so bruce is coming to you town.......

[dari]

(sorry but this is all very hypothetical)

...by himself and, for some unknown reason, you've been chosen to pick him up at the aiport at 9 am for the whole day and show him around. the only thing that's important to him is that he sees something of the highlights that you select and that he ends up in a cool local bar preferably with music seeing the locals who haven't made it yet play live......

the rest is up to you. where do you go, where do you eat, and what do you show him? most importantly where's that bar and who is that band you're gonna show him...and what do you tell him about your hometown and yourself if you are able to actually form words.....


dari

p.s. damn..i hate it when they won't let you edit the subject line!!!!



[Edited by dari on August 15th, 2001 at 07:02 AM]

[billy in LI]

Dari;

Well, I am NOT really a wordsmith, and there would be only 1 place I would want to take Bruce.

After picking him up(Terry too), the first place that we would go to would be........

The Patrolman Benevolent Association(PBA) offices down on Fulton Street in Manhattan. I would make sure that PBA President Patrick Lynch had a meeting with Bruce, and FINALLY realized that Bruce wasnt out to offend any policeman when he wrote American Skin. . Mr Lynch would then quickly hold a press conference(like he did last year to denounce Bruce) to offer his apologies to Bruce and the rest of his fans.

Afterwards the rest of the day would be just gravy. Maybe we would head uptown to a BBQ restaurant/bar called Brother Jimmy's. There we would have some good BBQ food, and of course a couple of cold beers.

Then, since I really dont like the music scene here in my area, I would drive down to the Stone Pony and Boccigalpue would be playing. There Bruce would jump up on stage and Boccigalupe & Bruce would jam into the wee wee hours.

The most important thing I would want to reveal to Bruce is of course my love for my family, my job, and my extended family. I would want to let Bruce know that we(LD)are just an extension of Bruce and we would do anything in our collective powers for anyone or anything.

I realize it might not be the most exciting day for Bruce & Terry, but you know what......I think that they both might enjoy the low key day.


Well here's hoping that this happens someday

ALOHA!!!!!!!


Billy

[KirkW]

Well as my town has only 500 residents or so the tour would not last long. I would probably roll down the windows and take us for a drive around the countryside. Eventually I would take him to the Law School here in town if he wanted to sit in on some classes. Otherwise we'd hit my favorite swimming hole and hang out on the banks of the White River. There is only one bar in town so that would be pretty eay to figure out where to go. I have a friend who polays in a band and does acoustic shows as well. He borrowed my copy of Asbury Nights so he could learn Red Headed Woman. I'd tip him off and arrange for him to play.

[Madame Marie]

Hey Dari!

I've had this dream several times - I suppose I shall post the clean version here ;)

Pick Bruce up at Liverpool Airport, go down to Albert Dock (by the river Mersey)grab a coffee & look out onto water(even though its digustingly dirty- I think it may be seen through rose tinted glasses on that day ;)), have a wander through the business part of town with all the old architecture. Stroll down Matthew St, call at a couple of the bars. Finish in Flannagans, a GREAT Irish bar which usually has live music, embarassingly for me I don't really follow the local bands (even though I probably should) so I can't say which band exactly.

What would we talk about....... hmmm thats a toughie, I would hope to just have a "normal" conversation about things that we saw on that day, I would like to tell Bruce that he alone inspired me to read Grapes of Wrath, which then led me to read the rest of John Steinbecks novels (shame GOTJ wasn't out when I was doing my history A level - my history teacher could never motivate me to read Grapes!)

Oh by the way, when we got to Flannagans ALL of my friends & family (except possibly Howard;)!) would be there & I would be very cool & introduce Bruce, they would be on their best behaviour & not intrude....

Saved by the bell from any more ramblings - my sister just got here.. thanks Dari for allowing me to take 10 minutes out of my hectic life to dream.. :)

[Nicki]

I can tell this is gonna be a great thread, dari - thanks!
I figured I'd better get my post in early, before LJK takes Bruce to all the cool places in the Twin Cities . . .

