Travel/Tickets: USA versus Paraguay in Nashville, 3/29/2011

It will be my first US Mens game I have been to. Its going to be so awesome!

 

Hey another Kentuckian!

The World Cup qualifier against T&T there was lots of fun. Go early, make a day of it. Park near the stadium and walk across any of the bridges/motorways and hit the bars downtown before the game. If you're under 21 then there's the Hard Rock and Joe's Crabshack nearbye. Or you could just hang out in the parking lot with any of the various groups there.

Oh, and there's not a bad seat at the stadium.

 

This old thread from 2009 still stands tall:

Things to do in Nashville.

There are some updates. Like I said back in that thread, the Alley Cat is gone. Music is now gone from Cafe Coco, and the restaurant has gotten much tamer the last time I visited back in December, which actually is an improvement. (It's still wild on the weekends, but luckily it's a midweek fixture.) Springwater now has food, they used to sell Tacos but now there is Pizza. Whether or not you will be brave enough to eat there is up to you.

From the time I wrote that, Nolensville road has gotten even better. Nashville has a large number of Iraqis, Somalis, and Central Americans living there (Ask IncredibleStan just how much Central American Expats there are). Metroflip may have bragged about how good the food was back then, but now even the little taco trucks are serving up ridiculously good food. Great East African restaurants, Mexican places, etc. When I visited Nashville back in December I basically ate entirely on that road. There was a superb Turkish restaurant called the Istanbul that was off the hook. And I ate at almost every taco truck- Fresh Mulinitas, Tortas and Burritos that you can kill for.

Another note- In the days before the match, I met both Bob Bradley and Frankie Hejduk in the Panera downtown (And bought Frankie an Espresso, which he loved). A friend of mine spotted Sasha Kljestan as well. You can find USMNTers around downtown- although let me stress Nashville shuts down early downtown unless you want to go to lower broad and second street (Where McFadden's is). More than ever, try and get out of downtown to really experience how good Nashville is.

 

If you're there early try Baja Burrito which is off one of the interstates on the South side I think (it's a local equivelent of a chipotle or Moe's but a little fresher) or if you have the time the Farmer's market has an awesome Gyro place in it. That's not far from downtown but probably not walkably close.

 

The Farmers Market is on the other side of downtown from Lower Broad and the stadium, and it's a long walk, but the Nashville MTA runs a service called the Music City Circuit, with three different bus routes that take you pretty much anywhere downtown. The buses are frequent and also free. One line goes to the Farmers Market, and another goes to the Gulch (a neighborhood just west of downtown, with lots of bars and restaurants).

So it's no hassle to get to the Farmers Market, which has a few really good places to eat-- not only that gyro stand, but good BBQ, excellent curry, and a really great Jamaican restaurant.

Germantown is just north of the Farmers Market, and I strongly recommend City House, nominally an Italian restaurant but which does fantastic charcuterie, and is reasonably priced.

I also should point out that Nashville's signature dish is "hot chicken," a kind of fried chicken seasoned with a sort of spicy pepper/vinegar mix, served on a slice of white bread with pickles. Delicious stuff, but most hot chicken places are in working class neighborhoods away from downtown. But apparently there's a hot chicken restaurant opening on Church Street called 400 Degrees, the second location run by those folks. The original 400 Degrees is great, and I highly recommend going to the Church Street restaurant.

 

Good to hear from you again Haig.

Hmm...I think you are referring to the shuttles/trolleys. Actual MTA buses aren't free. And the Gulch has kinda lost it's lustre a bit...Although Sambuca still stands tall.

I recommend all those places, I can vouch for the Peabody food court (Which has 400 degrees) as good stuff. You can't miss the legendary Manny's House of Pizza in the downtown Arcade. The Nashville Scene and my Wife have both had arguments about which Pizza was the better pie, House of Pizza downtown or Pizza Perfect close to Vanderbilt. To be honest, the Nashville Scene has 'em both right- House of Pizza is the far better pie but they shut down at 6PM just like the rest of downtown. Pizza Perfect is not as good, but they have a wide variety of toppings and they are open late. In any case, Manny's House of Pizza is a freakin' DIVE, and it makes me love it even more.

