Civic Pride

Woman posted on the NaNo Forum some years back with questions about Nashville, where her British character and fiance would be coming. I should have known better than have even looked at the thing, my weakness, my area of expertise, after all is my own opinion.
So many questions so little time. I am behind, behind, behind.
This is bits and pieces as it comes to me. I am from here. I do love this fool place.

Nashville is the capital of the state and close to the middle geographically and politically. Tennessee is shaped like a squashed rectangle. Only 100 miles north to south here in the middle. The east/west dimension is something entirely different. Memphis is in the far west corner about 200 miles away. The point in the east is more like 350 from here. Knoxville is east 200, and if you drop down from there just a little you will find yourself in the mountains. Gatlingburg,
Pigeon Forge. That is where Dollywood is.

She asked about the work situation, especially about hospitals:

First of all: None of the hospitals will be giving you accommodations. The first thing you have to do when you get here is find a place to stay. [Saw that on a episode of House Hunters, in fact, young doctors moving to Nashville at the last minute]

Not sure about jobs for your gal. She ought to be able to get temp status here somehow. It is a university town and people’s spouses get work in the community. We also have an ENORMOUS group of Kurds, and they work all around the area, as do Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis, you get the picture. Just a few years a go it was pretty much black and white, so we’re still at the sampling the foods stage of culture shock. Anyway, the city is getting better at dealing with foreign families.

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If she just wants to sing, she can hang around places where they have open mic nights until she gets to know the people in charge and builds up her nerve. The equivalent of your pubs, I guess, informal sorts. Some places have open mics on slow nights or early sets mid-week. I can’t think right offhand where. Can you pull up the Nashville Scene on line? and look at their music section.That might give you an idea or two.

We don’t have demo booths I don’t think, but there are so many small studios around town, your girl could probably rent time at one if she didn’t make friends with somebody who has the goods.

If she wants to DO something there are places like the W. O. Smith Nashville Community Music School. People volunteer to teach mostly underprivileged kids. This is a killer place.

There are all these hospitals clustered around each other in an area just a few miles west of the state capitol.

Vanderbilt is huge, like a world into itself, and has a brand new children’s hospital. It is a major teaching hospital with a university and is one of the city’s largest employers.
Baptist is not quite as big, but wishes it were. Not-for-profit and is working in combination with the city’s Catholic hospital, Saint Thomas, which is located just out West End a few miles.

On the other side of Vandy is Centennial, which is the flagship of HCA [Healthcare Corp.of Americ.] HUGE! HCA oAZwns more hospitals than even they know. Very nice clean, classy. Vandy is University affiliated. Excellent school. Baptist is not for profit, but in a curious twist has recently joined ranks financially with the local Catholic Hospital, Saint Thomas, which is out West End a few miles. HCA would totally freak out anyone who is accustomed to anything like socialized medicine. And Nashville is its world headquarters, the heart of the beast.

On the off chance that your boy is an activist of any sort, there is Meharry College. It was begun around the Civil War to educate freed slaves, and up until the sixties when our part of the country had to be gently nudged into the rest of the century, it was still performing that function. Currently, the hospital has become Metro Nashville General Hospital at Meharry to be specific and is affiliated with the school, which has some neat things for the poor, for women, and, minorities.

Just across the street from Centennial Medical Center, is the park for which it is named. Tennessee state centennial had a lot of strange seven wonders of the ancient world- type things built. Can’t remember them all. There was a great pyramid. The only thing left is the Parthenon. Which I think is pretty darn cool. But then I am a native, and I have been looking at the thing for all my life. It’s full size, but unfortunately not on a hill. They built it a little rise so it wouldn’t just look funny sitting out in the middle of a field. Go on line and have a look. Inside is a really nice new Athena. She is huge and she kicks.

Back before separation of church and state started getting teeth, one of the local department store owners donated the beginning of a nativity that was set up about this time of year.

It was white, with lights that changed to pastel pink and blue and green while the canned music played seasonal joy. I froze my nose off many a year. Hey, it was magic, not religion.

There are still a few places to live in the area that aren’t outrageously priced. If the kids are really lucky, they might catch one. He could walk or bike to work easily in that area. Our weather is mostly, well, bearable.

Downtown Nashville has come and gone a dozen times. It is beginning to pick its pieces up, but that means that it is a lot like a theme park. It is working on turning into a town with people living in it again.

Right now the most noticeable building is the one everyone around here calls the Bat Building or the Batman Building. It is very tall and has a slightly rounded domed top flanked by two tall ear/antennae. I have no idea what it is all about. Telecommunications? And right below it in the picture here is the Ryman.

The Ryman Auditorium. Birthplace of the Grand Ol’ Opry. gotta go there. Even if you are not into country. It has a vibe like nothing else [ I just looked at their website. Surprise! I had forgotten. Your girl can cut a record at the Ryman itself! Of course, it's really more like karaoke, they have a short list of standards available, but it's the Mother Church of Country Music.]
Down the street from from that is Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. That’s a “legendary” bar. It’s purple.

Transportation:

We only have one airport. Nashville International, which name is sort of a joke. I think it is only international because it does lots of commercial traffic for Dell parts from China and Nissan execs from Japan. Bikes. Vespas. Our mass transit is pathetic, but you can use buses for some things. They are cutting routes back left and right. Sigh. Worse for the poor. I don’t think “legal” aliens will have any difficulty with licenses. If the kids live in the hospital area, shopping…may be a bit of a problem. not much there. Best bet is to have them take driving lessons. It costs, a little more, but it is quicker, much surer way to un-learn old habits.

There are a few things they ought to see for kicks. Out in the suburbs, you’ll want them to visit the Bluebird Cafe. Music is great. It is “listening room”. As in you be quiet and listen to the musicians.

Of course not everybody has that philosophy.

Down at the end of Music Row, there is Musica. Fun kids!

Oh, and every night, this is what they are looking at while they dance: