Random thoughts on the Nashville experience...
- People seem to go out of their way to engage and be friendly.
- The Army Nurse from California here for a conference - along with 1200 other nurses - attending the Grand Ole Opry.
- The family from northern New Jersey here for a family wedding, whose sister lives in Austin (one of our destinations) and taking in American Pickers.
- On the Trolley, the Rode Island couple from Lincoln who share a love for Newport.
- A common question from strangers sharing a line, a trolley, or occupying the table next to yours is where are you from? And they really want to know your story.
- Some characters we encountered:
- The bellman, a native of Philly who came to Nashville and retired from the Police Department. He spent 10 minutes giving us tips on navigating our way to the Grand Ole Opry by car and how to avoid extra costs doing so.
- Sitting next to me at the Grand Ole Opry - Jackie & Bob Weldon from Atlanta, married 53 years and on a trip with their church group. She described herself as a Southern Belle.
As you walk the streets of downtown Nashville, there are countless bars, clubs, honky tonks, any manner of music venues, and then there are the concert halls and convention centers. And the musicians - everywhere. I was struck by the scale of the disparity among them. For two days the streets around the Bridgestone Arena were lined with dozens of touring buses - Taylor Swift was in town performing for two nights. In that same area, in much smaller venues seasoned acts display incredible talent to the delight of appreciative audiences. Bands, groups, soloists perform their music with energy and excitement. Then there are the street performers - playing on the sidewalks right outside these clubs and right down the street from Taylor Swift. Even among them, there is a distinction. Some are bright, energetic and obviously talented. Then there are those who are barely in touch, homeless perhaps. What a sight to take in - all in the span of 10 blocks - from a super star to a broken dreamer & everything in between.
As you walk the streets of downtown Nashville, there are countless bars, clubs, honky tonks, any manner of music venues, and then there are the concert halls and convention centers. And the musicians - everywhere. I was struck by the scale of the disparity among them. For two days the streets around the Bridgestone Arena were lined with dozens of touring buses - Taylor Swift was in town performing for two nights. In that same area, in much smaller venues seasoned acts display incredible talent to the delight of appreciative audiences. Bands, groups, soloists perform their music with energy and excitement. Then there are the street performers - playing on the sidewalks right outside these clubs and right down the street from Taylor Swift. Even among them, there is a distinction. Some are bright, energetic and obviously talented. Then there are those who are barely in touch, homeless perhaps. What a sight to take in - all in the span of 10 blocks - from a super star to a broken dreamer & everything in between. 
YES! When we were there it was "where you folks all from?" Such friendly people!
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