Bonus post: what I ate at my first US Thanksgiving

So, I can finally talk about it.  Thanks again to those who covered it....  This is what my first US Thanksgiving meal consisted of....

First, I had planned to eat at the Old Hickory Steakhouse in the Gaylord Opryland Resort and made a reservation in October.  (I would have made the reservation in August, but they weren't taking reservations that early).  It was a buffet, but what I hadn't completely understood was that the appetizers and desserts were typical all-you-can-eat buffet, but the main course was a choice of turkey, prime rib, I want to say some sort of fish, and something else... I can't remember.   When I made the reservation, I thought everything was all-you-can-eat. 

I got indignant at that point but determined that I would make them "pay" because the main course wasn't all-you-can-eat.  "I can eat a few plates of an appetizer that are at least equal to  a main course," I thought.  

Plate #1:  antipasti consisting of caprese salad, roasted vegetables, charcuterie, cheeses, bread and butter

Plate #2 from the next section of the buffet:  shrimp, some fruit, smoked cod, chopped egg and in the right corner, roast parsnip and pear soup, which was delicious

Plate #3 from the next section of the buffet: salad with green and yellow tomatoes, parmesan cheese and blue cheese, bread and butter, plus more soup

Plate #4 consisted of items from the first three tables.  Honestly, as soon as I sat down with this plate, I knew it was a mistake.  I figured I better eat it, since I took it.  If I were to stop when I was full, I could have stopped after this plate, but I still had the main course.  This plate:  more shrimp. roasted vegetables, salad, and roast beet salad.

For the main course I chose the prime rib.  I couldn't even get through the sides, which were carrots and beans, stuffing, mushrooms, mashed potatoes.  Now, eating felt like homework.  I got through all the prime rib, though.  I'm going to say that was 16 oz, but not sure.

I couldn't even sample more than these two desserts.  Pumpkin pie and chocolate mousse.  The waiter was trying to tell me to rest and then go back, but I just couldn't.  It felt like a personal defeat.  However, it's four days later, as I type this, and I'm still not hungry.....  Really good meal, though.

Nashville / Toronto: November 28, 2015: the return of my Toronto personality

Wow, it's cold in Toronto.  I believe that it was only a bit cooler in Toronto than Nashville over the last few days, but Nashville was considerably warmer than Toronto when I left this morning.

Quick thoughts about Toronto, after returning from a few days away:

1)  Man, it's cold, y'all.

2)  This is a big city.

3)  Wow, this city is crowded.

4)  The drivers sure are crabby downtown.  And aggressive.....

Until I leave again, my plan is to explore the city a bit, and maybe go places that native Torontonians don't bother with.  There are a whole bunch of things I haven't done in this city.  I hope to get some good pics as I experience the city and see if I can fall for it again (that is, when I'm not doing other things I should be doing).  Hopefully I'll have some photos I would like to share.  

In a few days, I'll be exploring the US again, with a trip to Detroit and New York City.  Plus, I still have my two weeks in Hawaii coming up in February.

In the meantime, some last photos from Nashville.  (That's not even true; I might share some later when I go through them again).

I think the following photos were taken with the automatic low light settings on my camera.  I didn't have a tripod so didn't feel comfortable shooting on manual.  (Click to enlarge photos).

The alley between the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, a honky tonk on Broadway.   November 27, 2015.

Last looks at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Tips and random thoughts about Austin and Nashville:
1)  While in Nashville, if asked, "Do you watch Nashville?" (the TV soap on ABC), the proper answer is "yes."  Everyone I ran into seemed to want to talk about it, tourists and native Nashvilleans (Nashvillains?) alike.

2)  For a town that attracts so many tourists for country music, people are really defensive about their city's association to country music.  I heard on at least three occasions that Nashville is more than country music.  The tour guide at the Ryman was quick to point out that the Ryman is more than the home of the Opry.  I was shown the Nashville Symphony's home by a tour guide *and* the guy who drove me in the shuttle from the airport.  Yes, I get it.... There's more than country music.....  Touchy.

3)  Man buns are more common in Austin than Nashville.

4)  The southern "drawl" starts creeping into regular speech after hearing it around you everywhere for 10 days or so.  I think it's inevitable.  I understand a bit now how all these singers sound Southern, only to find they're from Wisconsin or Iowa.  Seriously.

Nashville: November 26, 2015 (part 2); Gaylord Opryland Resort, USA

Now, this is the US that I wanted to see, at least for a bit.  This felt like a different culture.  (Click photos to enlarge).

Gaylord Opryland Resort, supposedly the largest hotel in the US not connected to a casino.

This is a panoramic view of *one* of the atria in the hotel.

Another view of the same atrium, so you can its height.  Some of the more expensive rooms are these ones, facing the atrium.  There are restaurants and waterfalls below.

Why go outside when you go to fake outdoors inside?  One of the other atria; I think there are three in total.  There are  at least two "lobbies" where guests can check in.  There are way too many people and they (we) are all just walking around gawking at the complex.  The whole place is like an amusement park, or a giant Rainforest Cafe (TM). 

I'm alternately horrified and admiring of this type of excess.  I love it and hate that I love it.  

I know I said I would show more food, but I ate waaaaay too much and don't want to relive it right now.  There's a mall an easy walk from here, though a shuttle is available.  (It seems no one in Nashville walks more than a couple of blocks).

Opryland Mills Mall.  The kids are riding these things around the mall; they can be rented for 10 to 30 minutes and hold up to 500 lbs.  The kids just drive them around freely, no tracks.  It was weird, felt very alien.  I was trying to surreptitiously take these photos, then realized it looked kind of creepy to be taking kids' pictures, so I left.

My first true Black Friday, starting Thursday.  Opryland Mills opened at 6 PM and will stay open  until 1 AM, and then re-open at 6 AM!  A line up for the Kate Spade store,  I will say, the deals seem pretty good.

Gaylord Opryland Resort.  One of the atria decorated for Christmas

I didn't know this, but American Thanksgiving just sort of bleeds into Christmas, so it's all one huge holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving.  Christmas decorations were being put up at the Tennessee Capitol just as I arrived on Monday.  

Nashville is the country music capital of the US, (if not the world), but it's also the bible belt capital.  I didn't see much of this in the downtown, but it seems a different here at the Resort, which is away from the downtown core.

This is a dancing water fountain show set to Christmas music.  Not a single secular Christmas song.  All the songs were overtly about Jesus.

Shots from the very large nativity scene outside the hotel on one of the lawns.  There are also two bibles set up and a recorded voice reads the story of Christ's birth, quoted from the bible.

Overtly religious.  Everyone seemed to enjoy these things, though, and who am I to question?  I'm a tourist here, anyway.  The other "tourists" seem to be locals, though, which is interesting to me....  I could hear a whole bunch of locals here for Thanksgiving dinner.

After the water show, I got lost trying to get back to my room.  I was given a map but the map looks more like an airport map.  It's not just me, either.  I heard a guy in one of the hallways complaining to his wife that he thought "they" would make this place more "user friendly."   

Room numbering is not intuitive.  The room numbers are each given a letter in the front which describes which part of the hotel the room is located.  Parts of the hotel are given names, so M for Magnolia, C for Cascades, for instances.  The next digit combines with the letter to describe which elevator you should use, and the last three digits make up the room number, which don't correspondent to which floor you're on.  So,  M2123, would mean that someone is in the Magnolia part of the complex, should use elevator M2 and is in room 123.  The "1" in room 123 does not necessarily mean you're on the first floor, though.  And good luck finding elevator M2.

Anyway, my original plan was to hang around the resort for tomorrow, but I'm more likely to go into Nashville for my last day in the area.