Nashville is awesome. It's just a cool city. Go there and enjoy.
Is that enough? Probably. It's hard to go wrong here.
Day one
We drove from our home to Nashville, and it was an easy and enjoyable eight hour drive. (This was not true on the way back, when it was a slow, traffic-filled ten hours. I think people returning from spring break played into this, too.) We stayed with our friend Molly and walked from her house to ML Rose, where we ate a delicious dinner.
Day two
Rondi checked her trails app and saw there was one around a lake close to Molly's house. Kris, Rondi, and I drove to Radnor Lake Park, parked, and started running on the trail.
We passed a woman and she yelled after us, "There's no running on the trail!" Just as we saw a sign that said, yep, no running or jogging on the trail. We ignored her, but then there were a lot of people around, all with binoculars, watching birds.
I ran/walked back to her and said, "You yelled at us no running, then we saw the sign, we're obviously not from around here - are there any trails in the park we CAN run on?"
She gave me a forced smile. "There's no running here. You can run in the road. It's a nature preserve."
"How incredibly bizarre," I said.
"Have a great day," she said, hating me.
"You too," I said as sweetly as I could. Bless her heart. She wanted me to get hit by a car.
We got back in the car and drove to ... Percy Warner Park, where we checked to make sure there were no restrictions against PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
I am so happy we went here, because it was delightful. Super steep hills up and down the whole five mile loop, wildflowers in bloom everywhere, and even a surprise waterfall! Wonderful.
We got back with the group and we went to eat at an iconic place - The Pancake Pantry. However, the line was really long and around the block, plus it was raining ... so we went across the street to Ruby Sunshine - and it was great! (We had really nice servers the entire trip, too.)
We waited for Molly to get out of work and went to Germantown - Von Elrod's. It was very much the vibe of being in Germany, with the pretzels, giant mugs, and long picnic table seating. Very fun.
We walked around the neighborhood to more places (Neighbors, Red Door Saloon) and the eating highlight of the trip for some of our group was Velvet Taco, which had a variety of choices. We then listened to some music at Winners, and we ended the night dancing at The Dogwood to a DJ under a giant mirror ball, with college girls and guys dressed to kill.
Day three
I ran to a lovely park and Rondi ran on the treadmill. We kept marveling at the magic of Molly's house and Nashville in general. For instance, even though we are all different sizes, Molly's clothes in her closet fit all of us. Even though Kate wears a size 6 shoe, Rondi's size 8 feet fit perfectly in them. Rondi ran at a higher speed on the treadmill than normal. Highly recommend magic.
We went for a walk in - you guessed it, the walking park, Radnor Lake! We saw an eagle in its nest, tons of turtles, beautiful flowers, and lots of signs preventing things like playing musical instruments or having a picnic. It made for lots of laughs as we galloped, skipped, and did the grapevine through the park, as those activities were allowed.
We headed to eat some Nashville BBQ, and we chose Peg Leg, which was great. My BBQ sandwich I ate here was the best food of the trip. The place was also incredibly popular. You have to have your food before you get a table, but it seemingly all worked out, as turnover was high.
Oh - we Ubered all over Nashville. None of us wanted to deal with parking, and Molly lived close. They were always amazingly quick.
We took an Uber to downtown and put our stop at Tootsie's - it calls itself the most famous honky tonk.
This is what I love about Nashville, and also what I remember about being here before. When you get out at Tootsie's, all of Broadway is laid out for you like a gift. The people, the city, the buzz - it's just so exciting! I was so filled with joy at that spot.
We went to Tootsie's to listen to the band, and we also went to the second floor outdoor patio. This is another great thing about Nashville - giant, outdoor spots!
We left here and the streets were packed like it was New York City. Tons of people. (I'm saying this as a positive. It was the place to be!) We were drawn into a boot store that looked inviting, and ... Rondi found some adorable white boots for only $40. (Every girl in Nashville was wearing white boots. They are very in right now.)
I loved them, and she said I should look for some, and I said there was no way they would have two, since we wear the same size, and...they did! Magical. Kate and Molly found hats, Szanadue found some souvenirs, and we were off! Boots and hats secured.
We put our name in at Miranda Lambert's Casa Rosa for a two hour wait, checked out the Assembly Food Hall, (more music there), and made our way back for tacos when our name was called.
We then went to my favorite - Kid Rock's. It is four floors of music and dancing - packed with people, all of them in white boots and hats! - and we danced until we were exhausted and Ubered home.
Day four
I went running in the same park and saw the healthiest fox I've ever seen. Unlike ones I normally see, it looked well-fed, like its hair had been brushed, and was very perky. It was like seeing a cartoon character of a fox. Just some more Nashville magic.
We said goodbye to Molly and to the city.
I packed up my boots, and they looked like they had had a rough night. Scuffed, spilled on, and obvious signs of dancing. White boots make no sense ... but they're perfect, and I can't wait to wear them again.
