my nashville favorites

nashville is a short 3 hour drive from birmingham, so weekend trips there are one of my favorite things. the culinary scene is nashville is diverse and delicious, the coffee is amazing, and the entertainment is second to none. now obviously, i'm not a local, but i've spent some time in nashville and have developed some go-to spots.

i'm very excited to continue exploring music venues, bars & restaurants in the music city whenever i get a chance. i am dying to try the patterson house for cocktails and etch for dinner!  if you've been to nashville, what are your favorite spots?

my favorite bites

• gabby's burgers - ok, so the great nashville burger war. i have been to the pharmacy, and honestly? i prefer gabby's. it's a burger. it's gonna be delicious. the atmosphere at pharmacy is super great. but taste wise? gabby's, hands down. best burger in nashville. cool staff. go. you won't regret it.
• silo - my favorite in germantown. described as "upscale southern", you can get your hot chicken here with a fantastic cocktail on the side. silo serves family style sides, including killer mac n cheese, jalapeno bacon cornbread with bacon butter and more. their drinks are delicious and i felt like dying and going to heaven afterwards. it's almost a year since i've been and my friends and i still talk about this place.
• barista parlor - if you want to die and go to heaven after eating a sausage biscuit, this is your place. you cannot beat coffee + a fresh biscuit here. don't be intimidated by the menu, the baristas are super friendly and will gladly point you in the right direction. 

drink highlights

• crema - i am such a fan of the cozy, mod coffee shops. they remind me of austin. crema is a really laid back atmosphere where you'll find all sorts of folks. their iced mocha is my favorite.
• city house - if you want a killer gin cocktail, this is your place. devoid of the often typical vodka + fruit combos (don't get me wrong, i love 'em), city house has a broad, diverse cocktail menu. and they're all delicious. my favorite was the samson - gin, vermouth, lemon soda, bitters & grapefruit.
• arrington vineyards - even though we aren't in california, going to a winery is so, so much fun. at arrington, it's worth it to purchase the "premier experience", which includes a tour of the property, a low down on wine production & a tasting experience with cheese. yum!

fun odds & ends

• love circle - love circle overlooks the city. it's a perfect place for a picnic or to enjoy a breezy afternoon. type it in to your gps and it might come up (i think?) but if not, ask a local and i promise you'll find your way there.
• 'i believe in nashville' sign - there are two of these in the city. i happen to prefer the larger one on the marathon music works door. the other one is located at 12 south dental studio. both are great photo ops!
• nashville predators game at bridgestone arena - this was my very first nhl game! i'm not very into hockey, but it's an experience that's fun and worth watching. a hockey team? in the south? oh yeah.

we found love right where we are

last weekend i took a quick trip to nashville. it was an incredible weekend, and i always have a blast up there. i tried a lot of new restaurants (gabby's burgers, barista parlor, city winery, husk, suzy wong's house of yum...), visited arrington vineyards down near franklin, hit up printer's alley, went to a sunday drag show brunch, y'know, the usual.

sometimes i think nashville is the place i wanna be if/when i move. sometimes, i feel like i wan to push myself to go further. i'm not sure right now. but i do know that nashville is a fantastic place, and i'm so happy it's only a 2.5 hour drive up i-65.

working on: this saturday is our first birmingham bloggers event of 2015 - a resolutions coffee chat at this fabulous new coffee shop on the north side of town. we've been prepping the chat material, packing up the goodie bags (pssst... xoxoheartarrow!) & getting really excited. beth and i have also been to tons of meetings lately... spring 2015 is shaping up to be fabulous for sure!

daydreaming about: all the travel that's about to smack me in the face this year. not kidding. i'm going everywhere. at least it feels that way. i'm heading to new orleans for mardi gras, austin, hopefully charleston this summer, san francisco, and i'm sure i'll end up in atlanta, nashville and the beaches again. it's about to get crazy.

watching: totally binging on portlandia. i watched season one months ago, but now i'm back on it. thank goodness season five just started. i have a huge schoolgirl crush on fred armisen, despite some of the bizarre things you can read about him online if you go lurking (dude's weird, but i have this thing for absurdly talented people, and he's so freakin' talented)

listening: so i just finished the serial podcast - so addicting! i loved but of course, it left me feeling very conflicted. i have my opinion but i won't spoil for anyone who hasn't listened. i've also started listening to a new podcast, being boss. while i'm not exactly what i'd call an entrepreneur, this podcast has some great nuggets for anyone managing their time/money, working on huge projects & navigating into uncharted creative territory. totally reccomend.