Nashville

Still going backwards in time... to Nashville, the third city I identified ahead of time as a possible future home.

Downtown Nashville is pretty empty on Sundays.

Nashville felt... weird.  It wasn't a bad place and I could see how a lot of people would really like living there.  But something about it felt off to me.  I can (and will) talk about some of the more objective factors about of the city, but it really just didn't capture my attention the way some previous cities have.

I began my visit with my typical driving tour, only I used several of the city's public libraries as waypoints, instead of random houses and apartments I found in the classifieds.  The libraries achieved the same goal of showing me different neighborhoods, since libraries are usually in neighborhoods.  I can't say whether I drove through the worst or the best parts of town, but none of the areas I drove through on my mini tour were total crapholes.  Yes, some neighborhoods were nicer than others, but the run-down ones seemed just that... run-down, not dreadful.

A downtown arcade.

But speaking of libraries...  I looked up Nashville's library system before I got to the city, mostly so I could find its main branch and its hours.  And as noted above, I used some of its branches to guide me around the city.  And I was saddened to see that the Nashville libraries have the shortest hours of any medium or large city I've checked out so far.  Not a single one is open later than 8pm and many of them are closed or have limited hours several days a week.

More downtown.

I can't remember if I've written this in my blog, but I start my visits to cities with libraries in part because they are a good source of local information about a city and because they sometimes reveal a lot about a city's pulse and priorities.  Is the library bustling or quiet?  Does it have a large selection?  Does the library allocate resources to the latest best-selling Danielle Steele novel, or does it go for a diversity of reads?  I've worked in two different libraries (years ago) so I know things things can reveal a lot about a community.

So back to Nashville... I was disappointed in the relatively limited access to the library system, although its main branch is quite large and really nice.  I was always a little skeptical about the prospect of living in Tennessee.  Nashville might be nice, but it doesn't seem like one of those states that's big on education (like, teaching evolution for example).  This impression was, unfortunately for Nashville, reinforced by the hours of the libraries.  It was further reinforced when, upon learning that Nashville had just lengthened its school year by 5 days, a local paper ran an op-ed opposing the move in part because it will cost more money to air condition the schools.  Guess what, Tennessee?  Less education is never the answer to any problem, even saving money on air conditioning.

On to other things.  One thing I really liked about Nashville was how clean everything was.  It didn't have that big city dirt or dark feeling or stained buildings or anything.  This is true of downtown, at least.  (As noted above, I'm not sure I ever saw the worst of Nashville's neighborhoods.)  And it's not a particularly difficult place to get around.  There were  minor/moderate traffic jams during afternooon and morning rush hour, but nothing terrible, and at all other times of the day, traffic was pretty easy.  Depending on where one tried to park, it could be free or cheap or moderately-priced, but overall it's just not a really crowded city.

Largest existing row of 19th century buildings in the country (it continues way left and right).

There's a lot to do in Nashville.  Places to eat, shows to see -- mostly country music, but the downtown theater center gets the Broadway shows, etc.  There are sports teams, etc.  It's not New York City, but it's lively.

A couple of old and famous Nashville standards.

The people are nice.*  I had a reasonable amount of interaction with locals while shopping, dining, and getting a chink in my windshield repaired.**  No one was in a real big hurry, but no one was as slow as some other places I've been to, either.  Seemed like a nice mix of being laid-back without being terribly inefficient.

But after about 48 hours in town, Nashville just wasn't grabbing me.  I think mostly it was the city itself.  As I noted before, it was weird.  The cleanliness and beauty were offset by all the drunk homeless people wandering around downtown.  The music and dining scene was offset by the clear commercialism that pervades much of the city.  I kept wondering if I was at Disney or if I were in the rough-around-the-edges South?  The pieces didn't fit.  I'm having a hard time saying why Nashville didn't feel right to me... it just didn't.  And I should add, it didn't feel right as a place for me to live.  I would return again to see sights and would encourage others to check it out.  It's not a bad place at all, just not for me.

One thing I'll never be sure of is whether my feelings on Nashville were solely about the town itself or because outside factors influenced my feelings about it.  Realistically, this might be true of the places I like, too.  For example, I didn't know anyone in Nashville.  I knew people in Des Moines and Ashville (a future post, keep reading!) and so I had locals to show me around and talk about the great things in their cities.  And in Philly's case, I'd explored it before with friends and had a good time both times.  But in all of these cases, was it the people I liked or the city?  But Nashville didn't have any familiar people going for it, so it might have suffered by comparison.  (Then again, I only "knew" someone in Des Moines my last couple of days there, and I liked it right away.)

