My Tennessee Waltz

My family can tell you stories about the many road trips we took over the years. In the early 80s, we got a white Suburban and that thing drove us all over the U.S. for almost 20 years. Denver to visit my brother who was hospitalized there in his teens, my grandmother’s funeral in south Texas in 1994, and a spring break vacation to Las Vegas were just a few of our many destinations. Regardless of our ages or our destination, the one thing that remained constant on our road trips was the music.

My dad has a full-blown passion for music. He’s almost like a teenager who sees life without an iPod as punishment. His musical taste is extremely diverse but Johnny Cash, George Jones, Conway Twitty and Elvis are just a few of his favorites. Because dad played and sang those songs repetitively on our vacations over the years, they are now a symbol of my childhood. So it was with great excitement that I was able to visit Nashville, TN.

It was 39 degrees when my sister, C, and I landed in Nashville. Luckily, we packed coats, scarves and gloves. We got to our hotel and immediately felt as if we were in that horrible movie Bio-Dome. The Gaylord Opryland is an inexplicably large hotel and it was probably the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at in my life. And that does include the hotel we stayed at in Santa Fe, NM in 1990, which is now condemned. The Opryland hotel is loud, over-priced and the employees are trained to respond, “I don’t know,” to any question. It’s pretty on the surface but really ugly deep inside, just like Jessica Alba.

C and I had plenty of time to explore the city. We walked through the famous Ryman Auditorium which was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 – 1974. We attended a concert at the The Grand Ole Opry House which was built in 1974. At the concert we saw Martina McBride and Lee Greenwood sang, "I'm Proud To Be An American!" (That's him in the picture below.) We had a beer at the honky tonk bars with my old college buddy who lives in Nashville, we bought Johnny Cash prints in Ernest Tubb’s and we even stood in front of the famous Sun Recording Studios.

I admit I am not a huge fan of country music. The only country music I listen to is the old stuff – my dad’s stuff. But I have an appreciation for all music and Nashville is overflowing with musicians. The street corners are filled with singers and open guitar cases waiting for your loose change. The streets also have a scattering of bums. Many were shirtless or in shorts – even on the day it snowed!

Towards the end of our stay, it got warmer and the sun came out. It was fun to explore the city and not fuss with gloves and scarves. We toured the President Andrew Jackson exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum and bought the best pralines at a downtown candy store.

Throughout our visit, those old songs were buzzing in the stores, museums and honky tonks. It was almost like having our dad with us. My only regret is that he wasn’t able to go with us to Nashville. So, instead, I sang to him.