When I pick Bruce up at the airport, I will - of course- be wearing my dari original Thunder Road T-shirt (so as to distinguish myself from all the other middle-aged women in Minnesota). Figuring he'd like a little exercise after the plane trip, I'd take him for a walk by the Mississppi River in the scenic/historic (I sound like
a tourism ad!) Stone Arch Bridge district near downtown. Of course this would have to be in the summer - no one wants to come here in winter except the intrepid California women who made the trip in November '99 - you know who you are!

Lunch would be at a sidewalk cafe by the river, followed by a trip to Sonny's Ice Cream (best in the world) near my modest but charming south Minneapolis home. I hope we'd have time for a beer or two at the homestead so Bruce could meet Mr. Nicki & my stepson Matt (appreciative but not the fanatic I am)

The it would be on to outdoor baseball - I know Bruce is a fan- we'd see the minor league St. Paul Saints whose games are enlivened by wacky stunts and a genereal laid-back good time.

We'd finish the evening with a trip to the bar Archie's Bunker to see the local band Mick Sterling & the Stud Brothers Horns (I am not making these names up - honest!) We saw Mr. Sterling at an outdoor festival last weekend, and whether he caught the Reunion tour in the Twin Cities or he's been studying the HBO special - there were definitely some Springsteen-esque moments. He stops mid-song to ask, Do you believe in the blues? Do you believe in soul? Do you believe in rock'n'roll? He climbs up onto a bank of speakers for one song (no t-shirt wringing, though). In general, he has lots of eneergy, a good sense of humor, good rapport with the band, and he can get a crowd up on its feet fast. All reminiscent of our hero - I wonder what Bruce would think and I bet he'd get a kick out of this high-energy show (the material is more R&B than pure rock, though) Another simialrity is that Sterling does a yearly benefit for a children's charity, Camp Heartland. Maybe Bruce could join the band onstage for a song and give a pitch for everyone to help out!

Sorry to have gone on so long - it all seemed so real while I was typing . . . i just hope there's time for one more Sonny's ice cream cone on the way back to the airport.

[BruceNut]

Dear Dari this one`s easy as I to have had many a dream.
Pick "him" up at Islip/McArthur airport. Torture him by asking if his life insurance is up to date as I drive directly from my wheelchair. The van is all setup cool. Then take him all over Lake Ronkonkoma stoping at the Lake of course. It has many Indian tales and is the largest body of fresh water on Long Island.Then I`d show him the North shore(beaches are rocky and face connecticut)then swing past the Hamptons and not stay there long as its to snobby.
Then swing past the South shore(atlantic ocean sandy beaches)and stop at one of the many ferries that go over to Fire Island and take one over.20 minute ride. This part of the Island consists of 23 seperate communities. Each one unique.Im not sure we would go to Cherry Grove (gay community)but we would have a blast there Im sure! lmfao :)
Prolly hit Davis Park (family oriented) have a seafood dinner at "The Casino" right on the Atlantic ocean.Then get naked drunk listening to whatever local beach band was playing outside on the deck. Of course knowone would recognise him. Heres the best part. Scott would be up from you know where and would be waiting for us when we took the ferry back because we cant drive drunk. I'd give my left leg to see Scotts face when me and "him" got off the ferry. :) By now my camera will have broke from taking so many pictures. You know, him and me here, me and him there me and him eating, me and him peeing on the side of the road :) And just for mississippi2, a butt shot at said road stop :) Then back to the airport after 3 days of partying because Patty was screaming let him goooooooooo!



Mick

[LJK]

Nicki, that was pretty good, better than mine.
Again, as Nicki said, this has to be summer. I'd ask if he wanted to see a ball game, and take him to the Ford Little League field in St. Paul (6 blocks from where I grew up). Then lunch at the Pickled Parrot (probably the Eden Prairie one, because they have better chicken wings, but downtown has better fajitas...), maybe catch a movie at the Uptown and sit in the balcony, and then shopping at the Mall of America to pick up presents for the kids. As for conversation, I'd love to know what his favorite movies are and why, and what books he reads and which ones he has read more than once. And since I'll never have kids, I love to hear kid stories, they're pretty fun.
Oh, Nicki, Sonny's instead of Sebastian Joe's? Really?

[young again]

Y'know, I was giving this some serious thought, weighing the merits of a truly fantastical fantasy versus something that could really happen (once we accept the basic premise, of course), and I was just coming to grips with the fact that if Bruce ends up at a cool local bar it will probably be no fault of mine...

and then I read Bruce Nut's post, and gave up. Can't beat getting naked drunk and peeing on the side of the road!

