Hey, look, we have a brand new look for the Nashville Metblogs site! Okay, so all the Metblogs sites got the same make-over. Get the scoop at the main Metblogs site. What do you think of the new look?

And by the way, has anyone seen any of our authors? Seems like we all disappeared with the old site….

First and foremost, Happy 2008 everyone! I didn’t get a chance to ring in the New Year Nashville style since I was at the beach with my girlfriend, but my buddies all reported a good time – except for the throngs of sullen Kentucky fans that were swamping some of the more touristy bars downtown.

So what’s the deal with Lonnie’s on West End? Driving back into town yesterday from my holiday vacation, I was cruising down West End Avenue when I spotted the familiar Lonnie’s logo newly posted above the former nail salon space next to Cumberland Transit. The windows were blocked out, so I couldn’t see what was going on inside, but if Lonnie’s is about to open a satellite karaoke bar that I can walk to, I’m all for it. Anyone know what’s going on with this?

More good news: Lime has finally opened on Broadway next door to Broadway Brewhouse. All the Rage reports that the much-anticipated hotspot had a soft opening last weekend. Since I just got back in town yesterday, I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but hopefully I’ll give it a go over the weekend.

Finally, if you don’t have plans for Monday night (or don’t really care to watch the big game on TV), by all means check out Eli Young Band at Third and Lindsley. EYB is one of my favorite bands and a great group of musicians. The show starts at 6:00pm.

… for those of us who travel to NYC frequently, anyway. JetBlue has announced they are pulling out of Nashville effective January 6, 2008. The company says they need to “redeploy assets.” Understandable considering the cutthroat nature of the airline industry, but I’ve never flown on a JetBlue flight to or from BNA that wasn’t at least 80% full. And I fly the route quite often.

Oh well – back to $400+ roundtrips on Delta, AA, and Continental. With no satellite TV. It was fun while it lasted.

Just a quickie to point out this Nashville Business Journals item about Einstein Bros. Bagels (they have the best ticker symbol: BAGL) and Max & Erma’s looking to open here in town. I’ve seen both in various places throughout the country but have never been to either.

Anyone with experience care to weigh in on whether we should be excited?

Erstwhile MetroBlogger BusyMom first pointed to this over a year ago, but now Nashville Soap Opera has begun to advertise itself on traditional media. (i.e. WSMV during the Today Show)

They apparently have finally shelled out the $7.99 to buy their own domain and get it off of Bart Durham’s law office site, but it is still just as bizarre as ever.
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Courtesy of your tax-averse legislature, it’s time for another Tennessee tax free weekend, everybody. You know the drill; you can save that onerous 9.25% on school supplies, clothing and computers costing up to $1500.00.

Thanks to the efforts of a certain feline member of our household that has managed to pry off several keys from my ancient Dell laptop, leaving me forced to write like e.e. cummings, I am in desperate need of a new laptop. Unfortunately, having just returned from vacation, I don’t have a grand and a half to spend.

But let’s pretend I did. Where would you send me and what should I buy? This is not intended to spark a Mac vs. PC debate. I’m already bi that way, so I am open to any and all suggestions.

The Nashville City Paper’s editorial column takes a strong stand today in the panhandling debate. (I would link to the story, but can’t find anything that doesn’t require you to open their new ActivePaper site – which is a huge pain, by the way). Anyway, the City Paper board seems to largely agree with some of the sentiments shared on this site over the last few days, namely that:

To end the giving to panhandlers is the correct first step. Delivering help and a way out of the lifestyle to those who want it must then happen next.

If we want to truly end the pandhandling problem downtown, we have to understand the root causes and work to address them as well. Stopping the flow of cash to those begging for it must be the first step, but it can’t be the only step. Telling people to simply not give cash to panhandlers is nothing more than a stopgap solution. That said, we must also all be in agreement that something must be done. As the editorial says:

Panhandling downtown has reached an unacceptable level and must be curtailed. . . No one – tourists or locals – wants to frequent any area of commerce if it is associated with uncomfortable confrontation. People do not take their families out to eat, shop and see attractions in places they know in advance will be unpleasant.

Perhaps we can put in place a true coalition – business leaders, homeless rights advocates, downtown dwellers – and actually make some progress on this issue.

I had the opportunity last night to attend the grand opening reception of the new American Airlines Admiral’s Club at Nashville International Airport. Although I won’t be coughing up the $350 to become a full-time member of the club, I greatly enjoyed the experience. More importantly, I was able to get a feel for a lot of the improvements that are either on their way or have already arrived at BNA.

The good news is that the airport is poised to really step up its game. If you’ve flown out of BNA in the last month or so, you’ve probably already seen the huge, new flight status boards hanging on the wall directly opposite the two main entrances to the ticketing lobby. These are accompanied by new flat screen flight status monitors now being installed around the airport. Even cooler than the new technology, however, is the food that’s starting to appear on the concourses. Last night I saw the new O’Charley’s in Concourse C, along with the partially opened food court that includes Baja Burrito Express, Famous Famiglia, Burger King and Quizno’s Subs. Tasty! There was also a new Sunglasses Hut that just opened for business. These restaurants represent just the first phase of many more improvements that will be unveiled over the next two years at BNA.
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I was just looking over the Nashville Metblogs statistics page, and last month (June 2007) was our biggest month ever. Thanks to all our readers for helping us get 52,220 hits last month! And don’t forget to tell your friends about us, too!

“If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all..”

So I went in to get Marta-ed. Yeah, I know it’s not called MARTA anymore; it’s technically emissions testing. But I still refer to all the Macys/Parisian/Hechts/Belks around town as Castner Knott and Cain Sloan, so sue me.
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