Nashville
a:Nashville
r:Tennessee
I have always wanted to travel the South of the United States and after a business trip to the US, we decided to finally check out the south of this big country. We flew from New York to Nashville, which takes approximately 2 hours, and rented a car with Budget. We chose Nashville as we were intrigued by this city's reputation as the Music City. We learned that Nashville was established when the earliest settlers celebrated in the late 1700s with fiddle tunes and buck dancing after safely disembarking on the shores of the Cumberland River in Tennessee. Since then the city has become the hometown of music drawing in singers, songwriters, and musicians from all over and from all different kinds of musical directions. We got excited and planned our trip there. Finding a hotel was not an easy task as we were staying in Nashville over the weekend. It seems to be the weekend destination for Bachelor Parties and for people who are really into music. After some research, a friend of mine helped us to get an industry rate at the Aloft Nashville Franklin in Cool Springs, which is twenty minutes outside of Nashville towards the South. It is a modern lifestyle hotel with a fair price and good internet as well as free parking, so we decided to go for it. The hotel is located next to the Cool Springs Galleria, a large Shopping Mall and perfect for everyone in need of some retail therapy.
What to do in Nashville
a:4th Avenue South
r:Tennessee
**12 South** We started our Saturday with a visit to one of Nashville's hottest neighbourhoods, 12South. It is obviously located in the southern part of the city. If you are into comparisons I would say this part of town totally reminds me of Los Angeles and could be the Abbott McKinney (in the making) of Nashville. It is full of lovely houses, a great variety of restaurants, shops (including Reese Whiterspoons "Draper James"), food trucks, a moving flower shop, good-looking and well-dressed people, and some street art where visitors queue up to take pictures. Typical for Nashville must be the offering of music and jeans shops which are all beautifully appointed and inviting. This area has a lovely vibe and you just want to walk around, look into the shops and stop at all the restaurants to taste the food. A must-visit when you are in Nashville in my opinion. For more details, have a look at the website http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/neighborhoods/12south **Broadway** After our visit to 12South, we drove towards the center of Nashville and to The Broadway which is the street where so many of the city's live music venues are located. It was Saturday and this street was exceptionally busy with people walking from music venue to music venue to hear what was on offer in the streets. People wander from bar to bar, listening to all the music on offer and enjoy themselves. During the day, entry is free of charge but you might have to purchase a drink. You hear cover songs as well as many people performing their own stuff. Great atmosphere and a cool way to spend the afternoon... Loved it! **Music Walk of Fame** Outside the Country Music Hall of Fame is the Music Walk of Fame where many of the USA's biggest music stars have received their stars. Walk around and discover who earned this recognition already! A must-visit on your walk around town!
The Listening Room Cafe
a:4th Ave N
r:Tennessee
As we did not have tickets to a specific show, we decided to join the line in front of The Listening Room Cafe as there was a good chance to still get tickets to get in that night. We waited for about an hour and were then shown to our table. The Listening Room Cafe had two events that night and we had the fantastic opportunity to listen to three talented and successful singer-songwriters who entertained us while we enjoyed our dinner. The three singers we saw are called Taylor Phillips, Adam Doleac and Ricky Young. They were all fantastic, but my personal favourite was Adam. And we definitely enjoyed the food too and even tried the typical Southern dish of Fried tomatoes which I will definitely eat this again. Yummy! What a great experience this was! After our visit to The Listening Room Cafe, we visited some of the bars and venues along Broadway, drank some beer, heard some great bands play the classics and danced to the tunes. Altogether a fabulous day in Nashville all around. If you are into music, go and check it out.
Eating in Nashville
a:4th Ave N
r:Tennessee
**Listening Room Cafe** As we did not have tickets to a specific show, we decided to join the line in front of (link: http://www.listeningroomcafe.com text: The Listening Room Cafe) as there was a good chance to still get tickets to get in that night. We waited for about an hour and were then shown to our table. The Listening Room Cafe had two events that night and we had the fantastic opportunity to listen to three talented and successful singer-songwriters who entertained us while we enjoyed our dinner. The three singers we saw are called Taylor Phillips , Adam Doleac and Ricky Young. They were all fantastic, but my personal favourite was Adam. And we definitely enjoyed the food too and even tried the typical Southern dish of Fried tomatoes which I will definitely eat again. Yummy! What a great experience this was! After our visit to The Listening Room Cafe, we visited some of the bars and venues along Broadway, drank some beer, heard some great bands play the classics, and danced to the tunes. Altogether a fabulous day in Nashville all around. If you are into music, go and check it out! **Brunch** We wanted to experience a real modern American Brunch and I searched for the perfect place. I came across the (link: http://butcherandbee.com/locations/nashville text: "Butcher & Bee") and we gave it a try. It is located a little bit away from the city in what looks like an old warehouse. We walked in and instantly loved the look and feel of it. High ceilings, open space, exposed brick walls, and a great, promising smell of food. Like in many American restaurants there were seats at the bar but here, there was also seating at the kitchen. We at the open kitchen bar and we got to watch the chefs at work. Alex chose a breakfast burrito and I went for the Shakshuka, a spicy tomato and pepper dish with poached eggs and pita bread! Absolutely fantastic! Overall my favourite restaurant experience of this whole trip. Everything was perfect. Stylish atmosphere, cool interior design, fast and friendly service, and delicious food! I wish someone would open a place like this in Berlin!
