Chillin Like a Nashvillain

We didn't have any movie commitments until the evening, so we spent the day exploring Nashville. Stemming from my desire to go for a walk (and also avoid paying for parking), we went to Cumberland Park, across the river from downtown Nashville, and walked in via a pedestrian bridge. Despite being just 10am or so, it was a very vibrant downtown scene. People were already in the process of getting drunk or getting a new pair of boots -- perhaps both. We walked by the Johnny Cash museum and some others, but didn't feel like spending money, so just strolled around the area.

We couldn't quit figure out what the big occasion was, but there were large gaggles of girls, often wearing matching shirts or outfits. How many bachelorette parties can one town tolerate? Anyway, the whole experience was making Nicole and I feel very, very sober. Everyone knows a respectable person would wait until at least 11am to start drinking. Amateurs...  After zig-zagging our way around downtown Nashville, we decided to head back across the river and continue our drive. Our next stop was the Parthenon.

It was not far distance-wise from downtown, but took us probably 20 minutes because Nashville roads make no sense. Our directions would be like merge onto X-highway and then exit left .3 miles after merging and then exit right after .4 miles on the next highway. After five or so highways, and having made what seemed like a circle, we arrived at the Parthenon, an exact replica of the one in Athens. I guess it was built for the state's centennial expo, but the rest of the rationale is lost on me.

We didn't need to spend a lot of time there because there isn't much more there than a fake Parthenon, so we took about seven highways and made our way 9 miles back to our hotel. Tonight Nicole has the big reveal at the award's ceremony at the Nashville film festival. At press time, she had not prepared her speech, nor her passive smile and clapping, so we will all have to wait and see how this all plays out. However it goes, she seems to be happy to have at least been one of three finalists. We will take advantage of the free happy hour either way.