nashville, anyone?

i'm in manchester visiting the family. fortuitous timing: tovven just happens to be home visiting hers too, so we got to hang out and catch up last night. but tonight, mom, dad, and grandma are all going to the ryman for a concert... i was going to stay here and raid mom's video collection, but it has recently been pointed out that downtown nashville surrounds the ryman and that a free ride's a free ride. i'm still not sure if i'm up to wandering around by myself, but i thought i'd check -- anyone in/around nashville and horribly bored/want to hang out with me this evening? if not, got any good recommendations for a coffee shop, ideally in easy walking distance from the ryman and full of interesting people to watch while sitting around for three hours with a book? or directions to the nearest arthouse movie theater? or anything else you'd do if you were, say, stuck near the ryman from 7:30 until whenever merle haggard gets tired and goes away?

winkle pickers!?!

'twas a good evening. owl_tn called just as we were leaving for nashville, and he and his girlfriend swooped in and picked me up to go along for sports pub and coffee shop goodness. (to be a gossip monger -- i hadn't heard -- alex has a girlfriend!!! i wholly approve, she's cool.)

i think the family had more fun people-watching than merle-watching... on the way back, mom described one woman's shoes as "winkle pickers." and i'm afraid i accused her of making up words. but she wasn't, although she was describing them as square-toed instead of pointy! somehow the pre-existence of such a term delights me -- it sounds like something snazzyokapi would come up with. even if "spider stompers" worked every bit as well for the same concept.

and now i have a new quest: i must find a restaurant that serves winkles. not so easy in a land-locked state, but that just means it's a challenge.