NASHVILLE~ On a Sunday Morning Sidewalk

[MidTenn1]

Overcast, empty..probably like the morning Kristofferson was writing about..













Nashville has two dead Presidents. This is where Polk lies.





























Indigo Hotel


Endangered


Public Library


Nashville's first 'Skyscraper'..


Nashville's first 'real' Skyscraper..




Chester..






City Hall..




Buried in the Suburbs..


New canyons...


ACE HOTEL going in here..











...and a little bit of Gotham City...

[BnaBreaker]

Great set! Thanks for sharing. You've got a good eye for photography! I'm excited thinking about how many more photographic opportunities will be available downtown in just two or three short years!

[Austinlee]

On a a scale of 0-10 of all the major cities in the state, Nashville is the only Ten I see.

[Driver8]

Really cool photos. The cloudy day adds "atmosphere" to the scenes. Nashville looks like an attractive city with a lot of character. I haven't visited Nashville yet, and I really need to drive up there soon (it's only 240 miles from where I live).

And LOL to Austinlee's comment.

[Centropolis]

i never spend enough time in nashville, interesting city.

[mSeattle]

Cool representation and dramatic photo processing.

[mello]

I'm curious about Nashville, how is the economy doing there? Are they getting any tech companies? How does it compare to Atlanta and Charlotte? More character than Charlotte but seem super sleepy compared to ATL? Great pics btw.

[MidTenn1]

Originally Posted by mello

I'm curious about Nashville, how is the economy doing there? Are they getting any tech companies? How does it compare to Atlanta and Charlotte? More character than Charlotte but seem super sleepy compared to ATL? Great pics btw.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments about the photos. I was trying to evoke a mood.

As for your questions, Mello, I can answer in general; The economy is booming with tech, health care industry and auto industry and other industrial jobs growing at a high rate. It is ranked among the top cities in growth of tech jobs.

We are having a built environment growth spurt that is remarkable for a mid-size city as there may be up to 40 buildings from 10 to 60 floors under construction soon. There are projects like big parks, little parks, an amphitheater, museums, and one of the 20 largest convention centers in America. We are developing many wonderful live, work, play neighborhoods like Mid-town and the Gulch that make Nashville unique from it's peer cities, especially in the South.

What makes it really special in my opinion, as we grow into a 'big' city, we are still Nashville with all its historical and musical quirkiness evident around every corner and in every alley. Thus, it has become a destination city for tourists and new residents from around the world who love the character but still demand a more cosmopolitan lifestyle than we are used to. But we are Nashville and we are very hospitable and accommodating as we are building exclusive brand hotels every week and our food scene is now recognized as fast becoming one of the best in the country.

It is an interesting place to live and experience right now.

[arkitekte]

Nice set, MidTenn. Thanks for posting.

[ColDayMan]

Nashville has one of the best downtowns in the South. The scale alone (the tight streets, smaller older buildings, the alleys, etc) is worth it.

[ariesjow]

Cool moody shots, MidTenn! I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first time I actually stopped to read that Printer's Alley sign in full.

Originally Posted by mello

I'm curious about Nashville, how is the economy doing there? Are they getting any tech companies? How does it compare to Atlanta and Charlotte? More character than Charlotte but seem super sleepy compared to ATL? Great pics btw.

Nashville has a healthy economy that weathered the Great Recession better than the overwhelming majority of American cities. The economy is well-diversified and supported by state government, higher education, automobile industry, publishing and, of course, music/entertainment. There is also a strong amount growth in tech fields.

While I can see how downtown Nashville may appear sleepy in this particular set, it's pretty active for a Southern city of its size. Downtown Nashville streets feel livelier than downtown Atlanta past work hours these days to me despite the massive size disparity. I would not have said that 15 years or so ago. It helps that downtown Nashville is anchored by a touristy, revitalized entertainment district with Broadway being the historic thoroughfare of bars and restaurants. Most of downtown Nashville's recent growth has been within a short walk to entertainment options on Lower Broadway, 2nd Avenue and Printer's Alley.

