I was not ready for the wall of music which hits you when you stroll down Lower Broadway in Nashville. I was visiting to recruit brilliant computer science students at Vanderbilt University. Tuesday night, we were scheduled to attend an engineering SLAM, a mix of poetry SLAM and mingle event with engineering students. Wednesday was the big career fair.
On this Tuesday, on every stage the next country band is auditioning for the unknown scout in the audience. Here it is American Idol every day. What a party! The next evening, on Wednesday it was no different. Again, on every stage there is a great band of musicians holding court and entertaining the Nashville hot chicken or bbq eating patrons.
We went to Ole Red's, to James Aldaen's place, to Luke Bryan's place and peaked into many more: Legends Corner, Tootsie's, Dixie Land, Honky Tonk Central. Climb a few floors and you get a great view of the city from the roof top patios and bars. The bridge, the Predators' ice hockey stadium, the Tennessee Titan's Nissan football stadium, the AT&T "batman" building, the hustle and bustle on Broadway. Nashville downtown is quite compact and lots is happening in a square mile.
I knew this was the country music capital of the world. Until you experience it, you don't realize how big the music scene is. Anybody who wants to be somebody in country music has to record in Nashville. You made it if you played on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. I didn't get to visit the Grand altar, even though on that night it promised to be a fun evening with Rascal Flatts and co performing.
Beyond the music, I was impressed how friendly and nice everybody is in Nashville. What a pleasant place! The Lyft and Uber drivers are super nice, and yes, they do pick you up in their pick-ups (unlike the hybrid Honda Civic in the Bay Area). And of course, there is the sweltering heat. It was hot (high nineties) and humid. And the temperature isn't really dropping at night. I was amazed to see the Vanderbilt running teams practice in the middle of the day.
I didn't know what to expect from Nashville. Surely the city surprised me pleasantly.
We went to Ole Red's, to James Aldaen's place, to Luke Bryan's place and peaked into many more: Legends Corner, Tootsie's, Dixie Land, Honky Tonk Central. Climb a few floors and you get a great view of the city from the roof top patios and bars. The bridge, the Predators' ice hockey stadium, the Tennessee Titan's Nissan football stadium, the AT&T "batman" building, the hustle and bustle on Broadway. Nashville downtown is quite compact and lots is happening in a square mile.
I knew this was the country music capital of the world. Until you experience it, you don't realize how big the music scene is. Anybody who wants to be somebody in country music has to record in Nashville. You made it if you played on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. I didn't get to visit the Grand altar, even though on that night it promised to be a fun evening with Rascal Flatts and co performing.
Beyond the music, I was impressed how friendly and nice everybody is in Nashville. What a pleasant place! The Lyft and Uber drivers are super nice, and yes, they do pick you up in their pick-ups (unlike the hybrid Honda Civic in the Bay Area). And of course, there is the sweltering heat. It was hot (high nineties) and humid. And the temperature isn't really dropping at night. I was amazed to see the Vanderbilt running teams practice in the middle of the day.
I didn't know what to expect from Nashville. Surely the city surprised me pleasantly.
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