nashville — Jen Ireland

“i imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour. it might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there i did.”

-George Jones, found on the mural outside my new apartment

sunday | june 6

After two weeks on the road, many delicious meals and a lot more miles put on my car, Chelsea and I made it to Music City, blaring Kacey Musgraves as soon as we crossed the Tennessee border. We drove through the last of the Smoky Mountains and through Knoxville before making it into town. Luckily we arrived with just an hour to kill before we could check in to my Airbnb apartment, so we grabbed a late lunch at Greenery, a new healthy salad place our friends suggested. It was definitely healthy and they gave us A LOT of salad, but we both agreed the food needed some more seasoning. The carrot falafel and carrot soup I had were very tasty, but the rest lacked salt. Overall, it was a good thing for us to eat after the weekend we just had (or should I say the last 2 weeks we’d had).

not the most appealing looking, but the falafel was dare i say… phenomenal

After getting our health fix at Greenery, we headed to where I’d be living for the next four weeks. Now, I knew it was going to be small and not super nice, but this was a little more of an “adventure” than I thought. The apartment is a tiny studio in what seems to be an old motel, turned into all rental units. I knew it did not have a washer or dryer in the unit, but didn’t realize it also lacked central air. This made for some hot and muggy nights while Chelsea and I slept here. It was also very cramped with the two of us sharing the space. I will say once Chelsea left, it seemed more manageable and less small. The up side of the Airbnb is the location - it is located right off of 8th Ave., a very busy street that has a Publix one block away, an Orange Theory another block away and lots of other restaurants and bars in between. In Austin terms, 8th Ave. reminds me of Lamar St.

Since the night was still early and we didn’t want to just stay in, we decided to walk to 12th St. South, which is a little street that has a lot of restaurants, bars, stores, etc. It reminds me a lot of South Congress in Austin, but smaller and in the middle of a very nice neighborhood. I enjoyed our walk, which was about .7 miles there and another back, because I got to see all these gorgeous, huge houses and what a nice neighborhood I was living near. There wasn’t much open this Sunday evening, so we got donuts at the famous 5 Daughters Bakery. They were sold out of the flavors I really wanted to try, so I ended up with a milk chocolate sea salt paleo donut, which was actually very good and I assume not very unhealthy since it was paleo and didn’t have any gluten or refined sugars… these are things that make me question life sometimes.

my chocolate paleo donut (left) and chelsea’s rainbow sherbet 100-layer donut (right)

After we got our donuts, we walked back to the apartment and got ready for bed… the work week yet to come.

monday | june 7

Monday was uneventful during the day since we both worked. We did have a fiasco with the Airbnb in that the internet suddenly wasn’t working and after hours of waiting for the host to respond, we got on the neighbor’s wifi (and I’m still using that… lol). This Monday didn’t become eventful until about 4:30 p.m. when Chelsea and I were deciding what to do for the night. We didn’t want to go out and spend a bunch of money eating and drinking, so our options were limited. Chelsea suggested maybe we see if there’s any comedy we can go to and about two minutes later, she found out that Louis C.K. had a show at Zanie’s that night… and where was Zanie’s you may ask? Well it was just 3 blocks up the road from where we were staying. Suddenly our Monday got a lot more exciting. We had an early dinner at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken on 8th Ave., where we split a sandwich and side of pimento mac and cheese. We had actually been to this exact location two and a half years earlier when we came to visit Rebecca for my 28th birthday.

pimento mac and cheese and the famous hot chicken sandwich

After enjoying a perfectly portioned meal at Hattie B’s, we walked another few blocks to Zanie’s Comedy Club. Apparently Zanie’s is pretty famous and we were shocked when we got through the doors that we had to surrender our phones and watches (with screens)… there would be no pictures or recording for anyone there. We got sat at the bar, which was great because we were right in the center of the stage, with a great view. Two comedians came on before Louis C.K. and they were hilarious. The first guy, the “host” of the show was Willie Chase (or Chase Willie) and he was so funny and also local to Nashville. The second performer was Jordan Janson (I think) from Brooklyn, who offered a nice balance of female comedy. Then, the main act came out and Louis was funny, but according to Chelsea, who used to watch him more when she was younger, he wasn’t as funny as she remembered. Overall, it was a great and wholesome Monday night and we were back and in bed by 9:00 p.m.

tuesday | june 8

Tuesday rolled around and again, we worked during the day, breaking it up by going to Orange Theory and taking a class together. Since the shower in the Airbnb is not the greatest, we decided to shower at Orange Theory and I’ve been doing that ever since (it’s not usual that I do a class everyday, but if I can shower there, it’s an incentive).

Tuesday evening we met up with Rebecca on 12th South and had dinner at Taqueria Del Sol, a pretty popular taco place. I wouldn’t say their tacos were out of this world, but they were fresh and tasty and we enjoyed it. I ended up getting a veggie taco and a bean enchilada with their famous lemon cream enchilada sauce. I’m glad I took their recommendation because it was very delicious and I absolutely loved their queso. They put fresh chopped jalapenos and chilis in the cheese, so it had a great kick.

