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Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Holy Twitter!
Lately I haven't been as active as I usually am on Twitter because I've been so busy working on one assignment in Atlanta and another one in Tennessee. But tonight I decided to glance at my Twitter page and found that I have 117 people following my Tweets! In the Twitterverse that is nothing, but since I never even imagined having more than 50 it's pretty incredible to me.
I'd better crank up my Tweet-rate before I lose some, lol.
Follow me on Twitter.
I'd better crank up my Tweet-rate before I lose some, lol.
Follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Nashville Whirlwind Tour
I finished my meeting in Camden, TN around 11:30AM yesterday morning, then drove the 90 minutes or so back to Nashville for meetings with staff members of two high-ranking elected officials. By the time I arrived at my hotel it was 3pm and I had been up for 12 hours, driving 7 1/2 of that, so I was tired. Still, I had a small window of opportunity to see some of Nashville and I did not want to pass it up.
I was staying at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel on the recommendation of a friend who had stayed there before. The room was very nice.
Although the view wasn't that great, at least out this window.
But it wasn't horrible out this window.
Anyway, I grabbed my camera, stopped by the concierge desk for a downtown map and was out the front door of the hotel by 3:10. As I opened the map I noticed an advertisement for a trolley tour of downtown Nashville. This was perfect! Cindy and I typically try to take one of these whenever we're in a new city to familiarize ourselves with it before embarking on our own personal tours. But I wasn't going to have time for my own personal tour so this trolley tour would be a fast, easy way to get a history of the city, a sense of it's layout and some photos. I walked the 5 blocks to the ticket kiosk (right next to the Nashville Hard Rock Cafe on Broadway) and purchased my ticket by 3:15PM, but the tour wasn't leaving until 4PM. Another great break! I had not stopped for lunch and was starving so I glanced around and saw this on the other side of Broadway.
The Big River Grille and Brewery Works. Apparently there is one at home in Orlando out at the Disney Boardwalk near EPCOT, but I've never been and didn't even know it was there until I looked up the website. They are a "microbrewery restaurant" brewing their own beer. I stepped inside out of the 84 degree heat and told the hostess I needed something to eat fast so I could catch my trolley tour in 40 minutes. I ordered their Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale and an appetizer Quesadilla. Both were very good and I was back and climbing on the trolley car at 3:50PM with about seven other riders.
I took about 200 photos during the tour. I'll pick the best and get them uploaded to my Flickr account as soon as I can, but I wanted to show you this shot of my hotel with my room location indicated.
The tour was good and educational. I tipped the driver/tour guide generously as I was stepping off because he gave lots of information and provided me with some good photography subjects and moments, but I wanted to tell him that I would have gladly tripled the tip if he would stop trying to be a comedian. Worse yet, a comedian who laughs at his own pathetic jokes with a laugh like Muttley. Believe me, it's worse when it's blasted over a PA system.
After the trolley tour I took a walk over the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge that spans the Cumberland River, taking lots of photos of the river and the stadium across the river where the Tennessee Titans play. Then, on my way back to the hotel I stopped and bought some souvenirs and postcards for family.
I can see why they call Nashville "Music City." If it's not blasting out of store speakers (and I mean EVERY store), they're piping it out into the street. And if it's not piping out into the street, street musicians fill the quiet with their "cover" versions of every country song you ever heard and a few you wish you hadn't (well, that's ALL of them for me since I'm not a CW fan), while their guitar cases stand open for donations. I was at an intersection where there was someone playing the guitar and singing on each of the four corners.
By the time I got back to the room I was soaking in sweat, so I took a shower and thought about accepting a co-worker's invitation to join her and another friend of hers who was visiting from out of town that evening for some live music. But it was now a little after 6PM and I was whipped from the long day. I thought I would do some work on the Internet and hit the sack early since I had more meetings to drive to today. However, because of my friend's recommendation I didn't really look at the hotel's webpage in depth, and that was a mistake. My friend does not travel with her laptop so she would not have noticed this, but it turns out the hotel wants an extra $13.95 (why not just say $14?) for Internet access. For real! And that even applies to high level reward program participants like yours truly.
