(by the by, if by any chance you're looking at buying a chrysler 200, DO NOT DO IT! we rented one for the drive and it, while a smooth ride, was a drag to drive.)
moving right along, we switched drivers in the ATL and began the trek up to louisville, kentucky BECAUSE the MITM had a meeting on wednesday. yes, he could have flown up tuesday, met on wednesday and probably flown out that very night, BUT...we (read: he) decided to drive. all jokes aside, i'm glad for the chance to see more of the states and also, the MITM spends so much time flying because of work, this is a relaxing break for him.
the plan was arrive early in louisville so that he could be part of conference call in comfortable surroundings aka the hotel room, but that sooooo didn't happen. OH, the call happened, but in a corner booth of a mac donald's off the highway. sweet mary sunshine, if i EVER needed a reminder why i don't frequent mickey d's...unfortunately, i was hungry and the rest, we shall never speak of again.
the call done, we continued on.
we arrived in the city too late to wander around, so we had dinner in the hotel restaurant, Sway and decided on their delicious spicy shrimp and grits! yep, we stayed true to the south, sweet pea! and it was GREAT! (no food pictures because i didn't take any...most of the time i was too hungry to even remember to document my meal...) the evening was slow and easy and dinner was served the same way. we easily slipped into the groove.
wednesday found the MITM heading off to his meeting that wasn't too far away from the hotel, but took long enough that the morning was shot for sightseeing. there were additional meetings and calls and emails to deal with, AND this was a business trip, so i took advantage of the downtime to just read/sleep/relax until he finished. then we had a wander around town.
the first photo is the louisville slugger factory and museum. we bought a genuine louisville slugger bat for super nana (her request) with her name inscribed and her birthdate! we bought shirts for BGM and BBC because we're goofy like that! (there's no crying in baseball for BGM and the original louisville slugger logo for BBC.)
the last two are in the old lousiville historic district. we only touched on a little of the incredible sights in this city, but the bit we did see was for the most part lovely. the reality of life in the states is that it isn't all picture perfect so, we saw those parts of the city, too. poverty is always a neighbor to wealth, but there is always hope in the faces of children. we saw that in the children getting off their school bus in the projects. i see that everywhere because i look for it and because it is the one thing that keeps me from losing faith in my country.
but, i digress...
dinner our last night in town was at z's oyster bar! if you're ever in louisville, make sure you have dinner here! service was warm and friendly, the food delicious, and it was the perfect spot to have dinner and watch a HUGE thunderstorm soak the city!
the next morning, we took off for our return home, this time at a far more leisurely pace, first stopping in nashville, tennessee. we booked a regular room at lowes-vanderbilt (across the street from vanderbilt university) and were surprised when we checked in to find that we'd been UPGRADED to a luxury suite!! i'm only mentioning this because it was SPECTACULAR and totally unexpected. in fact, when we inquired as to WHY, we were told because it's your lucky day! while we waited for our room to be ready, we sat in the hotel bar, Mason's. i think this sums up our thoughts...
i have to admit, i did take pictures of the two rooms and the balcony, but after looking at them i realized that because i didn't use the panorama feature, it just looked like a lot of furniture in an oddly shaped room (check out the hotel link for professional photos).
i know that nashville is known as music city and the capital of country music, and we did drive around, but that wasn't why we were anxious to visit. if y'all have learned anything about us, then y'all know we enjoy southern cuisine! stopping here meant we could get a reservation for the same night at Husk. check out their site because i can't even begin to do it justice. in fact, i'm sighing now just remembering the evening! the restaurant is housed in a re-furbished victorian house and is a grand, yet casual, dining experience! nothing stuffy or pretentious here, i promise you.
saturday morning and room service (because it seemed the right thing to do in a luxury suite) before hitting the road for chattanooga, made famous by a variety of things, but this is one of my favorites!
by the by, there's a sign on the highway/interstate that even tells you you're in the home of the chattanooga choo choo!
during our short trip, work reared its head more than once and sort of derailed excursions around Nooga, but we know we'll visit again. dinner our last night on the road was at easy bistro & bar. we didn't take many photos this trip. . .but next time, we'll wander along the riverfront and really see the town!
BUT, the best meal of this trip?
stopping at fresh market in savannah and picking up a baguette, some salami and cheese, and fresh flowers!
we had the wine at home already.
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