The night was still relatively young, so we walked across the street to a new place called Embers Ski Lodge where we got another margarita and sat on the upstairs patio and chatted for a while. It was nice, the three of us being back together and just being in each other’s company. Once the sun went down and we all felt tired, we went back to our homes and to bed.

wednesday | june 9

Wednesday was another not so exciting day of working and taking an Orange Theory class, but the evening had lots of fun things in store! I had wanted to do something cool while I was in Nashville and looked at Airbnb’s “Experiences” that they offer. I’ve done a few of them in the past and they always turned out being really fun, so when I found one that involved spinning art onto a vinyl record, I was intrigued and asked if anyone wanted to join me. Chelsea, Rebecca and Jessamine decided to come and we made it a group outing. We met up at Chosen, a very unique store that was half clothing/accessories and half art studio. Here, the hosts Seth and Sophie walked us through step-by-step on how to “spin” the paint onto the record. At first, it seemed a little intimidating, but they were there the whole time to help us through. I knew I wanted mine to be gold and dark green and dark blue, so those are the colors I chose. I won’t know what the final product will look like until it dries in two weeks, but I am happy with how it came out at the studio.

the group of us listening to seth’s instructions

jessamine, chelsea, rebecca and i spinning art on our records

This was such a fun and unusual activity to do together and I loved every second of it. I’m not usually one to want to do arts and crafts, but I had so much fun and to top it off, I’ll have a very unique souvenir to hang in my home someday that will always remind me of my time in Nashville.

After we were done with our records, we drove over to 12th South to meet up with Sam and eat at the Italian restaurant that we passed by multiple times and smelled it’s deliciousness, MAFIAoZA’s. Rebecca and I split the “Informant” pizza, which was roasted vegetables and a pesto cream sauce. The toppings were pretty good, but the crust was amazing. It was almost sweet and just the right texture - it was honestly the best part of the pizza. We all also split an order of their famous ravioli sticks and each of us got a nice big glass of vino.

our roasted vegetable and pesto cream pizza, the informant

Once again, we laughed and had a grand ole time in each other’s company, but because it was still a work/school night, we headed home relatively early, but made plans to meet up again during the weekend. Chelsea also was flying out Thursday morning, so we had to get home so she could pack.

thursday | june 10

Dropping Chelsea off at the airport was bittersweet. I knew I’d enjoy having my own space in the tiny studio, but I’d miss her companionship and always positive attitude… she is my best friend for a reason! Thursday came and went and I didn’t do anything special, mostly I just updated my blog, distance(ing) and watched TV. I can’t go out every night!

friday | june 11

Friday I worked and went to Orange Theory again. The four remaining “Nashers” as I call us (Sam, Jessamine, Rebecca and I) made plans for the weekend, so we decided to just chill on Friday. When I was done working, I walked to Smiling Elephant, a Thai place next to the Publix on 8th Ave. that had really good reviews and Rebecca recommended. I wanted to get there early before any sort of rush got there and I sure did, because I was the only one eating there. It was a cute little Thai restaurant that seemed vibrant since the kitchen was partly in the front area. I was torn between ordering the Pad Thai (which seemed boring for the “Best Thai restaurant in Nashville”) or the special of the day, which was red curry. I typically order green curry, and figured red can’t be that different. So I got the “set”, which was a soup or salad, the entree and dessert for $19. My soup was Tom Kha (shoutout to Chelsea for introducing me to this), the red curry with chicken and coconut custard for dessert. Let’s just say, after this meal I might’ve turned into a coconut!

The food was very delicious. I enjoyed the soup and the custard the most. I was pleasantly surprised by the custard… I had no idea what it was or the texture it would be, but it was very good, not too sweet and served warm. The curry was SO much food, I took about 2/3 of it home and will eat that for days. I do think I want to come back to Smiling Elephant and try the pad thai, just to see how good that is as well. The rest of Friday night, I stayed in, updating my blog some more and watching TV.

saturday | june 12

Saturday started off on a great (and very hot) note. I woke up, lounged around and then walked over the 12th South to get another 5 Daughters Donut. I knew if I got there earlier in the day, they’d have more flavors to choose from. The walk is about .7 miles there and by the time I got to the bakery I was sweating profusely and in dire need of sustenance. Thankfully, they had the flavor I’d been dying to try: strawberry shortcake. I got a regular sized 100-layer strawberry shortcake donut, a mini funfetti donut and a mini “purist” donut, which was basically a regular glazed. I stood outside in the shade and ate what was hands-down the best donut I’ve ever had in my life. The 100 layers really make it airy, like a croissant and the strawberry cream inside was so fresh that I could tell they used real strawberries. I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing because I wanted to enjoy it the next day as well.

mini purist (left), mini funfetti (center) and strawberry shortcake (right)

After savoring every bite of my donuts, I walked around 12th South, going into a few different boutiques and shops, like Draper James and White’s Mercantile that had a beautiful flower truck outside.

“i believe in nashville” mural outside draper james

After walking and sweating on 12th South for a bit, I headed back to the apartment to get ready for the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame. Sam picked me up and we met up with Jessamine to go through the museum together. I regret not being more knowledgable of country music or listening to it more, because it would’ve been so much cooler if I knew who a lot of the people were. However, I did really enjoy the “Outlaws and Armadillos” exhibit, which showcased country music from the 70’s that came out of Austin and transplanted to Nashville, which Willie Nelson was the leader of the movement.

inside on the walls of the top floor; posters from star’s past

entrance to the “outlaws and armadillos” exhibit

entrance to exhibit; broken spoke is a dance hall still standing in austin

i had to take a pic of bob dylan’s guitar - my all time favorite musician

some of kacey’s costumes in her “all of the colors” exhibit

kacey’s manuscripts of some of the songs on “golden hour”

Throughout the entire museum different artists had their manuscripts on display. I think that was the coolest part for me - getting to see their handwriting and imagining where they were and what they were doing when these creative thoughts came to them.

After going through the different exhibits, the Country Music Hall of Fame was at the end and plaques with all the members of the club. I liked Johnny Cash’s message the most and as I read it, I felt a lot of emotions; mostly how I hope one day, people talk about me and my headstone says the kinds of things that Cash’s plaque did.

