Staycation in Nashville

Staycation #12: The Beauty of Belcourt

Staycation #12: The Beauty of Belcourt

Cindy McCain

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It’s cool to be one of the Village People…sans YMCA hand motions. Whether you’re high art, low brow, or slapstick… Steve Martin, Prince or Igor Stravinsky, Belcourt Theatre, Nashville’s most majestic and eclectic art house, has patrons still huddling round the hub of its culture and history. Dating back to silent films in the 20s and Opry performances in the 30s Belcourt has provided the Nashville community entertainment value.

Whether you’re left Breathless by Bombay Bellywood, Coco Chanel, or Mrs. Robinson, a variety of memberships reduce admission on the live theater, music, and films offered. Belcourt has survived and thrived as one of the last operational neighborhood theaters in the US. Distinguished by its non-profit agenda, it is still the cool place to go—literally—on a hot summer afternoon (where a patron can pick up a cool one with popcorn at the Belcourt Bar).

Tonight, as part of the Second Saturday Outdoor Cinema you can catch The Jerk on the parking lot out back. But if humidity or rain drives you inside, there’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail next month. Meanwhile…
for those tonight who prefer seeing the landscape of Nice and Milano to feeling the Tennessee heat outdoors, I Am Love is playing tonight in one of the auditoriums. I saw it yesterday and given I was both places last summer and rarely miss an Italian film I’ll be blogging about it next…Stay tuned.

For movie listings, showtimes, and more information, visit http://www.belcourt.org.

The theater below is in my hometown, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Belcourt reminds me of The Princess, and though I was surprised this summer to see a sign of the times below, I’ll always remember it as the place I first saw Rhett kiss Scarlett.
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Staycation #9: The Golden Age of Couture

Staycation #9: The Golden Age of Couture

Cindy McCain

When my sister and I married in the 80s we didn’t appreciate our mom’s wedding gown (pictured above). Though I also opted for Chantilly Lace, I now covet the classic design of her dress. My dad teased her about her “Killdeer legs” accentuated by the layers of crenoline but I would now kill to have her wedding waist (at 98 pounds and a 5’7″ frame you do the math). Now my daughter, interested in a fashion career, is excited about the exhibit at the Frist, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957.

I saw the exhibition last night at Frist Fridays. While the crowd grooved to Anthony David, Grammy nominated neo soul singer/songwriter outside… ladies stormed the galleries inside. Not since opening night of SATC2 have I seen so many women so excited. In fact, though I’ve seen many-an- art- enthusiast enjoying exhibits at the Frist, I’ve never been bumped along in a crowd as happy…downright jubilant…as last night. Females flocked and cooed around ballgowns and suits, hats and shoes, pictures and videos in celebration of fashion that pays tribute to femininity, class, and style. Though the exhibit lasts till September, see it soon in case you want to book a flight to London to see the icon dressed by Dior in the Grace Kelly exhibit this summer. For those of us staying put, I look forward to watching the Princess of Monaco in movies with my daughter and taking her to the Frist.

Staycation #6: Movies in the Park

Cindy McCain

Once-upon-a-time in a land before DVDs or videotapes, classics like Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz were shown on television once-upon-a-year. Homes had one tv and dads like mine sacrificed John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Charles Bronson so we could gather round the set. The annual ritual was the same. I was mesmerized by Dorothy traveling over the rainbow (who wouldn’t trade a black- and- white world for a Technicolor one?). I was terrorized by the flying monkeys. And I agonized over Dorothy leaving her royal retainers for Kansas. Despite my dad’s teasing, I cried… still do…every time Dorothy kisses the scarecrow goodbye and whispers, “I think I’ll miss you most of all.”

Whether your trip to the Gulf has been canceled or flood/ flailing economy has grounded your flight from home, Staycations are about making-like-Dorothy and finding fun in one’s own backyard. For the fifteenth year the Nashville Scene is hosting free movies in Centennial Park. Whether you fancy Bruiser or Toto, comedy or drama, seeing movies on the Big Screen in Nashville is a family (and friend) tradition.

Centennial Park is located at West End Ave. at 25th Ave. North. Games, food, and prizes start at 6 PM. The movie begins at 8-8:30/sunset. For more info call 244-7989 ext. 341.

JUNE 16
Legally Blonde
JUNE 23
The Blind Side
JUNE 30
Wizard of Oz
JULY 7
Where the Wild Things Are [Rain Date]

Staycation Stop #5: Jaunt in Germantown

Cindy McCain


When I was a little girl, Sunday afternoons were spent visiting relatives. My grandparents, Mama Lou and Granddaddy, would pick up my sister and me in their green Ford and we’d take off—windows down–to the country where great aunts and uncles waited in Sunday best. Tired and hot from collecting eggs from the hen house, harassing hissing geese that gathered in disapproval around the pond, and chasing wild kittens we could never catch, we’d sit with the grownups in Aunt Cat’s parlor. A master storyteller, her voice would melodically rise and fall over the hum of the air conditioner. Too short to reach the pedal, Penny and I would take turns pumping and playing the Victorian organ in her cool living room, curtains drawn, lit by lamplight.

