Now that I’ve slept, let me provide a better update on yesterday.
Travel, other than being crowded, wasn’t bad. We got right on the Flyaway bus (catching the 6 AM bus), and got to LAX in record time (6:30 AM). The security line at Terminal 1 was a breeze (although they did want to swab GFG’s CPAP machine). We then sat and waited (having some breakfast) until 8:45 AM, when the first flight left. This was a US Airways Airbus A321, and was 100% full… but was loaded efficiently and wasn’t a real problem at all. The flight was uneventful, and we landed at Charlotte NC a little behind schedule. Luckily, this wasn’t a problem becuase the next leg was delayed from 5:20 PM to 5:50 PM.
Charlotte (CLT) was interesting. Gates kept changing, the terminal was crowded, and we were really starting to believe our flight would be delayed due to weather. But we left just a little bit later (about 6:15 PM), and the Airbus A319 left about 90% full. Got to Nashville TN, and got our car, and made our way to the hotel. I should note that TDOT is worse than Caltrans: they are doing construction on TN 155, and we missed our exit because of poor markings.
I’ll repeat the observation I made last night: both aircraft have replaced the “No Smoking” indicator with a “Turn Off Electronic Devices” indicator. I think this reflects the changes in society, where we have moved from a smoking society with few portable electronics to a non-smoking society with loads of portable electronics.
We tried to find BBQ for dinnner. However, the hotel gave us poor directions, and we didn’t go far enough down Lebanon Pike (US 70). So, we went the other way on the pike, meandered, and found ourselves downtown, where we ended up at Demos… and had a delightful steak dinner. We also found out where the Ryman was and where the reunion was. All were happy after yummy cow meat!
We slept and woke up. The next day. I’m not sure what we’re doing today, but I would like to get tickets to Bluegrass at the Ryman tonight.