From the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame, we walked across town to a rooftop bar called Rare Bird where we met up with Rebecca.

downtown nashville from the front of the museum

Once at Rare Bird, we ordered a drink and a pretzel to snack on. I got the “Hot Mess” drink, which was surprisingly tasty (because it sounded kind of strange). It consisted of vodka, orgeat (which I had to look up), cucumber, coconut and mint. The four of us sat atop this high rise hotel and chatted about various things in life. It had a great view of the river and the ATT building (known also as the “Batman” building).

When we left Rare Bird, the sun was not quite setting yet, so we decided to pop over to one more rooftop bar to watch the sunset. We walked a block or two over to Bobby Hotel. I wasn’t sure what the theme of the hotel was supposed to be, but I saw a lot of signs that seemed like it was meant for the Rolling Stones, which I loved. Up at the top, we drank watermelon margaritas under the setting sun and even witnessed a surprise birthday party erupt.

From Bobby Hotel, we parted ways and Rebecca and I went to find food at Taco Mamacita, a local taco place that was well regarded. The girls had eaten at a different location, but found there was a new one that popped up on Google Maps that was on the way back to my place. So we decided to try it out, but had the hardest time finding the place. Turned out that that particular location was no longer in business, but the bar that was there, Clyde’s, still sold some of Taco Mamacita’s food. So we pulled up some stools at the bar and ordered our tacos. They were pretty good and a little bigger than most tacos, so they were filling. I had the veggie taco which had fresh avocado and veggies on top and the Nashville Hot Chicken taco. The hot chicken taco was really good and unique because it had a hard blue corn tortilla shell inside the soft flour tortilla. The chicken was also not the same as Hattie B’s; I’d almost say the chicken tasted more like a spicy Asian chicken. But it was delicious regardless.

veggie/avocado taco (left) and hot chicken taco (right)

Rebecca dropped me off at home around 9:00 p.m. and I spent the rest of the night watching T.V.

sunday | june 13

When Sunday rolled around, I slept in, worked out at Orange Theory in the late afternoon and had the rest of my 5 Daughter’s donut. In the afternoon, I drove to the east side of Nashville to Rebecca’s house where we went to the Percy Pierce Lake and trail, which was a short drive from her place. We walked on the trail for 3 miles and saw a lot of greenery and a cool bridge. We also saw the back side of the dam, which had it’s flood gates open and pushing water into the stream. After chatting and hiking, we drove over to the other side of the dam where the lake is and walked down to the shore. There were a lot of people out and swimming in the water. Putting my Floridian instincts to rest, Rebecca assured me that there aren’t any alligators in the lake.

back side of the dam - the inscription on the right says “j. percy priest dam, u.s. army corps of engineers”

part of the trail that went under an old railway

the cool bridge in the middle of the trail that went over a little creek

After our walking and being incredibly sweaty, we went back to Rebecca’s house and played with her cats. I wasn’t quite ready to head back to my place, so I suggested we get tacos… not realizing yet that this would’ve been the third time that week that I had Mexican food for dinner. But Rebecca was down so we went to her usual and favorite Mexican watering hole which was conveniently only about 5 minutes from her house. Of all the places I’d eaten so far in Nashville, Las Palmas was by far the cheapest and best bang for the buck. We both ordered the jumbo margarita and I got a fajita quesadilla. Since we were enjoying our time chatting and eating, we both got a regular margarita after that. To my pleasant surprise, the drinks were half off for happy hour and I walked out with a bill under $20! I told Rebecca we definitely have to go back to Las Palmas.

my fajita quesadilla with mushrooms and mexican rice

When we left Las Palmas it was night time and that meant it was time to head home. My motto when we’ve been hanging out is that I don’t want to go home if the sun is out, and lucky for me, it’s summer and the sun is up until almost 9:00 p.m.

monday | june 14

Monday came around and so did working again. I stayed in and worked from 8 to 5 and went to Orange Theory in the afternoon. After I was done working, I decided to go into town and see the pedestrian bridge. It’s called the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and it is only for walkers or bikers and goes across the Cumberland River, connecting downtown to East Nashville. I had seen pictures and videos of the bridge and really wanted to check it out at some point, and I figured a Monday evening might be a good time to do so. I drove the 10 minutes over to the bridge and parked at Nissan Stadium, where the Tennessee Titans play. I meandered around the park at the base of the bridge and took some pictures before venturing up to actually cross the bridge. You can either start at the very beginning of the bridge and slowly go up the incline, or you can go up several floors of stairs to end up at the top, right before the bridge goes over the water. I took the stairs route and I must say, at the top, I was kind of scared!

view from the park - behind the red sculpture is the bridge

nissan stadium (view from the stairs up to the bridge)

i actually have no idea what this is, but it’s a big red iron looking sculpture that is a symbol of downtown

from the top of the bridge looking through

view of downtown from one of the lookout spots on the bridge

the korean veterans memorial bridge - i drove over this to get to the park

me and the korean veteran’s memorial bridge

After wandering around the bridge and walking almost to the other end of it, I went back down the stairs and walked around the grassy area, where I found a concrete spot to rest, take some pictures, read and also FaceTime my mom.

Once the golden hour was over and the sun was set, I headed home and really wanted another 5 Daughter’s donut. I drove by the bakery and saw they were sold out, so headed back home… probably for the best.

tuesday | june 15

Tuesday I worked again during the day and did Orange Theory at lunch. I didn’t want to spend the evening inside because it was actually very nice weather. The high was around 83 and the humidity seemed to have vanished, so I took advantage of the nice weather and drove over to Music Row to see what was over there and also find the Musica statue.

