25 Best Adventure Authors by Men's Journal

25. Maurice Herzog
24. Sir Richard Burton
23. Joe Kane
22. Wilfred Thesiger
21. Peter Beard
20. Ryszard Kapuscinski
19. Thor Heyerdahl
18. Joe Simpson
17. Heinrich Harrer
16. Tim Cahill
15. Richmond P. Hobson Jr.
14. Peter Matthiessen
13. F.A. Worsley
12. Lewis and Clark
11. Cormac McCarthy
10. Joseph Conrad
9. Zane Grey
8. Antoine de Saint-Exupery
7. Jack London
6. Jon Krakauer
5. Joshua Slocum
4. Apsley Cherry-Garrard
3. Redmond O'Hanlon
2. Ernest Hemingway


1. Theodore Roosevelt

This comes from the Men's Journal: May 2006.

Restaurant of the Week- Batter'd and Fried

Batter'd and Fried
1008 Woodland St.
Nashville, TN 37206
615-226-9283



Lunch
Daily 11:00 am - 4:30 pm

Dinner
Sunday - Thurday 4:30 - 9:30 pm
Friday & Saturday 4:30 - 11:30 pm

Late Night Bar open till Midnight & Sundays 'till 9:30 pm







Wave Sushi Bar
Open
Monday - Friday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Monday - Thursday 5:00 - 11:00 pm
Friday - 5:00 - 11:30 pm & Saturday 11:00 am - 11:30 pm
Sunday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Starwood is Gone and Here Comes the New

A place where millions of musical memories were made will become a site for shops, restaurants and about 250 families.

Vastland-Starwood Development LLC said Wednesday it plans to turn the former site of Starwood Amphitheatre into a $100 million retail-residential development called Starwood Commons.



Demolition of the amphitheater is under way in Antioch. Los Angeles-based concert promoter Live Nation closed the 22-year-old venue in February. Vastland Realty Group, a Nashville firm, bought it for $4.2 million in April.

Vastland said it would build about 350,000 square feet of retail space and about 250 units of townhomes on the 65.1-acre site. The two-story townhomes with garages would sell for about $150,000 each.


Read the full article in the Tennessean newspaper,

Holiday Inn Changing to be Competive Again

by Joe Sharkey



The early years of Holiday Inn, when it defined the middle-class Eisenhower-era version of the open road — consistent, safe, clean and as reassuring as the new Interstate System itself. Later, the highways were still dotted with those huge blazing neon-festooned Holiday Inn signs, which always looked to me as if they fell off a truck on their way to Las Vegas. But by the 1980s, the signs were flashing a different message: inconsistent, indifferent, left behind on the wrong side of the interchange.



The so-called Great Sign was abandoned in 1982 in favor of less ostentatious displays. In recent years, Holiday Inn, now owned by InterContinental Hotels Group of London, has recovered from its decline and is expanding aggressively. There are now more than 3,100, including over 500 abroad.

Quietly, the hotel chain has been weeding out underperforming properties. “We were removing 100 to 150 hotels a year,” mostly older properties in the Unites States that “for a variety of reasons weren’t living up to expectations,” said Stevan D. Porter, the president of the Americas division of InterContinental. Hotels that lose their brand license often affiliate with other chains or become independent.



“Baby boomers and older Gen-Xers have an emotional connection” to the brand, he said. “For many people, it might evoke the first time they were ever in a hotel swimming pool, for example. This is a way to recapture that connection” while broadening the appeal, he added.


Read the entire article in the New York Times.

Kids Eat Free at Nashville Airport Marriott

Family vacations will never be the same again, once parents see how much money they save when kids eat free at the Nashville Airport Marriott.

Enjoy quality time together at the Marriott Nashville Airport Hotel with the Family Time Vacation Package. Children grow up so fast, so make memories that will last a life time and savor every moment with the little ones.

Visit the Nashville Zoo, the legendary Country Music Hall of Fame, Adventure Science Museum which boasts hands-on interactive activities and Nashville Shores which features a fun-filled water park as well as a putt-putt course. There is never a lack of things to do in Nashville, and all in close proximity to the Nashville, Tennessee airport hotel.

