I have been a Nashvillian for almost three months or 89 days to be exact. Some thought I was absolutely insane for choosing a place to move where I didn’t know anyone except for my realtor whom I met through an acquaintance. If you need an excellent realtor, I would be happy to introduce you to mine. Liza Drake helped me find a place while I was living in another state during the pandemic. This was so far outside of my comfort zone but one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. I have not always made the best decisions, but I feel like this time all of the stars kept aligning for me at the right time. It was about time!
I had my first out of town visitor, my sister, over Memorial Weekend. One of the reasons I fell in love with Nashville was from our sister trips here in 2018 and 2019 when we saw Taylor Swift at Nissan Stadium and Dolly Parton for her 50th Anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry. Anyone who really knows me knows how much I love music. We were able to do some exploring around the city which intertwined both our loves for music, shopping and food. It was a perfect sister visit and my first real time adventuring around my new city.
Our first adventure was to visit a friend’s studio on Music Row, Kelly James Productions. We got to watch how demo tracks are made and got educated on different aspects of music production. Kelly’s studio is now home to the late Frank Zappa’s former Harrison 4832 mixing console. Kelly has been in the music business for over 25 years which is pretty impressive for someone growing up in central Wisconsin. I am super proud to call him my friend. Okay, he is my only friend here but still!
Our next adventure took us to Downtown Nashville where we visited Nudie’s which has the longest bar in Nashville. There are displays of the famous Nudie Suits worn by the likes of Elvis Presley and others. We enjoyed a Nudie’s Lemonade and listened to some great live music before we headed over to the new 5th & Broadway and indulged in some mini donuts from the Donut Distillery. They were the perfect size with a variety of different flavors. Definitely will be going back to try the boozie milkshakes!
We were super excited to find out Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa was opening on the evening we had originally planned to go to Whiskey Jam. My sister is a huge Miranda fan but was a bit disappointed in the retail selection. Sorry Miranda. Thankfully the Hell on Heals specialty cocktails were a hit even though they were a bit spendy at $14 a drink; We had 3 each LOL We loved the photo opp walls and all of the decor. Definitely one of the top spots we visited during my sister’s stay.
If you are looking to see an up and coming extremely talented and very friendly artist, we had the pleasure of listening to the Ryne Brashear Band at Assembly Food Hall at 5th & Broadway. It was a lovely evening and perfect for the rooftop spot. This was the second time I have seen the band perform live and they did not disappoint. They played their own songs as well as numerous requests including some country classics. There was even a surprise guest guitarist who played a Marshall Tucker song with the band who has ties to Dolly Parton and won a few Grammy’s. My sister had the pleasure of meeting the lead singer himself! We will definitely be following the band and looking forward to great things in 2021 for them.
If you happen to love collecting vinyl like I do, you will want to check out Grimey’s in East Nashville. We made a special trip there to pick up Taylor Swift’s Evermore Album and autographed CD. I couldn’t help but also pick up a Tears For Fears CD, Pat Benatar and Kasey Musgraves Golden Hour which happens to be one of my favorites to listen to at the moment. I have since been back for Record Store Day in hopes of getting Tears For Fears Live at Massey Hall. I got up super early and thought I would be ok being 20th in line but unfortunately by the time it was my time to check out the album was on the sold out list. I did manage to get a few other special releases for Record Store Day so definitely did not come home empty handed!
Being a proud dog mom, I was thrilled to go to the 12 South neighborhood and could not believe how dog friendly it was. Lord Seymour Wiener of Nash got to experience Draper James, Serendipity, White Mercantile and Edley’s BBQ. He was a big fan of the pulled pork that his favorite aunt gave him. We cannot wait for more friends and family to visit and know that 12 South will be on the top of the list because Seymour can come along! You can follow Seymour on his instagram @seymourwienerdog or on Facebook.
When you come to Nashville you should definitely plan on a trip to see a show at the Grand Ole Opry. I have been twice in the last three weeks! I love live music and during the pandemic I had a really hard time not being able to enjoy one of my most favorite past times. Live music is back! Concerts are being announced every day. I’m definitely in my element living in Nashville.
Seymour and I have been adjusting to our new city and new surroundings. We had a surprise visit from our aunt and uncle from Wisconsin this past week who hand delivered some dill pickles. Next week we will have another visitor coming for a nice long weekend. We look forward to so many new adventures with friends and family.
“Oh, tie up the bow, take off your coat, and take a look around
Everything is alright now ‘Cause the sky has finally opened
The rain and wind stopped blowin’
But you’re stuck out in the same ol’ storm again
Let go of your umbrella
‘Cause, darlin’, I’m just trying to tell ya
That there’s always been a rainbow hangin’ over your head
Yeah, there’s always been a rainbow hangin’ over your head
It’ll all be alright
-Kasey Musgraves
I am going to be alright.
Tales of TFF, Taylor, Dolly and Happenstance 