Honoring the Past, Re-imagining the Present

Once far away from Fort Myers, it becomes apparent that where I now live is "new."  It isn't until I travel a distance that I begin to get a chance to appreciate "the old"-- and to see how others appreciate the past and bring their imaginative present to a place.  Here are four I found that were interesting or inviting or both:

Hard Rock Cafe Gift Shop, Nashville

This is the oldest free standing building in Nashville, and was once called the Silver Dollar Saloon (1897).  It is close to the riverfront in Nashville, and now houses the gift shop for the Hard Rock Cafe.  It still has some of the original flooring. The first floor, where the gift shop is now located, was a saloon, the second floor a gambling hall, and the third floor a brothel.  In addition, there is an tunnel under Broadway (the street pictured here) for smuggling liquor during Prohibition.  This truly was the building with the most character in all of Nashville.

Mark Twain Room, Village Lights Bookstore

The Village Lights bookstore in downtown Madison, Indiana is not your ordinary bookstore.  Inviting, well-lit, and friendly service makes a person never want to buy books on amazon again!  A combination of new and used books, and some pretty nifty gifts, are presented in the front part of the store.  In the back is the gem -- the Mark Twain Room. I apologize that the picture of Twain over the fireplace is full of glare -- I simply could not find a place to stand where that wasn't the case. The Twain room is used for customer reading space, as well as book signings.  A full collection of Twain's books is on the mantle under the framed portrait. Nathan, the owner of Village Lights, recommended the next spot to us.  I purchased some books from this shop -- it was impossible not to!  

Gallery 115 in Madison, Indiana

I am glad we took Nathan's advice and had lunch at the cafe here in Gallery 115.  The gallery of painting and sculptures are all by a local young man -- Erich Phagan -- and his family was involved in converting this space to the most charming art gallery and cafe I have ever seen.  Hardwood floors, original pasty cases, and stunning art -- mostly of the Madison area -- contributed to a unique dining experience.  I spoke with the artist for a while, as I waited for my pulled pork sandwich to be prepared. He makes an attempt to have his paintings look like they are old.  He sculpts little animals and distorted faces and had a whole line of little birdhouses.  This space was originally a butcher shop -- the name still in concrete outside on the sidewalk -- and then was a JC Penney's.  The Phagan family has won many awards for the work they did in this space, and I am glad we had a chance to spend some time with them.

The Courtyard Inn & Cafe and Underground Pub  Rising Sun, Indiana

Built in 1857, this building originally served the community as a general store, and served a larger cause by being part of the Underground Railroad -- it is right on the Ohio River.  The large basement room now houses the Underground Pub.  We had dinner our last night in Indiana in the cafe -- filet mignon with a delicious mushroom/wine/tarragon sauce and the best dessert ever!

Almond Coconut Brownie

I took the dessert to go, and when we got back to the hotel, I decided to take just one bite. Well, it was gone before I knew it.  

Dining at the Courtyard Cafe. Booth seats were old church pews.

Today we leave Indiana and head to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Our plans from here are still up in the air, but we know we will be slowly making our way back to Florida.  Once we are in the mountains, I am not sure how internet reception will be.  It has been terrible at our current location, which delayed this blog.  I had to get up before 6 a.m. today to attempt to get this done, because once everyone starts getting on the internet here, it becomes an impossible task.  

Enjoying every minute of our trip and will update again soon!