Adored as the most beautiful sister, the eldest of my grandmother’ s siblings resembled Catherine Hepburn—tall, statuesque, and confident. Gracious in a grand way. The original Lady Antebellum, she’d serve refreshments despite my grandmother’s protesting we had just eaten so she shouldn’t go to so much trouble. It was a Big Sis/Little Sis game they played because, as cousins can confirm, guests never came to my grandmother’s without Aunt Lou offering them “cream” from the “deep freeze” either. Holding tongs with pinky extended, Aunt Cat would fill glasses from the ice bucket, offering us Cokes, coconut macaroons, Fig Newtons, and shortbread cookies with chocolate icing. Classic treats made special by a silver tray.

Something about Germantown reminds me of those genteel weekends in Gracey, Kentucky. It also transports me to adult getaways in Savannah and Charleston. The gardens and architecture of the 19th century neighborhood recall what’s best about the South—Sunday afternoons, good manners, hospitality. Last week I strolled through Germantown with my friend, Sara, and her son, Trent. She bought dinner from the fish market and I introduced her to The Cupcake Collection, a place my sister had previously shown me. In fact, Penny and my niece, Emily, had just left there. She had wanted to treat her daughter, home from SCAD, to the bakery–no doubt because Emily frequents a cupcake shop in Savannah and has learned to decorate cakes from my sister, a Master Baker herself. Turned out Penny and I were simultaneously celebrating the spirit of summers spent with Aunt Cat and Mama Lou. The Cupcake Collection is gearing up to deliver, but last week I was glad I returned to the family tradition of taking time to “just visit.” To enjoy loved ones with a whole lot of sugar going on.

Sara and I caught up while noticing gingerbread latticework, entrance gardens, and courtyard fountains. Years before she became a wife and mom we walked and talked around Rome, stopping for a gelato rather than a cupcake beside Trevi Fountain. With much behind us and more to come, it was nice to staycation in Germantown and remember the best times at home or abroad are sharing simple pleasures with special people.















Nashville Staycation Stop #2: Night-on-the-Town in “New Nashville”

Cindy McCain


If you’re a suburbanite who wants to see if the grass is greener on the other side…or better yet…visit where the urban dwell and never mow grass again… tonight is your ticket to check out the changing face of Nashville up close and personal. For those weary of flood cleanup and in need of fun, Encore for Nashville Flood Relief Fundraiser offers a guilt-free Saturday night as all proceeds will go to Hands on Nashville.

Saturday, June 5, from 6-9 PM at the Encore Condominiums, 301 Demonbreun, a donation of $20 at the door includes food, drinks, live entertainment, DJ, and a silent auction. This event is for those 21 and up and includes an after-party at the Red Rooster with transportation provided by 1s American Sedans. Cash and checks will be taken in the lobby; checks should be made payable to Hands On Nashville.

Weekends are for escape, and sometimes all we need is a change of zipcode.

Summer 2010…Staycation in Nashville…Stop #1

Cindy McCain

Summer makes me smile.

Summer is the center-cut, the heart of my year. It’s a time when life slows down…or thankfully, life-on-demand does. I savor the sounds of silence… no alarm or school bells. I loved my childhood summers. Still too much a kid, I embrace…ok, squeeze the life out of…the season that calls me to come out and play. On parole from the school cafeteria where I’ve eaten since I was five, I can do lunch like a grownup with old friends and new ones. I can write all day in my robe. I can see a matinee with my daughter or play DJ Hero with my son. Wonders on a whim.

Meanwhile, friends are asking, “So where are you going this summer?” Since 1992 I’ve done educational tours abroad with students. We’ve traveled to England, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Greece. I’ve been to Ireland with strangers who became friends. I’m blessed with Italian friends who are like family—opening their homes numerous times since we met one summer at a camp outside Torino where I taught English. Last summer, Giorgio traveled by train and boat from Milan just to walk around Venice for three hours. I was there for the first time with my mom and a group I led through Tuscany, then Nice, Monaco, and Paris. Last June I flew to meet two friends in Barcelona and wrote about the salsa scene there, then in July took my kids to California. Always scanning the horizon, I look forward to next summer’s trip to Southern Italy and Greece scheduled with school families and my friend since kindergarten whose moving back to the US from Africa.

But this summer my passport sleeps in the back of a drawer. No leaving the country unless money rains. Nashville’s Great Flood left a bathroom and garage walls to rebuild. Many I know will be doing staycations…due to the national economy and Nashville’s recovery. So in the spirit of making lemons into Lemon Thyme Martinis (a specialty of my friend Kim) and because I’ve always told my kids there’s too much to learn and enjoy to ever be bored, I’ll be sharing local treasures I’ve found on my quests for Fun in the Sun. We can bloom wherever we are planted.

If I’ve learned one thing from my Italian and Latin friends it’s that life is rich and should be celebrated. I grew up thinking that with the exception of milestone birthdays (like the Big 3 or 4-0) partying is for kids. Not so. Turning 50–something I dreaded for years–was one of the best birthdays of my life…a blast due to incredible friends and Latin dance. Who knew 51 would be even more memorable… more of the same plus my discovery of an amazing bakery, thanks to friends Pablo and Jonathan. If you have never tried a Tres Leches Cake (or even if you have), treat yourself to a tour of La Espiga at 4833 Nolensville Pike. Don’t wait for a birthday to taste something as beautiful as it is light and rich…the perfect dessert for any summer gathering. La Espiga is open Monday-Saturday 6 AM-9PM and Sunday 6 AM-7 PM. I’ll be there tomorrow…picking up a cake I ordered for a surprise party at Mad Donna’s. A friend is turning 40 and his friends agree attention must be paid.