FLIP + CHING

Delta Atrium at Gaylord Opryland

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Ching under Travel.

Here’s a photo of Brian drinking coffee in our balcony.

There are orchids everywhere. This one was right below our room.

One of the amazing waterfalls in the Delta Atrium.

Posing with the horses.

The lighting isn’t great, but I love this photo.

This is a photo of that fountain that I posed in front of in the previous photo.

One of the smaller waterfalls.

The Delta fountain show is not to be missed.

Brian.

A photo of me in front of one of the larger waterfalls.

I can’t decide which I like better, the Garden Conservatory or the Delta Atrium.

Alright. This is the final installment of the photos from Memorial weekend or Brian’s early birthday celebration at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. You guys are pretty much caught up. Until next time!

If you’re staying at Gaylord Opryland and are craving some delicious pastries, head over to Conservatory Cafe. That’s where I got my chocolate croissants that one day that I didn’t feel like spending $50 on breakfast. Their chocolate croissants are pretty good, but not quite as good as the ones they serve at Couples. It hit the spot, though. Does anyone know where we can get good chocolate croissants here?

Comment on This

Our Night at the Opry

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Ching under Travel.

The problem with giving someone their birthday present early is that by the time their birthday rolls around, they’ve already forgotten that you’ve already given them their gift. Apparently, taking him to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN and putting him up at a luxurious resort isn’t enough. I still owe Brian dinner and a birthday movie next weekend. LOL. Perhaps I should have booked our stay at a Super 8.

Anyway, here are some more pictures from our night at the Opry.

Little Jimmy Dickens performed and also hosted the first segment of the show.

Jimmy Newman performed next, followed by Greg Bates.

I really liked Greg Bates. He is not only talented, but he is also good looking.

We had great seats. I thought so, anyway. Of course, I bought the tickets months in advance. But that’s because I’m crazy and always do things ahead of time.

Little Jimmy Dickens did a great job of hosting. I hope I’m as sharp as him when I’m his age (91). He’s quite an entertainer.

The next segment was hosted by Mike Snider, who was hilarious!

The Opry House was packed that night.

I believe this is Jim Ed Brown. Honestly, I had no idea who these people were until last weekend. Neither Brian nor I are fans of country music. We are fans of the Grand Ole Opry, though. They could play anything in that auditorium (even Pants on the Ground, Pants on the Ground, Lookin’ like a Fool with your Pants on the Ground) and it would sound amazing. LOL.

Jason Crabb.

Here are some more pictures of me and Brian.

Jeannine Sealy hosted the next segment.

The Whites.

I really liked The Grascals. I think it’s because their style is more like folk music and bluegrass. While I don’t like country music that much, I actually like bluegrass. I loved the “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack.

The Riders in the Sky were really funny too.

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press.

Rascal Flatts.

I should have gotten up to the stage to take better photos, except almost everyone got up there as soon as Rascal Flatts started performing. They were supposed to take a photo and then go back to their seats, but these people never left.

I found this program in my purse the next day while we were waiting for our flight home at the Nashville airport. I’m so glad that I took a photo of it because I never would have remembered who all the performers were. Not being country music fans, they were all unfamiliar to both Brian and me. The only name we recognized in our line up was Rascal Flatts.

Rascal Flatts put on a really good show. It’s a shame that they only did three songs. I would love to watch them perform the rest of their songs, specially the more mainstream ones, in concert some day.

1 Comment

My First Restaurant Review for the Dining Panel

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink.

I feel so legit. I’m not talking to air anymore, which is sometimes how I feel whenever I blog here. LOL. And, no. You, dear reader, are not chopped liver. Most of the time I only have an audience of five, though. This dining panel thing is kind of fun.

Guess what. Since the Wichita Eagle published my review of Thai House (June 3, Sunday edition, Arts & Leisure, page 5C), I am now bonafide. Thank you so much to Denise Neil for giving me the opportunity to be part of the dining panel. Thanks for giving me a chance to stick my tongue out at all those people who kept making fun of me for taking pictures of everything I eat. So there!

In case you missed it, here are some photos…

2 Comments

Backstage Tour of the Opry

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Ching under Life.

I’m really grateful for Carmen because if it weren’t for her I never would have had the opportunity to check out the Grand Ole Opry. It didn’t even occur to me to go. I’m glad that she asked me. I had no idea what I was missing out.

Brian was jealous when he found that we were going to a show. I promised to take him to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry for his birthday this year, so that’s what we did last weekend. The one thing that Carmen and I didn’t get to do last year was the backstage tour. Our travel schedule was really tight though, and we could barely squeeze in the show as it was.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the tour…

A photo of the empty auditorium.

This is the artists’ entrance.

The funniest part about this next photo is that as soon as I did it, a bunch of people from our tour group wanted to take the exact same photo. I’m such a trendsetter! LOL.

The most significant part about this circle is that it was a section of floor that was carved out of the original Opry House so that the present-day performer is standing on the same floor that other Country Music performers of the past have stood on.