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Kiplinger makes it so...


it's just dave

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Oh yes, another list. Another kudo for the old hometown. We're cool, no doubt about it. Of course, most of us knew that anyway. We're even a bit weird, but I don't think they've made that list out yet. But aside from our top of the Business Relocations lists and all that other humdrum stuff, Kiplinger's personal finance magazine has told the world that we're among their Top 7 Cool Cities for 2005. Well, that's a relief.

Anyway, for fun, here's the list:

Atlanta

Athens, GA (I might have to visit now)

Austin

Denver

Nashville

Minneapolis

Raleigh, NC (you-know-where will be sooo upset, lol)

Seems the southern U.S. is pretty cool, in a hot, sweaty sort of way.

http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville...12/daily14.html

...and a personal note to Lexy:

At work today, I was commenting how fun it would be to live downtown, and one of my little blonde co-workers couldn't understand my stance. I told her that an occasional homeless person was certainly no problem and being downtown is just interesting. She says, "Well, I wouldn't know too much about that, I'm like, from Cool Springs."

From Cool Springs? Oh lord, we're doomed. lol

Oh yeah, we're cool.

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...and a personal note to Lexy:

At work today, I was commenting how fun it would be to live downtown, and one of my little blonde co-workers couldn't understand my stance. I told her that an occasional homeless person was certainly no problem and being downtown is just interesting. She says, "Well, I wouldn't know too much about that, I'm like, from Cool Springs."

From Cool Springs? Oh lord, we're doomed. lol

Oh yeah, we're cool.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL! Good stuff Dave!

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how do you rank coolness of a city? lol.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point! Lists such as these are not only too subjective but also completely relative. The implied defining criteria of cool are plentiful jobs and low rents, creating "exciting locations for young people." One could argue, however, that low rents alone invalidate a city from being cool.

For example, young people from around the globe move to NYC, and are willing to live with multiple roomates in a small one bedroom apartment... Why? Because, in their opinion, NYC is cool. What about SF, LA, Miami? These are vibrant cities with loads of sex appeal; is sexiness not more cool than low rent?

I'm not trying to criticize Nashville or any other city on this list, each is unique and cool in its own way. I guess I just don't get these lists. What's the deal with publishing a list of seven, when there are so many cool cities out there?

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You're right ds, there ARE so many cool cities out there. St. Louis is cool, Chicago is cool, Aspen is weird, New York and Toronto are the coolest of the cool.

Here's DaVinci's take:

http://www.davincisnotebook.com/whatcool.htm

Here's some cool Nashville "cool-for-me" entries:

Working at the airport while in college standing on the sidewalk smoking a cigarette with Bob Dylan. That was cool.

Making a point of standing at least three feet away from Tiny Tim on that same sidewalk. That was cool.

Lighting Barbara Mandrell's cigarette right backstage right before she sang, "I Was Country Before Country Was Cool." Hmm. That was cool.

Having a "date" with a fellow and at one point in the event asking, "Are you famous?" "Well, I have won a Grammy." And he wasn't country. That was cool.

Being the only person that actually KNEW someone with a limousine in the late 70s and being the one to escort Harry Chapin around town the day our group put on a hunger benefit concert at Vanderbilt. When leaving a radio station after an interview, Harry asks, "mind if I sit in the back?" He them pulled out his guitar and sang me an entire live version of "Taxi." I still have the autograph that says, "To my taxi man for the day." That was cool.

I'm lucky enough to be one of those people with literally hundreds of "that was cool" situations here in Nashville (and beyond). So, no matter where you are, there are times when it's just cool to be you.

Lists are definately subjective.

So, people, from wherever you are, what "cool" has happened to you? I bet there's tons of stories out there among us all.

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So, people, from wherever you are, what "cool" has happened to you? I bet there's tons of stories out there among us all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have way too many cool moments to list, but here's a few:

Like the time I was standing a the soft drink cooler and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a gentleman in a loud Hawaiian shirt come up. When I turned to get out of the way, I saw it was Johnny Cash.