I also felt a little lackadaisical about my visit there.  So far, I've really enjoyed my trip around North America and as general matter, it's not hard to motivate myself to get out and see stuff or to keep moving to my next destination.  Especially when I'm on my way to see people I know.  But I suspect I hit a bit of a low patch while I was in Nashville; I didn't feel as fresh or enthusiastic, and I was missing people I cared about.

A few wrap-up items:

*  The day before arriving in Nashville, I crossed the border from North Carolina and almost immediately saw about 30 motorcyclists pass the other way all carrying Confederate flags.  Big ones.  So, um... yeah.

**  I'd read in one of the local papers that Nashville had a "thriving gay district," centered around a certain intersection just west of downtown.  When I needed to get my window repaired, I saw there was a shop right in that neighborhood, so I chose it to get my repair done, so if it took awhile, I could explore that part of the city.  Sadly, it appears this is what constitutes the thriving gay district:

Not my definition of "thriving."

Yes, that's it.  The girls at the repair shop said there was also a lesbian club a few blocks down the street, but there weren't any cafes or shops or anything nearby.

Oh, and at the library I discovered that the "Nashville Pride" newspaper is written by and for african-americans, not the GLBT community.  Seeing the paper initially got my hopes up that Nashville was a modern and progressive place, then reading the paper returned my hopes back to normal.

One last tidbit about Nashville:  I stopped in a tiny little sushi shop.  I think only one person worked there, a really crabby sushi chef from Japan.  It was really cheap ($6 for two large rolls, including tax and tip!) and good.  But that crabby little chef was determined to give me what he wanted to give me, not what I wanted to order!  He wouldn't make me sashimi (even though it's on the menu) because he wanted me to get my money's worth.  He wouldn't even make me nigiri for the same reason.  He wanted me to get the avocado and cucumber in the rolls, too.  I'm glad I stopped in, because it was an amusing experience and the price was great for what I got.  But it added to my impression that Nashville is weird, and it felt like the episode of Seinfeld at the soup restaurant.

The sushi chef didn't want to be photographed, but he looked like this, only crabbier.

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Gameday

Eight months ago, I decided to pack up my stuff and move out of my apartment.  In large measure to save money and also to make sure I didn't return to my home after my trip around the world, and then get comfortable and never leave again.  It was a good decision and I have mostly not regretted it.

But today is the first full day of college football and I'm watching ESPN's College GameDay and it's making me homesick, wishing I were back in my comfy little apartment, with my two TVs poised to show all the games.  I'd have the TV schedule all ready, and the sports pages teed up on my computer.  Maybe I'd have friends over, or maybe I'd just spend the day alone on my couch, rooting for Duke and scowling at Michigan.

I suppose that over the next few months, I can set aside some Saturdays to just stay in somewhere and watch games.  But it won't be the same if I'm not in my own lair.  Of all the things that might make me sad that I don't have and am not in my little DC apartment, I wonder why it's college football that makes me feel it so acutely?  :(

Graceland... Graceland... Memphis, Tennessee

Continuing to go backwards in time... My stop before Little Rock was a single spot in Memphis:

GRACELAND!

Graceland

For once, I managed to hit the road by about 8am (because I woke up at 5 and couldn't fall asleep again) but it let me drive all the way from Nashville, TN to Little Rock, AR in one day, while also stopping for a couple of hours to see Elvis's mansion.

It was a little pricey, but worth it to see this icon of americana.  And there is a lot of Elvis's music playing everywhere, and I'm a big fan of his music, so that was nice.  The house itself -- Graceland -- is preserved nearly as it was when Elvis lived there, with a few rooms converted to displays of his awards and costumes.  But mostly, it is authentic.  And no tackier than it was when Elvis actually lived there.  And saying tacky isn't right...  It's actually freaking fantastic!  Why don't more people decorate their homes like that... I mean really decorate, make them something to talk about, and to love?

The foyer

A few of the many costumes on display.

The entire rest of the tour is a bunch of displays and exhibits that deposit visitors right into souvenir shops.  And in a few cases, the exhibits are in the souvenir shops (seriously).  For the most part, only the house was worth the tour, although seeing Elvis's cars and his two airplanes was kind of neat too.

Graves of Elvis and his family.  Moved to Graceland soon after his death to keep them secure.

