NashBash

A little preview of our hike... 

 Nashville, Nashville, Nashville. I feel like it's somewhere most everyone's been. People rave about the food and the downtown scene. Hell, there's more bachelorette partys per capita than just about any other city. So, sadly I must admit that up until August of this year I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing Nashville. Another admission, while we're at it... You may have noticed it's been a while since my last post. Things have unexpectedly turned chaotic in my life and my creative juices have been somewhat lacking. As things get somewhat back to normal, I'm feeling the need to catch y'all up on my latest voyages!  I say "my" rather than "our" because I've been doing some girls weekends and even a day of solo travel to Washington DC.

Ok, ok back to Nashville. One of my sweetest friends relocated to Nashville almost two years ago and I've been promising to visit ever since. And finally, in August... it happened. I flew up Thursday and we went straight to Little Donkey for some margs and Mexican! (Sadly this restaurant is no longer open) Let me tell you.. we tried the Prosecco Marg and I wish I could have had two. So. Effin. Good. We kept it calm that night because we both had to work in the morning.

View from LA Jackson

After a productive day, it felt good to finally shut down that evening and make our way over to Cilantros happy hour for more margs and salsa.  Once we'd had our fill, we headed to the Gulch to the rooftop bar LA Jackson on top of the Thompson Hotel.  We enjoyed a beautiful view of the city whilst we sipped our "Frozes." And before long, it was time to meet up with Alix's bf, Chris, at Americanos for dinner. We stuffed ourselves full of tapas and more frozen beverages before going to our fourth stop - Old Glory.  This is Alix's fave spot and I get it. It's got a great vibe, amazing drinks, and a photo-booth to top it off!

Loved these wings, beautiful!

Me and Alix!

Great street art

It was a bit warm out..

Close up

We wanted to keep going but we had an early session booked at Barry's Bootcamp, so we wanted to make sure to get a good night's sleep! Another amazing place, btw. I had never been to Barry's or participated in anything remotely like the sessions but I fell in love! I wish we lived closer to the one in ATL because I'd be going ALL the time.

We felt pretty good about life after finishing the bootcamp, so we decided to walk the riverwalk for a bit before grabbing a shower and make our way towards the Loveless Cafe. This is a bit outside of the city but totally worth it. A word of warning, go early! The place get packed! The good news is, even if it's crazy... there's shops and a general store, outdoor games, etc. to keep you busy. We ended up waiting for 45 minutes but the biscuits and homemade jam made it totally worth the wait.

Our meals were admittantly a bit glutonous, however we didn't feel too guilty about it because we also had a hike planned for that afternoon at Harpeth Scenic River State Park. Another win. Just check out these views!

Great signage.

You could see for miles

Alix sitting on top of the world

For someone who is afraid of heights, this was a bit scary.. 

As we left the park, we were on a sort of high. It'd been a great day full of exercise and nature... that meant only one thing could round out to fully complete the day... an ice cold beer. Luckily for us, Alix happens to live across the street from an amazing craft beer brewhouse - Craft Brewed, to be exact. The selection is great, the patio is huge, and there's a shop next door with more alcohol so the fun can continue at home! 

Despite the heat we sat out on the patio and ended up having the most lovely conversation with some locals. Before we knew it, it was time to head home where Alix was going to prepare a lovely dinner for us before meeting up with her beau and his buds downtown for a quick drink. Before long, my time in Nashville was coming to an end. I felt like I was able to experience so many different sides to Nashville and I hope to go back soon to see more!

Be on the lookout for one more post before Christmas and then... AFRICA!!!!! That post should be out early 2019, so ta ta for now!