MetroBlogs:

I need some advice from Nashvillians who are concerned with the future development of downtown.

I’m a part of a team of university students involved in a month-long business program at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management.

Currently, our team is involved in a project to consider viable alternatives for the 10-acre waterfront property between the new Gateway Bridge and the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. You may know this piece of land as the “site of the former thermal plant.” And you probably know that it came close to being developed as a joint-use baseball stadium for the Sounds along with a retail, office and residential development before the financing package of the project fell through.

Our team is working on a project that asks (and we hope, answers), “Now what?”

So I wanted to ask the best experts — Nashvillians — what your ideas are for what should become of this city-owned prime location? What’s missing from the downtown experience? As a Nashvillian; what are your thoughts, ideas or concerns for the future of the site?

Post your thoughts to the comments of this blog, all will be credited with your screename (and email, if you prefer) as a part of our “community focus group.”

Your input is greatly appreciated and we look forward to posting more with our progress!

- Ann Parker & Team (Vanderbilt – Accelerator Summer Business Institute)

Technorati Tags: nashville, old thermal site, Owen Accelerator, Owen Graduate School of Management, Summer Business Institute, Vanderbilt

Gigi’s CupCakes
1816 Broadway
(615) 342-0140
http://gigiscupcakesusa.com/

Up the street from Corner Pub, Broadway Brewhouse and Lime, a new shop just opened up that to bring Nashville a new way to celebrate life’s little occasions. Gigi’s Cupcakes is not only a surprising addition to the West End strip, but its also attracting a steady stream of Nashvillians, eager to see what’s cooking.

Technorati Tags: Cupcakes, Gigi’s Cupcakes, Nashville

The question is, who do you believe?

By far, the most famous of these prognosticators is Punxsutawney Phil from Gobbler’s Knob, PA. His prediction this year is that we are in for six more weeks of winter. Then again, he is from Pennsylvania so let’s seek another opinion.

Unfortunately the local Nashville groundhog, Lil, died on January 17th. That leaves Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary, the typical source for Nashville’s groundhog prediction, without a mid-Tennesee indicator.

That leaves us with my favorite groundhog predictor of all time: General Beauregard Lee, Ph.D., the official groundhog of the Yellow River Game Ranch in Atlanta, GA. Beau wakes up every Groundhog Day to a plateful of Waffle House hash-browns (scattered, smothered and covered, of course!) and has been slightly more accurate than Phil. (Don’t ask me for supporting data, the journal article I found on the subject was bias and excluded multiple rodent indicators.)

Anyway, Beau says we’re getting an early spring and judging by the weather today, I believe him. If you need more proof that Beau is the man, 80% of the general groundhog population agrees with him this year, leaving Phil in the minority.

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!

Technorati Tags: Bau Lee, Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary, Punxsutawney Phil, Yellow River Game Ranch

Lot 7

125 12th Ave N

Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 251-9519

http://www.lot7.net

Standing outside Lot 7, your first impressions may lead you to believe that its just another chic ultra-lounge. It’s off-the-strip location and frosted exterior doors may lead you to believe that it’s desperately attempting achieve an air of exclusivity, reserved only for celebrity fly traps.

Inside, however, is a whole different ball game.

The first thing that hits you is that Lot 7 pulses with a distinctive beat, in part because of its brilliantly designed, conversation-friendly sound system, but also because of its great balance of style and intimacy. Using the space remarkably well, Lot 7 may feel a bit cramped once the party gets going (sometime around midnight) but otherwise it’s lounge-like tables and banquettes beckon both trendy as well as “trendy-lite” Nashvillians.



The Good

Heading up any list of this lounge’s features is service. From the door guys to the friendly and attentive servers and bar tenders, Lot 7 gets it right. Without pretension, without over-complicated menus the staff makes everyone feel welcome while reinforcing the style and sophistication of the venue.

The Bad

Though its a non-smoking club, avoid the “patio.” It’s a roofed space off the main dance floor that’s great for smokers (it actually features its own bar) but asphyxiating for almost anyone else.



The Bottom Line

Lot 7 definitely impresses. Crammed once it gets going, Lot 7 retains its stylish composure with affordable drinks and a great dance DJ. Check it out, bring your friends (with reservations, hopefully) and have a great time.

Technorati Tags: Lot 7, Nashville, nashville nightlife, nashville lounges

Saturday afternoon my wife received a letter in the mail from the Davidson County Election Commission. As she had recently changed her name legally, along with the fact that there’s a primary looming on the horizon, we thought little of it. But rather than the expected updated voter registration card, we got the following (copied from Nashville.gov):

Pursuant to T.C.A. § 47-18-2107, the Davidson County Election Commission is notifying you that there was a breach of the security of the data in the Office of the Davidson County Election Commission and personal information about you is reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person.