There's not a whole lot to say about Graceland except two things.  First, if you're in the area, go and see it.  It's worth the trip, and worth learning about Elvis and how popular he was (which was especially amazing considering he was before cable TV and the internet, etc.).  Second, when Elvis bought Graceland it was a mansion.  But now, other than its over-the-top decor, it's hardly different than many homes being built today.  It's opulent, but not enormous.  I thought it was kind of a shame that a house as awesome as Graceland had its grandeur diminished by my (unwilling, but unavoidable) comparisons to all the boring mcmansions out on the market today.  But don't let my second point stop you from acting on my first point!  The place is a lot of fun.

Amen!

Little Rock, Arkansas

Since I'm so behind in writing, I thought I'd catch up by going backwards from my most recent stops, while they are still fresh in my mind.  So the next few posts will be out of order chronologically.

Today I spent the whole day in Little Rock, camping here last night and tonight so I could give it a full day.  Aside from being 100 degrees (so much for missing that east coast heat wave a few weeks ago!), Little Rock is a nice little town.  I'm not sure it would have enough to do for a long weekend, but for a day or two, yes.

Downtown Little Rock

An old railroad bridge, now a pedestrian bridge downtown.

My day started at Central High School, which was where, in 1957, President Eisenhower had to order federal troops to come and escort 9 black students to class in the formerly all-white high school.  The school is still open, and as far as I know, is an integrated place without problems.  But man, it was bad for those 9 kids.  The National Park Service has opened a museum -- well, more like a learning center -- about the school and its history right across the street.  I knew a little bit about this before, but didn't know details.  Very interesting, and sad.

In the 1920s, a group of architects declared Central High "the most beautiful school in the country."

Next I went downtown, which is smallish.  I estimate the downtown area is about as big as Cleveland's downtown, although the suburbs of Little Rock do not spread as far as Cleveland's.  I started at the River Market, which is one half farmer's market and one half permanent stalls serving food.  So I sat and ate and watched peopled -- mostly this creepy old dude with long hair died red (with roots showing) and long fingernails.  Like, female secretary length long.  Eek.

I strolled along the river for a while, very slowly -- did I mention it was 100 degrees today? -- which is quite nice.  It's all walking trails and benches and this one really great sculpture garden.  Not sure why there weren't more people out.  Maybe because it was a work day and was 100 degrees outside?

My path took me past the Old State House, which I went into and discovered has been turned into a museum about Arkansas.  The people who worked there thought the Inaugural Gowns of the governors' wives and the women's history exhibits were the best (and they were good).  But my personal favorite was the exhibit about negative Arkansas stereotypes, and how they are not true.  Ironically, though, I left that exhibit with all of my negative stereotypes about Arkansas reaffirmed and magnified, because the whole exhibit is photos of poor people living in shacks, cartoons about drunken hillbillies, and popular tales about backwards backwoodsmen.  It was fun.  Not every museum makes me laugh like that.

The Old State House

My last stop before returning to my campground (I'm back to camping, at least while it's still light enough in the evening to set up my tent) was the Big Dam Bridge outside of town, which is a mile-long pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River, built on top of an existing dam.  The views were... not bad.  It was most enjoyable for its strong breeze, which I haven't felt anywhere else in the state.  

See the breeze?

Lots of cyclists and runners use the bridge, but I got to talking with three fellow walkers:  Three ladies visiting Little Rock from the Ozarks area.  They were all very nice and gave me some pointers about what to see when I drive through that area.  But they, um, looked like some of those photographs from the Arkansas stereotypes exhibit.  Some (all?) were missing a couple teeth and they were dressed in long shapeless skirts and shapeless tops.  What I call the "farmer's wife" look.  One was wearing a t-shirt that said "Jesus" and had a picture of Aslan on it.  I didn't notice this until she recommended that if I drove through <some town I don't remember> I should stop and see the Passion Play there.  That encounter was a little different than something that would happen in either of my back homes (Cleveland or DC) and I worried that I was about to be proselytized at, but I wasn't.  The conversation turned to swimming holes instead.  Truth be told, I'm kind of interested in seeing the play, both to learn something and to see if it's as scary as I imagine it to be.  I'll just have to wonder, though, as I'm planning to be in Oklahoma City by tomorrow night, and it's a long-ish drive to get there.  I almost feel bad talking about the ladies' appearance and the Aslan t-shirt, as they were so nice.  So I write this to paint a picture, not be mean.

So I'm going to bed early tonight.  If I can't sleep, maybe I'll write another post about my previous stop (it's a fun one! so keep reading!) but I'll probably play some Diablo II instead, an old favorite computer game that I hadn't played in years and recently installed on my laptop to entertain me when I don't have wifi.