 

Wait ... Nashville has Iraqis and Somalis?

I thought Nashville was Country Music land?

 

A news story from earlier this year:

Neat, huh?

Yep, Nashville has over 10,000 Kurdish expats. Nashville has the biggest Iraqi community in the south. And yes, for odd reasons, it have a ginormous Somali population, as well as a gigantic Mexican and Honduran community. The end result is that Nashville's food is hands down the best in the south. (Suck it, Atlanta)

To answer your question, yes, some Right Wingers think that Nashville should be just "Country Music Land". The same City Paper I've linked to had a history in the late 2000's for being a mouthpiece for several right wing gasbags, wanting to curtail the large amounts of immigrants into music city, with the race-based occasional city ordinances, like an attempted ban on mobile food vendors that believe me, didn't go down well with anybody who eats food in Nashville.

I'll get off my soapbox now. The point is, this melting pot of cultures, as well as great Southern Food, and superb New York "expatriates" (House of Pizza, Cafe Coco, etc.), makes Nashville a true culinary paradise. As delicious as Austin is, bear in mind since I've moved here last year I've dropped 15 pounds. I gained 60 lbs. in my seven years living in Nashville...And I didn't stop exercising.

 

Wessoman, the free downtown buses are called the Music City Circuit. The service just started running last spring.

 

As much as New Orleans has superb food, fresh Kurdish food and El Salvadorian Pupuserias are far more my style. I would probably enjoy New Orleans more if I liked Crawfish (And I don't).

Score one for Nashville. Very nice.

 

AOKC is planning a small road trip to this game. Maybe a couple 15 passenger vans or whatever we need. If there are any groups on the way that would like a ride, we could probably pick you up if you are willing to help with gas. This would be like Columbia MO or St Louis MO. Let me know if you are interested.

 

hmm, maybe. depends on what your guys' time-frame is...

 

I think we are leaving monday in time for the night before bar, and returing to KC in the late morning/early afternoon wednesday. Keep in touch if anyone is interested.

 

Out of curiosity, what do Kurds eat?

 

Apparently, the best Shwarma, Kifta and Falafel in the entire USA. I paid about 30 bucks (Including Tip) for my wife and I to eat God-Tier Mediterranean food on Nolensville Road the last time I was in Nashville in December. I pay the same amount, not including tip, for portions half the size and nowhere near as fresh or tasty here in Austin. And Hipsters around here scarf down this swill, thinking it's awesome. It isn't.

There is a lot of reasons I gained 70 (yes) lbs during my life in Nashville. The food is excellent and cheap. So far, I've lost 20 of that here in Austin. And I am not even dieting, I still gorge myself on Torchy's practically every other day.

 

I didn't want to write a bunch of pms, so I am going to post it in this thread:

Due to scheduling at my current job, I will be unable to take a few days off to drive up to Nashville to attend the match. (Don't ask for my tickets, that's been taken care of ) This isn't that bad because now I am psyched up more for a possible run to Detroit.

So, you won't find me at Five Points or anywhere else. Sorry guys. But everybody else, please come on down and enjoy Nashville, one of the best stops a USMNT fan will ever have.

 

Whey.

 

AOKC has four extra tickets if anyone is looking. Face value $22.

 

I'd be happy to take two of those off your hands...we can either meet in Nashville or when you're driving through STL (me and my buddy are leaving early tuesday morning).

 

I'll be at the tailgate Tuesday for sure. Ill DM you my number. We can meet up then? That leaves me with two.

 

My friend has an extra ticket in the General Admission AO section if anyone might be interested. Message me if you are and I'll give you his number.

 

What is the promo code for the US Supporters end for the Paraguay game?

Thanks in advance.

 

that works, man, thanks for the tickets. i'll shoot you a text here in a minute.

sawillis---see you at the tailgate? be nice to meet another Spurs fan...