The Family Time Nashville Vacation Package includes:

• Standard guestroom with one king or two double beds
• Free meals in our 2 Rivers Grille restaurant for up to four children, ages 12 and under
• Valid for breakfast, lunch and dinner* (children's menu)
• Prices from $119 - $179 per night

Read more about this offer at PRWeb.

Book of the Week: New Day Revolution

New Day Revolution shows you how small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference. Next time you throw out the juice carton, take five seconds to compact it and save space in the landfill, or grab an extra box of crayons for your local school when you buy a box for your child. For people who feel they have little time, this first book from the duo that launched CoolPeopleCare.org gives helpful hints, practical tips, and step by step instructions on how to make a big difference in the local community and the world at-large with whatever time you have. We can't all be Jack Bauer, running down bad guys and defusing bombs - but we can all make an impact where we are with what we've got.

Visit New Day Revolution to find out more.

Lady Antebellum: Songwriters Find Chemistry as Performers

There's a tried-and-true adage in Nashville that it all begins with a song. In the case of new Capitol Records Nashville trio Lady Antebellum, it began with several.

It was music that brought Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood together. Well, music and some flirtation.

Scott is the daughter of Grammy Award-winning artist Linda Davis, who is best known for her duet with Reba McEntire, "Does He Love You." She and husband Lang Scott were part of McEntire's band until 2000. While still in high school, Hillary Scott joined the family Christmas show at Nashville's Opryland Hotel and was instantly hooked. She remembers thinking, "This is really what I want to do for a living."



Charles Kelley -- the younger brother of pop artist Josh Kelley -- and Haywood attended middle school and high school together in Augusta, Ga. At the University of Georgia, where they both studied finance, they began collaborating on songs.

At the urging of his brother, Kelley moved to Nashville after graduation, and Haywood followed a year later. "We didn't really know what was going to happen, but we knew we wanted to write music and see where it took us," Kelley said.

With the guidance of award-winning singer/songwriter Victoria Shaw, Scott drew attention as a solo artist. But a major-label deal fell through in March 2006, coincidentally around the same time Haywood moved to town.

Lady Antebellum's debut album is tentatively scheduled for a spring 2008 release. The band's diverse influences, which range from the Allman Brothers to Keith Urban to Gladys Knight, have resulted in a record that at once conjures classic country, soulful R&B and a singer/songwriter vibe. "It's like a Neapolitan blend of all these flavors," Haywood said.

Read the entire story at Reuters.

Inspection Scores Don't Tell All

When you go into a restaurant, how often do you look at the inspection score on the wall? A lot of people like to know how clean a restaurant is before they eat there. But a NewsChannel 5 investigation found that posted score may not tell you everything you should know. Consumer Investigator Jennifer Kraus discovered why.

Restaurant inspection scores may seem like a good way to judge how clean a restaurant is and a good indicator of where to eat and where not to eat.

Here's how that can make a difference: If a restaurant fails an inspection, the state gives it a second chance. The restaurant knows the inspectors are coming back; therefore, usually will get a higher score, and that's the score that the restaurant gets to leave up for the next six months.

Ronnie Hart, the head of the Tennessee Restaurant Association, said, "We thought that was only fair." Hart goes on to say, "We can have a bad day."

Restaurant owners said the low scores should come down when they correct the problems.

Visit NewsChannel5 to read the entire article.

New York's Famous "Serendipity 3" has Been Closed by the Health Inspector

While serendipity may be the art of finding pleasant things by chance, what health inspectors found at celebrated eatery Serendipity 3 was not very agreeable.

Officials closed the restaurant Wednesday night after it failed its second inspection in a month. An inspector spotted a live mouse and mouse droppings, fruit flies, house flies and more than 100 live cockroaches.



People stand in line for hours outside the Manhattan restaurant, known for its extravagant and expensive desserts. Its $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate features top-grade cocoa, edible gold and shavings of a luxury truffle and was declared the most expensive dessert in the world by Guinness World Records. The eatery also offers a $1,000 sundae named Golden Opulence requiring 48-hour advance notice.

Read the entire story in the USA Today.

