I count
journalists, chefs, doctors, philanthropists, architects and teachers as friends,
and last night I attended a dinner party
that reminded me how lucky I am to know such interesting people! Over a wonderful dinner of crab cakes, spicy
slaw and a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, with Fleetwood Mac's Rumours playing in the background, the conversation went in a
thousand different directions. We debated swing
dancing, Winston Churchill, vegetarianism, canoeing, the resurgence of beer in
a can, the merits of Twitter, the upcoming city elections, and spotting famous
people in odd places.
Dinner
parties are also a time to share the latest books we've read, the movies that
made us cry, and the new restaurants we've tried. In the
1990's, the only restaurant downtown was The Old Spaghetti Factory, which miraculously
is still in business. (Although, really,
is it ever a good idea to put factory into the name of a restaurant?) Now, Nashville has become quite the foodie
town, and while we love our new reputation we bemoan how hard it is to get a
reservation. We used to be able to pull
a group together on Wednesday and make a reservation for Saturday night
anywhere in town - now we often need a month's notice! Perhaps sentimentality just comes with middle
age, but we reminisced about the Nashville of old with great fondness. Does anyone else remember the Italian Street
Fair, the Summer Lights Festival or Faison's? How about the IHOP near Vanderbilt where one of the waiters dressed up like Elvis? We're making plans to see a Sounds baseball game since it is the last summer
they will be playing in Greer Stadium.
As I was driving
home, I couldn't stop smiling thinking about the friends I have made since
moving here in 1990. We've changed, just
as our city has, and I like to think we're all (mostly) the better for it. Our conversations overall have become deeper,
more thoughtful, but are still laced with humor and irreverence. And thankfully, I don't think we will ever run out of topics to talk about.
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