Nashville Bits and Pieces

[MLBrumby]

Robert Dietz, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C., said it’s no surprise the country’s biggest homebuyers are thundering into more rural, less populous, areas of the country. He said the coronavirus and its effects on remote-work policies have turbocharged buyer demand for bigger homes and a flight from congested urban areas, a trend that’s already triggered a surge in building activity in places long dismissed as too far-flung from hot job markets and top-ranked research clusters. https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/11/06/home-builders-suburbs-demand-pullback-from-cities.html  

And we'er beginning to see more reporting about the effect of the riots in cities. 

[fishsticks176]

https://theathletic.com/2184287/2020/11/07/nashville-toronto-raptors/
 

Nashville being considered as temporary home for Toronto Raptors for 2020-2021 season.

[titanhog]

1 minute ago, fishsticks176 said:

https://theathletic.com/2184287/2020/11/07/nashville-toronto-raptors/
 

Nashville being considered as temporary home for Toronto Raptors for 2020-2021 season.

That's very interesting.  What a weird year, huh?

[dragonfly]

I know this would be of limited interest, but yesterday Alice Dietz, 90, got her first visit to Nashville handled off her late life bucket list. She's a Chicago gal who's lived in two states, now living alone near Orlando in a single family home & still driving, in fabulous health. My brother's mother-in-law, she may have passed thru on I-65/24 decades ago. Probably  future Tennessean when she moves in with my brother and sister-in -law in Chattanooga when the time comes. I had to laugh - brother said her eyes nearly popped out, as they hit the District by car on Saturday afternoon. He says there are now things looking like barges filled with revelers and I guess pulled by fifth wheel equipped trucks? Bachelorette parties? They stayed overnight in Franklin.

Edited November 9, 2020 by dragonfly

[Rockatansky]

On 11/5/2020 at 7:35 AM, smeagolsfree said:

NBJ is reporting 5 in MD TN now.

What does Maryland have to do with this?

On 11/5/2020 at 12:35 PM, Enashjon said:

Whataburger

I like a good burger but have never had Whataburger. Can anyone explain what makes them special? I'm a Hugh Baby's fan FWIW.

On 11/6/2020 at 7:16 PM, MLBrumby said:

flight from congested urban areas

Most of the articles I've been recently claim this fleeing is significantly overstated.

[MLBrumby]

1 hour ago, Rockatansky said:

What does Maryland have to do with this?

I like a good burger but have never had Whataburger. Can anyone explain what makes them special? I'm a Hugh Baby's fan FWIW.

Most of the articles I've been recently claim this fleeing is significantly overstated.

Please post some links to those articles as just about everything I've seen is from local data. And the census estimates Y-O-Y from 2020 to 21 won't even be out until 2022. 

This is more typical of what I find pretty often in the widespread mass media. Did this start before the riots? Who knows? No doubt, young families (as highlighted here  https://www.wsj.com/articles/young-families-are-driving-the-exodus-from-new-york-city-to-the-suburbs-11602763200  ) are learning what every young family has learned for generations: large cities are rotten places to raise children. But aside from that, nobody knows what the longterm effects of the lockdown on NYC and other larger cities will be for some time. 

Personally, I think there's simply a longstanding preference among Americans for better weather and smaller communities with convenient access to large cities. Did COVID or the riots accelerate that? Probably, but we won't know for over a year. 

Edited November 9, 2020 by MLBrumby

[jmtunafish]

3 hours ago, Rockatansky said:

I like a good burger but have never had Whataburger. Can anyone explain what makes them special? I'm a Hugh Baby's fan FWIW.

I'm baffled by the Whataburger hype.  I know a lot of people are avid fans, but I consider it to be just marginally better than Sonic and a big step below Cookout.  I wouldn't drive across town for one but it's good for a road trip pit stop.

[titanhog]

2 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

I'm baffled by the Whataburger hype.  I know a lot of people are avid fans, but I consider it to be just marginally better than Sonic and a big step below Cookout.  I wouldn't drive across town for one but it's good for a road trip pit stop.

