Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge

[Nashvilletitans]

I was very unfortunate to have made a wrong turn and ended up on lower Broadway last Saturday night. It was, by far, the loudest downtown I think I have ever been in. It was awful. The noise level was unbearable. I don't see how people can enjoy music that loud. The bars, with live bands, had their doors and windows open and the bands were competing with each other. I don't see how people are moving down there. It's horrible and not to mention the lack of diversity. Probably one to the most segregated down towns I think I've ever been in. Where's the diversity?

I am glad someone else voices the noise level concerns and the diversity concerns.  It is loud and much of the public likes that on broadway.  But my concern is there are no rules enforced on the noise level.  There are rules even on broadway and second avenue about noise levels yet there is no enforcement. Example on second ave North you are not allowed to have speakers on the front facade blasting loud music.  Yet it is happening all over the street- if one complains to police there is no enforcement.  The concept of some noise and music is ok but there are no limits and some bar owners can go to the extreme.  

In terms of diversity it would be nice to have more of it.  There is some retail, some residential on upper floors, and a few small hotels proposed.  It would be nice to have more diversity

Edited September 23, 2015 by Nashvilletitans

[markhollin]

The full lot around the former Nissan site on Broadway and 12th now complete:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2015/09/22/broadway-mixed-use-site-purchase-completed/72631622/

[Nashvilletitans]

You act like people are moving to downtown to live inside the live music venues. 

There are existing residential units up and down 2nd ave n on upper floors that have had to tolerate the loud music for years.  There are very few residents on upper floors on lower broadway.

[Vrtigo]

She makes a great point. It's really gross down there...

No significant pedestrian space with hordes of people packed into the tiny sidewalks, not to mention the overabundance of panhandlers and buskers. Every single floor of every single venue has open windows or a balcony with a different band playing just inside at a volume that would make Eddie Van Halen plug his ears. All of this spills out into the street and it all sounds like every bad country radio station thrown into a blender and force-fed to you.

 

It's very quickly beginning to feel like a bad rendition of Bourbon Street... You know, except this one with bad music, smelly people, six lanes of traffic running down the middle and no room to breathe, plus a general lack of any sort of unique character whatsoever.

I could conceivably stomach the whole thing if it was all like 2nd Avenue, but last time I walked through Broadway several weeks ago I couldn't wait to get out.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Vrtigo

[Hey_Hey]

I wouldn't change a thing about the music, volume, or hordes of people.  That's what makes Nashville's Lower Broadway unique. There's not a place like it elsewhere in the US (possible exceptions are Bourbon St and Beale St), and changing it would only serve to make that stretch of Broadway "anywhere USA" that does live music. 

I would be in favor of limiting or even closing Lower Broadway to traffic.  No one comes to see the cars, and getting rid of them would help the movement of people greatly. 

Edited September 23, 2015 by Hey_Hey

[Nashvilletitans]

She makes a great point. It's really gross down there...

No significant pedestrian space with hordes of people packed into the tiny sidewalks, not to mention the overabundance of panhandlers and buskers. Every single floor of every single venue has open windows or a balcony with a different band playing just inside at a volume that would make Eddie Van Halen plug his ears. All of this spills out into the street and it all sounds like every bad country radio station thrown into a blender and force-fed to you.

 

It's very quickly beginning to feel like a bad rendition of Bourbon Street... You know, except this one with bad music, smelly people, six lanes of traffic running down the middle and no room to breathe, plus a general lack of any sort of unique character whatsoever.

I could conceivably stomach the whole thing if it was all like 2nd Avenue, but last time I walked through Broadway several weeks ago I couldn't wait to get out.

The unfortunate component to this is that they make a lot of money. example one of the noisiest of them all down there is honky tonk central. it iis usually packed and overflowing off the balconies- tourist must love this.  it is doing so well it seems that the owner paid about 8 million dollars and bought the trail west then tore it down and now is going to bulld another building.  They publicly say is a steak house but I worry about honky tonk central II in the future of that site.  The proposed new building looks very much like there first building which also is not complying architecturally broadway guidelines. It seems these noisy drunken buildings make a lot of money

[CenterHill]

Metro to expand downtown library public parking garage.    Adding 2 levels on top and add'l 350 parking spaces.   