Not going to happen.
Usually when I'm looking at a hotel trying to decide if I'll stay there, one of the first things I look at is whether they offer free Internet access, either wired or wireless. This was a fairly upscale hotel and I guess I just expected it, especially since it was a Marriott and every Marriott brand I've stayed at had free access. I learned my lesson, and will always check in the future no matter what anyone says about how great the place may be. Anyway, I grabbed my laptop and walked 2 blocks down from the hotel to Panera, ate a sandwich and accessed the Internet for free, thank you.
Still, I enjoyed my short time in Nashville and hope to come back with Cindy someday for a longer visit.
Did my meetings today in Murfreesboro and drove back to Atlanta. Tomorrow it's a short 3 hour drive to Knoxville, TN and then an hour drive to Rockwood, TN for various meetings and then back here to Atlanta for the night. That should be the end of my Tennessee trips for a while.
Wow, that was longer than I intended it to be. I hope you're still here. G'night.
I was staying at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel on the recommendation of a friend who had stayed there before. The room was very nice.
Although the view wasn't that great, at least out this window.
But it wasn't horrible out this window.
Anyway, I grabbed my camera, stopped by the concierge desk for a downtown map and was out the front door of the hotel by 3:10. As I opened the map I noticed an advertisement for a trolley tour of downtown Nashville. This was perfect! Cindy and I typically try to take one of these whenever we're in a new city to familiarize ourselves with it before embarking on our own personal tours. But I wasn't going to have time for my own personal tour so this trolley tour would be a fast, easy way to get a history of the city, a sense of it's layout and some photos. I walked the 5 blocks to the ticket kiosk (right next to the Nashville Hard Rock Cafe on Broadway) and purchased my ticket by 3:15PM, but the tour wasn't leaving until 4PM. Another great break! I had not stopped for lunch and was starving so I glanced around and saw this on the other side of Broadway.
The Big River Grille and Brewery Works. Apparently there is one at home in Orlando out at the Disney Boardwalk near EPCOT, but I've never been and didn't even know it was there until I looked up the website. They are a "microbrewery restaurant" brewing their own beer. I stepped inside out of the 84 degree heat and told the hostess I needed something to eat fast so I could catch my trolley tour in 40 minutes. I ordered their Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale and an appetizer Quesadilla. Both were very good and I was back and climbing on the trolley car at 3:50PM with about seven other riders.
I took about 200 photos during the tour. I'll pick the best and get them uploaded to my Flickr account as soon as I can, but I wanted to show you this shot of my hotel with my room location indicated.
The tour was good and educational. I tipped the driver/tour guide generously as I was stepping off because he gave lots of information and provided me with some good photography subjects and moments, but I wanted to tell him that I would have gladly tripled the tip if he would stop trying to be a comedian. Worse yet, a comedian who laughs at his own pathetic jokes with a laugh like Muttley. Believe me, it's worse when it's blasted over a PA system.
After the trolley tour I took a walk over the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge that spans the Cumberland River, taking lots of photos of the river and the stadium across the river where the Tennessee Titans play. Then, on my way back to the hotel I stopped and bought some souvenirs and postcards for family.
I can see why they call Nashville "Music City." If it's not blasting out of store speakers (and I mean EVERY store), they're piping it out into the street. And if it's not piping out into the street, street musicians fill the quiet with their "cover" versions of every country song you ever heard and a few you wish you hadn't (well, that's ALL of them for me since I'm not a CW fan), while their guitar cases stand open for donations. I was at an intersection where there was someone playing the guitar and singing on each of the four corners.
By the time I got back to the room I was soaking in sweat, so I took a shower and thought about accepting a co-worker's invitation to join her and another friend of hers who was visiting from out of town that evening for some live music. But it was now a little after 6PM and I was whipped from the long day. I thought I would do some work on the Internet and hit the sack early since I had more meetings to drive to today. However, because of my friend's recommendation I didn't really look at the hotel's webpage in depth, and that was a mistake. My friend does not travel with her laptop so she would not have noticed this, but it turns out the hotel wants an extra $13.95 (why not just say $14?) for Internet access. For real! And that even applies to high level reward program participants like yours truly.