Oooh, almost forgot this story:  While at the Old State House, I asked one of the staff where I could find a place to grab a drink when I left, because it was 100 degrees outside and I was thirsty.  He mentioned a place or two and I thanked him and continued to tour the museum.  On my way out, he stopped me and gave me a soda drink he'd bought for me at Sonic!  That was just super nice!  He wouldn't accept any payment for it (it was a dollar and something) so I told him I'd increase my donation to the museum by the cost of the drink, which I did and then some.  So, the people of Arkansas and Little Rock made a very good impression on me today.

Philadelphia

Before starting my trip, I picked Philadelphia as one of the cities that I would spend time in with an eye towards moving there.  Unlike the other cities on my list, I'd been to Philly before.  Twice in fact, once for a long weekend downtown and once for a weekend split between downtown and the northern suburbs.  So on this stop I felt less pressure to see everything because I already knew I basically liked the city.

Downtown Philadelphia

I'll cut to the chase and say that, I still liked Philadelphia, and if life forced me to live there, I could do so and I think it would be fine.  But it didn't call to me the way some other places have/do.  Here's the rundown:

Like with Des Moines, I had a vague plan about how I'd see the city.  I started at the main branch of the public library to read local papers and browse housing and job ads.  I avoided touristy stuff, or any place I wouldn't attend on a more than infrequent basis (like the symphony, the art museum, etc.)  (Besides, I've seen those already.)  I spent several hours wandering around downtown (where I'd most likely want to live) and driving around more distant residential neighborhoods.

On this visit, I split my nights between the New Jersey suburbs, where I stayed with a friend's family, and downtown, where I stayed at a hotel.  The suburbs were nicer than I expected (I didn't expect anything terrible, just less interesting than what I actually got) and they gave me a chance to ride some of Philly's public transportation.  I took some sort of suburban light rail, then a Camden subway into the city.  Neither is connected to Philly's main subway system (that I could tell, at least) so Philly has some integration to do to make commutes faster and easier.  (Philly is not the only city that needs to better blend its various public transportation systems, so I'm not specifically knocking Philly.  *cough* DC *cough*)

Philly's newest building (I think).

I already knew Philly had good food -- one of the reasons I liked it -- but I tried a few more places in various parts of town and liked them all.  Sushi, pizza, a dingy bar that offered reasonably priced beer, and some healthy-leaning cafe.  Oh, and I had my first cheesesteak sandwich.  I still don't know what cheese is supposed to be on cheesesteaks (I've been told different things) but I discovered I like mine with Cheese Wiz.  If this is the wrong preference, you can let me have it in the comments section.  :P

So what else did I like about Philly?  It has character.  Like the interesting architecture, and the city's love of Ben Franklin and William Penn.  I think most people who live there grew up there.  And drivers who yell "stoopit!" when cars pause in front of them for too long.  (To me, that would be charming while I felt like a visitor, then would feel ugly once I felt like Philadelphia was my home.)  Philly is old and has a lot of history, and there is a lot of culture.  Art, live music of all varieties, dance, museums.  There are colleges.  There are sports teams, which are of minor importance to me, but I count them as a plus.  (Although from what I gather, Philly sports fans have a very bad reputation.)  Living downtown would probably be really cool, and there are several neighborhoods to choose from.  Philly's not as stuck-up or pretentious as some cities, which are vibes that annoy me about some other places I've been.

A fantastic mural on a building in downtown Philly.

What didn't I like?  Living anywhere other than downtown would stink.  Either because the home would be in the inner ring, which is affordable but is pretty much one giant hood that completely circles downtown (I drove through a random selection of neighborhoods, and indeed the entire ring around the city center was run down and shabby).  Or I'd be way out in a suburb, and that would slowly kill me from the commute to work (assuming my job would be downtown, of course, but it probably would) and possibly from frustration with not being able to walk anywhere.  Philly is cheaper than DC, but not that much cheaper, especially for the nice parts of town.  And it's neither as big or as crowded/traffic'd as DC, but it's still a big city with too many people in it.  So if I'm going to deal with big city crowds and expense anyway, I might as well stick to a city that already has my friends in it, right?

I would gladly visit Philadelphia again.  All of the museums and bars and cultural events make it a fun place to be for a few days.  And like I said, if live took me there for some reason, I think I would fit in OK.  But when the time comes for me to choose where to look for a job and a place to live, I doubt Philly will be on my short list.  Sorry Philly!  I still like you, I just don't like you like you.

A colonial-era cemetery.  Its gravestones are not like those in the  northern cemeteries from the same era.

