Nashville, 2010
Way back in 2010 I visited my friend sparky in Nashville. It was good times, but I never got around to doing a write-up.
Instead, I present my visit to Nashville in pictures.
Table of Contents
- Getting to Nashville
- Wandering around Nashville
- Rockets!
- Nashville at Night
- Ugly Mugs
- The Countryside
- House of Spark
- A Trip to the Library
- Craig's Church
- Going Home
- Miscellanea
I took a plane to Nashville. This involved some waiting around in a terminal.
Not much to do in a terminal but take pictures of airporty things.
These chairs were reserved for people in wheelchairs. Kinda seems like a step down from being in a chair with wheels.
Don't forget to turn off fluid pumps when not in use.
It was an afternoon flight.
I'm not sure, but this might be a midget joke. (Clearly it's not meant for kids, there's nothing to color.)
Apparently elevator permits are actual things. Unlike my ability to hold a camera steady.
I blame these on feeling "artsy".
Hooray, the plane!
Vroom vroom.
During takeoff, the airfoils were set to 9 degrees.
A wild herd of school buses.
Guys, I think your boat missed the water!
For landing, 22 degrees.
A quick change of planes near Gate D28. So quick I didn't even go inside the airport.
Must be cold outside.
I realize the sign itself is asymmetrical, but surely I can't be the only one bothered by the asymmetricality of the arrow locations?
Fluffy.
Nashville! Clearly, I was ... moved by the music.
Threat level Orange means the guy in the orange shirt is a threat, right?
Ah, there's my host! Don't just stand there, I'm being mugged you fool!
Wandering around Nashville
Apparently water meters are often confused with traffic signals.
Vegetation!
Don't forget kids, it's important your hair color matches your car.
I wish you well, young pine, but I do not expect things will work out for you.
My host decided he should take a picture.
This wall clearly needed to be remembered. I wonder why?
More trees should wear nametags. Really takes the guesswork out of what species they are.
if it weren't for the Bank of Nashville, this could have been anywhere.
A real American Darling.
This is mostly what I remember of Nashville.
I'm not sure, but I think a nearby power plant might burn coal.
Who goes to a city known for its music and takes pictures of plants? This guy!
A Quick Stop in Union Station
Opulent!
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
"Lost Divas"?
Even the bathroom is swanky!
Harper's Weekly
Really? You guys couldn't spring for real logs?
Dammit Frank, you weren't supposed to stare at the sculptor!
The ironworker was feeling a little loopy that day.
Even the carpet was fancy!
Back Outside
Where unattended packages will be confiscated and destroyed. By lasers!
I wonder what this thing is for? Oh, handy, they tell me who to ask.
I've got hundreds of out-of-focus pictures of interesting things, but sparky's ass is one of the few in-focus pictures. Go figure.
Apparently the rebellion against good grammar is on Facebook.
"So how's the parking?" "Eh, it's allright."
Personally, I think commissioned art should look better than graffiti.
Cop! Act natural!
In the event of a rampaging giant, this building comes equipped with handles.
Wait, that's not how you put a building together.
This was the secret entrance until budget cuts forced them to close it up.
Should I be happy Nashville's citizens can read, or saddened they need this much instruction on how to cross a street?
Rockets!
During my trip to Nashville, we took a trip to Florida to watch a space shuttle take off.
NASA's Theme Park
Turns out NASA has their own theme park.
I think it may have been the shuttle Atlantis.
NASA prefers to get their flags from Patriots.
I think my lens is dirty.
Just hangin' out.
For your safety, please do not bring a change of clothes.
The ground of NASA!
The ashtray of NASA!
The admission price of NASA!
Space tourism is fraught with DANGER!
The trash can of NASA!
Oh good, I was really concerned about your environmental policy.
A map!
Finally, inside the NASA Theme Park.
Some sort of re-entry vehicle?
Naturally, I'm interested in the device holding it. That makes sense.
A rare Space Croc!
I wonder if the darts are included with that twelve-thousand-dollar rock.
Consumerism is in full swing at the NASA Gift Shop.
Warning: do not steal this shuttle and fly into space. You will burn up on re-entry.
The line to see the fake shuttle.
I had no idea what those people were standing around for, and so just walked past everybody. Nobody said anything.
No warning lights went off.
But there were some ladder problems.
So I took the elevator back down.
I attended a presentation by Buzz Lightyear.
I wandered into some building to get out of the heat. Air conditioning!
Listen for British Intelligence.
There's something strange about that cargo.
Turns out I'm in line for a movie!
3D doesn't work very well.
After the movie, we traveled back in time.