Not going to happen.
Usually when I'm looking at a hotel trying to decide if I'll stay there, one of the first things I look at is whether they offer free Internet access, either wired or wireless. This was a fairly upscale hotel and I guess I just expected it, especially since it was a Marriott and every Marriott brand I've stayed at had free access. I learned my lesson, and will always check in the future no matter what anyone says about how great the place may be. Anyway, I grabbed my laptop and walked 2 blocks down from the hotel to Panera, ate a sandwich and accessed the Internet for free, thank you.
Still, I enjoyed my short time in Nashville and hope to come back with Cindy someday for a longer visit.
Did my meetings today in Murfreesboro and drove back to Atlanta. Tomorrow it's a short 3 hour drive to Knoxville, TN and then an hour drive to Rockwood, TN for various meetings and then back here to Atlanta for the night. That should be the end of my Tennessee trips for a while.
Wow, that was longer than I intended it to be. I hope you're still here. G'night.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Going To Music City
Leaving the hotel in Atlanta this morning at 4AM with a full day planned in and around Nashville. My only free time will be tonight. I'm staying in a hotel downtown so I can try to experience at least a little bit of Nashville before I leave tomorrow. One of my co-workers who is not currently deployed lives in Nashville and offered to let me tag along tonight while she and another out-of-town friend enjoy some live music. Not sure if I'll join them or not as I'd hate to mess up their visit with each other, but I think I'll definitely find someplace in downtown Nashville to enjoy at least a small taste of Music City.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
This Suits Me
I mentioned in my last post that I have a big week coming up as far as work goes. Here's a peek at how it breaks out.
Tuesday morning at 4AM I'll be checking out of my hotel here in Atlanta and driving to Camden, TN, which is about 90 minutes west of Nashville, for a 10AM meeting followed by visits to the offices of a couple of high-ranking elected officials in Nashville that afternoon. Wednesday I have another meeting at 10AM in Murfreesboro, TN, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville and then I'll return to Atlanta where I have a scheduled appointment at 3:30PM in our office. Thursday morning I'll drive from Atlanta to Knoxville, TN for another meeting at 11AM, followed by visits to the offices of 2 other elected officials and then a drive back to Atlanta.
Here's what the dashboard area of my rental car will look like.
You DO have to have a GPS for each destination, right?
Yesterday I started thinking I needed to get a new suit. I've needed one for a while, but just kept putting it off. Men's Wearhouse has been running a "Buy One Get One" free promotion, but their least expensive suit that I would want was $400. Then I heard a radio commercial Friday for Jos. A. Banks' "Buy One Suit - Get Another Suit, 2 Shirts And 2 Ties Free" sale, but their least expensive suit that I would want was $600! I guess I'm just too much of a cheapskate to feel comfortable spending that much money for a suit (or two), especially with all the cabin-building expenses mounting up like rabbits breeding for Easter. I mean, they're good prices for what you're getting, I just don't want to spend THAT MUCH right now. Cindy and I are both trying to be as frugal as we can, but I REALLY needed a new suit.
So this morning I went to the mall across the street from the hotel and bought a suit, shirt and 2 silk ties for a decent price. About half of those mentioned above. I think it looks good on me, but I sent a cellphone pic to Cindy to verify (other customers probably wondered why a flash kept going off in the fitting room, lol) and she said it was good. Really though, how well can you tell from a cellphone pic that's displayed on another cellphone's tiny screen?
I hate going clothes shopping. I'm partially colorblind and don't have a lick of fashion sense, so unless I'm buying something in colors I recognize and can identify, I get a bit cranky. Cindy usually accompanies me when I need more than a pair of jeans to help me with color and fabric combinations, but obviously that wasn't possible on this adventure. If I had thought about this enough in advance, I would have asked one of my female co-workers if I could trade lunch for their fashion assistance, lol.