[dari]

this is totally fantastic! i really feel like i have been to all of your cities and i love being along for the ride. don't know if i can compete with the peeing on the side of the road thing, but mickey if you want to have a pissing contest with bruce...hey it's your fantasy. :D all i can say is men can be so weird.......

dari

p.s. nicki...if i remember correctly, you guys were all in shorts in november anyway so would it matter if it was summer or winter? of course you will say that it was balmy 27 degrees but still....

[Nicki]

Hey LJK - let's go on an ice cream tour of the Twin Cities - we'll hit 'em all! I do love Sonny's though, it''s got to be about 19% butterfat -or at least it tastes that way.

You are so right about the Uptown Theater - the last film I saw there was Shadow of the Vampire. We always sit in the balcony. Maybe "when Bruce comes" Greenfields will be playing and we can all go.

When you go to the Mall, be sure to take Bruce to the birthplace of Lucky & Rosie.
All the best,
Nicki
P.S. dari - we must have been warmed by the spirit of Bruce - or something!

[Bustedsister]

...considering the hometown whch I grew up in is remarkably similar to Freehold, NJ, I would take him there to feel the kinship and to meet my old, forever high school sweetheart/first fellow Bruce fan, Dave. ;) Then, I'd take him for a ride to Revere Beach to show him the similarities to Asbury Park. We'd get a slice of pizza down the beach, and we'd be laughing and talking about food and family and history and I'd take him to visit another good friend, David, who has an art studio near the beach and is a great, funny person. At night, we'd go into Boston and eat down on the fish pier or at the famous historical restaurant that I worked at for a long, long time. (Then I could show off to the old family I left behind when I stopped working to have the kids.... ) After a few good drinks, I'd take Bruce to Wally's, a tiny, very cool blues/jazz "neighborhood bar" near Berklee College of Music to hear the local great homegrown musicians, or to MamaKin's on Lansdowne Street ( right across from Fenway Park ) which is owned by Aerosmith, to hear a local up and coming band or,,,, my favorite small watering hole, "Toad" in Cambridge, to hear another local singer/songwriter. Then we would walk down Mass. Ave. to one of Bruce's great leaping off points: Harvard Square. The coolest place in Massachusetts. Of course we'd call Belmar to meet us....



WELL IF DREAMS CAME TRUE, AWW WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE.....

[Bustedsister]

...oh yeah, did I mention that at some point we'd be going back to the airport to pick up Hidinonabksts, Brucegroupie, Piwi, and whoever else it was that was flying in for the day to spend with me and Bruce.... ;) I'll always share with you guys !!

[Fatman]

From the airport it's straight to the casino for some beers , then we do lunch at the River cafe followed by a tour of the 4,000 bars and mens galleries in the city, that should keep us busy for a month , forget all the usual touristy things. Brucey and fatman will find their own entertainment

[LJK]

I just realized that this is 9am. Can Bruce take a taxi to my place and read or play with my kitty while I get ready?
Nicki, I did try to make my dream of going to a movie with Bruce come true once. In Iowa, February 1981, we were talking for a few moments and I mentioned that since he had the next day off and they would be in Minneapolis the next day, perhaps we could take him to a movie. His reply was "Thanks but I'll be sleeping." Dang it!

[Edited by LJK on August 15th, 2001 at 11:15 PM]

[young again]

OK, here goes. G-rated and semi-realistic, none of the frothy nonsense I usually spam this place with...

I live in NJ so he wouldn't have to fly, I could pick him up at the Greyhound station, LOL! We could start off with breakfast at a diner - we'd sit at the counter and chat with the waitress and other customers. For my own sanity I'd include a kid-involved activity to help us get to know each other in a situation where we would have something in common. So after breakfast we pick up some subset of our kids, head to the park by my house and take a walk in the woods by the river. Then we could ditch the kids and head into the historical part of Philly. I like to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall from time to time over the years and I think the setting would make for good conversation. Then we could spend a voluptuous couple of hours grazing our way through Reading Terminal Market (hey, I gotta find some way for us to indulge our appetites together, and wouldn't it be fun if Bruce turned out to be a "foodie?"). As far as the evening... I haven't gone to local bars in years so I'll leave it up to Bruce to find us somewhere cool to hang out, have a few beers, and hear some music! Late in the evening Bruce sits in with the band for a couple of tunes... and next time I go grocery shopping I see a photo of Bruce and me on the cover of the National Enquirer! (As part of the fantasy I have better hair, wardrobe, and muscle tone of course.)