Concert for Coats at the Violin Shop

The Violin Shop
220 Old Hickory Blvd
Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 662-1570

Lunch buffet week of November 19, 20, 21 & 23

Entrees
Oven Roasted Chicken with Wild Mushroom Dijon Sauce
Grill Pork Loin with Chipotle
TeriyakiSeafood Medley with a Spicy Tomato Broth

Vegetables
Steamed Vegetable Medley
Sautéed Peas and Carrots
Southwestern Black Bean Cakes
PastasPenne tossed with Ricotta & Pesto Arugula Cream
Vegetarian Lasagna

Rice & Potatoes
Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Rice Pilaf
Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Salads, etc.
Caper Egg Salad
Pesto Bowtie Pasta Salad
Barley & Garbanzo Salad
Carrot & Chicken Salad
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Caesar Salad

Fresh Fruit

Soup du Jour

• Bonus dish: Mozzarella Florentine Fondue •

Some Music in Nashville This Week

Feist at the Ryman - November 21

The Reverend Horton Heat with Hank III at the Cannery Ballroom - November 21

Highway 101 at the Wildhorse Saloon - November 23

Banjo Demonstration with Leroy Troy at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - November 25

Nashville Events this Week

Thanksgiving Feast at the Hilton
Thursday, Nov 22.
Hilton Nashville Downtown.
121 4th Avenue South.
620-2178.
11 am - 3 pm. A bountiful feast featuring traditional favorites and a special children's buffet.
Adults, $29.95 and children, $9.95.
Call 620-2178 for reservations.

Thanksgiving Dinner at The Palm
Thursday, November 22
The Palm Restaurant
140 5th Avenue South
742-7256
4 pm - 11 pm
The Palm will be open on Thanksgiving evening serving the classic a la carte menu. Traditional Thanksgiving meals are $35 for adults and $17 for children.

Dynamic Irish Musical Group Anúna at TPAC
Friday, November 23
TPAC's Jackson Hall
255-2787
8 pm
$22.50 - $42.50
Anúna, an Irish musical group comprised of 16 world-class singers, performs at TPAC this Friday night.

Nashville Chamber Orchestra's Thanksgiving Celebration: Songs in the Key of Life
Friday, November 23 and Saturday, November 24
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
One Symphony Place
322-1226. 8 pm
$29 - $69
Traditional gospel, jazz and classical works shape the annual Thanksgiving Celebration featuring the Nashville Chamber Orchestra with Jonell Mosser, Odessa Settles, Scat Springs and Todd Suttles with the NCO Gospel Choir. Also featuring instrumental soloists Jeff Coffin, David Davidson, Alexander Fedoriouk, John Jorgenson and Tracy Silverman on world premieres, R&B and gypsy jazz.

"Tis' the Season of Giving" Event at Morton's
Monday, November 26
Morton's The Steakhouse
618 Church Street
259-4558
5 - 7 pm
Free.
All downtown employees are invited to bring an unwrapped gift for a girl or boy. In exchange, receive complimentary drinks and appetizers. RSVP to 259-4558 or cm.mna@mortons.com and indicate the downtown business with which you are affiliated.

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum's Inaugural Awards Show
Monday, November 26
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
One Symphony Place
7:30 pm
$50 - $125
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum honors talented musicians who played on the greatest recordings of all time. 2007 inductees who will also perform include The Blue Moon Boys, The Funk Brothers, The Memphis Boys, The Nashville A-Team, The Tennessee Two and The Wrecking Crew. In addition to the inductees, the following musicians perform: Garth Brooks, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Peter Frampton, John Carter Cash, Roger McGuinn and B.J. Thomas. Hosted by Creed Bratton (The Office) and Brenda Lee.

Nashville Restaurant Scores: November 21

HIGH SCORES:
Margo Café and Bar
1017 Woodland Street
Date Inspected: 11-16-07
Score: 94

Petro Chili and Chips
1000 Rivergate Pkwy
Date Inspected: 11-14-07
Score: 94

Quizno’s
919 Conference Drive
Date Inspected: 11-14-07
Score: 94

LOW SCORES:
No low scores for this week.

UPDATES:
No updates for this week.

12th & Porter closes again after backer pulls out

The 12th & Porter music club near the Gulch has closed its doors, its owners confirmed after Nashville artist management executive Frank Dileo issued a statement Friday saying he had dropped his financial backing.

The club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last spring.

Dileo's statement raises renewed concerns about the nightspot's future and whether it can emerge from its legal entanglements.

"I don't know, I guess we'll see," co-owner Jennifer Lee said when asked on Friday night whether the latest closing would be permanent.

Read the entire article in the Tennessean newspaper.