Unfortunately, they keep the doors locked. Sure looks like fun in there!
At NASA theme park? Check. Taking pictures of plants? Check.
Atlantis' Final Launch
Everybody's getting ready to watch the launch.
Quick, take a picture of a tree!
A flyby to, uh, make sure nobody is packing a bazooka?
Turns out this is about the closest we're gonna get to the shuttle.
Whoooooooosh!
The crowd looks on in awe.
While I take a moment to check out some guy's ass.
Sparky felt like a kid again; I still had my zoom lens on.
More NASA Theme Park
How do you top a shuttle launch? With LEGOs!
Some complete strangers pose while somebody else takes a picture.
I suspect this isn't a robot so much as a sculpture.
The answer is in the data!
We take revenge against HAL.
And journey to Mars!
Only to get trapped inside Tron.
To ensure astronaut happiness, NASA cultivates Space-Weed.
The barcode is a nice touch.
Oh, there you are, Sparky.
Thanks to Sparky's amazing planning, we took a cab back to where we parked.
And, without any sleep, drove back to Nashville.
A Sandy Detour
But first, let's check out this test hole.
Oh, and maybe spend some time at the beach.
It's a very welcoming beach.
I still need to clean that lens.
I took a lot of pictures of water.
Surfin' USA!
Sir, I don't care how handsome your smile is, that baby carriage still looks ridiculous.
Nashville at Night
Sparky enters a trance and catches up with the Internet.
Meanwhile, I explore the local cuisine.
In the Parks
We stop at a park for some sunset pictures.
It's a little creepy.
Berries!
Sparky looks for just the right angle.
And leaves a message for future generations.
Anyswing for the shot!
We head off to a different park, where we pick up a modeling client.
And I find some roses.
Sparky aims for a water shot.
I may have intruded upon a private moment between him and his camera.
Guys, I think you're supposed to land at sunset, not take off.
It was a pretty sunset.
What's this? We've been transported to Europe!
I try my hand at a water shot.
Too dark for pictures? Not with long exposures!
Oh screw it. Flash!
In the City
The Nashville night life!
Sparky sets up a shot.
I become enamoured.
Celebrate the music scene.
Don't forget to buy a t-shirt.
But no parking.
This building not well ventilated.
Whirrr.
Turns out they don't actually print things in Printers Alley.
Apparently the date did not go well.
Sparky takes notes.
Don't blink.
Ugly Mugs
While I have surprisingly few pictures of the place, we spent a large amount of time at Ugly Mugs, Sparky's coffeeshop of choice.
My laptop is bigger.
They kept the place nice and warm.
In case you wondered about the name.
A fine selection.
Sparky, get internet at home for that sort of thing!
The Countryside
We took a trip out to the countryside and took some pictures.
The grass was happy to be in focus.
A bug photobombs.
We pass some bioxide.
Heavy traffic.
Don't look at me, I'm naked!
That soccer field's a real dump.
I believe it safe to assume this fellow is monied.
House of Spark
All my pictures are blurry and out of focus. Boo! There's a lovely bamboo forest in the backyard, and the interior is actually decorated (a former housemate was a decorator, apparently). The house itself, however, could stand some TLC. And possibly a new roof.
A Trip to the Library
We went to the library to watch little girls in tutus.
At the end they took a bow.
The place cleared out quickly.
And we could explore the rest of the library.
Craig's Church
What does an atheist do at church?
I'm pretty sure it involves fancy equipment.
And sound checks.
Let's slip into something a little more comfortable for the Lord.
Going Home
Before I know it, it's time to say goodbye to Nashville. So I hopped on a plane and went home.
The in-flight entertainment for the first leg of the flight home was pretty good.
Due to a small problem, my connecting flight taxied from the runway back to the airport, where we all got off the plane and waited.
And waited.
And waited. Finally, we got back on the plane to go home.
Miscellanea
Though not pictured, we both really enjoyed "The Butler Dunnit" at the in-the-round Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre. If you're in Nashville, it's totally worth a visit.
I'm not really a music lover, so Nashville's many bars and live music venues had little to offer me. We did not attend any.
Unfortunately, Nashville was struck with floods before I arrived, and many of the places we would have visited were closed for repairs.
Because it's taken me so long to even do this much, I haven't done any post-processing on the pictures. That means some (mostly night pictures) are much too dark. It also means some of my comments may not make much sense because the thing I'm commenting on is only really visible at full size, and I haven't done the necessary cropping for the scaled-down versions presented. Apologies.
Sparky: I'd love to include some of the pictures you took while I was taking pictures of you taking pictures. If you happen to have any handy. :D