My name is Reesha and I grew up in Nashville, TN.

Yeehaw!

No, I'm not a country bumpkin, and yes, I do have all of my teeth (well, I will once I get a dental implant) and yes, I can throw down in the kitchen and make you some great soul food (it took me a couple of decades before the Southern Cuisine Gene finally kicked in), and yes, I am feeling very homesick today. (I'll get to that in a minute.)

When I tell people that I was born and raised in Nashville, the number one question that I get asked all the time from people in Yakima is, "What brought you to Yakima?!" Answer: Radio!

The number two question that I get asked by Yakimoanians all the time is actually one of my favorite things to talk about, but the answer to that question reminds me of my constant heartache and nostaglia.

It started this past weekend when my friend, Tiffany, asked me the #2 question I get all the time: "I'm going to Nashville soon. Can you give me some tips on what to see when I'm there?"

Tiffany and her husband are heading down to Nashville in a few weeks (lucky!) so last night, I grabbed my notepad and began to write down for her a cool list of all the things I highly recommend that she visits. I'll share a few of them with you!

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    1

    The Parthenon

    My hometown was dubbed "The Athens of the South" by some crazy person, so they erected a replica of the actual Grecian Parthenon building. You can find it in Centennial Park. I would often drive to the Parthenon when I needed a dose of nature and either eat lunch in my car or on a park bench. Sigh. Good times!

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    2

    Ed's Fish & Pizza

    If you have not had one of Ed's fried catfish and hot sauce sandwiches (only served on white bread), then you have not lived!

    They stopped serving pizza in 1972. The restaurant opened in 1972. The "pizza" in the title is part of the big joke--they have only served fish sandwiches! Haha!

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    3

    Music Row

    This is the place where it all began for me! My career in radio started at the front desk at 55 Music Square East. During my lunch breaks, I would walk up and down the streets, memorizing the locations of all the record labels. I just knew that someday, it would all matter. Little did I know that it certainly would!

    People from all over the world come to Nashville to get their "big break" in the music industry, and Music Row is where all of the magic happens!

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    4

    Schlotzky's Deli

    My favorite delicatessen closed down and moved across town to the "fancy" side of the street. You have never tasted a better Reuben sandwich in your life!

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    5

    My Old Middle School (Meigs Magnet Middle School)

    My former middle magnet school is now being called a middle "prep" school.

    Every year, the 8th graders were allowed to paint whatever they wanted to be remembered by on a brick on the wall. That was such a cool tradition. I'm totally sure they've painted over it since the time I left.

    Meigs Middle was recently featured as a backdrop in the hit ABC television show, Nashville. I totally screamed with glee when I saw it on TV!

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    6

    The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden

    Gentrification was bound to take over the neighborhood where I grew up in East Nashville. It was meant to be. Wherever there has been a neighborhood known for poverty rates and low property taxes, some wealthy investor saw a virtual gold mine in real estate.

    During my last visit to my hometown and to my horror, I saw that my old neighborhood's beloved Mom and Pop grocery store has now been turned into a hipster's paradise of burgers and beer. When I saw the building's revamp, my heart broke into pieces.

    Gone were the friendly local cashiers who sold me potato chips and candy and the random roll of toilet paper. Instead, there were servers with curly-tipped mustaches and man-buns, patrons stashing their expensive baby strollers on standby while they dined on "100% Tennessee-raised beef" , and drank in the "biergarten" taps from kegs of beer chilling in a freezer.

    Truth be told, I absolutely loved the food (I ordered the Black Bean Burger and fries). It was a damned tasty burger, but I was crying on the inside the whole time.

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