Road Trip 04-23-09

04-23-09
Today the wifi is not working worth a crap. We leave out for lunch to Prince's Hot Chicken in the hood with rap music coming from a stereo store with every foul word I have ever used. We go inside and there is a line to wait in and there were about 8 tables and all were waiting for food, we decide it would take too long so we move to plan B. We go to "The Hermitage" which is is Andrew Jackson's home. We are starving so we grab a lunch of potato soup for Dixie and a piece of carrot cake for me. Jackson had it tough as a kid, all his family died, during the Revolutionary War he worked delivering messages for the troops(he was only 13). A hero of the war of 1812. The 7th President. Widower, his wife died while he was in office.The owner of 140 slaves. He authorized the Trail of Tears moving the indians west. An adopted son that drove him to financial ruin not only once during his life and then after his death the kid lost everything again.The Hermitage shows Andrew's home and working plantation. You see how they lived in rural America,from both the white and black perspective. The mansion, its gardens, the family grave site. the slave quarters, the smoke house and the kitchen.The cotton fields.The self sufficiency that was required in that day. The house really needs some reconditioning as it's wood, and a lot of the exterior is peeling and needs painting. Money must be tight even though it costs $54 for 2 adults to see the Plantation and it's grounds with the wagon ride. They do not get money from the government to keep up the place. You can save $20 and not take the wagon ride but consider it a donation and a place to sit down and rest for 25 minutes. We spent 3 hours there. We are pooped and decide to go back to the Coach and have happy hour there then go out to eat around 7:30. We are hundry and go to a small bar "John A's". Tanya the bartender gets us 2 cold bud lights on tap. The place is owned by the former owner of The Nashville Palace who had a lot of new talent play there before and after they were famous like Randy Travis, Boxcar Willie, Porter Wagner, Ricky Van Shelton, you get the idea he has had many good singers at his last bar. The band playing tonight did not live up to his reputation for showcasing new good talent. I won't say they sucked, but we didn't stay long after we finished our meal. The food was good bar food. I had the "best rubin in Nashville", It had cornbeef on it, a 1/4 thick cut of tender beef (not the thin sliced hard), with lots of sauerkraut, thousand island dressing on grilled bread. I ate it all. Dixie ordered the chef salad, everthing fresh and crisp like you would expect. Typical bar food, good and fresh. The place had a respectable amount of people eating and drinking at the bar and the tables. Everyone friendly, lots of laughter. I struck up a conversation with John at the bar, a friendly traveling salesman from St Louis, he's now on the Roat Trip email list. I hope everyone has added http://iamhavingagreatday.blogspot.com their list of favorites. See Ya, Brian