Bright Lights, Big City

Day 95 (Written Friday March 16) ~ I grew up in a small town and teen years notwithstanding, I love living in a small town. It makes me smile when I walk into Johnson’s Foodtown and have a conversation with practically every employee. It feels great to walk into Reeves Drugstore and the ladies at the deli automatically start making me a chocolate milkshake without me even asking. It’s comforting (but admittedly sometimes a little annoying) to go in Wal Mart and see fifty people you know (and have conversation with half of them). Our convenience stores have bluegrass and country bands that play in them and d
That said, I LOVE spending time downtown in big cities. You know my love affair with New Orleans, but it’s not limited to just the Big Easy. Monday Kase and I meandered around downtown Louisville for about an hour (my new second favorite city after New Orleans) and tonight Jade and I walked around downtown Nashville. I’m not sure what exactly it is that I love about them, but I think these may be factors in it.
They are so different from what I grew up with. Big cities have a completely different feel or vibe than small towns. Small towns have a slow, laid back pace, whereas big cities elicit a buzz, an energy of activity and excitement. Recently I rattled off in 60 seconds every place to eat in the entire city of Pulaski (we were trying to decide what we wanted to eat). I could do this because I have lived here so long I know every street and store and building. I don’t think you can every reach that level of knowledge with a big city. Even if you did, it wouldn’t last long because big cities are constantly changing. I guess what I like about big cities is that they are just different. Different from what I grew up with, different from what I am familiar with, different from one day to the next. There is always something going on in a big city. Just that night in Nashville there was an NCAA Regional Basketball tournament being held at the arena, there were a dozen concerts going on (including one at Rocketown featuring 8 bands, which my son Reese booked himself!!!), street performers entertained on every street and the smells of a dozen restaurants filled the air. Jade and I didn’t really do anything, but just enjoyed walking around downtown taking it all in.
I love the architecture of big cities. I have a tiny knowledge of architecture (recently enhanced by my very talented new architect friend Jared), but my appreciation has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with eye appeal. I like certain buildings just because I like the way they look. I love domes, arches, textured stones, curved windows, and anything that looks old. Most cities have a blend of varied styles, but they also usually have an overall look. New Orleans is obviously one of the most amazing architectural cities in America, but others have a lot to offer as well. Louisville had some beautiful old Gothic style churches and cool old buildings. They have an stunning amount of old, unique looking buildings, mixed with newer buildings that aren’t cookie cutter style, but with their own unique flare. My favorite was, interestingly, The Spaghetti Factory building. It was obviously built a long time ago and had been purchased by the restaurant in more recent years. In Nashville I love Union Station, the Ryman and my new favorite, Merchants Restaurant. Jade and I ate dinner here tonight and you must go here. It is the most interesting interior I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. It was once a hotel, a brothel, a drugstore and a pharmaceutical supply store that sold “Blood Medicine” (opium). I’m not a big fan of Atlanta (although admittedly I haven’t had a lot of time to explore it) because it seems too modern for my taste. Memphis has revitalized their downtown and it has a few places with charm. Chicago, around Wrigley field especially, has a cool, old fashioned, 1940’s feel to it. I am fascinated by skyscrapers. I can stare at them for a long time, amazed at the engineering needed to make those things stand for generations. Tonight had the unexpected bonus of watching a crew building the new Omni hotel and convention center.
I love crowds of people. I have always liked being in crowds of people. Not the kind where you can’t move without bumping into someone, but the kind where people are all around. There is an energy to a crowd that cannot be simulated anywhere else in life. One of our favorite hobbies is people watching and crowds provide plenty of visual amusement. Tonight there were tons of fans from a dozen different colleges all sporting their colors, singing their fight songs and chanting in unison for their teams. The Ohio University band and cheerleaders were marching down the street tonight working the crowds into a frenzy.
There are unique and interesting shops in big cities that house a million different treasures and unique items. Of course you have to venture away from the traditional tourist traps with their souvenir tee shirts and overpriced junk. In Nashville I love to visit Hatch Show Prints and look at the vintage style concert posters. Tonight we found an old fashioned hat shop called Goorin Brothers, where they make the hats by hand. To celebrate we each got one (Jade’s is an adorable 20’s flapper style, she is such a hat girl). We’ve found wonderful book stores, vintage clothing stores, and plenty of cool junk stores.
Two other things I love about the city: I love that when we are in the city we don’t hesitate to walk everywhere we go, and I can sit for hours just looking at the skyline.