nashville, baby
I'm trying to make more of a point of getting out of my city this semester. I've got the travel itch and I really want to scratch it. So I'm whipping out my backscratcher and opening up my wallet. Luckily it's manifesting itself in many different trips that have been pieced together for the coming months, the first of which was a breeze of a weekend through Nashville.
If you've been keeping up with my story you know that I lived in Knoxville during my first year out of college. While I was there I was blessed with some truly intentional friendships that have withstood the 1000 mile speed bump that arose when I moved back to Texas. After last seeing my friend Rachel for her beautiful Tennessee wedding last May, a girls weekend was long overdue. So we settled on a quick 36 hour turn-around weekend where we had minimal plans and maximum time together. The biggest joy to the time in Tennessee was the quality time I got with my friend, b ut a close second is managing a fruitful out of state trip on a weekend without taking any time off of work. (insert praise hands emoji) It made me feel like I was breaking the rules - traveling out of state and not having to sacrifice any of my working time. And what a successful feeling of truly milking your weekend! (Of course, can I count this as a work trip? Because basically everything I do these days is all for the sake of blog content. Kidding. Sorta.)
Nashville was an easy choice for a getaway for many reasons - the factor of convenience for both her and me, a wonderful restaurant culture, an abundant shopping scene, an appealing environment, and of course affordable flights and lodging. *score* Because is a vacation really enjoyable if you don't get it at a bargain? I think not.
We stayed in a cozy but popular part of town near Belmont University and 12 South in a sweet and simple studio apartment. It was airy and bright, filled with natural light and a heavy doseage of cremes and whites. I always look for Airbnbs that have a minimalist spin - I don't need much when I travel, just a good bed, a clean bathroom and a space for my bag. But an abundance of natural light is always first on my "wants" list when looking for a vacation rental, and this place did not disappoint.
The building was an old-school interior A/B apartment complex, coated in rich red brick and smattered with a generous helping of large single pane windows, penny tile entryways, and hardwood stairwells. The apartment itself was tastefully styled with minimal clutter and maximum function. We put the hot water showers to use each night and the keurig coffee maker (k cups included, thank you very much) to use each morning.
Our Saturday morning kicked off with what was probably my favorite time of the whole weekend, a 2 hour caffeine and catchup session at CREMA - a simple and modern local coffee shop with excellent brews and even better eats. We sat at a table flooded with light from the wall of windows, sipping our Cuban lattes and munching our poblano quiches and talked through life. It was relaxing, it was indulgent, and it was encouraging. It was a densely packed space, where your elbow could bump the folks at the neighboring table, but it set a tone of the environment that I had never encountered before. There were only two-topper tables and we were all packed in close, but every one of us was focused in on the person across from us. It felt like a room full of Rachels and Bonnies knee deep in intentional conversations after too many months apart with no regard of overstaying our welcome or laughing too loud. Joyful friends, so joyful, I wish I could have bottled up those moments.
I didn't go into this weekend with the intentions of shopping around as much as we did, but I'm thoroughly glad we did, as Nashville has a funky yet chic air about its stores that I enjoyed getting to experience. We swept through three main neighborhoods: Hillsboro Village, The Shops on Fatherland, and 12 South. I was most impressed by Hillsboro Village as it was brimming with home decor and clothing boutiques, all of which were more affordable than expected. If you're ever in Nashville for just a pinch of time, I would recommend Hillsboro Village unabashedly, you can canvas every shop within an hour and you will be sure to find your style expectations met and your pricing expectations exceeded. My personal favorites were Dress Up, Tennessee Chic, Pangaea, and Scout & Molly's.
When in Rome, you eat pasta. When in Nashville, you eat hot chicken. So Rachel and I closed out our weekend with dinner at Party Fowl (cute, right?) and splurged on good drinks and good food. I walked away from the weekend thankful for the respite and escape and even more so for a friendship that was provided right when I needed it most.
Stay tuned, as I'm blessed enough to bring you more travel features in the coming months. I earnestly don't know if I'm more excited for the trips themselves, or getting to share them with you!
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