Nashville – Day 3

This was our last full day in Nashville and we wanted to do as much as possible. Unfortunately, I was getting over a cold most of the time we were there, so I really didn’t get myself together until late in the afternoon. We headed out at 3:00 and drove around downtown for a bit. We decided to go to the famous Loveless Cafe for dinner and it was worth the trip.


Me outside the Loveless

Loveless is located on the outskirts of Nashville and has been around over 60 years. The food and service was everything you would expect from a small Southern cafe and more. The biscuits are something they’re known for and it was obvious at first bite. I don’t know what they put in them, but they’re delicious and the homemade preserves they serve alongside the biscuits make them that much better. For dinner, I got meatloaf, cheesy grits, fried green tomatoes and macaroni and cheese. It doesn’t get better than that! We completed our visit with a trip to the Ham & Jams Country Store and got some goodies to bring back home. I’ll be dreaming of that place until I’m lucky enough to visit Nashville again. If you go to Nashville, you must visit the Loveless.


Delicious biscuits


Yum!


Loveless Cafe

To end the night, we went back downtown to take one last stroll around the city. We walked down to the Ryman Auditorium. The building dates back to the late 1800’s and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The venue has hosted everyone from famous singers and performers to actors and political figures.


Me outside the Ryman

Broadway was where we started our trip and it was the perfect way to end it. We walked up and down a few blocks before finally heading back to our hotel. We capped off the night with a soak in the hot tub and a dip in the pool. It felt good to be swimming in January.


Nashville Symphony


Geof outside the Bridgestone Area


Me on Broadway


Getting our fortune told by Willie Nelson

The next morning, we packed up and went to Gigi’s for a cupcake. Geof and I have a tradition whenever we travel to always try to find a cute little cupcake shop. He’s so good about it. I got the Birthday Cake cupcake and he had Banana Cream. They were yummy! After our sweet treats, it was time to go so we said goodbye to Nashville until next time.


Cute cupcakes!

Ultimately, Nashville is a beautiful city with plenty to see, even if you don’t love country music. The people are friendly, it’s easy to navigate and the Southern cooking is so good.

Thanks, as always for hanging in there with me during my trip recaps. Some probably find them incredibly boring while others really enjoy them. I honestly love to document each time we travel. These posts are some of my favorite ones to look back on over time.

Nashville – Day 2

We got up, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed over to the Opryland Hotel. I heard some positive things about the property and gardens, so we decided to check it out. It was overwhelmingly big and it turns out that it’s the largest non-gambling hotel in the world. We decided to take a Riverboat Tour of the indoor gardens that gave us a great view of all the different plants, flowers and waterfalls. Our guide was great and informed us that when the Delta River was built, the hotel requested water samples from all over the world and from every river in the United States. A “mixing of the waters” ceremony was held when the river opened in 1996.


Waterfall in The Cascades Atrium


One acre skylight in the Conservatory


View from the Riverboat in Delta Island


Christmas may be over, but this is too pretty not to share

From the Opryland Hotel, we headed over to the Grand Ole Opry House to see a little piece of history. I’ve never been a big fan of country music, but the Opry was a must-visit. To see the spot where so many country superstars have performed is impressive. I also can’t believe the venue was partially underwater less than two years ago. You would never know it by the looks of things now.


Us outside the Grand Ole Opry House


I don't think you're supposed to stand up there...whoops!

We headed back downtown for dinner and settled on Sole Mio for some Italian. After dinner, we got ready for the night and went to 12th & Porter to meet-up with Chad & Amy for the SafetySuit CD Release Party. I couldn’t have been more excited to see SafetySuit there since it’s the venue where they were originally signed.


12th & Porter


Us with Chad & Amy ready for the show


The opening acts consisted of Chasing Change and Throwing Gravity. The bands did a great job warming us up for the main event. SafetySuit took the stage and about two songs into their set, it was obvious that something was wrong. Doug (lead singer) wasn’t playing his guitar and just didn’t look well.

