Day 24 & 25: Serendipity is spelled N-A-S-H-V-I-L-L-E

I thought about breaking up the days but decided to keep it all together because it’s more remarkable if both days are read together.

The definition of serendipity is “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Our stop in Nashville is exactly what that was. When I planned to stop in Nashville I knew I wanted to see the Country Music Hall of Fame and see Grand Ole Opry. However, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d also get to attend the CMT Awards and be in Nashville on the day of game 5 of the Stanley Cup when the Nashville Predators were playing for the cup.

Before I get too ahead of myself though let me dial it back. First of all, the drive from Dallas to Nashville was about 3 hours. In those 3 hours I think dad and I passed precisely 75% of the total cops that Tennessee employs. Honestly we had to have passed about 20 different cops in those 3 hours. Needless to say I was a bit on edge that drive. But we finally arrived at the hotel and it was fantastic. Our room had 2 queen beds, a couch, 2 flat screen TVs. It was the perfect last room to send dad off in comfort. After getting settled in the room we went right over to get some lunch at Arnold’s Country Kitchen. I got some delicious roast beef with mashed potatoes, dressing (which for you northerners is a southern type of stuffing which I only knew what it was because of talking to work people in Georgia), and strawberry rhubarb pie. Dad followed in my trip steps and tried fried catfish for the first time and enjoyed it very much. After we finished our fantastic lunch we headed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

We got there at about 2 probably and were there until 5. We walked through exhibits that chronicled the early days of country music and brought us right into present day. Dad has always been a country music fan, it’s the reason I’m a country music fan, and for me watching him look at the exhibits and watch the videos they had and to see how excited he got and how much fun he had was just awesome. I didn’t need to look at any exhibits; just seeing how much he enjoyed himself was enough for me. After the Country Music Hall of Fame we walked down Broadway a bit and listened to the music that poured into the streets. We also stopped into the Ernest Tubb Record Shop so dad could look at CDs. He was like a kid in a candy shop. Every row he looked at he found something he loved. Again I just sat back and smiled. To be able to share these experiences with him really meant a lot to me. We left the record shop and walked around a bit more. We both agreed that we enjoyed the downtown area of Nashville way more than Beale Street.

Now, onto the first part of the Nashville good fortune. As luck would have it the day we arrived in Nashville, the CMT Awards were going on literally right downtown. A five minute walk away from the Country Music Hall of Fame was an outdoor staging area where part of the show was going to be filmed. So dad and I decided to head over and get a spot. We stood outside for the next 4 hours or so and watched the CMT Awards that was going on inside and then enjoyed the segments that were filmed outside where we were. We saw acts like the Brothers Osborne and Peter Frampton and Kelsea Ballerini. We might have even gotten on TV who knows. All I know is that we had a blast and it was completely by luck. It didn’t cost us a thing and we had a freakin ball. It was during this time, in between people performing outside, when we were just standing watching the awards show going on inside that I realized that sometimes it’s the simple things that can make experiences more enjoyable. I love to people watch, and so does my dad, and being able to look around and point out people to each other and mercilessly judge them was hilarious. It sounds ridiculous but it was a real bonding experience.  Our luck just got better and better as we found out that Jason Aldean was putting on a free concert directly following the awards show right across the street from where we were. So we walked over and got to see a top country star perform for about a half hour for free. It was the perfect ending to an unbelievable day.

We headed back to the room after the show was over. Both of us sore from standing all night but so so happy with the experiences we had. The environment and the energy in downtown Nashville was so much fun. We ended the night with a new experience for both of us. We stopped at Jack in the Box and got dinner. We headed to bed knowing that we had game 5 of the Stanley Cup tomorrow and Nashville’s own Predators would be trying to take a 3 games to 2 lead over Pittsburgh. We were ready to make dad’s last day on the trip a memorable one.

We slept in a bit because we were up late at the show the night before. We headed over to the Grand Ole Opry to scope that out a bit. We got some pictures of the outside and we checked out the gift shop. Initially dad didn’t want to do the backstage tour but I talked his cheap ass into it (where do you people think I get it from?) and it was so worth it. We learned more about the history of country music and the history of the Opry. We got to go backstage and see the dre4ssing rooms where the artists come in and spend their time before their performances. We got to go on stage and get pictures taken at the microphone. All in all it was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m certainly glad I talked dad into going. After that we headed back downtown. Once again the streets were abuzz. This time though, instead of being excited for an awards show they were excited for a hockey game. There were food trucks and merchandise trucks. Before we joined in the hockey festivities we walked up and checked out the Ryman Auditorium. Affectionately known as The Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman is where the Grand Ole Opry got its start. Before getting its own building, the Ryman was home to the Grand Ole Opry for 31 years. We decided this time not to take the tour, but we got some pictures outside and checked out the gift shop. After days of messing around and trying on hats I finally bought myself a hat. Dad picked up some souvenirs then we went back out to the streets.

We both got some lunch from a couple of the food trucks. Dad got a sausage and I got a brisket sandwich (which came nowhere close to even holding a candle to the brisket I got in Dallas). I also got some Strawberry Lemonade shaved ice that was absolutely perfection on a slightly warm day. After that we just walked around and enjoyed the sights and energy. Always one to take advantage of good deals, I decided I wanted to check out a store that was having a deal on cowboy boots. Buy 1 and get 2 pairs free. Now I had no idea what cowboy boots cost but I figured I’d check it out. First off the smell of leather was just lovely. The minute we walked into the store we were hit with that amazing smell. Then we poked around a bit. I found a few pairs I liked. One pair was $400 one pair was $230 and the other was $200. I seriously considered spending $400 to get all three pairs. They were nice boots, but in the end I talked myself out of it because you know…I live outside of Boston not outside of Nashville so I’d probably never wear the boots once I got back home.

Finally it was getting close to game time. There were a giant viewing few screens set up throughout the streets. They were actually selling tickets for fans who wanted to watch to game inside the arena. I should add that the game was in Pittsburgh, but fans could buy tickets to watch the game in the empty arena. Dad and I decided to stay out on the street and watch one of the big screens for free with the rest of the masses. I must say, dad and I DEFINITELY were not good luck charms. We were hoping to experience the energy from a Predators win, but at the time of this writing they are losing 6-0. We left downtown after the first period when they were losing 3-0. So we didn’t get to experience the city going crazy after a Preds win, but hey you can’t have everything go your way right?

Honestly, Nashville was more than either dad or I could have ever asked for. We expected to see the Ryman and the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, but to be part of the CMT Awards broadcast and to see a free Jason Aldean concert and to experience the energy and hopefulness of a city whose team is playing in its first Stanley Cup finals was something else. I’m glad that dad was with me and we got to experience this all together. It just made it that much better. I know he appreciated and genuinely had so much fun with all the history of country music. To be honest, Nashville is the first stop on this trip that I could realistically see myself moving to. I could really picture myself there. The people were great, the downtown area was so much fun, the weather was gorgeous. Again I know this is based on an EXTREMELY small sample size but this is the first stop where the thought of me moving there really crossed my mind. Just things to think about I guess. Seeing new places, that was the point of the trip right?

Well, tomorrow I drop dad off at the airport and I head onto Myrtle Beach to begin the last leg of my journey.  Time to finish this bad boy off as strongly as I started it.