Yeah...it's a glorified Sonic, IMO.  But, I've only eaten there a couple of times.  I'll give it another try when they open here and see.  I did the same thing with Fat Mo's (tried them once and didn't like it...but then tried again a few years later and fell in love with their burgers).

[BnaBreaker]

I think that the reputations of places like Whataburger and In 'N Out, are greatly inflated and enhanced by the regional rivalry factor, where everyone wants to puff their chests out and pretend that everything from wherever they live is automatically better than everything from everywhere else.  I think to most anyone who isn't from the West Coast or Texas, who don't have a dog in that fight as it were, generally view both of those burger chains as overrated.

[Rockatansky]

20 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

big step below Cookout. 

Yuck. Cookout is not good.

22 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

the riots

Protests.

[donNdonelson2]

I’m a part time Houston area resident, and I do enjoy Whataburger. I look forward to the availability of their burgers without having to cross a state line! I consider Whataburger to be in the same category as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Jack in the Box. They’d be far superior to all of the others in this list, in my opinion. They have a great selection of specialty burgers that rotate on and off the menu. Awesome fries, especially with their spicy ketchup!

I especially enjoyed their breakfast taquitos until my egg allergy kicked into high gear. They also offer a delicious jalapeño cheddar biscuit sandwich option which I find delicious (minus the egg). Most of their stores are open 24 hours, serving breakfast from 11pm to 11am.

[satalac]

I just wish we'd get an Earl of Sandwhich. 

[MLBrumby]

5 hours ago, Rockatansky said:

Yuck. Cookout is not good.

Protests.

Potato... Potahhhto  

I have a friend whose son's condo was burned during the Minneapolis 'protests'.  Let's not water down the language, please! 

Where are those links? 

[markhollin]

Metro Government, Nashville Electric Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Vanderbilt University are partnering to build 100 megawatts of utility-scale solar power under the TVA Green Invest program.

According to a release, the public-private initiative is being undertaken to push forward the city government’s plan to have its various operations past one-third of the way toward being sourced with 100 percent renewable energy and enabling it to meet a 2025 benchmark for renewables established by Metro Council legislation.

Vanderbilt will be a 25-megawatt co-subscriber to the solar array, thereby reaching its own 100 percent renewable-energy goal for campus operations.  Metro will be the first local government to pursue access to Green Invest in TVA territory, the release notes.

On Metro’s and Vanderbilt’s behalf, TVA will contract with Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corp. to build a solar array in Tullahoma. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/technology/article/21144420/metro-to-be-part-of-renewable-energy-initiative

And at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/11/nashville-announces-massive-solar-array-project-vanderbilt-university/6232785002/

[tragenvol]

On 11/9/2020 at 5:23 PM, jmtunafish said:

I'm baffled by the Whataburger hype.  I know a lot of people are avid fans, but I consider it to be just marginally better than Sonic and a big step below Cookout.  I wouldn't drive across town for one but it's good for a road trip pit stop.

Whoa, whoa...whoa...it's what a Sonic burger could be if it were a Whataburger; I prefer Whataburger over In-N-Out.  Cookout...nah...maybe once in a blue moon, DQ has better chargrilled burgers, in my opinion.  No more waiting for trips to Birmingham or Houston!

On 11/10/2020 at 6:23 PM, satalac said:

I just wish we'd get an Earl of Sandwich. 

Just walked by one in Orlando last night....should've stopped in, but Neapolitan pizza awaited.

Edited November 12, 2020 by tragenvol

[BnaBreaker]

Watching the Titans game on TV and noticed the shot they used going to the commercial was from across the river and didn't even have 505 in it.  LOL... it had to be at least five years old.  I mean I realize that keeping their stock of skyline photos up-do-date is probably not very high on the priority list for networks, but seriously how hard is it to take one new picture every few years?   Ugh.

[KJHburg]

On 11/9/2020 at 9:55 PM, BnaBreaker said:

I think that the reputations of places like Whataburger and In 'N Out, are greatly inflated and enhanced by the regional rivalry factor, where everyone wants to puff their chests out and pretend that everything from wherever they live is automatically better than everything from everywhere else.  I think to most anyone who isn't from the West Coast or Texas, who don't have a dog in that fight as it were, generally view both of those burger chains as overrated.

