My Nashville
I moved to Nashville around 1998 or 1999.Having lived in a small town where I knew everyone my entire life, I'd always wanted to live in a big city, so when I saw a chance to move to Nashville, I grabbed it. I lived in a extended stay hotel the first month I was here, and found a new home in a few weeks at Twin Oaks Apartments, which was renamed Hawthorne South Oaks when the complex was sold to a new company a few years ago.
Within a week or so of moving to Tennessee, I got a job through a temp agency, Accounts on Call, working for Kroger in the corporate office. I was miserable there, and left within a month. I was next placed at Nortel Networks on their Accounts Payable Customer Service line. I didn't much enjoy that job, but the environment was much better there and I liked the company better than Kroger, so when I was offered regular full-time employment there, I accepted. It wasn't too long before I was moved to the AP department's IT team, managing the Imaging system, which included the ApplicationXtender and Kofax Capture systems. Nortel went through a series of layoffs and outsourcing of departments, during which I was outsourced to Pricewaterhouse Coopers. At the time, my position was the only IT job in the entire BPO division of PwC, which was a terrible career move for me - I was low on the totem pole, yet as high as I could go in my chosen field at that company.
I left Nortel & Pricewaterhouse Coopers in June 2002 to work with AccuImage, LLC, the Business Process Consulting firm that sold Nortel their Imaging System and supported it, and I am still there today.
I've never regretted moving to Nashville, although I miss my hometown and family a lot. The employment opportunities I've found here are so much better than what I found back home. I love being in an area with so much going on - conventions, concerts, festivals, culture, and much, much more. This city has so much history to learn from, so much to do, and every day something new is available to those who live and visit here. Nashville never ceases to be exciting.
One of my favorite places here is the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. I never tire of browsing the conservatories and stores inside the hotel. The river boat that runs through the hotel is not to be missed, and the fountain/light show is a must-see too.
I've tried more of Nashville's restaurants than I can name in the last twenty years, but my favorite is probably Texas de Brazil. Yeah, I know, it is a chain, but is amazing food. As for my favorite local restaurant, that name will change a bit with my mood, but Ellendale's is one of the highest on that list.
I loved living in Nashville, being so conveniently located to work, social and entertainment venues, and more, but the last time I moved, I couldn't find a place that fit my budget and needs anywhere in Nashville, and so I ended up on the outskirts of the city, in Smyrna.