Travel time !
Emily and I haven't been away in a while and we were really looking forward to this trip. Both of us love music, so, off to "Music City" we went.
Traveling and Crohn's. I've certainly written on this subject, ad nauseum. Here we go again!
I typically flare up (various degrees) on the first day of every trip I go on…especially, when it involves flying. This trip was a little different and not in a good way. I started dealing with a minor flare up, three days before we were scheduled to leave. I always take pretty good care of watching my diet leading up to any trip, so, in that respect, this was no different. Mentally, the unknown of what I would encounter on trip day wasn't easy to deal with. All I could do was take care of myself and hope for the best. That's exactly what I did.
Got to the hotel around 12 noon and what a beautiful hotel it was. The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville opened in 1910 and you can really feel "Southern Hospitality" the second you walk into the main lobby.
I was feeling ok, but the true test would be after a meal. Before having lunch, we took a walk over to a small food store to pick up a few things for the room. While in the store, I noticed how respectful all of the people were towards each other. I asked a worker where the water aisle was. Instead of giving me an aisle number, he walked me to the water. While on the way, he asked if we were from out of town and, if so, what else were we looking for. He took us to every item. SERVICE !! While walking with us, I found out that he was a local musician, a drummer. Trying to make it big while doing studio work and also working in the grocery store. Nice guy.
We had heard lots of good things about the Capital Grille, which is the restaurant in the hotel. Had a sort of chicken stew dish with cornbread. Man, do I love cornbread…and now I was eating Tennessee cornbread.
Went back to the room and relaxed. We kind of played the rest of the day by ear. If I felt good, we were heading into town. If not, relaxing in the hotel. Within 2 hours after eating, the right side of my abdomen started swelling. I started to get nauseous and had a bad headache. Uh oh. It was pretty bad and getting worse quickly. In my previous blog, I wrote about medical marijuana and how absurd it is that I cannot cross a state border with my MEDICINE ! I didn't even give it any thought. I told Emily I would be right back. I headed back to the grocery store and found the guy that had helped us. I told him that I needed his help, however, would 100% understand if he couldn't help me. I showed him my medical marijuana card from NJ, told him what it was for and briefly told him what was going on. He asked me for my cell # and told me he would be back at work the next day at 10 and would meet me before he got to work. Now, when he asked us in the store "what we were looking for", I never thought…
When I got back to the room, I told Emily what happened. She laughed, told me I was nuts and was very happy for me. An hour later my phone rang. It was a local Tennessee number. Couldn't have been a better call. He had $20 worth, with 2 papers and a lighter. I met him an hour later, gave him the $20, plus another $50. I thanked him and told him he saved my vacation. He did !! The nausea and headache disappeared immediately. More importantly, within an hour the swelling in my intestines started to get better.
After a tremendous night of sleep, I felt great the next morning. So great, that I worked out in the hotel gym with Emily and then went for a run. The hotel was about a half mile from downtown and the main strip, Broadway Ave. That's where I headed. Holy shit, is Nashville hilly. The run to Broadway was a breeze…straight downhill. Downtown was really cool. An entire street of music, barbecue, and "Nashville clothes", i.e. cowboy boots and hats. The run back back to the hotel was brutal. Really steep, but I was strong enough to make it…although, I did stop once.
Emily and I headed downtown late morning. First stop was the Johnny Cash Museum. Great stuff in the museum. Everything from guitars he used, to outfits he wore, and everything in between. After the museum, it was time to fit in with the locals.
Lunch was at a place called Rippey's Barbecue. The place was 3 levels, with a different band playing on each level. The 3rd level was outside on a deck. We sat at the bar, right in front of the band. Great music, barbecue baby back ribs, baked beans, onion rings and corn bread…oh and I was in Tennessee, so, of course, "Jack". What a great day ! Did I mention that it was July 4th?
We spent the entire afternoon on Broadway, ending up in a bar called Tootsies. "Jack" was there, early and often.
Headed back to the hotel for a light dinner, a shower and then downtown for 10 p.m. fireworks. Just Emily, I, and a quarter million others were there to watch. Enjoy the finale!
We had a terrific time the rest of our trip. I did cut back on drinking, but enjoyed every meal we had. Worked out every day and felt great. I hope to someday see my buddy from the grocery store up on stage at the Country Music Awards. I also hope to someday, not have to put myself and someone else at risk and be able to take my medicine with me. Great trip!