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2015/09/dial-back-the-road-rage-metro-expanding-library.html

 

[CenterHill]

I wouldn't change a thing about the music, volume, or hordes of people.  That's what makes Nashville's Lower Broadway unique. There's not a place like it elsewhere in the US (possible exception is Bourbon St), and changing it would only serve to make that stretch of Broadway "anywhere USA" that does live music. 

I would be in favor of limiting or even closing Lower Broadway to traffic.  No one comes to see the cars, and getting rid of them would help the movement of people greatly. 

Agree with both of your statements.    The scene on Lower Broad is not everyone's cup of tea.    But it is a huge tourist draw.   You'd be surprised at how many professionals who come to town for business ask us to take them down there.    They've heard about it and when we go they seem to have a great time, can't stop talking about it afterwards.     It's because, as you say, very few other places have anything like it.           

[BnaBreaker]

There are existing residential units up and down 2nd ave n on upper floors that have had to tolerate the loud music for years.  There are very few residents on upper floors on lower broadway.

I don't exactly have a great deal of sympathy for anyone that moves into a nightlife district and then complains about noise.  They should have to tolerate it if they're going to live there.  Either tolerate it or move somewhere else in downtown or the rest of the city.  Plenty of other options exist. 

I'm with you guys that there could definitely stand to be a bit more refinement to the experience down on Broadway in terms of perhaps adding some options that don't involve boot sales or live country and improving the quality and safety of the pedestrian environment (significantly.)  But again, when it comes to the noise, I think those complaints are a little odd.  It's an entertainment and nightlife district.  It's supposed to be loud and a bit wild.  That's the whole point.  If you have issues with noise, avoid that street.  You wouldn't take a special trip into Chinatown and complain about the existing smell of Chinese food.  

Edited September 23, 2015 by BnaBreaker

[japan]

Agree with both of your statements.    The scene on Lower Broad is not everyone's cup of tea.    But it is a huge tourist draw.   You'd be surprised at how many professionals who come to town for business ask us to take them down there.    They've heard about it and when we go they seem to have a great time, can't stop talking about it afterwards.     It's because, as you say, very few other places have anything like it.           

Agreed.  This area is for the tourists who love to stay downtown at all of these new hotels and walk to the big party.  

[titanhog]

I was very unfortunate to have made a wrong turn and ended up on lower Broadway last Saturday night. It was, by far, the loudest downtown I think I have ever been in. It was awful. The noise level was unbearable. I don't see how people can enjoy music that loud. The bars, with live bands, had their doors and windows open and the bands were competing with each other. I don't see how people are moving down there. It's horrible and not to mention the lack of diversity. Probably one to the most segregated down towns I think I've ever been in. Where's the diversity?

LoBro is what it is...and will remain that way as long as tourists pack that place.  Plus...believe it or not...a lot of younger locals spend time down there as well.  It's all about the nightlife and the loud music.

Now...if we can get the old CC site redeveloped, you may start to see a little bit different crowd mix in with what's already down there...but I'm sure the city doesn't want to do anything to discourage what's already happening on LoBro.  It's rockin' most nights of the week...cash registers are over-flowing...and tax coffers are filling up.  Just be thankful there are other parts of the city you can enjoy if you don't like what's going on down there. 

[chris holman]

The live music the crowds the energy the girls screaming on the tavern bikes and the street performers are what makes Nashville what it is it's all of that energy are what a few things that  people love about this city, in all of the tourist and tourist dollars are what's fueling all of the hotel , and residential growth ! Who wants a dead downtown anyway

[ariesjow]

Agree with both of your statements.    The scene on Lower Broad is not everyone's cup of tea.    But it is a huge tourist draw.   You'd be surprised at how many professionals who come to town for business ask us to take them down there.    They've heard about it and when we go they seem to have a great time, can't stop talking about it afterwards.     It's because, as you say, very few other places have anything like it.           

I completely agree. That said, we must also figure out a way to make downtown more appealing to visitors and residents alike who have absolutely no interest in the country music tourism industry. Since downtown is the face of Nashville, I believe figuring this out will be a critical part of Nashville's evolution and our ability to lure people from all demographics that will make us a competitive Southern city for decades to come. I'm already seeing outsiders complain that Nashville doesn't have much appeal for anyone not into country music or White millennial hipster-types. Of course, I feel different as a native who has a must different perspective growing up inside this city, leaving for a bit, then watching it evolve. However, I fear that this is the perception of many who are not well-acquainted with Nashville. I also do not feel that the city is currently doing quite enough to project a more inclusive image since it's really just recently figured out how to truly use its heritage as an asset within this last decade or so.