I found a brewery that had really good reviews online and decided that would be my starting point. The brewery was called Tailgate Brewing and I’m really glad I checked it out because they had so many different beers on tap and a wide variety of them too. I found on my trip so far that most breweries we visited seemed to only have a specific type of beer, like sours or IPAs. But Tailgate had a little bit of everything, so I ordered a flight that consisted of their Orange Wheat (the bartender said it’s their most popular), the Strawberry Blonde, Nashville Artists Hazy IPA and the Peanut Butter Nitro Milk Stout. Now, I don’t typically like milk stouts, but I’ll order them on a flight every once in a while just to try them. The bartender (Kevin?) said they are most known for the Peanut Butter Milk Stouts, so that’s why I decided to try this one. It was probably one of the top five best beers I’ve ever had. It was so smooth (the nitro), peanut buttery, but not too sweat and just overall fantastic. They also had a Peanut Butter Banana Milk Stout, which I almost tried and might have to go back sometime to taste. The other beers were also really good. I sat outside and read my book while sipping on the brews. It was a great Tuesday.

my flight (orange wheat, strawberry blonde, hazy ipa and pb nitro milk stout)

view from my table - you can see the statue in the back

I had looked up the area of Nashville before I came to stay and saw on the map there was a statue in the middle of a roundabout near downtown. Being a lover of art and statues, I wanted to check it out. After researching it, I couldn’t really find much on the statue, other than that it’s made of bronze and was erected in 2003. Most interestingly is that it was met with a lot of criticism because the nine figures of the statue are all nude.

Aside from the statue, the area of Music Row is really cool to just drive by because it’s where all the music and recording studios are. I could almost feel the creativity pulsing through the air as I drove down 17th Ave. looking at RCA, Columbia and Virgin records. The coolest thing was seeing congratulatory signs outside some of the studios where it showcased an artist who I suppose just got signed. It was a certain type of feeling knowing that in that space, so many careers had taken shape or were just starting out.

Tuesday’s dinner consisted of a frozen California Pizza Kitchen pizza and watching some Netflix.

wednesday | june 16

As Wednesday came around, I did the usual during the day and then got a dermaplaning facial at Urban Oasis, a local spa on Belmont Blvd. The aesthetician who did my facial, Emily, was so nice and did an amazing job - it was probably one of the best facials I’ve ever had, so I highly recommend checking them out. Afterwards, I decided to treat myself and went down the street to the Green Hills mall where Emmy Squared is located. Seth, one of the artists who helped us with our vinyl art, suggested it and said they had really delicious Detroit style pizza. As I grazed the menu, I was stuck between ordering the “MVP” which was basically a cheese pizza with vodka sauce and pesto or the “Angel Pie” which had “ricotta, mushrooms, Truffleist mushroom cream.” The server said both were her top favorites and the MVP was the “best cheese pizza around”. However, I decided to go with the mushroom pizza. It was definitely tasty and the crust was thick and buttery, just like Detroit style should be. Although the flavors were great and I did enjoy it, I wouldn’t say it really tasted like pizza, partly because it didn’t have any sort of red sauce. I chose it for the ricotta, and it was a lot of ricotta. I’d really like to go back though and try the MVP to compare.

Afterwards, I walked around the mall a little, but by this time, most stores were closed, so I headed back home for the night.

the angel pie and its buttery golden crust

angel pie with the “trufflest mushroom cream” in view

thursday | june 17

During the evening on Thursday, I met up with Rebecca at a local cheese and wine bar called “Culture & Co”, located in L+L Market. The market is really cool, as it has multiple little open restaurants, a 5 Daughters Bakery, a coffee place, yoga studio, a few stores and brewery. It reminded me of Eatily in Boston/New York, except other foods like a Thai, Mexican and milkshakes. The cool thing about Culture & Co is their conveyor belt that moves along with different small plates of cheeses. We had a menu of all the different types of plates (there were around 20) and we matched the little tag on the dome to the menu item description to see what kind of cheese it was. We ended up trying five different plates, all pictured below. We also both got a flight of wine. I chose the Italian Prosecco, a white South African wine, a French red and a Chilean red. All were great, but Rebecca and I both enjoyed the French red the most. Our cheese selections consisted of:

Tomme style cheese from Chatanooga (I think) with smoked olive oil
Feta in an olive oil served with olive breadsticks - we both ranked this the #1 cheese of the night - the feta was so very creamy and the oil it sat in made it even tastier
Hot goat cheese from outside Nashville served with hot honey and pickles - this one was way hotter than either of us were expecting. Although still very good and creamy, it had us both sweating.
Brûléed brie with caramel butter
“Holey Cow” cheese (I can’t remember where from) served with a caramalized onion and potato tart - my second favorite dish

the conveyor belt that moved the plates along

our favorite - the feta with olive breadsticks

view of the tomme (left) and hot goat cheese (right) and my wine flight

We shut the place down as we noshed on our cheeses and sipped our wines. It was a bit pricey considering I wouldn’t constitute what we ate as a full meal, but it was a unique and fun experience and the cheeses and wines were all some of the best I’ve ever had. I know I say that about almost everything, but this is really true. I have never had cheese that good before and maybe the wines were not the best of the best, but they were definitely high on the list.