Emily and I haven't been away in a while and we were really looking forward to this trip. Both of us love music, so, off to "Music City" we went.
Traveling and Crohn's. I've certainly written on this subject, ad nauseum. Here we go again!
I typically flare up (various degrees) on the first day of every trip I go on…especially, when it involves flying. This trip was a little different and not in a good way. I started dealing with a minor flare up, three days before we were scheduled to leave. I always take pretty good care of watching my diet leading up to any trip, so, in that respect, this was no different. Mentally, the unknown of what I would encounter on trip day wasn't easy to deal with. All I could do was take care of myself and hope for the best. That's exactly what I did.
Got to the hotel around 12 noon and what a beautiful hotel it was. The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville opened in 1910 and you can really feel "Southern Hospitality" the second you walk into the main lobby.
I was feeling ok, but the true test would be after a meal. Before having lunch, we took a walk over to a small food store to pick up a few things for the room. While in the store, I noticed how respectful all of the people were towards each other. I asked a worker where the water aisle was. Instead of giving me an aisle number, he walked me to the water. While on the way, he asked if we were from out of town and, if so, what else were we looking for. He took us to every item. SERVICE !! While walking with us, I found out that he was a local musician, a drummer. Trying to make it big while doing studio work and also working in the grocery store. Nice guy.
We had heard lots of good things about the Capital Grille, which is the restaurant in the hotel. Had a sort of chicken stew dish with cornbread. Man, do I love cornbread…and now I was eating Tennessee cornbread.
Went back to the room and relaxed. We kind of played the rest of the day by ear. If I felt good, we were heading into town. If not, relaxing in the hotel. Within 2 hours after eating, the right side of my abdomen started swelling. I started to get nauseous and had a bad headache. Uh oh. It was pretty bad and getting worse quickly. In my previous blog, I wrote about medical marijuana and how absurd it is that I cannot cross a state border with my MEDICINE ! I didn't even give it any thought. I told Emily I would be right back. I headed back to the grocery store and found the guy that had helped us. I told him that I needed his help, however, would 100% understand if he couldn't help me. I showed him my medical marijuana card from NJ, told him what it was for and briefly told him what was going on. He asked me for my cell # and told me he would be back at work the next day at 10 and would meet me before he got to work. Now, when he asked us in the store "what we were looking for", I never thought…
When I got back to the room, I told Emily what happened. She laughed, told me I was nuts and was very happy for me. An hour later my phone rang. It was a local Tennessee number. Couldn't have been a better call. He had $20 worth, with 2 papers and a lighter. I met him an hour later, gave him the $20, plus another $50. I thanked him and told him he saved my vacation. He did !! The nausea and headache disappeared immediately. More importantly, within an hour the swelling in my intestines started to get better.
After a tremendous night of sleep, I felt great the next morning. So great, that I worked out in the hotel gym with Emily and then went for a run. The hotel was about a half mile from downtown and the main strip, Broadway Ave. That's where I headed. Holy shit, is Nashville hilly. The run to Broadway was a breeze…straight downhill. Downtown was really cool. An entire street of music, barbecue, and "Nashville clothes", i.e. cowboy boots and hats. The run back back to the hotel was brutal. Really steep, but I was strong enough to make it…although, I did stop once.
Emily and I headed downtown late morning. First stop was the Johnny Cash Museum. Great stuff in the museum. Everything from guitars he used, to outfits he wore, and everything in between. After the museum, it was time to fit in with the locals.
Lunch was at a place called Rippey's Barbecue. The place was 3 levels, with a different band playing on each level. The 3rd level was outside on a deck. We sat at the bar, right in front of the band. Great music, barbecue baby back ribs, baked beans, onion rings and corn bread…oh and I was in Tennessee, so, of course, "Jack". What a great day ! Did I mention that it was July 4th?
We spent the entire afternoon on Broadway, ending up in a bar called Tootsies. "Jack" was there, early and often.
Headed back to the hotel for a light dinner, a shower and then downtown for 10 p.m. fireworks. Just Emily, I, and a quarter million others were there to watch. Enjoy the finale!
We had a terrific time the rest of our trip. I did cut back on drinking, but enjoyed every meal we had. Worked out every day and felt great. I hope to someday see my buddy from the grocery store up on stage at the Country Music Awards. I also hope to someday, not have to put myself and someone else at risk and be able to take my medicine with me. Great trip!
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