Operation Random City is on! After a white knuckle overnight Odyssey, full of gale force winds and swaying tractor-trailers, we pulled safely into the parking lot at Hyatt Place Nashville Airport. Though windy and dark, I-81’s isolation from civilization lent us a beautiful view of the stars and an almost story book view of sleeping town’s streets lit up in wait.
With barely a half-night’s sleep between us, we dove into bed at 7:30 and slept like it was our job.
Quick note about our hotel: Q picked this hotel from Costco’s travel services because they had a great price and a great location (and, you know, COSTCO!). I’ve never been to a Hyatt property, but the décor is modern and thoughtfully layed out with amenities that aren’t half-assed attempts at a renovation. I’ll post more on this later, but so far a fan!
What was intended to be a two hour nap turned into a five hour refresher. Since most everything is closed on Thanksgiving day, we ventured over to Nashville’s #1 attraction: The Parthenon. What we didn’t account for was the park being under renovation to reposition a monument and make the park pollinator friendly! Aish…. While we didn’t get to appreciate [what will eventually be] the splendor of this park, we did get to enjoy the detail and artistry of the Parthenon’s exterior.
Our Tenne-Greco excursion ended and nect began our search for food. Neither of us had eaten anything but kimbap for the last 15 hours. Now, folks– I had always figured DC was the same as anywhere with people staying open year ’round to feed the masses. Apparently Nashville is a bit more traditional. Thanksgiving in Nashville means almost everything that isn’t a chain (and even most chains) were closed. Thanksgiving dinner was looking endangered.
Of the five restaurants we called, zero were open. With Trip Advisor guiding us, we drove around the neighborhoods looking for open restaurants, sadly to no avail. This led to a fairly non-traditional leap: Indian (Asian, not indigenous). We showed up to Sindoore just as they opened and feasted on bird, veggie, potato, and bread; Thanksgiving was saved!
There’s a saying in conflict that goes “No plan survives first contact…” which means no matter how well you plan, something will go awry. Things we learned today:
- Overnight driving is cool… if you’re both well-rested from the onset.
- Kimbap is the best road trip food ever.
- Nashville is not D.C. and most restaurants are not open on Thanksgiving.
- I have located all the hot chicken places I want to try, now I need a bigger stomach!
Edit: We found warmer weather, too! Let’s hear it for a technicality!
Nhà Hàng Joe Béo 