[Edited by young again on August 16th, 2001 at 08:45 AM]

[Flamingo Lane]

Since I live at the Jersey Shore.... I pick him up at his house. Off we would go in my Outback. I know he likes to fish and so do I so I would get my father to take us out for a day of tuna or bass fishing. I would hire a chef to cook up our fresh catch on board, and discussion would be about anything that came to mind (Yeah, Right.... Like I would really be thinking ANYTHING of substance with Bruce on my father's boat!!!).

After returning to the dock in Brielle, we would wait at the "Sandbar" and have a couple of beers while mt dad filets the rest of the fish for us. Then it is off to my house in Belmar for a quick shower and OK I guess I have to introduce him to Mr. FL and the little Flamingo.

After that we go to the Stone Pony to hear Nils, John Eddie and Joe D'urso where of course the spirit moves him and he jumps onstage and grabs a tambourine for me and a guitar for himself and we play a few tunes.

Finally, after Patti has called him 20 times on the cell phone, I drive him slowly home up the coast and run out of gas (sure)up in Sandy Hook. He gets out like a gentleman and checks under the hood and I deftly remove the battery from the dam phone!!!

POOF!!!!!!! Darn, I woke up. LOL
FL

[piwi]

I love this thread, too. I hope you're interested in Germany a bit - this will be a long one :)

It's may here in the north of Germany. I'll pick up Bruce at the airport in Hamburg, we have to drive about one and a half hour to the north to come to my home region. We drive through a great countryside onto a small peninsula - water left and right. There's a huge bridge to an island called Fehmarn and behind that island, the next coast is Denmark. At the bridge we meet the father-in-law from a work mate who has the keys for the bridge ( http://www.fehmarn-aktuell.de/ ). We climb up the big bow over the bridge on a small platform and can look around: fields: one half green the other yellow (rape), the blue water from the Baltic Sea everywhere, white sailing boats. Oh - I forgot one thing: we need a driver. It's 11 am and we drink the first beers up on the bridge.

After that we're going to the beach. A natural beach, no houses, no shops, nothing. At this time of the year there are only some locals no tourists. The water is very cold, just a short bath and then some more beers while playing backgammon. In the afternoon we drive to the village where I grew up. We go to the boardwalk at the beach which is packed with tourists. There's one spot where all the locals meet. Only one beer and a short look for Bruce so he can see where I hang around often ( http://www.strandidyll.de/livecam/ ).

Then it's time for a meal. We go to the "Aalscheune" a fish restaurant. A fisherman sells very tasty fish in an old barn. The next stop is in my hometown, not much to see, just a look around in the park, the castle and my apartment.

On our way back to Hamburg is a town called Luebeck which is famous for the old city (founded 1143), the marmelade (Schwartau extra, you can find it sometimes in the US in shops which import from Germany, their label shows the silhouette from Luebeck) and the marzipan. This town is world heritage (announced by the UNESCO, http://www.unesco-welterbe.de/de2/luebeck.htm ). We make a short sightseeing tour: the seven towers, the city gate with torture rooms, the main church, the city hall etc. Dinner in a student bar.

We have to hurry then to be in Hamburg again in time for a soccer game. A small soccer team is now playing first league: St. Pauli. They're very uncommon: political correct fans, sponsor is Jack Daniels, low budget, small old stadium but lots of fun. The stadium is located at the red
district from Hamburg which is called Reeperbahn or Kiez (slang). In the last 20 years this area changed a lot. Now it's a perfect mixture between red light, sex shops, normal bars and clubs, theaters. Many years ago the Beatles made their first gigs and became famous in the "Starclub", which
was located there. The Reeperbahn is the place to be at night if you're ever in Hamburg. We start to celebrate the victory from St. Pauli in a bar called La Paloma. They have big windows and you can see outside girls offering themselves or boys offering dope (BTW - no reason to be worried, it's safe there, I never had any problems. Germanys most famous police station is in the middle of all). We walk around and watch all the crazy people, laugh about the stuff in the sex shops, we're just drunken and have some fun. Perhaps there is a rock night or a concert in one of the clubs. Perhaps we play some pool. In the early morning at perhaps 4 am it's time to go to the "Prinzenbar". This is a bar over the club where I saw my first real rock concert. It's all in gold, with big chandeliers. We're relaxing on the sofa with - guess what ;) - some beers, talking silly things, saying goodbye because Bruce has to catch his flight at 7 am back to New
Jersey.