But I should mention here that one of the coolest things about the retailer I purchased these from is that all of their shirts, ties, pants, jackets, etc. have the color printed on the price tag! That helped me avoid begging the salespeople for help when Cindy said, "Get a charcoal gray shirt" and kept me from heading to the Outdoor department to look for a grill to color-match.
Anyway, I stayed with basic black (with a nice fabric-kind of pinstripe, hard to describe but not just a flat black) suit, charcoal gray shirt and a couple of black and gray ties, all viewed by Cindy in cellphone pics and ok'd. And it will go with other shirts and ties I already have with me. I did ask the saleswoman too when I was purchasing them and she agreed, but of course I'm not sure they really care...you're just a sale and I doubt they're concerned if you look like a clown when you put on their merchandise, as long as you paid for it.
But now I have a new set of duds and that suits me just fine.
Tuesday morning at 4AM I'll be checking out of my hotel here in Atlanta and driving to Camden, TN, which is about 90 minutes west of Nashville, for a 10AM meeting followed by visits to the offices of a couple of high-ranking elected officials in Nashville that afternoon. Wednesday I have another meeting at 10AM in Murfreesboro, TN, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville and then I'll return to Atlanta where I have a scheduled appointment at 3:30PM in our office. Thursday morning I'll drive from Atlanta to Knoxville, TN for another meeting at 11AM, followed by visits to the offices of 2 other elected officials and then a drive back to Atlanta.
Here's what the dashboard area of my rental car will look like.
You DO have to have a GPS for each destination, right?
Yesterday I started thinking I needed to get a new suit. I've needed one for a while, but just kept putting it off. Men's Wearhouse has been running a "Buy One Get One" free promotion, but their least expensive suit that I would want was $400. Then I heard a radio commercial Friday for Jos. A. Banks' "Buy One Suit - Get Another Suit, 2 Shirts And 2 Ties Free" sale, but their least expensive suit that I would want was $600! I guess I'm just too much of a cheapskate to feel comfortable spending that much money for a suit (or two), especially with all the cabin-building expenses mounting up like rabbits breeding for Easter. I mean, they're good prices for what you're getting, I just don't want to spend THAT MUCH right now. Cindy and I are both trying to be as frugal as we can, but I REALLY needed a new suit.
So this morning I went to the mall across the street from the hotel and bought a suit, shirt and 2 silk ties for a decent price. About half of those mentioned above. I think it looks good on me, but I sent a cellphone pic to Cindy to verify (other customers probably wondered why a flash kept going off in the fitting room, lol) and she said it was good. Really though, how well can you tell from a cellphone pic that's displayed on another cellphone's tiny screen?
I hate going clothes shopping. I'm partially colorblind and don't have a lick of fashion sense, so unless I'm buying something in colors I recognize and can identify, I get a bit cranky. Cindy usually accompanies me when I need more than a pair of jeans to help me with color and fabric combinations, but obviously that wasn't possible on this adventure. If I had thought about this enough in advance, I would have asked one of my female co-workers if I could trade lunch for their fashion assistance, lol.
But I should mention here that one of the coolest things about the retailer I purchased these from is that all of their shirts, ties, pants, jackets, etc. have the color printed on the price tag! That helped me avoid begging the salespeople for help when Cindy said, "Get a charcoal gray shirt" and kept me from heading to the Outdoor department to look for a grill to color-match.
Anyway, I stayed with basic black (with a nice fabric-kind of pinstripe, hard to describe but not just a flat black) suit, charcoal gray shirt and a couple of black and gray ties, all viewed by Cindy in cellphone pics and ok'd. And it will go with other shirts and ties I already have with me. I did ask the saleswoman too when I was purchasing them and she agreed, but of course I'm not sure they really care...you're just a sale and I doubt they're concerned if you look like a clown when you put on their merchandise, as long as you paid for it.
But now I have a new set of duds and that suits me just fine.
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