Dear diary…

It is now May 25, 2021. Mission accomplished! Nashville has been AMAZING! Last we spoke, I was writing early in the day, the same as today. But it was before a Friday that was meant for exploring and seeing the culture downtown. I walked Broadway, I dipped into a few bars, and I even witnessed a successful proposal right in front of me. In fact, the guy’s sister had bumped into me a minute before, was notified of it by her friend, and turned to apologize, stating that she was going to cry because her brother was about to propose. So, I knew. Naturally we bellied up to the bar so I could buy him a shot.

Later in the evening, I had my first meeting with Tommy, Kristen, and the whole 106 gang. We shared an early dinner downtown before the six of them went on to watch game three of the Predators and Hurricanes. I ended up at a watch party outside the arena, and was somewhat surprised by the lack of turnout. I ended up heading off in the first few minutes of the second. The crew was incredible, and while dinner was nice, the adventure was just getting into motion. Saturday I woke up did a few things, and ended up at the golf course far too early. Tommy and Jay were coming, and they brought Daryl as well. All good people, and though none of us broke 100, we had a hoot playing.

As if not wanting to be outdone, Sunday came around. I scored tickets to the Preds v. Canes game four (Nashville had won game three in double OT, and was down 2-1 in the series). Before that, however, I had an interview with a wonderful lady who is working to grow the love of skating in the Nashville area (you can hear her stories on episode 158). After wrapping up that great conversation, I headed to the rink for the matinee game. I ended up sitting next to a man and his daughter, and my news friends shared a connection. Robert is from Denver, and happens to be an Avs fan. We enjoy the serendipitous situation, exchanging pleasantries and cheers, and we watched almost five periods of hockey, as for the second game in a row, the teams skated to double OT. The whole experience at Bridgestone was incredible. I was laughing at the engagement of the fans with their chants, and smiling at the southern hospitality. And when Kunin scored with 3:50 left in 2OT, the place erupted. Tommy later told me I was lucky, I had experienced almost everything the games had to offer, the only change next time? I sit in 303.

Monday meant another interview for me, and I was able to then get some quality time with Tommy and Kristen. I ended up asking to interview them, and that will get released tomorrow. As the evening came around, Tommy and I hit the road. We headed to Five Points and grabbed some delicious pizza, then followed that up with some beers at his favorite spots. It was a fantastic cap to a truly wonderful Nashville experience. There were a few people involved in many of the stories, and they all made it that much better for me, so thank you all, if you stumble across this.

This road warrior must bid you farewell, for now. I am heading to South Carolina today, as the adventure continues.

In hockey,

Vladan