[MidTenn1]

Originally Posted by ariesjow

Cool moody shots, MidTenn! I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first time I actually stopped to read that Printer's Alley sign in full.

While I can see how downtown Nashville may appear sleepy in this particular set, it's pretty active for a Southern city of its size. Downtown Nashville streets feel livelier than downtown Atlanta past work hours these days to me despite the massive size disparity. I would not have said that 15 years or so ago. It helps that downtown Nashville is anchored by a touristy, revitalized entertainment district with Broadway being the historic thoroughfare of bars and restaurants. Most of downtown Nashville's recent growth has been within a short walk to entertainment options on Lower Broadway, 2nd Avenue and Printer's Alley.

For example, a Tuesday on Broadway...

[shakman]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

On a a scale of 0-10 of all the major cities in the state, Nashville is the only Ten I see.

Hehe. Austinlee made a joke.

Excellent set of pics MidTenn1.

[mello]

Thanks for the insight Aries and Midtenn -- I took a look at the Nashville city compilations thread and the project list is very extensive. In your pics I'm not seeing a lot of cranes however. Looks like a lot of 200 to 350 foot towers are proposed or UC with the hotel in the 450 range and then the one tall Condo tower. So not a ton of talls above 400 which I was hoping to see but its a start. Obviously the 750 footer will be a game changer. For some reason I always compare Austin and Nashville maybe its the music scene and they have built a slew of 400+ towers with more on the way so Nashville better get busy.

Other than in the skyline department it would be cool to see some of the inner neighborhoods and how walkable they are. Oh how long does it take to drive to some rugged hills or low mountains from Nash? I love hiking and getting out in to nature and I definitely couldn't live in a city that is super flat like MLPS, Dallas, KC etc. One reason I'm drawn to your city is it seems to have some topography within an hours drive.

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by mello

Thanks for the insight Aries and Midtenn -- I took a look at the Nashville city compilations thread and the project list is very extensive. In your pics I'm not seeing a lot of cranes however. Looks like a lot of 200 to 350 foot towers are proposed or UC with the hotel in the 450 range and then the one tall Condo tower. So not a ton of talls above 400 which I was hoping to see but its a start. Obviously the 750 footer will be a game changer. For some reason I always compare Austin and Nashville maybe its the music scene and they have built a slew of 400+ towers with more on the way so Nashville better get busy.

The area covered in this thread is relatively small. MidTenn more or less covered the historic core of the downtown area, which is, for the most part, already built out (although the 750 ft. condo tower is slated to go there.) Most of the highrise projects are in other neighborhoods like SoBro which is south of downtown, or The Gulch which is southwest of downtown, or West End which is obviously west of downtown. Then there are many other areas like 12South, East Nashville, Hillsboro Village, Germantown and others that are seeing massive amounts of smaller scale infill development. Nashville isn't quite at Austin's level yet when it comes to construction, but it's definitely getting there.

Oh how long does it take to drive to some rugged hills or low mountains from Nash? I love hiking and getting out in to nature and I definitely couldn't live in a city that is super flat like MLPS, Dallas, KC etc. One reason I'm drawn to your city is it seems to have some topography within an hours drive.

If you want honest-to-goodness mountains you'll have to travel a couple hours to the Smokies, but if you want rugged, hilly untouched wilderness there are giant swaths of that in Davidson County itself. I'm talking like five miles northwest of downtown. But the entire metro area is heavily forested with large parks and nature preserves and hiking trails and lakes dotting the landscape. A lover of the outdoors could definitely do worse than to live in Nashville.

Here's a shot from flickr that might give you a better indication of that:

Nashville Skyline Luke Lea Heights by mikerhicks, on Flickr

[LSyd]

awesome, thanks for the pics

-

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

The area covered in this thread is relatively small. MidTenn more or less covered the historic core of the downtown area, which is, for the most part, already built out (although the 750 ft. condo tower is slated to go there.) Most of the highrise projects are in other neighborhoods like SoBro which is south of downtown, or The Gulch which is southwest of downtown, or West End which is obviously west of downtown. Then there are many other areas like 12South, East Nashville, Hillsboro Village, Germantown and others that are seeing massive amounts of smaller scale infill development. Nashville isn't quite at Austin's level yet when it comes to construction, but it's definitely getting there.



