Travel log - Back to Nashville

We're back in Music City for the 2012 Commodity Classic - Sounds of Success.

We stayed over in Wichita for our Wednesday morning flight. My first issue came by oversleeping after shutting the alarm off. I guess I was sleepy. I rolled over and rushed around like a mad person trying to get down the lobby in time - which I did. I even had enough time to enjoy a delicious waffle. The best part of travel is the hotels that have waffles. I love waffles - and not the frozen kind, the light and fluffy homemade ones.

Once we got to the airport we boarded the shuttle and met our friend Rico. I have no idea if his name really is Rico, but he is a cool guy that always seems to be driving the shuttle to the terminal. He is Columbian, and is going back to school. We learned this morning that in May he's going home for a month to celebrate Mother's Day with his momma. Once we got to the gate we boarded the plane and were on our way to Atlanta. The flights weren't too bad considering all the ridiculous weather that was moving across the country today.

Before the lady had the bright idea. 

On our flight to Nashville from Atlanta we had a flight attendant whose name was David, and he carries duct tape in his bag. The roll was pretty used up, and I know this because he got it out to repair some sort of leak near the back of the plane. It apparently was coming from the air system from condensation because it appeared to be leaking like a hose. He tried napkins, he tried paper towels, and then tried duct tape. Leave it to a woman to really fix the problem - her solution worked like a charm.

A Kotex. Adhered right to the problem area. It sucked up liquid for the entire flight. Only a woman could think of an on-the-fly solution like that.

Once we landed and got to the hotel we got to the desk to check in and we were greeted with a choice to make. As soon as the lady behind the counter said, "we have an incentive for you, if you chose..." I knew something was up. We got a so-so upgrade. I say upgrade because we got $150 bucks to use in the hotel wherever we wanted, and two we got a bigger room. The downside is that there were no beds in the room. Instead of beds, we had a pull out couch, and they brought us a roll away. For $150? Sign us up.

So we took our credit and hit the Library, a cool little bar in the hotel that has some pretty cool ambiance. We decided to get a drink and an appetizer. The appetizers were not your typical cheese covered fries, or fried onions. We had a cheese expert come to the table and explain everything from water buffalo cheese from Italy, goat cheese from Spain, several cows milk cheeses and even a three year running best in America, Wisconsin cheese. We told her to pick six, and we'd go for it.

I can't tell you what the heck we got, but some were very good. And, the presentation was pretty good, too.

Once our appetizers were consumed and the drinks gone we ventured to downtown and Painter's Alley. When we got into the cab I wondered if we'd made a bad choice. This guy must have been on day one. First, he had no idea where we wanted to go. Then he got directions from the guy at the hotel, but he still sounded lost. So I plugged it into my GPS on the iPhone and he plugged it into his and we only got lost twice. He even flipped a U on the interstate, and drove like kid hell bent on passing driver's ed. He weaved, and didn't stay one speed and even got honked at.

A whopping $35 bucks later we arrived in the area of downtown is known for blues. I was excited to put my feet on pavement after the cab ride. So we walked toward the Bourbon Street Boogie and Blues bar and walked in. There were about four people in the joint, and we had to remember that it was indeed, a Wednesday night. We ordered up some good grub - all which were served with hushpuppies.

They had some good music, but it got better once the live band started. This guy was "one man, one guitar, and one hundred and fifty pounds of blues."

He sang some songs we recognized, and some we didn't, but he was quite entertaining as he talked about the love of his life, Roxy. He performed a few tunes he had written just for her.

The music was good, the food was good, and the company was good. Next up is day one of the show for us, and that means the trade show and hours of being on your feet and plastering a smile on your face as people sift through your free stuff.

Game on.