They say a friend is someone you call when you need bail money, but your best friend is the one beside you saying, “the party’s not over until the mugshots are taken!”. I hope everyone finds that BFF at least once in their lifetime. You know the one – when you’re with that friend you’re somehow wittier, prettier, and a damn good dancer. You’re also more daring, more caring, and can easily stay out until 1am without a single yawn. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few girlfriends like that.
Although it didn’t happen immediately, my sister is definitely one of those people and Doug’s sister is another one. Cindy Grabowski on the other hand, blew into my life like a tornado, and became my BFF almost overnight.
She and I met through work, and kinda like Doug, right away we just clicked. Senior management sent her out with me frequently over the next 8 weeks, travelling all around the country to make sure the clinical sites I was managing were getting what they needed. Early in this travel, after an important meeting at Vanderbilt, something happened that made me realize we’d be lifelong friends. Jerry Jacobs and his band (Summer ’97) were playing that night at Nudies, a Nashville honkytonk. I knew we had to leave the hotel at 6am the next morning for an early flight and Cindy was kinda my boss so I fretted about inviting her but I’m sure happy I did. We went from honkytonk to honkytonk seeing amazing bands, including Jerry Jacobs at Nudies, and sometime around 1am I was dragging HER back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before the flight. We’ve since done a few trips (Philly and Seattle) that included Doug and Cindy’s husband, Leo. The fact that they liked each other was the cherry on top of an already deliciously whipped milkshake.
“My New Boss”
I was thrilled when Cindy, and her husband Leo, decided to meet Doug and I in Nashville this past April.
I love Nashville and this was my fourth visit so I’d already visited Ryman auditorium, the Johnny Cash Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Bluebird Café, Centennial Park, taken the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour around town, and some honkytonks for live music. Plus, I’ve eaten the must-have hot chicken and you gotta get a Goo Goo! If you’ve only got one day, see the Country Music Hall of Fame and experience live music anywhere.
Johnny Cash Museum 
Country Music Hall of Fame
Centennial Park
This trip with Cindy and Leo we walked downtown and crossed the John Seigenthaler Bridge for a great view back on the city. We enjoyed a patio lunch, got some Goo Goos, and shopped – cowboy boots, of course! We spent a rainy day at a scrumptious deli inside the Marathon Motorworks and tasted some Tennessee whiskey at Nelson’s Green Briar Distillery.
Nashville from the Bridge
Tennessee Whiskey
The highlight of this trip was a show at the Grand Ole Opry! 6 acts, all very unique and incredibly talented. It was awesome and you should add it to your must do list!
We had brunch in nearby Franklin and drove through that area, which is gorgeous. As friends do, we talked, we drank, we ate good BBQ, and we heard live music in several Nashville haunts.
Franklin 
We even went back to the scene of the crime – where it all happened 3 years ago. We went to Nudies to see Jerry Jacobs and Summer ‘97 – one of THE hardest working, and in my opinion, best bands in Nashville (www.jerryjacobs.com) or (Instagram here). Jerry posted he’d been out the week prior with a voice issue so we were fortunate he played while we were in town and given that I was in the presence of my BFF, Cindy talked me into getting our photo taken with him cuz that’s what BFFs do.
Jerry Jacobs
Nashville is on the short list of cities I could see us living in or near, but you don’t have to like it that much to simply go for vacation. It’s a fun town with so much to do and you don’t have to be part of drunk bridal party to enjoy it either. The musical talent is phenomenal and live music can be enjoyed over lunch, at the Opry, in smaller venues like the Bluebird, or in rowdy honkytonks until the wee hours of the morning. You can enjoy Nashville any way you want to and, if you’re lucky, you’ll find the BFF that celebrates you and your latest mugshot while there!