If you want honest-to-goodness mountains you'll have to travel a couple hours to the Smokies, but if you want rugged, hilly untouched wilderness there are giant swaths of that in Davidson County itself. I'm talking like five miles northwest of downtown. But the entire metro area is heavily forested with large parks and nature preserves and hiking trails and lakes dotting the landscape. A lover of the outdoors could definitely do worse than to live in Nashville.

Here's a shot from flickr that might give you a better indication of that:

Nashville Skyline Luke Lea Heights by mikerhicks, on Flickr

The topography right around Nashville reminds me of the Ozarks, I think it's interesting to have that kind of view from the upper floors of downtown hotels.

Downtown Nashville is a bizzare mish-mosh/collision of things. I don't particularly care for the Branson type feel that Broadway sort of has (but slightly more authentic), but it makes for interesting situations for a larger downtown and a decent amount of bustle that otherwise would not be there. It's definitely a destination weekend party city/bachelor/bachelorette for 250-300 miles at least and is a weird collison of midwesterners and southerners.

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

The topography right around Nashville reminds me of the Ozarks, I think it's interesting to have that kind of view from the upper floors of downtown hotels.

Downtown Nashville is a bizzare mish-mosh/collision of things. I don't particularly care for the Branson type feel that Broadway sort of has (but slightly more authentic), but it makes for interesting situations for a larger downtown and a decent amount of bustle that otherwise would not be there. It's definitely a destination weekend party city/bachelor/bachelorette for 250-300 miles at least and is a weird collison of midwesterners and southerners.

I hear what you're saying, but in my opinion, aside from the odd boot & cowboy hat shop, which are obviously there just to capitalize off of the tourists, the Broadway music scene is completely authentic. It's a vital part of the music industry in Nashville and remains a place where anyone can come to display their talent and hope to get discovered, and it has been that way for decades upon decades. So, aside from the slant toward country music, Nashville's Broadway/2nd Ave. Entertainment District and Branson have almost nothing in common to me.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

I hear what you're saying, but in my opinion, aside from the odd boot & cowboy hat shop, which are obviously there just to capitalize off of the tourists, the Broadway music scene is completely authentic. It's a vital part of the music industry in Nashville and remains a place where anyone can come to display their talent and hope to get discovered, and it has been that way for decades upon decades. So, aside from the slant toward country music, Nashville's Broadway/2nd Ave. Entertainment District and Branson have almost nothing in common to me.

i imagine the similarities i noted were superficial, and see where you are coming from. i've also been aware of the non-country and non-mainstream country music scene not really centered on broadway in nashville for over a decade. that being said, broadway can appear somewhat obnoxious in that same way, to me, on the surface. at the same time, it seems like im always in nashville on long weekends on memorial day/fourth/labor day and of course its going to be a shit show. i need to give it another shot.

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

i imagine the similarities i noted were superficial, and see where you are coming from. i've also been aware of the non-country and non-mainstream country music scene not really centered on broadway in nashville for over a decade. that being said, broadway can appear somewhat obnoxious in that same way, to me, on the surface. at the same time, it seems like im always in nashville on long weekends on memorial day/fourth/labor day and of course its going to be a shit show. i need to give it another shot.

Trust me, I completely understand what you mean. Sometimes the pasty, wobbly tourist crowd all decked out in cowboy boots and hats for some reason can be a bit exhausting to be around, but I think you'll find that beneath the cheese there is a really authentic and enjoyable experience to be had regardless of whether you're a country fan or not (I'm not, generally.)

There is something really special and rewarding to me about being there for all of these struggling (or not) honest-to-goodness singer songwriters...true artists...testing new stuff in front of a crowd for the first time, or putting themselves out there for the first time. Of course, if that isn't what you're looking for you can always skip over to Printer's Alley for some Nude Karaoke (yes, really.) lol