Oh! The Places I've Been - "N" is for NASHVILLE

The A to Z Challenge posts will continue, but my heart is heavy with the news from Boston on Monday. Please keep the victims and survivors in your thoughts and prayers, as a difficult road is ahead for many. "Music City." With the popularity of the hit series on ABC, Nashville is enjoying more attention than ever. Oh, it's never been out of favor, certainly not with me.For those of you who have never been, or who don't know, please don't think Nashville is a twangy little town full of hicks. The first time I returned from a week-long vacation there, a couple of my ignorant former co-workers made wisecracks about cousins marrying each other. Small-minded.  The city is a renowned center for not only music, but the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home to a large number of colleges and universities, including Vanderbilt.This bronze statue of Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl sits at the entrance to the historic Ryman Auditorium, "the mother church of country music."The Ernest Tubb Record Shop is open 24 hours a day, so if you're inspired at half past three, go on in!You never know who you might run into at The Stage - live music until three in the morning!Finally, one of my favorite new acts. Featured in the television, show, sisters Lennon and Maisie Stella play the daughters of star Rayna James (Connie Britton) and recently had the chance to sing during their mom's sound check. I'm hooked! [youtube=http://youtu.be/ceYtOlmImNE]