friday | june 18

Finally, the weekend was here as Friday arrived! I spent the weekend exploring the city by myself and my first stop for Friday was back to the L+L Market to try the Bold Patriot Brewery beers. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do Friday night, so I decided to drive in that general direction and see where I ended up. In my typical fashion, I ordered a flight with four beers - the strawberry blonde (there seems to be a pattern here), their coffee blonde stout, a hazy IPA and a mango-tangerine berliner weisse. All beers were great and I really loved the coffee blonde stout. Of all the coffee blondes I’ve had, I’d say Bold Patriot’s was the best. It was very coffee forward in flavor and I enjoyed that it was technically a “stout”, although didn’t carry with it the heaviness a stout typically does. I sat outside on their patio looking out to the distant hills as I enjoyed all my beers,

left to right: strawberyy blonde, coffee blonde stout, hazy ipa, berliner weisse

From Bold Patriot it was time to eat dinner. I had been between trying a vegan restaurant down the street called Avo or a well known Indian restaurant called Chaatable. Because it was Friday and I was feeling myself, I went with the Indian food. I knew it was more expensive, but it was something I’d really wanted to try and it happened to be right across the street from L+L Market. One of the main appeals of Chaatable is that it’s owned by Maneet Chauhan, a Food Network Chef. It was pretty crowded when I arrived, but thankfully there was an open seat at the bar, so I sat down beside an older lady who was also dining by herself. We chatted and had a good time as we decided what to eat and drink. We both ordered the “P.S. I Love You" drink, which had dark rum, tamarind (I think), pineapple and a passion fruit ice cube. It tasted like something I’d drink at the beach - refreshing and very tropical. After sipping on my cocktail and conversing with my new friend, my food arrived. The only main dish available on the menu was “Thali” which is the big plate that has a bunch of different little dishes on it, filled with things like curry, yogurt, veggies, etc. I had never eaten Indian food like this before, so I was curious in trying it. I ordered the butter paneer Thali, which was served as grilled paneer with onions and peppers - a very different way than I’m use to! The other dishes on the Thali were a mint chutney, a yogurt sauce (used to cool the mouth on spicy foods), rice, the vegetable of the day which was collard greens, daal and the butter curry in the middle. It also came with papadum which is like a large crispy cracker. I started eating this deconstructed meal and it was all very tasty. I had hopes of brining home some leftovers since the meal wasn’t cheap, but I ended up eating everything. Although I enjoyed it and am glad I tried Chaatable, I think I prefer ordering my usual at Indian restaurants, instead of the Thali. I think the flavors can marry together better if the paneer or protein is cooked in the curry, instead of having it served separate.

saturday | june 19

I started the day with an Orange Theory class in the morning. It was a special class because they went all out to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride month. The studio had a DJ set up, lots of free drinks and food and later in the day would be having a drag show. I only stayed long enough for my workout, but it looked like a lot of fun.

Afterwards, I got ready and went downtown to tour the famous Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman is located at 5th & Broadway, right in the thick of the happening downtown. The tour was self-guided and included a theatrical experience where we learned the history of the building and then walking around the auditorium and browsing different artifacts and posters. Real quick history lesson here: The Ryman started as a church in the 1800’s when Thomas Ryman heard a preacher and decided to buy the building and turn it into a Tabernacle (whatever that is). After a while, they started having shows and other events, such as Susan B. Anthony lectures, plays, the Fisk Jubilee and many more sharing the stage. Eventually, in 1943, the Ryman became the home to the Grand Ole Opry. One of the nicknames of the Ryman is “Mother Church” and it still has pews/benches as a church does. The stage has a little round part that comes into the audience a little and it’s where many greats, like Elvis and Johnny Cash performed. The Ryman was also the home to the Johnny Cash show from 1969-1971.

I knew I wanted to tour the Ryman because of all the history it holds and the beautiful architecture that holds it all in.

entrance inside - i guess you’d call this the back of the building

some of the hatch posters on the walls inside

looking into the audience from the stage

Some of the films that played inside interviewed artists who have performed on stage at the Ryman and they mentioned how it was the only venue where you could look out and see people in the crowd; how you could spot a single person you were looking for. I thought that was really cool and made me wish I could see a show here to experience that intimacy as an audience member. Unfortunately, for the time I’m in Nashville, I could find any performers I wanted to see who were scheduled to play.

After spending about an hour in the Ryman, I decided to walk around town and over to Printer’s Alley. We passed a sign for Printer’s Alley the weekend before and my friends told me that it was a cool little area filled with bars. It also holds historical significance because it used to be an alley full of publishing companies and sheet music printers. The alley is a very small, kind of hidden alley, if not for the giant signs that say “Printer’s Alley” and “Printer’s Alley This Way”. It has some cool lights hanging overhead and once I walked under the overpass, it felt like I was transported to London in the early 1900’s… or maybe the US in the 20’s when Prohibition was a thing. There were several little pubs, a karaoke bar, a New Orleans themed bar and some others. Since I was by myself and it was the afternoon, I didn’t feel like going into one of these places for a drink, so I decided to hold out and hopefully go with Rebecca the next weekend.

some of the lights and signs along printer’s alley

I read a sign going into Printer’s Alley that told the history of the spot and some of the places. Apparently, Skull’s Rainbow Room is a very famous and popular bar and has a history of hosting Elvis, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and many more. This next part wasn’t on the sign, but found doing my own research… the first owner, David "Skull" Schulman, was murdered in the club in 1998… spooky.

When I was done strolling down Printer’s Alley, I walked back towards the Ryman and across the street to the brand new Assembly Food Hall at 5th & Broadway. I believe the place just opened a week ago and it seemed like it because everything was very nice and seemed pretty new. The Assembly Food Hall is like a massive food court, but offers way nicer choices, like sushi, Thai, a crepe restaurant, boozy milkshakes, several bars and many more options. It also wouldn’t be Nashville if there wasn’t live music, which it had two stages with really good live country musicians playing nonstop.

