For the first time ever, the Country Music Awards left Music City for the Big Apple. Cowboy hats, blue jeans and Southern accents were in full effect at Tuesday night’s awards ceremony at Madison Square Garden. And while you could probably argue that it was a good thing for country music that the CMAs were in NYC (more exposure and all) some of us back in Nashville couldn’t help but feel a little bitter at all the ooohh-ing and aaaahh-ing over the New York affair.
If you haven’t been here you might not realize it, but the Music City is a great city. Often referred to as the Athens of the South, Nashville is hardly a hick town. Below are a few reasons some of us would choose Nashville over New York any day.
We dont have the Yankees!!!
-Patrick B.
Two words come to mind…Pancake Pantry
Oh, and better traffic on Nashvilles Broadway.
Oh, and friendlier people.
And less crime.
And less expensive housing. Okay, I’ll stop…
-Summer
Let me take a contrarian point-of-view, here. The cabs are cheaper in New York than in Nashville and our public transportation is, well, challenged. But in the transportation department, Nashville’s abundant Southwest service makes it a snap for getting to and from most places quickly (and cheaply). Also, the Ryman Auditorium is a world-class venue for live music. (Oh, sure. New York’s not shabby in that category.) Speaking of live music, the Station Inn.
-Rex
One can afford to live alone because of slightly affordable rent.
-Carrie W.
Southeastern conference football is available in Nashville, although the “home” team Vanderbilt isn’t a powerhouse. and Radnor Lake, where my husband and I go hiking and herping (looking for snakes) on Sunday mornings.
-Barbara The Production Director
I can get most anywhere in 15 minutes or less. I can buy more than I can carry when I go to the grocery store. And people dont look at you funny when you say yall.
-Shannon
We have trees and grass within minutes of our homes and they are not full of muggers (just chiggers and ticks).
Jersey is a cow here, not a landmass barely visible through the smog.
A 30-mile commute doesn’t take two hours, and there are no tolls.
$300,000 buys a huge house and land, instead of just a third-floor condo.
We can wear shorts in November.
Our women are prettier. And some can even cook (and will).
-Bill
I can afford to have a car. Loveless Cafe. Great music, cheap cover charges.
-Jamie
More green spaces, parks, trees.
Closer to my family.
-Allison
If fellow drivers see that you’re stuck in traffic, most will actually let you in their lanes.
-Emily
1. Doesn’t reek of roasted chestnuts
2. Many fewer Yankee fans and other people who wear multi-colored, belted leather Giants jackets (and modeled their personal style after Don Mattingly)
3. Nobody here feels the need to announce, hourly, that they live in he world’s greatest city (It’s just understood)
4. Dogs here come in sizes larger than the Norwegian Brown rat
5. Camoflauge is not worn here as an ironic downtown pose (Fort Campbell soldiers, plus hunters, gain value from it)
6. Investment banker guys here don’t get manicures (or at least don’t brag about it)
7. A public display of orange flags isn’t referred to an art installation. It just means it’s “Football Time in Tennessee.”
8. We can visit. You have to live there and spend your free time figuring out when you have to move to Connecticut or New Jersey.
9. Car service? How about the luxury of driving a big-ass car yourself.
10. We don’t have to wait years before seeing someone we know at the grocery store.
-John