Ah … sleep … something that we haven’t had a lot of in the last few days. We decided to sleep in and then relax by the pool before starting our day.
Since I didn’t have a proper birthday dinner, Karen took me to Maggiano’s Little Italy, which is a fabulous Italian restaurant. We had visited one in Washington, DC for Liz’s graduation dinner and knew that the food was going to be awesome (and huge!). We enjoyed a lovely lunch and then afterwards we went over to the Sommet Center where we bought tickets for tonight’s PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event.
We walked over to the Ryman Auditorium, which is the heart of country music. Took a tour that included going backstage, where we saw all the star’s dressing rooms, including the Cash-Carter room. It’s a very cool place, and very moving, to think of all the stars that have performed on that stage … Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen, and of course Loretta Lynn. The acoustics are phenomenal, and the history is incredible.
After the Ryman, we walked up and down Broadway St, stopping into Ernest Tubb record shop, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and ended up having lunch at Jack’s Bar-B-Que. The BBQ was superb.
Because of the PBR in town, there were many, many cowboys walking around. And boy were they HOT! These were real cowboys, not just guys with a hat.
The PBR really puts on a fantastic show. It started with lots of fireworks, cowboys rising up out of the floor on pedestals, a bunch of young people taking the oath to join the US Army, and the introduction of all 50 bullriders. It was being televised live, so there was plenty of activity during the commercial breaks.
The bullriders and the clowns are real dare-devils. Thankfully nobody got seriously injured, but there were plenty of close calls. Justin McBride was the winner tonight, and the last cowboy to ride.
There were a lot of celebrities at the PBR, including Toby Keith, John Michael Montgomery, Stephen Baldwin, Rocket Ismail, Vanilla Ice and a bunch of other celebrity bullriders who would be competing at Sunday’s event. After the PBR we were headed back to the car and Stephen Baldwin went sailing by on a skateboard. We got a quick photo with him, before he headed into the Palm Restaurant.
It’s the end of an incredible one week speed-reader’s version of Tennessee. We’ve enjoyed every place we visited, and need to come back and spend more time in this state. Tomorrow we’re making an 11 hour drive back to K-W, and back to reality.
guess what everyone we know is getting for X’mas? Something from Bath and Body Works, right?