8/9/2023 – 8/14/2023
I was looking on the map to see what was around the area and found that one of my favorite cideries, B. Nektar, was in Detroit. Since it was only 120 miles away I figured that I’d check it out. It was not what I expected. The building was a warehouse, and when I walked in there was just a one room taproom with some tables. I was expecting a lot fancier, especially for how much they charge. They did have a projector with a SNES Mini hooked up, so that was cool.
After a while one of the Magic the Gathering clubs came in and were playing. I talked to the locals and played Super Mario World while trying a bunch of their ciders. At last call the bartender and her friends at the rail said they were going to a bar after they close and invited me.
I finished my drink and headed over to Second Base Pub. It was just a couple of blocks away. The Magic players were already there so I hung out with them until my new friends showed up. When they got there we played pool and hung out all night.
On the 11th I drove down to Nashville so I could see Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX. On my way there I ended up driving past Mammoth Cave National Park. I had some time before the movie so I stopped in. I again didn’t know what to expect. I found out that you needed a reservation to tour the caves. There weren’t any openings before I had to get to the movie so I just did the visitor center stuff. I’d like to come back and take a tour at some point.
I found out the theater was in the mall right next to the new Grand Ole Opry. I walked around that and checked out as much as I could. They had it sealed up pretty tight though. I finally got to the theater after trying to get a ticket at two other theaters and seven states.
About halfway through the movie the sound quit then started over from the beginning. They caught it after a few minutes and people went out to see what was going on. They came in and said that the rest of the move was cancelled. Everyone started moving to the front desk to get a refund. I asked about future showings and they said that other shows should be ok. I rebooked for Monday.
I hung out in Nashville for a few days bumming around and frolfing. On Monday the 14th I went back to the theater to see the movie again. I get to the door and there is a sign saying that because of audio issues all showings are cancelled. I once again get a refund and ask when it will be fixed. Since there are so few projectors and techs in the world they couldn’t say when it would be fixed.
On the way to Nashville my brakes started grinding. I finally had some time to call around for estimates. One of the places said come in for an estimate. I drive there and they said yea we cant get you in for at least a day. I hate places that do that. I called a few more places and then settled on Link Automotive Services. They could get me in right away in the morning so I had some time to kill.
The Black Abbey Brewing Company sounded pretty good so I went over there to check out their selection of beer. I found out they were having trivia that night and decided to hang out for that. I joined a couple and we did pretty well until the last round.
I drove back to Link’s to spend the night. While sitting in the van I found a good seat for Oppenheimer at the IMAX in Atlanta, GA. I booked that and tried to get to sleep for my early morning.