Just got back from the other 'Ville: a comparison btw L'vill & Nashville (Louisville: condos, crime)

[censusdata]

I just got back this Memorial Day weekend from my trip to Nashville, and thought I'd make a list of likes and dislikes compared with Louisville, where I have lived the past 6 years

Things better about Nashville:
1. Downtown - NO parking lots, all streets are 2 way with turn lanes. Many downtown streets in Louisville have more surface parking lots than a suburban shopping mall. 2 way streets are SO much easier for a tourist/ visitor to get around w/o getting lost

2. Great variety of radio stations - Music City is much more than ****** tonk - you can listen to every type of music known to man 24/7. They have 2 stations that play new age jazz and 1 that plays New Orleans Jazz all day! They also have a great independent adult contemporary station, Lightning 100.1

3. No abandoned factories - Louisville's miles of abandoned factories and warehouses give it a rust belt feel - I didn't see any eyesore corridors in Nashville like 7th Street Rd in L'ville

4. Lots of high rises in inner ring areas - While people in Cherokee Triangle protest anything over 5 stories, Nashville's inner ring areas like West End Ave are filled with 25 to 20 story condos and office parks

Things better about Louisville:
1. Freeways not as confusing -Nashville has to have one of the most confusing freeway/ interstate systems in the US. To follow an interstate route you constantly have to cut across 5 lanes of traffic to avoid getting on the wrong road.

Louisville's 2 beltlines (inner and outer) take you anywhere in the city and make navigating very easy

2. Not as much sprawl - I have never been to a city as spread out with low density developments as Nashville. Many of the main roads have a very rural feel to them even just 5 miles from Downtown.

3. Tree lined parkways connecting Olmsted Parks - There's nothing like driving from Cherokee Park down two tree lined park ways to Iroqouis or Shawnee Park

4. The 'Main Street' character of Bardstown Road & Frankfort Ave - Nashville's West End Rd is nice and very urban, but I love the Main Street feel of Bardstown Rd & Frankfort Ave in Louisville

[sandman1]

There isn't a comparison between Louisville and Nashville. While Louisville is very nice Nashville is a wonderful city. All of the talk about how southern Louisville is one just needs to go there and walk around for a while to see a real southern town. Downtown Nashville is a blast and is very easy to walk around. The variety of music and bars as well as entertainment in general cannot be matche by Bardstown road...that is a bit laughable. I was there one night and Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill came in and ended up singing...I think it was his birthday or something. Its a wonderful town with a truly southern feel to it.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by sandman1

There isn't a comparison between Louisville and Nashville. While Louisville is very nice Nashville is a wonderful city. All of the talk about how southern Louisville is one just needs to go there and walk around for a while to see a real southern town.

There aren't any vibrant downtowns in the Midwest?

Ever been to Chicago or Indy?

I didn't say West End Ave didn't have more live music venues than Bardstown Rd or Frankfort Ave, I said it felt very urban (like a mini Michigan Ave) and with multi uses (medical & office) whereas those L'ville corridors have great 1900s architectural shopping areas going uninterruped for 5 miles each

**When I get back to my home computer tomorrow I will upload photos of my trip

[dixiegirl7]

I do think Louisville and Nashville are very different, but I like both cities. I do think the crime in Nashville is far worse than Louisville.

[Iraqvet]

Originally Posted by censusdata

I just got back this Memorial Day weekend from my trip to Nashville, and thought I'd make a list of likes and dislikes compared with Louisville, where I have lived the past 6 years

Things better about Louisville:
1. Freeways not as confusing -Nashville has to have one of the most confusing freeway/ interstate systems in the US. To follow an interstate route you constantly have to cut across 5 lanes of traffic to avoid getting on the wrong road.

You are definitely right about Nashville's confusing highway system. I used to drive through Nashville alot going to Fort Campbell and I really had to be on alert to make sure I stayed on 24 and not end up on 40 which I did before when talking on my cell phone not paying attention.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by sandman1

There isn't a comparison between Louisville and Nashville. While Louisville is very nice Nashville is a wonderful city. All of the talk about how southern Louisville is one just needs to go there and walk around for a while to see a real southern town. Downtown Nashville is a blast and is very easy to walk around. The variety of music and bars as well as entertainment in general cannot be matche by Bardstown road...that is a bit laughable. I was there one night and Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill came in and ended up singing...I think it was his birthday or something. Its a wonderful town with a truly southern feel to it.

I don't think anyone says that Louisville is as Southern as Nashville but some of us still consider Louisville southern.

[kygman]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet

You are definitely right about Nashville's confusing highway system. I used to drive through Nashville alot going to Fort Campbell and I really had to be on alert to make sure I stayed on 24 and not end up on 40 which I did before when talking on my cell phone not paying attention.

I don't fool with downtown when going through Nashville. It may be a few miles further around, but the Briley Parkway is a lot easier than fighting all the interchanges through town. That's for 24 or 40 either one. And no construction any more either!

[ariesjow]

Sounds like a you had a good trip to Nashville.

Did you get to spend any time in Hillsboro Village, the Gulch, 12South, Germantown or East Nashville? If not, those are all placed I'd recommend on your next visit.

The area you mentioned around West End Ave. is Midtown and it encompassing a number of distinct neighborhoods such as Music Row, Hillsboro Village, West End Park, Elliston Place/Church St. and both Vanderbilt and Belmont universities. There are actually some great brownstones scattered throughout West End Ave./Harding Rd. all the way to Belle Meade but they are more dispersed amongst all the modern developments.

[censusdata]

I REALLY like Nashville's 100.1 radio station.

You can listen to it online - it is like a mix between Louisville's 102.3 and 91.9
Lightning 100 - Listen Live (http://www.lightning100.com/listen_live.php - broken link)

[kentuckydad95]

I love the Nashville skyline and this baby will be the new dominate force in all southern cities when finally built:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e0/Signature_Tower.png/360px-Signature_Tower.png (broken link)