Hours later I wake up with a bad, bad hangover and can't remember anymore if it was a dream (like so often ;) ) or reality. I decide not to talk about it and to leave this memory in my heart - don't care if it happened or not.


[Edited by piwi on August 16th, 2001 at 01:07 PM]

[BruceNut]

that was GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRReat Piwi!

[piwi]

Thanks, Brucenut! I enjoyed your story, too :) Haven't seen you posting for some time.

Bustedsister: I thought long about sharing the day with you and other LDers. What would it look like if a crowd of us would be together at the Reeperbahn in Hamburg? Perfect! But I'm not sure if I will share the beer on the bridge with someone else like Bruce :D

[paiger]

Dari, this is a fantastic thread!!

Well, here's the Memphis angle:

I'd pick him up at the airport at 9:00 and go from there to a private tour of Graceland--I'd love to get his take on it!

After we did the Graceland thing, it would be about lunch. I'd take him to get good old Memphis Bar-B-Que and a beer.


From there, I'd take him to AutoZone Stadium for a Redbirds (St. Louis farm team) game. From there, we'd go to Beale St. and I'd take him to Elvis Presley's Memphis (Restaurant) for dinner and drinks. Also, we'd enjoy the house band, The Dempsey's. They are a fabulous rock-a-billy band!

From there, we'd head back to my house so he could tuck my kids in (make him feel at home--especially since I have an Evan James, too). Then, we'd just talk for a while!

Oh, what I'd give for this chance!!!

Paiger

[BruceNut]

you guys are makin me cry with all this kid talk :) ;) :) ;)

[teenage werewolf]

From the airport straight to the downtown police gym. Gotta get a work out in before we hit the town, besides there are quite of few Cleveland coppers who are big Bruce fans and odds are you'll probably hear a Bruce tune coming out of the sound system.

Next I would have to go get Silver,(he would hunt me down and kill me if I didn't let him in on the day) and head over to Murray Hill (Little Italy) which Bruce has mentioned in a few books. It is also a great time to visit The Hill because the 'Feast of the Assumption' is in full swing! Imagine one huge carnival with food to die for. We'd grab some lunch on one of the Italian sidewalk cafe's and have a little wine in the streets.

Then on to SouthEast Harley Davidson, it is one of the biggest and most nostalgic dealerships in the U.S. It also has a mini Rock and Roll museum complete with a acoustic guitar signed by the entire E St. Band. Time to grab some Harley merchandise and then back to downtown.

I use every political connection I have, and score box seats to tonights Indians, Twins baseball game at Jacobs Field. We can sit back, cram down a few hot dogs (with Cleveland's world famous stadium mustard) and watch the Tribe sweep the Twinkies.

Then we stroll down a few blocks to the Cleveland Chop House and Brewery, where you can find the biggest Porterhouse or the juiciest Filet in the city. And of course, order a few Pale Ale's to wash everything down.

And finally, back toward the Jake to Fat Fish Blue! This is where the "hep cats" hang. Listen to the Jimmi Dyson Blues Band, knock back a few more brews, shoot a little pool, until...

...Teenage Werewolf's Mom (huge fan) gets wind of this and shows up. She whacks me in the head for not calling her. She then procedes to embarrass me infront of my hero with the stories of my reckless and ignorant youth. Finally, the bar closes and Mom Werewolf invites us back to her house and insists that it would be no problem heating up some Polish Sausage and Kraut for a little late night snack.

I then pry Bruce from of my mother's spell and head back to the airport. Bruce looks and me and says "I though my mom was a trip, thanks for the day, see ya in the American League Championship Series when the Yanks face the Tribe."