And after three years at Opryland, and seeing celebrities in all states of sobriety and undress, I had become somewhat jaded at celebrity sightings. On a busy, undermanned Saturday, an employee told me that Alan Funt, of candid camera fame was eating in our restaurant. My reaction was, "Oh, crap. Now we will never get any work done." I never even turned around to look.

And then when the fund raising committee for one of my kids school activities suggested that some of the Band parents put on a show to raise money, again my reaction as "Oh crap. Another $200 death march to work on." But, boy was I wrong. Two of the acts had grammy awards and one had the CMA Song of the year award. The show was a smashing sucess.

Maybe we'll go rock and roll this year. Former members of Berlin, Guess Who and England Dan and John Ford Coley live in the neighborhood, so maybe we can put a band together.

Those things can only happen here in Nashville. These people are our neighbors and love living here because they are not treated like celebrities. To us, they are just band parents and are expected to lend their talents when and where needed.

Is that not cool?

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And back in the 70s my "drinking buddies" at the Goldrush were not too familiar too me, just Jimmy and Michael. It was a while later that I realized that through the "haze" I was sharing the table with Jimmy Buffet and Michael McDonald of the Doobies...also a Nashville (Franklin) longtime resident.

Donna Summer at the Davis-Kidd Booksellers...for an old disco clown like me, that was hot.

Dolly sang Desperado to me at the old airport while waiting for her husband to pick her up.

Even when I was 16 working in the neighborhood drugstore, dipping ice cream for Roy Acuff and making milkshakes for Dottie West was pretty cool...even though I wasn't real sure what the Opry even was back then.

PH, I'm sure you agree, it's almost embarrassing to know just how long these lists of ours can be, but that's just the way it is. Hundreds, literally hundreds. Sigh, how fun is this!

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Speaking of oddly cool, I just got back from Green Hills (big sale at Dillard's btw, 75% off the goodies). That Cheesecake Factory thing is very strange in a very oddly inflated way. It looks to be the Disney World of chain restaurants. It's not open yet, but close. I can't decide whether to be appalled or impressed. It's huge and all glittery...about like the crowds it will draw. Interesting indeed. But then, we went to Ruby Tuesday and watch an obvious dieter down five huge plates of salad. Ahhhh, yes, we're back in Kansas, Dorothy.

And then we went downtown and saw more people than I thought even existed within the city limits. The most interesting of the bunch were 12 people who seem to have escaped from the Isle of Boy George...but seemed to have evolved into a metallic version of Boy 80s. How many multi-colored pony tails can trail from just one shaved head? I don't think they were headed to the Wildhorse.

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Speaking of oddly cool, I just got back from Green Hills (big sale at Dillard's btw, 75% off the goodies). That Cheesecake Factory thing is very strange in a very oddly inflated way. It looks to be the Disney World of chain restaurants. It's not open yet, but close. I can't decide whether to be appalled or impressed. It's huge and all glittery...about like the crowds it will draw. Interesting indeed.

i thought the same thing when i went to the one in honolulu. the food there is excellent though. and the mai tais.....mmmm.

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Well, cheerio, my boy, get over to Green Hills pretty soon. Take the Kleenex, it's sure to bring a tear to your eye. Sniff, sniff. I'm ready to tackle the Fire of Brazil also. I hear you need quite the appetite!

And it's just a piece of the expansion. Green Hills is coming into its own in a big way now.

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I LOVE cheesecake factories. I've been to ones in Chicago, San Francisco, and Honolulu. I've been wondering when Nashville would get one.

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I read somewhere that for the Cheesecake Factory that they have an extremely high requirement for their profit and that as of yet no Tennessee restaurants are meeting that level and they won't go into somewhere until they get there. Been to Cheescake Fatory's in DC, Mongomery County, Baltimore, and Chicago.

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i live just down the road from the mall, and i have enjoyed watching the progress of the expansion. For me, the Cheesecake Factory is like a train wreck -- disturbing, but I can't look away, and too much to take in all at once. Just wait till you see their menu - it's like 50 pages (i'm guessing).

Since Davis-Kidd is moving into new digs next to CF and Panera, what will become of their current location next to Wild Oats? Anyone heard?

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