I got back from Nashville early Thursday morning. Had a great time! What a beautiful place. This was my first trip ever to the South.
As we walked through the terminal I noticed these really cool posters that were displayed. They were show posters, advertising concerts and shows at the Grand Old Opry. They were old and had a very retro feel. I loved the look of them. They ended up being from Hatch Show Print, a printing company that has been in operation since 1875. Their posters have a turn of the century look because they still use old fashioned printing methods, and I think they are the only company around who does this. We found out that we could visit thier shop so we did. It was downtown and we ended up buying three posters.
We also visited the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was nice but a little bit overpriced. I’m glad I visited, because where else are you going to see Elvis Presley’s car? It was all blinged up with 24 karet gold trim. The white paint even had gold mixed into it, and it had a slight gold sheen to it. It even had a topcoat with crushed diamonds mixed into it. Top that P-Diddy!
We also visited the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home. That was well worth the price. It was so awesome to walk around in such an historical place. It made all of the things you learn about American History come to life.
And then there was the Cock of the Walk. It’s a restaurant that serves catfish and fried pickles! It was so good we ended up going there twice while we were there!
The SLA conference was at the Opryland Hotel. It was okay. It was nice the first time I walked around there but I started to get a little clausterphobic. Locals call this place “the biodome”.
The thing that impressed me the most was that Southern Hospitality really does exist. The people down there were so friendly and polite and, most of all, civil. I didn’t experience any road rage or similar frustrations at all. In fact, while we were riding in the elevator up to our room on our first night we were “welcomed” to the city by a local guy who happened to be at the hotel. That would NEVER happen here. That is just one example of the kind of friendliness we encountered. I think my favorite thing about Nashville is the people. The Bay Area could learn a thing or two from Southerners.
There is lots more to tell, but I think I will cut it short for now.
Until next time.
