This is one of the central corridors of one of the many warehouses where they aged the bourbon in charred oak barrels. The oldest one is 20 years old.
After the tour I continued south in the near 39 degree heat to Nashville arriving at the Day's Inn next to the 60,000 seat football stadium where the Tennessee Titans play their home games.
After a quick shower to cool down, I took a taxi accross the river to the downtoen part of Louisiana. There are many lively C&W clubs in different parts of the city, as I learned on the bus tour I took Thursday, and an array of different types along a 3 block stetch of Broadway and on 2nd Avenue North. After a really good salad at the bar at Merchant's on Broadway, an establishment that's been around (probably not as an in place restaurant and bar, I went out to sample a few of the no cover charge clubs and the $1.75 beer. Well, not all places are that inexpensive; I had to pay a whole $6.00 cover to get into the famous Wildhorse Saloon on 2nd, and the beer was $4.75. The Wildhorse is a great big place with great entertainment and (Jane, Chuck and Lynn) a large dance floor.
Thursday morning I went to Ryman Hall. This former church in December of 1945 became the birthplace of Bluegrass and the Grand Ole Opry.
I was able to get a ticket in the balcony to see The Boxcars, and as the main act Chris Thile and Michael Dave performing as part of The Spinger Mountain Farms Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman series. These musicians are really at the very top of their game.
The bus tour of Nashville which I took with Jane's encouragemennt, helped me discover many things I did not know about Nashville. Otis, our driver and guide who is also a band leader, guitarist and owner of a company that does the set up for bands pointed out many of the sights of the city including the location of important studios (RCA Studio B where Elvis recorded some 300 songs), clubs where the 'stars' go to listen as well as play, and places to eat. I had no idea how big and important the music industry was to Nashville.
After the bus tour I went into the Country Music Hall of Fame where it would be easy to spend a day or more looking over the memorabilia on display and listening to the countless music tracks on offer. The curation is excellent and the space itself, particularly the Hall of Fame, are impressive.
This is Elvis' gold piano.
After lunch at Joe's Crab Shack, I spent a part of the afternoon walking around in the blazzing heat. I had wanted to visit the State Capital Building but it was closed to the public for renovations.
Oh, and the very best thing about yesterday was the ruling by the U S Supreme Court upholding Obamacare. Surprisingly there was no talk or cheering aboutr in the clubs I visited after the Bluegrass show at the Ryman. Go figure!
Today because it's still very very hot, I plan to visit the Friist Center for the Visual Arts before heading off to a show at the new Grand Ole Opry this evening. Watch for me on the radio; I was able to get a single ticket in the middle of the first row. As the lady at the ticket office said: Any closer and you'd be on the stage.
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