TW

[NCBruce Fan]

There's not much to do in Raleigh-Durham, Bruce, but come anyway.

Ok, here it is. Me and the girl I'm currently dating pick Bruce up at RDU, then head into Chapel Hill for a few beers with the UNC students at any one of the bars along Franklin Street. From there, we head back into Durham for dinner at Satifactions Bar and Restaurant. Before we go in, I take Bruce past the old Durham ball field where Bull Durham was filmed. There's a big Darkness poster on the wall when you enter Satisfactions. The food isn't great, but they do occasionally play Bruce, and there's always sports on the TV. Then it's time to take a short walk over to the new Durham Bulls Athletic Park to catch a Bulls game. Of course, we knock back a few beers at the game too. Then it's completely up to Bruce, we could either go to Hillsborough Street in Raleigh and see what's up with the NC State scene, or head to Cat's Cradle in Carrboro if someone Bruce has heard of is playing. To end the night, Bruce can come back to my house as I have two extra beds. Before we take him back to RDU in the morning, the girl snaps a few pics of me and Bruce which he autographs and writes, "Thanks for the good time and great company--Bruce S."

[Belmar]

Bustedsister!! The whole way through your day with Bruce I was picturing myself strolling right alongside and then you actually included me! Please please remember that when it really happens! The only thing I would add to the day is a stop at Johnnie D's in Davis Sq - he'd love it.

Great thread, dari!

[imabrucefan]

Well Piwi, I'm not Bruce but can I come to Germany? ;)

[Boss MD]

Geez, Piwi...that was fantastic.

As for our little corner of MD...I guess we'ld pick him up at the Philly airport and whisk him down I-95 to Elkton. Show off the County Seat (5minutes) and then see if he could help out the Food Pantry that we're involved in. Off to the Eastern Shore and its sights...Galena, Chestertown, then over to the DE shore. Work our way up to Historic New Castle and then dinner in old town Wilmington. Drinks at the Big Kahuna. Sadly time to go back to the Philly Airport...Whhaaattt? The flight's delayed? Time to pick up the LD'ers in the area and end the night right.

[brucegroupie]

I love this thread, dari; it's so much fun to read about where others live!

Ok, I'd pick Bruce up at 9 am at the Lexington airport; that's about 1 1/2 hours from me, so I'd take some bootlegs along to listen to for the ride back home. After we leave the airport, I'd drive him along Versailles Road and point out Keeneland and tell him he's gonna have to come back some Saturday in April or October to watch the horses race. He will admire the beautiful bluish-green grass and the beautiful horse farms and how the land suddenly turns into rolling hills the farther south we drive. We will stop in the town of Danville for lunch at The Tea Leaf; a very quaint place with great food. It is run by a Ladies Auxiliary, I believe, and they also sell kids' books and recipe books and the like. He will pick up some books for his three kids because he wants them to be as worldly and knowledgeable as he is.

After lunch, we keep driving south and I tell Bruce, "you know, Bruce, how at that one show, you tell a story before you sing Growing Up, that your mom wants you to be an author and your dad wants you to be a lawyer and you tell the both of them, that tonight they's gonna have to settle for a rock and roll star! Well, (I'm telling Bruce) I know you like baseball, that must be your favorite sport, but tonight's you gonna have to settle for football!" He laughs and giggles in that great style he has. But, it's 5 hours before gametime, so I take him to where I grew up and show him around the countryside. I show him the windmill my dad made back in 1974, and all the woodwork and tables and things my dad has made. I'll tell him how he and my dad are alike in several ways; he will be so impressed by this one wall shelf/bookcase unit my dad has made that he will ask my dad to make one for him. This will just thrill me to death! My dad will tell him he has no bigger fan in the world than me and how I drove to Atlanta last summer just to see him sing. My mom will be on the phone calling everyone she knows to tell them who is at her house; the first ones she will call will be two of my sisters who are also fans. I'll also show him the church I attend and how my grandfather built it and my dad remodeled it and made the pulpit and altar, with his own design.

It's getting late, so I take him to my farm where I live now and show him around. He sees the tobacco my kids are growing and we all walk back into the woods and take turns swinging on the grapevine. He is amazed at my bootleg collection and he plays some songs for me on my husband's guitar.