More New England

Does New York outside of New York City count as New England?  Well, for purposes of my blog post it will.

So... after Nantucket, I spent a couple of nights visiting my godparents Grace and Jerry in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  It's about 10 miles north of Plymouth and is one of the oldest towns in the country.  Much to my delight, it is home to one of the oldest cemeteries in the country, too.  The oldest maintained cemetery at that, meaning no one ever let it fall to ruin before fixing it back up.

Its most famous member (is that the right word?  body?  /scratches head) is Miles Standish.  I'm embarrassed to admit that while I knew the name, I didn't know who that was, so for the equally ignorant, he was the military leader of the Plymouth Colony.  He wasn't very nice to the indians, apparently.  :(  Then again, who was back then?

Much of my time in Duxbury was spent just hanging out with Grace and Jerry.  Eating at local places, strolling around their beautiful garden, etc.  My first time in their house was about 30 years ago when my family drove there for a visit.  I really liked that it was very much as I remembered it.  They have updated furniture and stuff, but it smelled the same and had the same warm and suburban feel.  Very cozy.

After leaving Duxbury, I drove to Connecticut, which is the only U.S. state I've been to on this trip that I hadn't spent any time in before (unless you count a 3 hour visit to a technology center for a work project, which I don't).  So I was determined to spend some substantive time in the state.

Turns out, Connecticut isn't one of those states that is chock-full of things to do (for example, this top-10 list of things to do includes 3 places to eat and 2 casinos).  I did make a few stops and formed some impressions, though.

First, Connecticut is a really pretty state.  There are probably crappy parts, but every place I drove through had beautiful homes and lots of trees.  I stopped in Mystic (of Mystic Pizza movie fame) and it was very nice.  And yes, I stopped for a piece of pizza and it was good.  And the restaurant wasn't overrun with people as I feared it might be.

Downtown Mystic

 A pretty (and pretty typical) house in Mystic.

Second, Connecticut has at least a few things (besides casinos) worth stopping to see.  I visited the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  I'd hoped to take a tour, like I did of the U.S. Naval Academy a few years earlier, but it's a small place and doesn't offer tours every day.  The guard desk does have pamphlets for self-guided walking tours, so I did that instead.  School hadn't started yet, so the campus was pretty empty, but I did see some of the newest students jogging across campus while being yelled at by older students.  It looked like of like sorority rush.

Inside the old astronomy observatory, which is now abandoned and spooky (and unlocked).

I also stopped at this really interesting home, the Gillette Castle, which was the private home of American Actor William Gillette (late 19th/early 20th century era).  He designed it himself, and it's heavy on wood and stone.  Lots of built-in storage and some secret passageways so he could avoid unwanted guests.  I've probably written this before, but the United States is short on ancient ruins, so I tend to gravitate towards unusual or famous architecture instead.  I like to imagine living in unusual places, and this castle would have been really cool.

The Gillette Castle

Inside the Castle.

One of many cool light fixtures.

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My final stop in New England -- well, New York -- was a night in Poughkeepsie.  I didn't have as long there as I'd have liked because I had places to be!  But it looked like it could be a nice town to live in.  Not too big, lots of old and interesting homes, greenery, etc.  The reality of it could be totally different, of course, since I really didn't get out much.  I did get to a town just north of Poughkeepsie, though, to Hyde Park, to see FDR's home and presidential library.

FDR's home.

FDR grew up there (apparently under the thumb of a very domineering mother) and lived his adult life there as well (still with his mother, even after getting married).  The house itself is still as it was when FDR lived there, and the presidential library and museum have been built on the grounds.  To be honest, I wasn't really longing to go see the place, but I figured I probably wouldn't be in Hyde Park again, and I'd feel lame passing up an opportunity to see it just because I wanted to be lazy.

On the grounds of FDR's home.

A little bit that is true with a lot of things on this North American trip of mine.  Unlike, say... the Pyramids or an African safari or Angkor Wat, there are not that many things in the U.S. and Canada that I really want to see.  It's been more like, if I am nearby, I will stop and see things.  And most things turn out to be either interesting or educational or both, and I'm certainly not sorry I stopped and saw them.  But it's definitely a different feel to my sightseeing than when I was abroad.

Coming soon:  My review of Philadelphia, where I spent five nights.  Would I want to live there?  Find out in the next installment!

Ugh

What the hell is wrong with me?  I'm two weeks behind, and still have to write about New England, Philadelphia, and a few days in Washington, D.C.

/acknowledges laziness