The main reason I came to the Food Hall was because I saw that there was a Prince’s Hot Chicken. I had tried Hattie B’s and was not disappointed, but heard from several locals that Prince’s was better… so I had to see for myself. This was going to be the true test of Nashville Hot Chicken. Prince’s was definitely one of the more popular spots because it had a pretty long line. I waited in it though and ordered the Andre Sandwich - medium hot level and a side of macaroni and cheese, just like I had at Hattie B’s. I don’t know if Prince’s is always like this or if it’s because they were so new in the location, but it took about 30 minutes for them to make my food and everyone else around me waited that long or longer too. But I waited patiently and when she called my name, I took my food and found a table outside on the balcony where I could be alone and enjoy the delicious bird I was about to devour… and here’s my opinion: Hattie B’s reigns supreme. And I’ll tell you why… the macaroni and cheese was nothing special, it wasn’t really seasoned and tasted like something I could get anywhere. The sandwich had a few missteps. The first is that the chicken was very thick and overcooked. The breading was not very thick at all; it reminded me of Chic fil a’s breading. The bun was also nothing special and for it being medium hot level, it really wasn’t hot. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a decent sandwich and I did enjoy it, but if I had to choose, I am picking Hattie B’s all the way. At least at Hattie B’s, the macaroni is “pimento cheese”, the hot level is pretty kickin’ and the breading is thick.

my prince’s meal looking out to the ryman and one of the stages (to the left)

After I ate, I walked around downstairs to some of the shops and then I came back upstairs and sat at one of the bars by the stage. I ordered a champagne and enjoyed the live music by Aubrey Grant for a while.

Spending most of my day downtown made me tired, so I headed back to the apartment around 8:00 and watched a movie.

sunday | june 20

In the afternoon I went to the Green Hills mall to look around and shop. I realized after walking around a bit that the Green Hills mall is like the Mall of Millenia of Nashville. It had all the boujie stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nordstrom and Tiffany’s. It was a really nice and well kept mall too. I went in the Amazon Book Store and bought some things from Nordstrom and Madewell. Afterwards, I ordered a Publix sub online and walked to pick it up. I then set out for Centennial Park to have a little picnic and see the Parthenon.

As I walked around the park, I found different plaques and signs for places of significance, such as the pond that was added years ago and why the park was created (basically people were going stir crazy in their homes and needed to get out of the coal-smokey air downtown so they built the park). In all my searching, I could not find a sign that described why on Earth there was an exact replica of the Parthenon found in Athens, Greece. I later asked Rebecca why this ancient Greek structure was in the middle of a Southern town and she said because Nashville was once considered the “Athens of the South”… still not sure what THAT means, but at least I have my answer.

looking up at the ceiling of the parthenon

a monument from almost 100 years ago for women’s suffrage

a confederate statue found along one side of the park

After munching on my sub and reading for about an hour, I packed up my things and put them in my car so I could walk around the park. On one side of the Parthenon is a little pond with lots of picturesque places to sit. On the other side is the big green lawn of the park where people were playing soccer and other games. It was along this green that I saw a monument devoted to women and a Confederate statue… I wonder if/when they will remove it.

As I walked along the green, I came to the other side where a much bigger, way nicer monument is erected commemorating Women’s Suffrage in Tennessee. It was really cool and unexpected - I’m glad I saw it and was able to reflect on how far we’ve come as women.

part of the plaque describing the history - i found the part about the representative’s mother amusing

I kept walking past the monument and lawn and over towards the pond. There were many willow trees and flowers lining the water and it was really pretty.

some really purple flowers found at the entrance to the flower garden

I decided to walk one more time around the lawn to get some more exercise and also called my dad to wish him a Happy Father’s Day. It was a nice time to just be by myself and take in the nice weather and Tennessee air.

monday | june 21

June 21 - the first day of Summer and the longest day of the year! With this came a fun (and free) thing to do, which was get free ice cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. At first, I thought Jeni’s was only in Nashville and for some reason, thought the one on 12th South was the original. However, I was mistaken because Jeni’s is actually from Ohio and theres several locations in Austin now (although I feel like they must’ve opened after I left). By this time in my trip, I had pretty much seen, done and eaten everywhere I wanted to, so I didn’t have any plans this Monday. Therefore, I walked over the 12th South and thankfully there wasn’t a huge line at Jeni’s. They would start serving up free scoops at 7 p.m. and I got there around 6:40 p.m. To my surprise, they weren’t just giving one free scoop away, you could get up to three! I chose the Brambleberry Crisp and the Biscuits and Peach Jam ice cream. Both were superb, but I liked the Brambleberry more - it was just more sweet and I liked the berry flavor more than the peach. It tasted even sweeter because it was free!

biscuits and peach jam (left) and brambleberry (right)

tuesday | june 22

It was finally the day - the day to see the Grand Ole Opry! I bought tickets to see the Opry a few days after I arrived in Nashville and realized It was something I should try and see if I can do. A quick Google search and $100 later and I had tickets to Reba McEntire and others on the world famous circle. The circle is called “the circle” because at the center of the stage is a circle piece of stage taken from the original Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. Country singers from all over the world dream of playing in the circle and most of the performers that night mentioned what it honor it was to be there, in that sacred spot. Performers for the evening included:

