Nashville, Day 4

This was our last full day in Nashville, but what a grand day it was. :(

We'd heard that East Nashville was a good place for shopping. So, we headed there. Taking us there, we had the worst Uber driver I've ever encountered. He did not say one word to us. When I asked if he was David, to verify that he was our driver, he just grunted at me. He also pulled out in front of oncoming traffic. He tailgated motorcycles and was literally inches away from them going fast. At stops, he would be inches from the motorcycles. Let's just say that he earned a poor rating and we were so happy to get out of the car. We found out that most stores were closed on Monday, so we didn't get much shopping in. We did see this cute sign though.

We headed back to downtown for lunch and souvenir shopping. We ate at Fresco Southwestern Grille which was in a office building downtown. The owner was friendly and engaging. The food, however, was boring and bland.

Next, we walked to The Nashville Connection on 2nd Avenue where I got a super cute coffee mug for my mom. We then happened upon Leon's Candy. My dad loves candy, so edible souvenirs are the way to his heart and he loves pralines, which are popular in Nashville. Their homemade caramels are mind-blowing.

Cotton Eyed Joe was our next stop, so I could find post cards and a magnetic frame. I was impressed with the selection of souvenirs and the low costs, despite it being on Broadway and 2nd Avenue.

We stopped by Savannah's Candy Kitchen and tried their pralines. They have so many different kids of sweets.

We walked through the gift shop at the Ryman Auditorium, debating taking a tour and what to do that night.

There a lady overhead us and said that the Bluebird Cafe was a must see.

Off we headed to the Bluebird Cafe with less than two hours until the show. We waited in line and made friends with a couple from North Carolina. Towards the end, it was getting pretty hot outside. Good thing we brought snacks and drank lots of fluids. Thankfully, we got a table in the ever-cramped cafe. It was singer-songwriter night. There were 26 performing. We shared a table with two songwriters and one of their guests, and another music fan. The talent was off the charts. I literally laughed and cried for 1.5 hours. We heard artists that made us look and each other any say, "I know they'll be famous one day!" I didn't expect their food to be good since they're mainly known for their music, but I was pleasantly surprised. We shared a chicken tender basket and a smoked pork sandwich. The sandwich was really terrific. I tried an Ace pineapple hard cider and I really enjoyed it.

When the show ended, it was still early, so we hit Broadway for one last time. As our beloved George Jones was closed on Mondays, we ended up at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

What a great end to a perfect packed 4 days of soaking in such terrific music! I miss Nashville all the time now!

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!

My First Uber Experience

While on vacation in Washington DC last month, my friend and I used Uber for the first time. It was pretty easy to get setup using the app. I downloaded it, entered my credit card info, and that was it. Things to know: 1) you can see the cost estimate for your trip ahead of time, 2) you can't book your trip ahead (just when you're ready to be picked up), 3) there's no cash exchange (they charge your credit card), 4) they show you a photo of the driver and the vehicle description.

Once we put in the call for our driver, it took roughly 5 minutes for him to arrive. Our first driver looked scary. My theory is that if I don't think I could kill the person, I don't feel safe. Now would I actually kill them? No, but I think of it that way. So, we cancelled our first driver. The next one looked nice. Uber also gives you a confirmation code for the driver, to confirm that they're indeed a legit Uber driver. Also, Uber drivers display an Uber decal on their car window.

Our driver, Imron already knew where we were going since we entered that information into the app when setting up a ride. He was very nice and talkative. His car was clean and we felt at ease with him quickly. He gave us info on the area we were going to. We learned about his life and that he plans to start flipping houses full time soon. Felt like we were riding with a friend. I'm now generally more comfortable with the idea of Uber vs. a regular taxi for the most part.

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Lastly, our fare was really reasonable.I would not hesitate to book another Uber ride in the future.