I’d heard about Katy K’s but I’d never been in the store before. All that time I wasted! It’s sort of a Nashville institution and now I know why.

Katy K’s Ranch Dressing is just one of those places that’s totally unique. For a small place it’s full of incredible stuff. They have designer cowboy boots, sequined denim tops, crazy burlesque type dresses, some of the coolest belt buckles and cowboy hats. But their best sellers are their western shirts.

I got a belt buckle with Elvis on it for my Mom’s birthday. She won’t wear it, but I think she’ll like it. It’s the young Elvis in his army uniform. Not the greasy Vegasy Elvis.

So, if you know someone who’d look good in a gabardine western shirt with fake black and white fur, Katy K’s is on 12th Ave. south.

TTFN!
Jennifer

i love the hats at the steeplechase! we used to go out there too when i was kid. my uncle always had a tailgating spot. it was the only time my parents let us drink soda! so i loved it.

speaking of things i love, have ya’ll been to the sunset grill? go! i’m embarrassed to say I just went there for the first time! it was my friend amy’s birthday and she picked the sunset, and even though it’s pretty famous, i just figured, how good could it be?

well, it’s that good! just the pork chops make it totally worth it! also try the calamari appetizers which are fried crispy, a little spicy and crazy delicious. people said the lobster ravioli was really good too. though I don’t know because i don’t eat it things with shells .

shea♥

We don’t have professional baseball down our way. So I guess we’re more a football town. And hockey with the Predators. Or at least I’m just speaking for myself.

But if you prefer to measure your sports by innings rather than halves or periods, head over to LP Field for a Vanderbilt baseball game. They were the SEC champions last year and are third in the division this year so far.

Though you’ve got to get on the stick. I just checked their web site and the last home game is May 11 against Georgia. Georgia is leading the division so that would be a good one to catch.

And then the SEC tournament begins on May 22 in Alabama, if we make it. Do us proud, Commodores!

Later,
Dane

People, I just got word that the Hotel Lucia in Portland, Oregon has officially hit Facebook. For anyone that doesn’t already know, the Hotel Lucia is one of our other Provenance hotels out there on the west coast. I just checked out the page and I must say that they have done a pretty stellar job putting it together. Maps, reviews, streaming blogs. The whole nine yards. Now it’s just gotta get some fans!

So here and now I’d like to declare my support for the Hotel Lucia (and I hope you do too). You can check out the page by searching for the Hotel Lucia on Facebook. Word is that they’ll be running some sort of promo codes on there sometime soon. Way cool!

If my fellow Nashville folk are looking for a trip out west, check out the Lucia Facebook page or either of the blogs from the Hotel deLuxe in Portland and the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. Cool beans if you ask me!

Catch ya on the flip side,
Dane

Hey, just because Amazing April is over doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do in town these days. We’re actually getting into maybe my favorite time of the year. May is just downright beautiful around here.

And it’s also time for the Iroquois Steeplechase! My family has been going ever since I was a kid. I have so many great memories, mostly of the tailgating party, which is always a blast. If you can find a spot.

But there’s other events too, such as the Hunt Ball and the Giddy-Up Gala, which are probably two of the biggest social events of the year for Nashville. They’re huge traditions, and give Nashvillians a chance to show off.

Race day is May 10 out at Percy Warner Park, and the event benefits Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Ladies, bring your biggest, wackiest hat if you want to fit in.

Later,
Dane

Just in case you didn’t know I thought I should tell everyone that Hotel Preston has meeting rooms for your conference or business retreat or whatever. I don’t think we’ve mentioned that before.

If you’ve got a big to-do planned our Grand Ballroom holds up to 700 people. And you can change the room around to if you need to make areas for smaller group sessions. We also have four conference rooms that are perfect for groups from 55 to 150 people.

All have audio and visual equipment and Internet, and we have people that can help you work it. And of course we have full-service catering too because we know that when you’re working you can sometimes forget the whole eating and drinking thing.:-)

Just contact Marti Timmons at 877.361.5500 or marti@hotelpreston.com if you have questions.

TTFN!
Jennifer

hey everybody! have to rave about the jason aldean show the other week! can’t stop thinking about how great it was. he was my favorite concert before, and he just beat himself out!

he was at the grand old opry and played “i use what i got,” “hicktown,” “johnny cash,” “not every man lives” which is such a great song, and “i break everything i touch”. “I can make some excuses, but darlin’ the truth is i’m just the reckless kind.” i love it!

if i could bring two celebrities with me to a deserted island, i would bring jason aldean cause his voice is so beautiful and i would make him sing and play the guitar for me. and elvis of course uhh huhh!

we had dinner at viragos, which has a very interesting environment and good sushi!

shea♥

Hey, saw a good movie that I don’t think a lot of folks saw. It’s called Gone Baby Gone and was directed by Ben Affleck. (I didn’t know that until we were watching the extras, but he did a really good job.)

The movie is shot in Boston where he’s from, and his brother, who is the main character in the movie. And it really gives you a sense for what it’s like there. Like the accent. Boston’s is definitely crazier than ours. Words that end in “r” you get rid of the “r.” “Car” becomes “cah.” But words that end in “a” you add an “r.” Like “china” becomes “chiner.”

I used to work with a guy from Brookline, Mass., and he had the same accent. It’s one of the great things about traveling that you get to experience how different things “ah” in different places.;-)

Later,
Dane

My mom collects roosters. They’ve taken over her house. Not real roosters! No, I mean anything that has roosters on it. Like she has rooster paintings, a rooster rug, rooster dishtowels, all kinds of stuff.

People have been getting them for her for years. But everyone knows that I find the best ones. So for her birthday coming up I hit Eight Ave. South, which has a lot of antique shops. Because the secret is she likes them if they’re old!

Eighth Ave. South is not far from downtown and has great places on both sides of the street. It’s probably the city’s best area for antiques. They even have a monthly auction at Douglas Corner that gets packed.

And it’s right near Arnold’s Country Kitchen, one of Dane’s favorite places! As for what I got, my mom reads the blog so I’m not saying!

See ya!
Jennifer

One of the best classes I had at MTSU when I was there was an art class. Part of it was the professor, who was awesome because he made it so interesting. But I really enjoyed learning about all those famous paintings!

And I love Monet. It was incredible to see how his painting changed when he began to go blind when he got older. I also liked when he painted the same thing but in different seasons, like the haystacks. Really interesting.

So I was excited to see that his work is now at the Frist. And he’s not the only one. The show has work from a lot of really famous painters like Cézanne, Dalí, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh.

But they’re only there till May 1!

TTFN,
Jennifer