I am from and live in NC and I think In N Out burgers are the best fast food burgers and have one everytime in Texas or out west.  and Hardees may have born in NC but really don't like them.  Now NC based and born Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the best! 

[MLBrumby]

Agree with you on InNO... because of their freshness, and their cut fries.  I'd go there for the fries and fell for the burgers.

Not so sure KK was born in NC... I think it was 'born' in New Orleans and was 'borrowed' by a Kentuckian who bought machinery that made doughnuts similar to beignets (deep fried yeast) and was eventually moved (actually with a brief stop in Nashville) to W-S.  Personally, I can't stand the smell of KKs, but that may have more to do with the fact that my fraternity in college did a fundraiser selling them and I had 70 boxes in the trunk of my car. Couldn't get rid of that smell for the duration of time I owned that car. I've always preferred cake doughnuts but that's because they 'dunk' better. Personal preference. 

BTW: I used to wonder how Hardees stayed in business until I moved to Chattanooga and my route to work every morning went past a Hardees. Their biscuits apparently are the main draw there (I've never had one). And the cars are lined up all the way out to the street.  I think Carl's Jr. out of California bought them several years ago. They're both comparable... home of the 'gristleburger'. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by MLBrumby

[titanhog]

I love a good, hot, fresh KK donut every now and then.  It's pure sugar...but pretty tasty.  As for burgers...I really like 5 Guys...and there's a certain burger at Red Robin I really like.  There are so many different new burger joints right now that I don't think I've tried 10% of them.  I'm gonna give Whataburger another shot.

[Skyscrapergeek]

I’ll take KK over DD any day of the week but you haven’t lived until you’ve had a King Kong from Five Daughters.  This is not debatable so don’t try. 

[LA_TN]

52 minutes ago, Skyscrapergeek said:

I’ll take KK over DD any day of the week but you haven’t lived until you’ve had a King Kong from Five Daughters.  This is not debatable so don’t try. 

Folks, we have a winner! Congratulations!

[L'burgnative]

After we grill burgers at home I can't be happy with an expensive burger at a sit down restaurant.  Mix a hot ground sausage in with your ground burger meat, cook on charcoal and you'll be disappointed with anyone's burger there after.  Cooking on Charcoal is key, cooking on gas may be easier but I promise the quality is way down with gas.  As for fast food burger's give me Hardee's (was much better 15 years ago after they bought/mergered with Carl's Jr. then they are now) or Dairy Queen.  Jack in the Box used to be good too... not anymore.  Culver's is good for a fried burger.  For fast food burgers the biggest thing you have to do is eat outside a large city or metro area where the employs value there job, because there's no better jobs out there.  This may sound bad but it's true, a couple years ago I stopped at the Hardee's in Pulaski, Tn and I'd put it up against many burgers I've had at sit down restaurants.  As for Doughnuts and a battle between KK and that dang Yankee crap called Dunkins... should I say more?  We briefly here in Madison, Al had a Paradise Donuts out of Missouri, extremely good doughnut and my waist line doesn't miss them a bit but I do.

Edited November 14, 2020 by L'burgnative

[BnaBreaker]

Kuma's Corner and Small Cheval (pictured below) here in Chicago have collected more or less 100% of my cheeseburger money over the past five years... but if I'm gonna get a fast food burger, I'm with @titanhog that Five Guys is the king of the hill. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by BnaBreaker

[L'burgnative]

Five guy is okay but it's fried.  It is  good for a fried burger and would put it with Culver's for a good fried burger.

Edited November 14, 2020 by L'burgnative

[L'burgnative]

There's a place outside of Chattanooga, I can't remember the name of it but it's this hippie looking BBQ place on the right (traveling south) before you turn to go to Rock City.  I felt dumb ordering a burger at a bbq place but I didn't regret it after.  It's like the burger got smoked with the pulled pork... incredible!  I've ate there twice, the first time was right when they opened... incredible!  Second time late dinner... farrrrrrr from near as good the first time but better than most places.

Edited November 14, 2020 by L'burgnative