Tonight/this morning I had my first official initiation to the Nashville club scene, complete with drinks bought by a stranger new friend acquaintance. I stuck to diet coke as I was the designated driver for the evening (my first initiation to the bar scene in town was my first couple of weeks here when I went honky tonkin’ along lower Broad).

The place was Cabana, a very popular hot spot for those who want to see and be seen (not my kind of scene), with a stop at Sunset Grill for Midnight Nachos. The occasion was my friend Sarah’s 21st birthday. We had a great time! She was so excited to finally get her first legal drink in Nashville she could hardly contain herself (she spent last summer in school in London and had her first official legal drinks of her young life in a very cool old London pub).

I’m not into the bar/club scene. I’ve never enjoyed going someplace where the music (or acoustics) is too loud to hear the person that’s screaming in your ear and where the main source of entertainment is alcohol. I’m not into the honky tonk scene here, either, even though there is incredible music to be had, because I can’t stand the drunk guys that try so hard to hit on me but are so drunk that all they end up doing is spitting beer in my face as they try to form their words. Blech. Tootsies is cool once or twice. After that it’s just too loud, too smelly and too crowded. I’d rather sit on the porch of Jack’s Bar-B-Que and watch the Ryman alley traffic.

But Sarah was having a ball! She was just so excited to be 21 (remember that feeling?? Ah
youth…). I had a great time watching her. I swear I think every guy in the place wanted to buy her a drink. She is too cute for words. Look out Nashville!