Then, it's on to the football game and my daughter's debut on the high school dance team. We also have to chaperone the dance afterwards. He likes the band's performance and the dance team's too. At the dance, he shows those Casey County boys how to really dance, since one of the Rolling Stones writers dubbed him as the best dancer in rock & roll performing history!! There is this boy that my daughter likes who can dance real well and they end up having a dance-off. Bruce dances the night away with several people. It's late and the day is now over and Bruce must go back. Actually, while he's this close, he'll go to Knoxville and visit For You and then he will swing on down to Mississippi and visit mississippi. But, Bruce will have enjoyed his visit, even though it didn't include any bars or bands. He'll get a taste for a simple life, no doubt, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Bustedsister: thanks for asking me along on your day!!

[dari]

hey

i don't know about bruce but i'm having just the best time reading about all of you, your lives and where you live. i hope if any of us come to vist that we get this great tour too....


dari

[Di]

Since I live in a pretty small town, I'd have to pick Bruce up in Ft Wayne, Indiana. First we'd stop in at the new mall in town and get a coffee at Starbucks. It just opened last month, finally!! (had my first frappacino in New York last June, and now I am hooked). Then we would drive north about an hour, talking about our kids and how he balances being a great Dad with being away from them from time to time. And how Patti feels about her work too vs the kids. And I'd have to tell him my best friend from work is from Monmouth, New Jersey. My Jersey connection!! When we'd get up to my town, we'd drive by the wood structure park my town got together and built last year, pretty impressive to be built in just one week. The kids in town love it!

Then we'd drive to Auburn, the biggest town near us, and I'd show him the courthouse in the center of town. It just looks like what you would think of when you think of midwest America. Then we would go to the Auburn-Cord-Deusenberg Museum. Since Bruce likes cars maybe he would enjoy this! It is full of old cars, some built in Auburn in the early 1900's, and restored and displayed here. Lots of history about cars, and how they evolved and who owned them. If he was here around Labor Day he could go to the festival they have celebrating this! We'd probably have lunch at one of the local restaurants or if it was a nice day sit outside at the Dairy Freeze!

Then we'd pick up my kids and head back down to Ft Wayne. Since we are going to the baseball game, my kids wouldn't want to miss this! We'd have tickets to watch the local minor league team, the Ft Wayne Wizards play. Plenty of promotions and games and wacky character dances going on between innings, but during the game those guys are playing their hearts out, running down every ball. I think I'd finally be brave enough by then to ask Bruce about some of his songs, when he wrote them and tell him how much I enjoy his work. After the kids run the bases we'd head back down to the airport and say good bye.(sigh) Finally my kids would realize this guy is a great singer and nice guy and would quit telling mw to turn the radio down whenever I'm listening to BRRRUUUCCCEEEEE!!!!!!

[Edited by Di on August 17th, 2001 at 10:46 PM]

[BruceNut]

Di dont they know he`s great already? Im loving these stories from middle America !

Mickey

[RMO]

I'd pick him up at Love Field, not DFW, so we'd already be in town when he lands. Based on all the posts...:D Bruce apparently is a coffee drinker as I am, and I think he likes Mexican food too. So, I'd take him to Herrera's for a little huevos rancheros and coffee. Guessing he's got an interest in the Kennedys, I'd suggest we tour the 6th Floor memorial. Lunch would be Sonny Bryan's BBQ in the West End just before we head over to Texas Stadium for the Cowboys-Giants, whereby I would promptly be on the receiving end of his harassment as the Giants thrash the current, hapless Cowboys.

After the game, we drive to Fort Worth for more Tex-Mex at Joe T. Garcia's where I point out his BITUSA-era photo on the wall and ridiculously gush about how I look at it every time I eat there. After a few of their extremely potent but tasty margaritas, we head to Sundance Square in downtown FW. There, we go unnoticed into Caravan of Dreams, my favorite but soon to be closed local music venue. Inside, the Old 97's play an opening set for Stevie Ray Vaughan (this IS hypothetical of course...;)) and/or Joe Ely. Stevie and/or Joe jam away and then invite Bruce onstage for rousing renditions of all their great tunes.

