Monday, August 2, 2010
Phillips / Around Town The Downtown Greenway: A Review
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 11:39 AM
- Timothy Demonbreun. Is it hot in here or just me?
Location: Downtown, right along the river
Size of Park: Large
Crowds: Medium
Approximate Age of Patrons: All ages
Topics of Conversation: "They have bags, why don't you poop?"
Stray Dogs Seen: None
Types of Vehicles in Parking Lots: You park on the street
Perceived Safety: High, lots of police
Number of Gunshots Heard: None
Dog Friendliness: Pretty high. They have bags, if your dog deigns to poop.
Number of pitbulls sighted: One
Accessibility: Pretty good
Incorporation of Local History: Very, very good
Recommended Patrons: River buffs, history buffs, fort fans
- Does it look like dude has a mohawk?
I hadn't ever done it before.
And it's really nice. First, weirdly, downtown smelled fantastic. There was a light flowery scent in the air, and it was really lovely. Then there was a barge on the river and the General Jackson was docked. So, the views were great. And that part of downtown, with the old buildings and the old cobblestone streets is just really beautiful.
I'm going to have to call shenanigans on this story, though, after visiting downtown. About Fort Nashboro, WSMV says, "It's unknown if the current location is historically accurate." But the historical marker at Fort Nashboro makes it clear that the current location is not historically accurate and that the real fort was to the north. Anyway, the fort is fun and cool to poke around.
And there are statues of old Nashville men! While Robertson and Donelson look a little cartoonish, my history-boyfriend Timothy Demonbreun is smoking hot. It's little wonder he had no trouble filling his bed while poor Therese was kidnapped by Indians. I also think it's kind of a hoot to see all the different ways his descendants render their last names in the bricks at his feet.
This brings me to my slightly feminist grouch. If slightly feminist grouches offend you, please skip to the next paragraph. If you go to the Downtown Greenway, you will see Demonbreun and Robertson and Donelson, all represented in metal. If you read the sign, it just says that "settlers" drove off Indians during the Battle of the Bluffs, but who was it? Who was it really that saved this town when it was just a baby?
- We do have a very charming downtown.
Some dudes make it some place and they get statues. A woman risks her neck to save the men, thinks quick to unleash the dogs, and wins the day? She gets commemorated as "settlers."
Charlotte Reeves Robertson.
That was her name.
She could have a statue, too.
Anyway, the park is lovely. It's a place I pass through or by often enough, but not a place I stop to enjoy. That's a shame. It's very lovely.
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