Riders in the Sky - a four man Western band who had witty jokes in between songs. They won a Grammy for writing the song “Woody’s Roundup” on Toy Story 2’s soundtrack and the fiddle player has been inducted into the Fiddle Hall of Fame. The whole time they performed I thought how much my dad would’ve loved seeing them.
Seaforth - an Australian duo who’s country music had a more pop sound, but both had angelic voices and it was one of the singer’s birthday, where the entire audience sang him “Happy Birthday”.
Maggie Rose - The first performer who I had heard of and listened to her song “Saint”. She was so great, with such an amazing voice and to my luck, she played “Saint” as her last song!
Gary Mule Deer - a comedian singer who had joke after joke after joke that had the whole audience belly laughing,
Carly Pearce - I’d never heard of Carly Pearce before, but they said she’d played at the Opry 85 times and I could tell - she was a great performer! They also aired a special video where just five days earlier, Dolly Parton surprised Carly to tell her she’d been inducted as an official Opry member.
Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real - Another performer who I had heard of and who also reigns from Austin, TX! He has a true Texas-country voice and he reminds me very much of Wille Nelson - voice, music, style… all of it.
Restless Road - a trio boy band who also had a more pop feel to their country and have performed on American Idol, X Factor and other shows. They looked like they must be 25 years at most.
Rebe McEntire - a true legend in the country music world. I’ll be honest I’d never listened to Reba’s music before, but she played “When the Lights Went Out in Georgia” and I did know that song! She was also a great singer and performer to watch. We were also a lucky audience because typically each performer only does 2 or 3 songs. But Reba was filming a Fourth of July special that would be airing on NBC, so she came out after the official Opry was over and did a few more songs for us. I’ll have to look on the Fourth of July to see her performance and know that I was there!

inside the opry - i thought the guitars on the ceiling were really cool

wednesday | june 23

Still coming off the high of the Opry from the night before, I decided to take it easy on Wednesday and went down the street to Hattie B’s for dinner. I got the same thing that Chelsea and I shared our second night here, but here’s a closeup of the glorious sandwich - medium heat!

thursday | june 24

After work, I met up with Rebecca for Happy Hour at Lyra, a local Mediterranean restaurant that I read about on Food Network. We decided to try Lyra because it had really good reviews, an even better Happy Hour, neither one of us had been there, and it was located in East Nashville, which is a part of town I hadn’t explored yet. East Nashville reminds me very much of East Austin - it’s a more “up and coming” area, with more local and eclectic places to eat. Things seemed pretty walkable and in the middle of a neighborhood, where there were some really nice houses next to some not very nice houses. Just like in East Austin, there are pockets of East Nashville that you want to stay away from. The area that Lyra is in is a more gentrified area with a few other restaurants next to it.

Lyra’s Happy Hour is literally a single hour, from 5-6, so we got there when they opened and were one of the first ones seated. We ordered a drink with gin and hibiscus that was very refreshing on the hot summer day that it was. For food, we ordered the hummus, which came with two giant and warm pitas. We also got the Man’oushe, which was a type of flatbread with za’tar seasoning all over the top and a side of some green hummus dip. My favorite dish was the Fatayer, which was a stuffed bread (like a calzone), stuffed with feta, swiss chard and red onion. I think there was also some sort of sauce inside; it was so savory and the onions made the flavor just out of this world. I could’ve ordered just that and would’ve been fine. But everything was very delicious and very cheap (for Nashville prices).

After Lyra, we walked next door to Pharmacy Burger and Beer Garden. We got a Belgian Wit beer and sat outside under a little tent. We just chatted the night away, talking about everything from our adorable cats to how we are both enneagram 3’s. We basically shut the place down and afterwards headed back to our homes. It was a great night on the East side and I’ll always cherish the times like this that I got to spend with Rebecca.

hummus with aleppo and oil, pita and hibiscus cocktail

friday | june 23

Finally, the weekend! I spent Friday after work doing some shopping and grabbed Cava at the Green Hills Mall. Cava is like a Mediterranean Chipotle and I’ve had it in Austin and D.C., but unfortunately, there aren’t any Cavas in Central or North Florida, so figured now was the time to get my fix. I made my own bowl with greens, their “RightRice” which is lentils and veggies meant to imitate rice, falafel, roasted veggies, lots of other toppings and garlic dressing. It was so good and hit the spot!

My last weekend in Nashville for a while called for getting together with the girls one more time. We kicked off Friday with a trip to Midtown, which is right on the other side of the highway from Broadway. Rebecca, Jessamine and I started at Red Door, a dive-kind of bar with lots of character. I had requested we go there because when I visited Nashville in 2018 for my birthday, it was at Red Door that the clock stuck midnight and I turned 28 years old, so it held some sentiment for me. After Red Door, we walked down over to Losers, which I had also been to before. However, in 2018, I remember a very folksy, gifted musician singing us sad love songs. This time, it was karaoke night and the singer was definitely not gifted. From Losers, we made one last stop at Kung Fu Saloon, which is also in Austin! The three of us had some drinks and talked and laughed the night into the wee hours of the morning.

saturday | june 24

After sleeping in and taking the morning easy, Rebecca and I headed to Nashville Shores. I had been talking about how I love waterparks and we even saw Nashville Shores from the other side of the lake the first weekend I was there and Rebecca took me to Percy Priest. Thankfully, it was a sunny and hot summer day so we headed to the Shores a little after noon. We had fun slipping and sliding down various water slides and the lazy river. My only complaint is that because it was beautiful, sunny and hot Saturday, the park was really packed. We waited in a lot of lines, but still had fun!

the last and most fun slide we went down

After a day of fun in the sun, we headed to Rebecca’s house, which is conveniently just 10 minutes from Nashville Shores. We got some pizza from a local place and got ready for a night on the town. My one request for my whole trip was that I wanted to see the band, Summer97, on Broadway. In case I haven’t mentioned yet, Sam, Rebecca and Jessamine are all significant others of the members of Summer97. The band is a punk-rock band that travels all over the U.S., but calls Nashville home. I did see them perform while in Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day, but I wanted to see them in their home, with all the ladies who I now call all friends.

Our first stop of the night was Nudie’s, which is the bar that the band plays in. We got there around 9:30 p.m. and already everyone was ready to have a good night. Sam introduced us to an older couple wearing Summer97 shirts. It turns out they saw the band play at Flora-Bama and came to Nashville to celebrate their anniversary and wanted to see them on Broadway. Tracy and Rocky may have been 20 or more years older than me, but man they knew how to have a good time. As soon as Sam introduced us, Rocky asked what I was drinking and we took a shot of tequila together. I knew he was good people, and he continued being good people by buying everyone shots and drinks all night long.

