Due to COVID-19, traveling the world has changed. Back in October of 2019, I found a smoking good deal for Rome roundtrip for $385. Grant was asleep so I only booked myself. By the time he woke up the price had doubled. So I was going to Rome by myself. Having a very tit-for-tat relationship he decided to go somewhere that I had no interest in visiting— Atlanta. So the running joke was that I was going to Rome and he was going to….Atlanta. Fast-forward to May and my Rome flight was canceled and Grant’s flight was still a go. Now it was me who was wanting to go to Atlanta to at least get out of San Diego. Roundtrip tickets to Atlanta were well over $600, but for some reason there was a cheap roundtrip flight to Nashville. I grabbed it before it went away and planned on driving down to Atlanta to meet up with Grant when he arrived.
San Diego airport was a ghost town, but that didn’t stop my flight from being packed. About 1/3 of the people in the San Diego airport did not wear masks including our pilot and one flight attendant. On the plane, even though American advertises the middle seat being empty there was definitely someone next to me, behind me, in front of me… Another big difference was that the flight attendant did not provide beverages or snacks so this American flight could have easily been a Spirit flight.
After a roundabout way of getting to Nashville by way of Chicago— I made it to the Volunteer State. I rented a car, checked into my hotel, and then made my way to the Nashville's staple-- Hot Hattie B’s for some hot fried chicken. There is a rivalry between Hattie B’s and the original Nashville fried chicken joint- Prince’s Hot Chicken. Having tried both I have to give it to Hattie B's. I can handle my spice and ordered the "Hot," which had a nice kick to it. Next time, I'll probably upgrade to "Shut the Cluck Up!"
I made my way around the Broadway area in downtown Nashville and even ended up going into a few of the half-empty bars. It's clear that these bars are usually overflowing with people, but the majority of tourists have not returned just yet.
Before going on this trip the only place that I knew in Nashville was the Grand Ole Opry. For those that are clueless like me as to what it is— its the longest-running radio show that broadcasts a weekly country music stage concert. It’s right next to Opry Mills Mall, which is just like Katy, Ontario, or Arizona Mills mall. I parked the car right next to the hall and hopped out and walked around. While the music hall itself was closed there was not any security that prevented you from walking the grounds at night. I just helped myself and took some fun photos before turning in for the night.
The next morning was my day to explore Nashville more, day to explore other parts of Tennessee day, to drive to Atlanta to meet Grant. I started the day by heading to Biscuit Love in the Gluch area. It would not be a true southern experience without getting more fried chicken and biscuits and gravy. After clogging my arteries further, I stopped at Vanderbilt University, the Parthenon replica in the middle of their city park, and toured the bars and clubs during the day for a different experience. Nashville is a social city and would be perfect to visit with a group of friends. Since I was traveling solo I ran out of landmarks to see quite quickly. Packing it up, I bid Nashville adieu and hit the road for Atlanta.
The car ride was pleasant from Nashville to Chattanooga (half-way point to Atlanta). Along the way there are a million signs that highlighted the upcoming attractions— Ruby Falls and Rock City. Having never heard of these I quickly got out my phone to see if this was worth a visit. Not being any clearer as to what these were I decided that since I had the time to stop. Ruby Falls was a bust because all the tour times were sold out. I kept driving down the windy road lined with American flags and made my way to Rock City. This weird, gnome obsessed, botanical garden on a cliff with a massive waterfall overlooking 7 states with a German fairytale land was amazing. Having no expectations this place over-delivered with some spectacular views and served as a really fun way of breaking up the trip.
As soon as you leave Tennessee the topography quickly changes for the worse. Atlanta itself is comparatively flatter with little to nothing to look at. The only thing that kept me focused was a million cops that were patrolling looking for speeding cars. After about another 1.5 hours I made my way into Atlanta. I stopped for dinner at a Spanish tapa’s place called Bulla and then headed to the Atlanta airport to pick up Grant who was arriving that evening for the first part of his Atlanta/Miami trip.
While Nashville is no Rome it did serve as a great escape from the new normal. San Diego appears to be opening up and hopefully by this upcoming weekend it will resemble something like normal. Grant's also instructed me that when I buy my ticket to Rome again that I buy him one as well. Lesson learned.
I did get to see 7 states at once on this trip so that’s something!
