaned up and dressed before heading out to catch our show at the Grand Ole Opry. We had to go pick up our tickets first at a Vacation Place I bought them from and once we did that we were on our way.
We had to park quite a ways out and after the rain it was extremely muggy, but all in all it wasn't so bad. Once there we grabbed some snacks and headed to our seats. We were seated on the first floor on the very last row. You think they would be bad seats, but they were really quite good! And the show, oh the show was so good. We saw the following acts:
- Mike Snider
- The Railers (a new group)
- Suzy Bogguss - I didn't know her but later did research and now I'm a huge fan.
- Connie Smith - Wow, what a voice! Even at her age it was still fabulous.
- Tracey Lawrence !!!!
- Bobby Bare - Love him.
- The Whites - Not so much
- Ray Stevens - he is so funny! He is opening a place here and I'd love to come back and check it out.
- Opry Square Dancers
- Riders in the Sky - these guys were so funny.
- Ronnie Milsap - This made my night. He didn't perform the songs I really wanted him to, but still such a treat!
The show was incredible and by time it was over the grumpy cloud had lifted.
We left the show and went to grab a bite to eat at Caney Fork. This is a restaurant that serves wild game type food and it was pretty cool. Mama and I split the seafood platter and I had my first frog leg. It tasted like twangy chicken - I liked it. The food overall was good, though they need to improve upon their crabcake. The service was stellar and the atmosphere was fun, especially given how tired we all were. They have this indoor pond with huge catfish that we just sat and watched during dinner, I loved it.
And after that we called it a night. I would have loved to have gone dancing, but I'm just too tired and Jack probably didn't feel like it even if I wasn't... so here I am 12:15 on a Saturday night/Sunday evening barely holding my eyes open so I can type this. Yep I'm getting old See you all tomorrow, sleep well blogland.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Nashville Day 2
5/25/2017
We continued our adventure today in Nashville. First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance. We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe. It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100. That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.
After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit. The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning. We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:
1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens. The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew. His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back. They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.
We spent about 4 hours here - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer. By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings? Yea, I didn't either - I do now.
We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out. Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out. So we came home, had our snack and laid down. Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.
We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish. Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon. Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN. It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it. It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly. We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside. That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11. I loved it! So worth the $6 entry fee.
All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own. We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun. I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.
Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had. As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp. We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that. Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down... Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants. I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.
Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong. This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night. The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self. Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this. Love it! Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant? Walked! Just love it!
After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber. First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown. It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks. This bar is just cool. It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good. We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission. During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch. The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much. The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.
Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman. Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack. The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people. We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies. The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.
So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM. That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night. I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.
Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.
We continued our adventure today in Nashville. First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance. We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe. It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100. That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.
After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit. The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning. We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:
1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens. The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew. His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back. They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.
We spent about 4 hours here - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer. By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings? Yea, I didn't either - I do now.
We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out. Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out. So we came home, had our snack and laid down. Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.
We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish. Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon. Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN. It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it. It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly. We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside. That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11. I loved it! So worth the $6 entry fee.
All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own. We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun. I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.
Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had. As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp. We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that. Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down... Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants. I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.
Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong. This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night. The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self. Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this. Love it! Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant? Walked! Just love it!
After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber. First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown. It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks. This bar is just cool. It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good. We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission. During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch. The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much. The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.
Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman. Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack. The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people. We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies. The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.
So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM. That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night. I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.
Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Nashville Day 1
5/26/2017
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Nashville Day 0
5/24/17
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Atlanta Day 2
I could have sworn I wrote a journal about the rest of our Atlanta journey, but I can't find it if I did so I'm writing this a few weeks later. My memory now is better than it will be years from now, but I still wish I could find the original journal entry - sorry!
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Atlanta Day 1
This was handwritten on 4/3/17. I'm just now getting it typed up and into the blog :)
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
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