A Chocolate Soufflé in Nashville - Part III

Nashville is a music town. Julie and I wanted to “plant” ourselves close to a nostalgic area of Nashville which was near the “honky tonks” and night clubs where some of the original country western musicians stars (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, etc.) walked, talked, ate and sang.

We found it to be within walking distance of our hotel, the Hermitage. We were directed to Broadway and Second Avenue and within ten minutes of “hoofing it” from our temporary home we were walking by the old Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Ole Opry had been housed since the 1940’s.

Once passed the Ryman, which is on Fifth Avenue, you make a left onto Broadway and you are there. You feel as if you might catch a glimpse of Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, or Porter Wagner amongst the throng sauntering on the boulevard, or emerging from a record store. One senses an image of Johnny Cash leaning his back against a storefront, having a cigarette and holding a worn out guitar case in his hand.

The past is palpable, and you want to be a part of it. You want to hear the conversations, the arguments, and the near misses at record deals, the heartaches and triumphs of the heroes and heroines that put this city on the map.

It was daylight so we first fell into Ernest Tubb Record Shop which displayed life sized posters and memorabilia from the past on its walls and centralized tables filled with country, blue grass and gospel CD’s which had replaced the 45 rpm records and LP albums that had been the staple from years gone by.

We soon found a nice restaurant called Past Perfect and dined on a delightful seafood salad and a chicken wrap, but as nice as this place was, there was no live entertainment. We were told by the waitress that it was prohibitive, financially, to have a group perform because of the music union in town. Our appetite had been sated, but not our “soul”.

That was about to change. Twilight was upon us and with it brought the twinkling white lighted trees on the streets and the neon signs of the honky tonks began beckoning patrons to “come inside”. We still had a little more “window shopping” to finish and then we met our boot store lady. (to be continued)