Today, Joani, Mom and I met Doug, Carol and Matthew for lunch at the food court in the Farmer's Market in downtown Nashville, TN. We were a little early so we looked around while we waited for the working folks to arrive on their lunch breaks.
It was warm (by warm, I mean it was mid-90's with 90% humidity) and while there was a pretty good selection of fresh produce for the middle of the summer there was nothing that screamed: "Take me home."
We headed back inside for some much-appreciated air conditioning while we checked out the wide array of dining choices. Between the six of us at the table, we had quite a collection of foods: Indian, Mexican and Chinese.
Easily visible from the Farmers Market was the Capitol building. Getting there was more of a challenge than I had expected. No longer a Nashville native I was thankful for Google maps to navigate our way to the Motlow Tunnel on Charlotte Avenue where I dropped Mom and Joani off. The Motlow tunnel provided direct access to elevators to the Capitol without any stairs.
Parking was available off of James Robertson Parkway at the bottom of Capitol Hill. The climb was a bit daunting in the heat.
Along the way, I passed the burial site for James Knox Polk, a prominent Tennessean who became the 11th president of the United States in 1845.
The last time we were in the area a significant portion of the building's exterior was cloaked in scaffolding and tarps for some renovation. Our timing was better this visit and I was able to appreciate the classically inspired architecture. Tennessee has one of the few capitol buildings without a dome.
I found Mom and Joani patiently waiting for me in the cool halls of the capitol. There was a guided tour available but we opted to just look around on our own. I had visited so many years ago that I had forgotten there was no rotunda. The building seemed very small and not quite as impressive as many of those we had visited.
We had to work around this professional photographer for pictures of the house chambers. He was taking his time setting up the perfect shot. He had two assistants and a truckload of equipment.
The library was the only room I recognized from long ago. I seem to remember we were able to use the spiral stairs and browse the upper levels - no more. I'm pretty sure there was nothing on those shelves I would want to read anyway.
Hiking back down the hill to retrieve the car was much quicker but this time I found the road in front of the Motlow tunnel closed due to construction. I had no choice but to wait on the curb on Charlotte Avenue while Mom and Joani walked to me. Not being quite as confident in the Nashville traffic as my brother I did not attempt any further sightseeing downtown and we headed home.
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