The letter goes on to say that a laptop containing sensitive personal data, including names, social security numbers, and addresses (or as I like to call them, the “Take a Credit Card Out in My Name Trifecta”) was stolen.

Conspicuously absent from this letter or, for that matter, any of the subsequent press releases, was any mention of data encryption.

I mean, seriously, how many laptops containing sensitive personal data have been stolen in the past year or so? And how many pundits and prognosticators have come out in favor of data encryption?

As Luke Froeb likes to say, perhaps the people at the election commission should be allowed to move their assets to higher value uses …

Technorati Tags: Davidson Country Election Commission, Davidson County, laptops, Nashville

Apparently, while loading 12 bulls slated the Professional Champion Bullriding show, the truck carrying said bovines was hijaked. Let me repeat that…12 bulls, the kind I assume have their you-know-whats tied in order to make them angrier, were loaded into a truck, that was ALREADY RUNNING, when some idiot jumped in the truck’s cab and drove off.

The truck was recovered this morning, according to WKRN on the interstate with all of the bulls (apparently valued at over $100,000 each) intact.

The thing I can’t get over is the closing line to the original story: “I just hope he doesn’t go out somewhere and set them loose.”

Way to go, Tennessean! Responsible journalism, as always.

Though I seriously can’t stop thinking that running of the bulls on Broadway on a Saturday night might be worth the price of admission, I am glad the thief didn’t stick around long enough to pick up a newspaper.

Technorati Tags: bullriding, Bulls, Hijack, Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Professional Champion Bullriding show, Tennessean

Beyond the stuff I can say about my work, Nashville has surprised me in more ways than I can count. The only thing that I really wish I could have had before I moved here was a little more information about adjusting to life here in Music City, USA.

In an attempt to rectify that, I have tried my hand at listing out a few:

• Before you get the inclination to go shopping, realize that only tourists wear cowboy hats on Broadway.
• At most bars, if you order anything else other than a beer or a vodka/whiskey/rum cocktail you’ve probably already given away where you’re from.
• The weather is completely ADD…one day its warm, the next you are chipping ice-sickles off your truck. Pack accordingly.
• Parking downtown will cost you an arm and a leg so take cabs if you can.
• Don’t worry about re-discovering your southern roots, in a town like this they’ll find you when they’re good and ready.

I could go on for some time but you get the idea. Anyone care to add anything?

This weekend, Vanderbilt University is hosting what is possibly the most important event in social and environmentally sustainable business practices; Net Impact.

Ok, so I can see you give whoop but it’s a pretty big deal in the business community. Either way, right now Nashville is the epicenter of the green movement with speakers from Patagonia, to Conservation International to Dupont.

If you are out and about on Saturday and feel like dropping in on some interesting speakers, check out Net Impact 2007. Registration is minimal or you can just check out the live blogging at OwenBloggers.com.

The last couple of weeks haven’t given me time for much, but what time I have had to explore the city has been spent on finding a decent place to get a hair cut.

At first I looked into, and even tried some of the more popular salons in and around the West End. Ultimately though, I was unable to find a place that could match its stylists skill to the zeal in which they selected their decor. That is, until someone tipped me off about Clark & Co.

Situated in a non-descript retail strip across from Green Hills Mall, Clark & Co, sports a modern but understated interior and a staff that is both friendly and skilled. On a recommendation, I booked an appointment with Brian and I have to say it’s probably the best decision I have made in some time.

He sat me down, immediately assessed what needed to be done and confidently gave recommendations based on the look I was trying to achieve. Having my hair done by the same guy in DC for 5 years, it’s tough to articulate the exact details that I wanted. Lucky for me, Brian honestly knows how to match hairstyle to personality and beyond giving me some great insight into Nashville culture, worked his magic as if I had been going to him forever.

I have to say that it was a bit pricey ($45 for a men’s cut) but it was worth every penny. Ultimately, Clark & Co. is the kind of place that knows its good and doesn’t need half a dozen flat-panel televisions and a waterfall out front to prove it.

Brian is great but so, I am told, are the rest of the stylists there. I highly recommend giving them a call (you’ll probably talk to Fran who is great and will be more than glad to set you up with an appointment) and seeing the difference, yourself.

Technorati Tags: Nashville, Clark & Co., stylists

Last night I was able to spring myself from my coursework to attend Erev Rosh Hashanah services at The Temple.

Rosh Hashanah represents the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the start of a 10-day period leading up to Yom Kippur. Typically, this means I have 10-days to ask forgiveness from the people I believe I made have wronged.

Given that I am in a new city and a new situation, I haven’t gotten that many chances to wrong people yet, save for the poor souls that read all of my blogs on a regular basis. However, to all Nashvillians, regardless of your particular religious beliefs; I wish you all well; “L’shanah Tova,” For a Good Year!

Technorati Tags: Jewish, Rosh Hashanah, The Temple