Ultimately, he had been battling a stomach virus all day and it took everything in him to come out and perform the 5 songs he was able to make it through. He even tried to give it another go while he used the mic stand to hold him up. He apologized profusely and acknowledged that so many people had come from all over for this event and it’s not his style to cancel a show. You could see the emotion all over his face as he appeared to be even more disappointed than the fans. Personally I can’t imagine making it to the mailbox with a stomach virus, so to see him push through tells me everything I need to know about what kind of band SafetySuit is (not that I didn’t already know).


Doug

The drummer, Tate came on the mic and said they were going to try something different. The rest of the show turned into a sing-along with members from the opening bands coming out to lead the crowd. This speaks volumes about the kind of fans SafetySuit has. While most people would have left after hearing Doug was done for the night, everyone did the exact opposite and showed their allegiance by singing and celebrating what the night was all about: SafetySuit and their new album, These Times. It was bittersweet and I’m glad I was there to be a part of it.


Us with Tate, J and Dave from SafetySuit

Nashville – Day 1

We arrived in Nashville early in the afternoon and were raring to go. We got our car, checked in at our hotel and headed right downtown to see Broadway. We made our way over to 2nd Ave. and settled on the Wild Horse Saloon for lunch. It was relatively quiet in the restaurant during the afternoon, but you can tell the place gets packed at night. They have a huge stage and were promoting an upcoming show with Rick Springfield. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like the song “Jessie’s Girl”!

For lunch, we got fried pickles as an appetizer. Geof told me that since we’re in the South, it was something I had to try at least once. It was decadent and delicious. I hardly touched my salad because I was nibbling away on pickles and stealing some of Geof’s cheesy grits (they were the best I ever had – savory and smoky). We also had to order one of their cocktails just to get a fun cowboy boot glass to take home. After checking out the rest of the restaurant, our friends Chad and Amy picked us up to take us to a more hipster part of town for some coffee at The Frothy Monkey. It’s a great place to people watch and we even spotted Will Anderson (lead singer from Parachute) there.


I heart Nashville!


Fried pickles


Frothy Monkey

The four of us chatted the afternoon away. Being apart from these two makes no difference at all as we always seem to pick up right where we left off. From The Frothy Monkey, we headed to Centennial Park so that we could see the Parthenon. I may never get to Greece, but this was the next best thing as it’s a full-scale replica of the original.


Parthenon in Centennial Park

Later that evening, Geof and I went downtown to have dinner at Big River Grille & Brewing Works. Geof got shrimp and grits, while I went with mac ‘n cheese with chicken. After dinner, we headed out on Broadway to meet some of our friends from NYC (Kristin & Emily) & Boston (Jessica) at Wild Bill’s. The bar is a historic landmark with the basement being part of the Underground Railroad. They have an impressive wine bar on the 2nd floor and the main level is a Cajun café. We stayed in the café/bar area where they were getting karaoke started for the evening. Geof decided he wanted to perform “Humpty Dance” for all of us. It was absolutely hysterical and awesome at the same time.


Broadway at night!


Me on Broadway


Me with Kristin, Jess and Emily

We parted ways with the ladies and headed over to Broadway Brewhouse & Mojo Grill to meet-up with Chad and Amy. We enjoyed a brew or two and made our way back to Wild Bill’s. The guys running karaoke asked Geof to do another performance of “Humpty Dance” and he obliged. What a perfect way to end our first day in Nashville!


Amy and I


Geof with his karaoke buddy, Andy


Out with one of our favorite couples!

History is made

Today was a monumental day in American History. Barack H. Obama has been sworn into office as the first African-American President of the United States of America. The 44th President at 47 years old stands as the youngest President to be elected into office. Whether you’re Republican or Democrat, young or old, black or white – today is a day of change and we as Americans should be proud and inspired.

The scene at the National Mall was overwhelming and like nothing I could have imagined. It was very emotional to witness the amount of support our new President received and to see Americans uniting as one.

“…On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." –Barack H. Obama.

The awesome crowd on the National Mall

Sasha giving dad the thumbs up!

Melia and Sasha. I cannot get enough of these kids. They're adorable!