Although I did want to see the band, I did also want to check out Printer’s Alley during the night and since I had my girls, it was the perfect time to do so. We walked the few blocks over the Alley and went to an underground Irish/English style bar that had karaoke. We had a great time singing along to Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me” and many other songs.

From here, I wanted to check out Skull’s Rainbow Room, if only for a few minutes. We had to wait outside while a drag show finished up inside and once in, I ordered a drink and we sat for a little bit before leaving.

We finally made it back to Nudie’s and rocked out to some of the best punk and rock covers of the 2000’s. This is the only picture I have from the night… I was having too much fun.

sunday | june 25

Waking up at Rebecca’s and taking things slow, I made my way to my apartment and rested for the majority of the day. I did have one more thing to see on my list, so in the early evening I drove over to the Tennessee Capitol building. It sits on a hill at the edge of the city and overlooks onto a big park and hills in the distance. Although the building itself is not very big (nothing like Texas’), it was still a beautiful area, so I walked around a bit and took some pictures.

Although this was not the first Confederate statue or monument I had seen in Nashville, it is one that I think would spark a lot of controversy and I’m curious if all the fences and what looks like construction is a sign that they are preparing to remove Mr. Jackson from the capitol - I sure hope so.

monday | june 28

My days in Nashville were coming to an end and the feeling of that finality set in as the week began. I wanted to get Hattie B’s one more time, so I walked there for dinner and got a sandwich and macaroni and cheese. Afterwards, I decided to take one more stroll to the pedestrian bridge downtown and walk around. I sat atop the bridge at one of the benches and finished the book my dad gave me for Christmas, We Were The Mulvaneys. I’m really glad I was able to finish the book in this spot. It had been a difficult read and a long one about the trials and tribulations of family. I can see why my dad really liked it and wanted me to read it. Sitting atop the Cumberland River, with Nashville to my side, it was a cathartic experience reading the final words of the story; like the final days of my time in the city.

tuesday | june 29

There was a late add to my list of places I wanted to try and eat, and that was Edley’s BBQ on 12th South. I had walked by it many times, but Rebecca had mentioned that they had Hot Chicken. When I finished working for the day, I walked over the 12th South one last time and first stopped at a small little beer shop off the street. It was the kind of place that sold all sorts of craft beers and even had a few on draft for you to sit and enjoy. I tried a beer from Blackberry Farms and it was decent. I also picked up a case of Tailgate’s Imperial Peanut Butter Milk Stout to bring to my brother. After reading some of my new book (Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights), I went to Edley’s to get my Hot Chicken.

I decided to change things up and get their Hot Chicken strips platter (because it was more economical since it came with two sides). I chose the potato salad made with their jalapeno ranch and their macaroni and cheese. Hands down this was the best Hot Chicken I’d had in Nashville, or ever. It get’s a 10/10 for heat level, friedness (I’m making that a word) and quality of the chicken. The potato salad was also some of the best I’ve ever had and the mac and cheese did not disappoint either. I knew from the first bite of chicken that I would have to come back when I returned from my Florida trip.

edley’s hot chicken strip platter with jalapeno ranch, potato salad, macaroni and cheese and corn bread

wednesday | june 30

Wednesday was my last night in the apartment and after having the month of my life, going all around Nashville, eating and drinking my fill, I decided to stay in and enjoy the little studio I had grown to call home. When I first arrived with Chelsea, I was disappointed by how small, old and kind of dirty the place was. The things that annoyed me at first, like the internet not working, the shower that was falling apart and the A/C unit being disgusting, these things grew on me. And although I wouldn’t particularly miss the moldy air, I would miss the feeling I got while staying in the studio. I spent the night packing and had slept like a baby.

thursday | july 1

It was time to say goodbye to 601 Hillview Heights, unit 101. I packed my car, cleaned the apartment, said my goodbyes and headed back on the road… only this time I was just going to Rebecca’s house in Hermitage. The girls and I had a planned a sort of “farewell” gathering that included margs at Las Palmas and nightcaps at the Rusty Nail. The Rusty Nail is a dive bar literally 2 minutes from Rebecca’s house and we had all been wanting to go and see what it was all about. The place was actually nicer than I imagined from everyone’s descriptions of it, and the drinks were much cheaper than they are in the city of Nashville. The four of us girls had so much fun sharing stories and laughs over chips, queso, margs and Mexican food at Las Palmas and Sam and I even played a game of darts at the Rusty Nail. Rebecca’s husband was sad he couldn’t be with us, so he bought us all shots (through Rebecca) and that made for a great night.

epilogue

As I prepared to leave Nashville and the life I’d made over the four weeks there, I was filled with emotions. - mostly bittersweet. I was sad to be leaving this amazing place, but oh so happy it happened. I tried to do something every day, whether it was a walk in the park or trying a new restaurant or beer, I just wanted to do all that I could. And I wanted to capture it all here - all the places and all the details, so that whether someone stumbles onto my blog looking for suggestions on restaurants or activities, or it’s just me looking back years later on my time in Nashville, I’ll be able to remember it as if it were yesterday.

This city gave me so much: a newfound love of country music, of history and finding joy in the little things. It helped me grow and enjoy being independent. I’m grateful as well to have friends who joined me on escapades around town and showed me their beautiful city. They helped turn what could’ve been a very lonely trip into one filled with fun and laughter. I’ll miss this city and the people in it, the hot chicken and the donuts, and I’ll miss the little studio on 8th Ave; in my heart, it will always be my Nashville home.

nashville.

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