Afterward, we shake hands and he tells me he's releasing a new cd and touring with the band within 6 months....;)

[LJK]

Am I the only person who's shocked that Di didn't have a Starbucks near her until recently? In some cities (like Vancouver) they have them across the street from each other!

[Di]

LJK, yep its the truth!! I knew that one would get you guys. The closest one before this was 2 hours away in Michigan!

BruceNut, my oldest child is 15, what can I say. He tolerates Bruce, but anybody not on TRL is not relevant to him. LOL!

[mississippi]

My first disclaimer is that I truly DO NOT want a "butt shot" thank you very much Mickey!! :) I'd settle for a snapshot of you and Bruce at all of your stops EXCEPT the peeing one! I agree with Dari....men are so weird :rolleyes:

My second disclaimer is that like KirkW my town is very small so I would have to just take him around to see simple everyday life here....

Also I've loved this thread....I'd somehow missed it until Mickey told me I HAD to come read it.... :)

Ok , I would have to pick him up in Memphis (thanks to Deena for steering him this way! Hopefully you are still with Bruce on this part of his journey so I could meet you both)..Since Paiger has already shown him the Memphis sights we would head south on hwy 61( could I really pass by the Starbucks, Target and Home Depot? OK, ok.. I guess Bruce wouldn't want to shop huh? )( "my" Starbucks is STILL 2 hours away!!)....On 61 we would pass "little Las Vegas" in Tunica county....where 12 years ago you would have seen cotton fields ...now there are about 10 or more casinos/hotels/resorts etc....it is truly amazing to those of us who remember how it was.....we may ride by but wouldn't go in because I hate to lose money.....when we got to the big city of Rosedale ( about 2 hours later)I could go show him the supposed "crossroads" where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil... ( of course all MS delta towns lay claim to this story and also claim Robert Johnson...we just happened to get mentioned in the song..)....his views of the Mississippi River will now include the view from the Miss Delta....we will go over to the Great River Road State Park and if the river isn't too low maybe go up to the tower and watch the barges moving up and down the river..if I can get my brother to take us in his boat we will ride out on the river , not sure of the time by now but I'm sure my brother has a beer or two...I don't drink but I'm not opposed to anyone else doing it :)...we would probably have fried catfish and hushpuppies at the park then head back to town....I would show him around our little town which would take all of 5 minutes...of course being as he is in Dixie I would have to show him some cotton fields...unfortunatly there aren't many anymore ...it would be nice if it was after the cotton had been defoliated...it looks like fields of snow then.....I would of course have to take him to see the "other" mississippi, Susan, since she is a true Jersey girl and is the one who MADE me go see Bruce in Little Rock .....I would invite any LDers to come share the day and help keep the conversation going because as some others have said....I would be speechless for the most part..And Mick you'll notice no kids for him to meet...except my 2 dogs and 2 cats ( one of whom lives at the pharmacy)..oh and the nieces and nephews who would probably look at me and say "Bruce who?"....So after he met the family we would have to head back to Memphis....where hopefully the next plane will take him to a far more exciting place....maybe there is someone from New Orleans....he has been to 3 stops along the Mississippi River so far....he may as well see it to the end!

bobbie nell


[Edited by mississippi on August 19th, 2001 at 05:12 AM]

[Nicki]

Hey bobbie nell/mississippi:
I sure enjoyed your post (as I have all of these) and it gave me an idea. I think we should find a large river boat and have a Live Daily cruise down the Mississippi from Minneapolis to New Orleans. Bruce & his family would be the guests of honor, and the rest of us could bring family, friends and pets as well (although my cats will decline - I don't know about yours). We would extend a special invitation to the European and Australian board members - piwi, Madam Marie, Blind Terry, brn2rn_99, Kathy and anyone else I've forgotten - (sorry! )so they could see the "middle" of our country (no trouble in the heartland on this trip!).

Perhaps at night Bruce would play a few acoustic numbers for us under the stars - or maybe he'll bring the band and we'll have a great time rollin' down the river, dancing the night away.

Well, it's been said before on this thread . . . if dreams came true . . . .

[mississippi]

Thanks Nicki! :D and what a wonderful idea!!.....I am very sure my cats will decline also....the mighty Mississippi would NEVER be the same......

Doesn't hurt to dream, huh??

bn