Nashville, Day 3

We'd decided to ride bikes to 12South. We'd heard of Nashville B-cycle and one location was just a block up from where we stayed. The 2.3 mile ride to 12South seemed doable at the time.

Nashville had been hotter than we expected. While I take at least two cycle classes a week at the gym, I haven't ridden a "real" bike in roughly 15 years. Let's just say, it didn't come right back to me. These bikes were heavy and clunky. I'd forgotten how to use gears and that you can't change them while climbing a hill. I hadn't realized how hilly Nashville is. Let's just say that I wasn't good at staying in the bike lane. It's a wonder I'm still alive. I also couldn't figure out the gears or handle the hills, so there was lots of stopping. Then we got a little lost and accidentally rode in a circle. By the time we made it to the upscale 12South part of town, we were soaked with sweat. At the first opportunity we had, we ditched those wretched bikes.

From there we soaked up the air conditioning in several upscale clothing shops, where we couldn't afford a thing. I was excited to be able to check out Reese Witherspoon's store, Draper James. It was as cute as can be. When I walked in they offered me some sweet tea. It was a nice touch. The store had a cheerful, light feeling to it. Wish I'd have been able to afford their super cute clothes.

I'd heard rave reviews of Las Paletas, so we walked through town to their little store on the edge of 12 South. The employees recommended we try the mango flavor. After the hot bike ride, the popsicle hit the spot. We sat on the front porch and enjoyed our treat.

We then checked out more shops we couldn't afford to buy anything at. Next, we went for lunch at 12 South Taproom and Grill. I ordered tilapia tacos and they were boring and bland.

There, we learned about flugtag.

There was a cute little shop, named Serendipity, we checked out that sold locally made bath products. I got Drift Away Bath Tea by Ma' Bella. I also got a Black Bar by NASH and JONES. It's an "activated charcoal deep cleanse bar." It's supposed to be "for all skill types, face/body to draw out impurities."

My friend had heard good things about Five Daughter's Bakery. That was my first experience trying a cronut. I loved the croissant layers with the sweetness of a donut.

Then because we loved our first visit at Jeni's Ice Cream, we visited it again.

Sweet Cream and Poached Pear Riesling Sorbet. Those flavors were light and sweet. Wish there was a Jeni's in Kansas.

We discovered a very charming little flower truck, Amelia's Flower Truck.

They had some super cute murals too!

We walked around a neighborhood in 12South and saw super cute houses. Since we learned our lesson with bike riding, we Ubered back to downtown.

That night, we checked out Printer's Alley. It's off the beaten path though much of the area is under construction. We enjoyed Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. What great blues bands!
It was nice to get away from the crowds on Broadway.

We ventured back to Broadway since it was Sunday night and the crowds had subsided. While we would've gone back to our beloved, The George Jones, they weren't featuring bands. While walking down Broadway, I heard the voice of the same lead singer that we head the night before at the George Jones. Literally the odds of that are so small! We popped in and listened to the rest of his set at Tin Roof.

We walked to AJ's Good Time Bar and were drawn in by the great music. Where else can you see a bass made out of a Chevy Astro van gas tank?! There was room to dance which was fun!

Another fun day in Nashville!

Nashville, Day 1

I had wanted to visit Nashville for quite sometime, but never had the opportunity. My alma mater, Kansas State University scheduled an away football game in Nashville playing Vanderbilt, this fall. I tried to convince my friends and coworkers to go, but that was a bust. They're all married or in relationships, so they weren't up for a girl's trip. So, I thought through who might be a good travel partner and I thought of a former MBA classmate who always seemed fun and liked to travel. Thankfully, she was up for an adventure!

Day 1
I was SO excited for this trip. It was my first real vacation in just over two years! We both arrived at the airport around the same time. From there we took an Uber to our Airbnb apartment. I picked out a place with a terrific location near the area we planned to spend most of our time; Printer's Alley and Broadway. The apartment was perfect and the mini kitchen came in handy. I would definitely stay here again!

Our next stop was to Acme Feed & Seed for a late lunch. In preparation for the trip, Acme's name kept coming up as a good place to eat. I've heard that Nashville is always busy, but with roughly 25,000 fans from K-State in town, Broadway Street was packed to the brim along with all the bars/restaurants around. We waited in line at Acme to place our order and then waited even longer for our food to be delivered. I think it took about 30+ minutes to get our food. I was hungry and ready to try their BBQ sandwich and sweet potato fries. The bread was soggy and the fries were so salty that they were inedible. Finding a table once we got our food was next to impossible. The views from the rooftop of the river were nice, but the roof was packed to say the least. I definitely wouldn't eat there again.

After checking out some nearby shops in hopes of adding to my bracelet collection, I realized everything I liked was far outside of my budget.

From there we headed to the Nashville Farmers' Market that I'd read rave reviews on. It was less than a mile to get there. It was in what looked like a park. There, I bought a basil lemonade with whiskey. So refreshing. We also tried the best mini donuts and bought some for breakfast. After reading terrific reviews on it, we tried Jeni's Ice Cream.

Literally, the best ice cream I've ever had. They had fun, unique flavors. I loved the brown butter almond brittle and peanut butter with chocolate flecks. So good and smooth. It was such a fun, unique experience.

Next door to the Farmer's Market we saw some kind of festival. We walked by to see how much tickets were; maybe we'd go. Um, no! It was actually The Wine + Food Festival. Tickets for the whole weekend were $525; more than the cost of my flight. Apparently, famous chefs were there and up and coming chefs.

From there, we walked back to our neighborhood and ate at the Frothy Monkey. I'd seen that in my pre-trip research. All the restaurants had super heavy menu items; I know it is the south, but... The Frothy Monkey was a quaint, low-key spot. We split a delicious Gail salad and Royale sandwich. Each ingredient served a specific, well-thought out purpose. I already miss this place!

Then, we hit Broadway for music. We spent some time jamming out at Second Fiddle. The quality of music and bands in Nashville is off the charts! Next, we headed just off Broadway to get away from the crowds. We ended up at The George Jones, which is on 2nd Avenue. We loved this place, there was a terrific band and a refreshing breeze coming in from the river. They had a roomy dance floor too!

What a beautiful first day in Nashville!