Using the internet to connect gets a bad rap. For young professionals who travel, work long hours, and struggle to connect, using the internet just makes sense… and not just for cheap hookups, but for friends to hang out with as well. I’d never used dating apps before, but last Friday night I did a little research and found an app called Bumble.
That was how I found myself downtown a few days later with Cody. Despite the deer-in-the-headlights look I’ve come to recognize as common to men on a first, blind date, he proved to be a perfect gentleman. Over dinner we talked about travel, politics and the good-old-boy network, movies, our respective careers in business finance and property management. “So what have you done in Nashville?” he asked, and when he found out I hadn’t seen the night scene in Nashville yet, we left Franklin and drove north to the city, to Broadway.
The cold night felt more February than March. Low clouds and fog hung over the city. The sparkling lights still on in high-rise apartments and offices had softened to a glow through the haze. I gratefully accepted the offer of Cody’s second coat over my own when we met again on the street and we set off exploring downtown Nashville and Broadway.
On a cold Thursday night the streets were uncrowded and, off Broadway, could even be called quiet. Many old exposed-brick industrial buildings of Nashville lined the streets, some converted to apartments or restaurants. And of course, bars were abundant, tons and tons of bars up and down the main streets. The gatekeeper in the door was usually a young man in a large cowboy hat and it was his job to manage the drunk hooligans having a good time, trying to pick up women, failing, and fighting each other drunk on the sidewalk.
Cody pointed things out as we went: museums, famous honkey tonks, historical landmarks. And a few secrets, too, like this tiny upstairs karaoke bar with barely even a sign to announce itself. “A great hole in the wall,” he said. “They’ll make you a fantastic fresh-made pizza.”
From the rooftop of Tootsie’s, the road below was a hopping maze of humanity. So many out looking for a good time, listening to the music playing, taking pictures.
On top of the pedestrian bridge over the river, Cody advised me, “Don’t be like everyone else and look both ways before crossing to the other side. It isn’t a road… there aren’t any cars,” and I laughed. The view of the city was amazing and I did cross several times to get the best views.
Since bars downtown aren’t really my scene, I didn’t think I’d make it downtown on this tour of Nashville… but you never know where you’ll find an explorer. And when it’s explorers squared, it’s possible anything could happen.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~