We can keep Lower Broadway authentic, have a booming tourism industry and still have a downtown that more representative of all of Nashvillians. We're slowly seeing an evolution on Fifth Avenue and I'm very intrigued by the potential there and elsewhere once we reclaim some of the older buildings that have been under-utilized for decades. What I don't want to see happen is an obsessive focus on propelling the country music tourism industry downtown to the exclusion of everything else. I think we're already seeing that a bit on Second Avenue which feels more like an extension of Lower Broadway than it did a decade ago to me with less diversity of interests despite more activity. This is another reason why I think the redevelopment of the old Nashville convention center will be crucial and I have my fingers crossed it happens as planned.

[RonCamp]

I was very unfortunate to have made a wrong turn and ended up on lower Broadway last Saturday night. It was, by far, the loudest downtown I think I have ever been in. It was awful. The noise level was unbearable. I don't see how people can enjoy music that loud. The bars, with live bands, had their doors and windows open and the bands were competing with each other. I don't see how people are moving down there. It's horrible and not to mention the lack of diversity. Probably one to the most segregated down towns I think I've ever been in. Where's the diversity?

I assume you've never been to Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  

That said, it's Lower Broad.  It's loud, it's gross, the music is overbearing, the crowds are thick and sweaty, people get overserved... and this is all OK.  Not just OK, but as it should be.  I'm not saying we should allow this kind of setup anywhere else in Nashville.  But those five blocks are a huge part of makes Nashville, Nashville.

I hope it never goes away, no matter how old I get.

[Guest]

We walk lower Broadway several times a week and it is like The National Enquirer and The Sun tabloids come to life! The best free show in Nashville. 
It is also an incredible draw for all facets of locals and visitors alike. There is room in Nashville for a more diverse offerings and, like titanhog, I hope the reworked CC and/or the Lifeboat developments cater to other musical and entertainment genres.
 

She makes a great point. It's really gross down there...

No significant pedestrian space with hordes of people packed into the tiny sidewalks, not to mention the overabundance of panhandlers and buskers. Every single floor of every single venue has open windows or a balcony with a different band playing just inside at a volume that would make Eddie Van Halen plug his ears. All of this spills out into the street and it all sounds like every bad country radio station thrown into a blender and force-fed to you.

 

It's very quickly beginning to feel like a bad rendition of Bourbon Street... You know, except this one with bad music, smelly people, six lanes of traffic running down the middle and no room to breathe, plus a general lack of any sort of unique character whatsoever.

I could conceivably stomach the whole thing if it was all like 2nd Avenue, but last time I walked through Broadway several weeks ago I couldn't wait to get out.

[Paramount747]

My how times have indeed changed! I used to bring up these issues about Lower Broadway and I ALWAYS got hammered and criticized by people defending Lower Broadway!

In any case with many areas like The Gulch, 12 South, 8th Avenue South, Vanderbilt, West End, Hillsboro Village, South Street, Division Street, East Nashville, Germantown and North Nashville, tourists and guests have other options and it's only an internet search away. I spent 7 years in the hotel business and I was always able to give people alternatives. The only problems I used to incur was from fellow hotel employees over the 7 years I was in the business that knew nothing about downtown let alone the areas where locals go. 

[CenterHill]

I completely agree. That said, we must also figure out a way to make downtown more appealing to visitors and residents alike who have absolutely no interest in the country music tourism industry. Since downtown is the face of Nashville, I believe figuring this out will be a critical part of Nashville's evolution and our ability to lure people from all demographics that will make us a competitive Southern city for decades to come. I'm already seeing outsiders complain that Nashville doesn't have much appeal for anyone not into country music or White millennial hipster-types. Of course, I feel different as a native who has a must different perspective growing up inside this city, leaving for a bit, then watching it evolve. However, I fear that this is the perception of many who are not well-acquainted with Nashville. I also do not feel that the city is currently doing quite enough to project a more inclusive image since it's really just recently figured out how to truly use its heritage as an asset within this last decade or so.

We can keep Lower Broadway authentic, have a booming tourism industry and still have a downtown that more representative of all of Nashvillians. We're slowly seeing an evolution on Fifth Avenue and I'm very intrigued by the potential there and elsewhere once we reclaim some of the older buildings that have been under-utilized for decades. What I don't want to see happen is an obsessive focus on propelling the country music tourism industry downtown to the exclusion of everything else. I think we're already seeing that a bit on Second Avenue which feels more like an extension of Lower Broadway than it did a decade ago to me with less diversity of interests despite more activity. This is another reason why I think the redevelopment of the old Nashville convention center will be crucial and I have my fingers crossed it happens as planned.

