A couple of observations now that I'm home (I'm from Tennessee, so I'm absolutely biased):
-So glad the food hall is open across the street from the arena now. Some of the arena food looked decent, but the chicken I had Thursday night was awful. The selection in the food hall wasn't any cheaper than the arena, but there was more variety and the quality was pretty good.
-The in-arena entertainment during resurfacings was kind of weird, but I guess TPTB decided that's better than everyone sitting in silence while the same ads play on the video boards over and over.
-I really hope all the issues this week don't sour Nashville as a host with USFS. Sure, there were lots of ***** issues. Sure, the ***** protocols in Tennessee as a state are few to non-existent. However, I think some (but maybe not all, who knows) of the issues would have happened regardless of which city was hosting. I also think some of the logistical issues (specifically, nothing starting at the announced time) were more on USFS and NBC because of the withdrawals and TV timing, not the local organizing committee. I hope Nashville gets another chance to host soon in non-***** times, and I like Scott Hamilton's idea of potentially bidding to host Worlds. Bridgestone Arena is typically one of, if not the most, successful arenas in the country at hosting events so they know what they're doing. Having tons of entertainment, food, and hotels right outside the arena's door should play in their favor as well. The growth of the city and the tourism should mean even more direct national and international flights in the future.
