On Broadway, tourists and locals star in a real life play where the stage is a historic street dating from the early 1800s with blocks of honky-tonks, restaurants, shops, historic landmarks, an arena, and more. Sometimes a famous Country Music Star might show up to share the stage. It was an act that I got to star in for a week with my Dad, Brother, locals and tourists.
When people say that Nashville is "Nash Vegas" they are talking about Broadway, especially the Honkey Tonk Highway segment between 1st Avenue and Rep. John Lewis Way (Fifth Avenue). This is where the honky-tonks, bars, and action is. Living in Las Vegas, it reminds me of an east of the Mississippi River version of the Fremont Street Experience. The major differences are that unlike Fremont Street the hotels are disconnected from Broadway, there is no canopy, the road is open to traffic, and it ends at a Riverfront instead of a casino.
My experiences on Broadway took place before I physically set foot on Broadway. The YouTube livestreams gave me hours worth of introduction to Nashville's most famous street. From watching the YouTube livestreams, I expected it to be a relatively short and compact street lined with honky-tonks. Just like the live streams the two landmarks that I noticed were the Ghost Ballet sculpture across the Cumberland River to the east and the 250 foot tall Nashville Visitor Center Radio Tower. In real life I got to see that Broadway was a canyon of historic buildings surrounded by towers on parallel streets that include The AT&T Tower.
I got to spend a lot of time with my family on Broadway between Eighth Avenue and Riverfront Park at the easternmost point. On account of the fact that we did our drinking at the Embassy Suites Manager's Reception, I experienced Broadway in a sober state of mind. This included Saturday night when Broadway was so busy that they closed it off to traffic. From this sober perspective, whether it was in a restaurant, or passing by a honky-tonk stage opened to the sidewalk, I did notice that a lot of the live music was rock & roll. For what I lacked in drinking, I made up for in dining. With my family we ate at a few Broadway restaurants that included the 12-Thirty Club, Acme Feed, The Stillery, and Prince's Chicken.
Being into picture-taking I enjoyed taking in and capturing the attractions lining Broadway and very close to it. This included the Nashville First Baptist Church, the Customs House, Hume-Fogg Academic High School, Fifth at Broadway, Assembly Food Hall, Nashville Visitor Center 250-foot tall radio tower, Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, the AT&T Tower rising above the historic buildings, Legends Mural, and Riverfront Park. I would try to include the party buses that complimented the party vibe. The fact that I was able to take all these pictures was evidence that I was having a good time and felt safe here.
Let's talk safety. There was a Police presence on Broadway. And there was safety with crowds in numbers. I was impressed by the fact that graffiti was non-existent and that it was so clean. In the morning I witnessed workers steam clean the sidewalk. With the exception of Saturday night, I didn't experience Broadway later in the night. One thing I did notice is that most of the hotels and parking are off Broadway. Sometimes a few long blocks. This creates a risk factor walking to the hotel or car late at night. The summer weather is a safety concern. I experienced the brutal summer heat and humidity with downpours. There were a few times where we took refuge from this weather in the Assembly Food Hall.
I enjoyed co-starring with my Dad, Brother, locals and tourists in this real life play that is Broadway Nashville. I am not acting when I award Broadway Four Stars. This is a stage that I would like to return to. read more