We spent Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee. I have always been aware of the musical connection between Austin (Janis, Willie, Stevie Ray) and Nashville (Hank, Dolly, Merle). I have known, read, and heard radio interviews about musicians moving between the two cities, comparing the music scenes of the these two southern cities and the like. So, I was in search of the Nashville that lured musicians away from Austin. After eating all that beef in Little Rock, I felt like we needed a nutritional intervention. David searched for “Vegetarian Restaurant, Nashville” on Yelp and we were off for a 15 minute drive via several highways to the Wild Cow Restaurant in East Nashville.
When we walked into Wild Cow, we saw several college-aged guys with tattoos and musician hair sitting at a booth. Ahhh, we felt like we were still in Austin. After I asked the waitress exactly what is seitan (wheat), David asked the young woman what would she do if she only had 2 hours in Nashville. We told her we were from Austin looking for a Nashville experience. She came back after a few minutes with little handwritten directions to the Five Points neighborhood of East Nashville. She listed recommendations for a handful of antique shops and a coffee house.
David actually agreed to follow me into a couple of the art galleries, then we all enjoyed some coffee at Bongo Java. People in the Five Points neighborhood told us this is where some of the musicians and artists live; that it is “different here, in East Nashville.”
We then drove into downtown Nashville and found Nashville’s version of Austin’s 6th street...Nashville’s 2nd Avenue had the same feel with music blasting out of clubs and restaurants. Like Austin, I am sure this is just one of many music districts in Nashville.
Rather organically-with a little technology and by simply talking to people--we found at least one “Austin” neighborhood of Nashville. Clearly, I can’t compare the music scenes, but I can tell that both cities have neighborhoods that are more vibrant and diverse because of the community of musicians that call each city home. Here are some pictures from our visit to East Nashville.
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| Bongo Java Humor |
2 comments:
Good stuff. I'll be in Nashville in a couple weeks and will have to check East Nashville out. I usually end up on Broadway when I go there, but it seems like 2nd is the place to go.
Hi Gigi!
It looks like you are having fun! I always enjoy reading your posts and knowing your whereabouts... XXX from Istanbul.
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