Nashville is one of those places I always look forward to visiting. While I’m not a huge country fan, I deeply appreciate musical talent. You can throw a rock in any direction in downtown Nashville and be pretty certain you will hit a musician. Great musical talent anywhere else is just average there. The folks busking for change on the street are really good and you’d better bring your “A” game if you do karaoke. Walk down the street on a warm weekend day and every bar has their door and windows open to lure you in. Based on the crowds I saw during my last visit, that strategy appears to work very well.
As we walked downtown, we passed the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. With its red brick exterior, arched windows, and colored glass the building resembles a church, which is appropriate considering how many people have made a pilgrimage to this building. The lights in the upstairs windows told me there would be a service there this evening. Hands would clap, feet would stomp, and just maybe a few souls would get saved. The Ryman is that kind of place.