Agree.    This is why the proposed Museum of African American Music, as part of the old CC redevelopment, will be such a big deal for Nashville and downtown.    It will attract a more diverse type of visitor.    

[Paramount747]

I walk downtown almost every night, and I see many people of many diverse backgrounds enjoying downtown. My only concern is the Trail West Building fiasco. Don't get me going on that!

[titanhog]

I'll tell ya...I did the Uber thing for a few months...picking up people at the airport and almost always taking them downtown...and I have to say, a great deal of them were not country music fans.  They just wanted to experience our wild downtown.  I would drop them off in the middle of it and their eyes would be as big as saucers.  Plus...when hockey or football is going on, the crowd is a wonderful mix.  Remember also the Bridgestone Arena has a lot of concerts of every genre...so it's a little more diverse (at times).

Let's not forget that the "country music" part is only a few blocks.  There's still a lot of area to be had if someone wants to diversify that area...but it will not happen overnight...just like LoBro has taken decades to evolve into what it is now.

[MLBrumby]

OMG!!!  Someone complains about Lower Broadway being too crowded?!?!? And people chime in support... absurd.  When I was at Vandy just a bit more than twenty years ago, it was dead... in fact (aside from a small sliver of 2nd) the whole downtown was dead after dark.  As to it being inhospitable to people who live there... people actually choose to live there.  What happened to the old saying "to each his own"?  Someone decries that now it's "Bourbon Street"... another "not diverse".  People don't know it's a tourist trap?  Geesh. here's some advice... DON'T GO THERE!  You can practice the immortal words of the late great Yogi Berra about not going there because it's always too crowded. How many other cities outside of New Orleans, Austin, NYC, Chicago, and a few others would love to have a bustling entertainment district and reap all the tax dollars that come with it?  Atlanta tried to build something like that in Underground... twice... and failed both times.  I suppose there was plenty of diversity there. And just to be clear, will whoever uses the term "diversity/diverse" please elaborate as to what you mean... like not enough Korean restaurants or Birkenstock stores?

[nashwatcher]

https://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2015/9/23/california_company_buys_iconic_lc_tower

 

L & C Tower

[tragenvol]

OMG!!!  Someone complains about Lower Broadway being too crowded?!?!? And people chime in support... absurd.  When I was at Vandy just a bit more than twenty years ago, it was dead... in fact (aside from a small sliver of 2nd) the whole downtown was dead after dark.  As to it being inhospitable to people who live there... people actually choose to live there.  What happened to the old saying "to each his own"?  Someone decries that now it's "Bourbon Street"... another "not diverse".  People don't know it's a tourist trap?  Geesh. here's some advice... DON'T GO THERE!  You can practice the immortal words of the late great Yogi Berra about not going there because it's always too crowded. How many other cities outside of New Orleans, Austin, NYC, Chicago, and a few others would love to have a bustling entertainment district and reap all the tax dollars that come with it?  Atlanta tried to build something like that in Underground... twice... and failed both times.  I suppose there was plenty of diversity there. And just to be clear, will whoever uses the term "diversity/diverse" please elaborate as to what you mean... like not enough Korean restaurants or Birkenstock stores?

Agree....it appears that the OP was referring to diverse peoples and a bit disgruntled....it as well appears this person went to a tourist trap full of honky tonks which is what LoBro is.....Nashville is a very diverse city, but no one goes to Lower Broadway for diverse attractions.

[Guest]

I will try not to step-in 'it', but diverse can also be problematic. As a downtown resident, I am not blind to the occasional bar fights, litter, and other socially maladjusted behaviors that occur on lower Broadway. I fully-support any piano bar, jazz club, lounge singer, indie-band, and, singer-songwriter venues that might pop-up as the new developments unfurl, but please keep the hip-hop and under 21 dance venues as far away from my door-step as possible.... most of those clubs attract an element that is TROUBLE ... be it white, black, or other.

[donNdonelson2]

Lower Broad is VERY diverse! Both kinds of music are represented--country AND western!

[memphian]

The good thing about Nashville is that downtown is expanding and each expansion offers a bit of a unique vibe - a new neighborhood with character just waiting to be discovered. It is only going to get better.