And a two (Nashville)

Eric is officially a whole year older today than he was yesterday.

We started off with the ever so famous Pancake Pantry.  We couldn't be more surprised that there wasn't a line out the door.  I read to expect it (those NFL fans must have had one too many and slept in...).

I ordered their sweet potato pancakes, which came with cinnamon cream syrup.  Who has ever heard of cinnamon cream syrup?  It is so good.

Eric got something meaty, with buttermilk pancakes.

45 minutes later, we found the line.

The Country Music Hall of Fame seemed like the perfect place to get better acquainted with Nashville.  There are three stories worth of music history here.  It was memorizing.  It started with folk music (banjo music during and after slavery) and went through all of the stages of country (which added in and then later took out the fiddle and the banjo, and then added in again), rock music, and then finally, current country music.  

Eric was ecstatic to see his favorite car ever, the Smokey and the Bandit car.  If only Burt Reynolds (or at least his mustache) was at the museum could it have been better...

Lay off.

As these musicians started to make more money than they ever had before, they started to spend it like it was going out of style.  Web Pierce's car has a thousand silver dollars lining the interior, ornamental hand guns, tooled saddle leather... 

What a character...

The paint of Elvis' car contained a special blend of crushed diamonds and fish scales...

We paid extra to take the RCA B tour, where Elvis recorded over 200 of his hits.  The only way to tour RCA B is through the Country Music Hall of Fame, which loads you in a bus and drives you to the location.  On the bus ride our tour guide pointed out a very controversial piece of art in a round-a-bout.  I thought I was missing something so I asked why it was controversial, she gasped, "did you see what they were wearing?!"  Well bless my heart.  They were nude.  Dear Lord... 

Haha.  You have to love the South!

This is the very piano that Elvis played before each recording session.  He was very particular about his recordings, he would only record at night (the evening sessions started at 10:00pm), with the lights a certain way (or sometimes completely off), and only after he had played the piano and warmed up.  The missing piece of the cabinet in the background was a result of a frustrated  Elvis not being able to get the record player to work.  He kicked the cabinet.  The piece was kept but it was never repaired.

For lunch we walk to Arnold's Country Kitchen, another Nashville icon.

I just got sides, in order to avoid the meat, but my plan didn't work.  

EVERYTHING tasted like bacon.

For Eric's birthday dinner we had a reservation at the Stillery.  Did you notice the musician on the world's smallest stage playing her heart out?  

Nashville is so cool.  Everywhere you go there are talented musicians playing live music.  In every little bar and restaurant, with no cover charges.  In fact, you don't even have to go inside, many are open-air.

Eric gave the hot chicken another chance.  

"Purple rain, purple rain..."

We spent a big chunk of our evening in Tootsie's, where Dolly Parton used to play before she became famous.

There must be more neon lights in Nashville than in Vegas.

Happy birthday, Eric!