Nasvhille, TN 2019!

So Nashville was on our bucket lists....I want to see the world and especially want to see all the states in our beautiful country but this will take a lifetime.

I have a short list of "Bucket List" destinations right here in the U.S and Nashville was one of them.

Truth be told, however, this was a bigger one for Rob...being a musician and all, it is one of the Musical Capitals and it did not disappoint.  My hubby was like a little kid and since we got home yesterday, he has been saying he wants to go back!  Ha!

 This time we went with some close friends.  Our friend Beth Ann was turning 50 but she was adamant about not making this trip for her birthday...for us, though...it was the perfect excuse!

Here is what our little long weekend looked like... 

 Thursday

As much as we were looking forward to our alone time away (it has been 5 years since our last little getaway- that was in 2014 for our 10 year Wedding Anniversary and we got away to Nantucket for two nights which was pure bliss..anyway I digress)

It was lots of work compiling the "Master Schedule" for my stepdaughter Ally and Father In Law Bob.  Diana had so many dance classes and rehearsals so I was a bit nervous...it is alot BUT and I will get to this later in the post..they were champions and did not miss a beat!  They rocked the schedule and the girls had a blast.

Anyway...back to Thursday...I took a quick pic of my little muffins before we took off....

 

We decided to park at Logan Express in Woburn and take the shuttle from there to Logan Airport in Boston.  We have always had good luck here and it is close enough to make the trip into the city quick and easy...so we did!  I got silly because our driver was a bit grumpy and beeping at everyone...I couldn't stop laughing!

Once at Logan, we were three hours early and decided to do "brunch" at Legal's- one of Boston's most famous restaurants and known for their seafood.  The airport has a great satellite location and we enjoyed sharing a chowder and having some great sandwiches- mine was salmon- delish!

 

After that, we walked down to our gate and bopped on into another Boston Fave, Beer Works...enjoyed a blueberry beer and waited for the rest of our friends.  

 

The rest of the crew met up with us and ate at Beer Works...we ended up being delayed a bit BUT then we got an earlier take off time again and rushed on over to the gate.  Rob got a quick pic of the ladies before we boarded :)

 

(That's the same Nordy's dress and friends?  SO COMFY to travel in- my new fave!)

I snuck this pic...this is Matt on the plane...in his sporty neck pillow- ha ha!!  ;)

 

The flight from Boston is a quick one- about 2 hours.  Once there, we quickly grabbed my suitcase and walked towards our Uber.  On our jaunt over, we saw several cars wrapped up like the one below...never saw that...anyone know why peeps in TN do this?

 

This picture says it all!

 

The drive to our hotel was about 15 minutes.  We stayed at the Hutton Hotel in downtown Nashville-real funky boutique type hotel.  Check them out HERE

They had such interesting items to look at throughout the hotel....records...old record players...great art work of famous and not-so-famous artists....

 

Once we got to the hotel...we changed and freshened up...I decided on my fave cuff jeans and a lace top from Venus along with beige espadrille wedges...

We then met downstairs at the bar for a quick cocktail...we tried these lavender ones but none of us were really fans...they tasted like a "spa"...too funny...we quickly picked up on the fact that this hotel loves lavender...the lotion in our room was also lavender scented...MUCH BETTER in a lotion than a cocktail ;)  There was also a scent of lavender in the air throughout the lobby....

 

Then it was time to Uber over to our restaurant Husk.  What a beautiful and historic building...we needed to snap some pics out front of course!

 

Then we headed inside which to what ended up being one of the best dining experiences we have ever had.  Husk is a local Nashville fave with a farm to table style where the menu changes daily. 

 

We decided to order several different apps to start with and share so we could get a chance to try as many flavors as possible.  Then most of us ordered the Shrimp and Grits for our main course- one of their specialties and again one of the most amazing meals I have ever had!

Before the food came out, however, we decided to surprise Beth Ann were her bday present.....

 

 We chipped in for a beautiful David Yurman ring since it was such a big year for her...yep...she cried...mission accomplished! :)

After the big surprise, we dug in!

My mouth is watering just looking at this pic of the Shrimp and Grits again...Oh My!

After dinner, we crashed so hard...don't you find travel days the most tiring?

Friday

We were up early and Cass, Laurel and I went for a power walk...tried to get a lay of the land but the city was so much bigger and more spread out than we imagined and we didn't get to see very much..outside of lots of construction

 (Fun fact that we learned from our first Uber driver- Nashville is known for its ongoing construction and cranes every wear AND it was not a lie!)

We rushed back to the hotel to get ready for our day. 

I knew we would be out all day and night so decided on a comfy outfit of AE denim shorts, Lilly Tank and my Gold Reef Flip Flops- proved to be durable and super comfy 

We had a 10 am reservation for a "Bike Bar Tour" which is pretty famous in Nashville...you get to see the city and famous spots while stopping at a variety of bars along the way!  The company is called Music City Crawler and you can check them out HERE

It was SO MUCH fun!  We stopped at various bars including Nudie's and Valentine's

Snapped some pics in front of Patsy Cline's Museum for my Dad- he loves when I sing her song Crazy :)

My Love

 

 After our tour, we headed to Luke Bryan's to enjoy some lunch and music on the rooftop deck!

The Chicken and Waffles did not disappoint!

 

We met an adorable couple from Mass- Beth Ann's area to be exact- small world!

 

After this, we took a little walk...the architecture in Nashville was also very impressive and interesting...

 

Our next stop was Kid Rock's bar...four floors...a different band on every floor!  (I was doing my best to rally!)

 

I spotted Blake Shelton in a window across the way ;)

 

After that, we had a reservation for a Horse and Buggy tour.  It was great!  We got to see even more of this great city.  We used Sugar Creek Carriage Rides and they were great!  You can check them out HERE

 

and a Bday song for BA ;)

 

Our driver was the bomb (and so was our horse "Pearl") :)

Then we decided to grab dinner and happened upon "Wildhorse"...it was huge...lots of country line dancing happening....and the food was great!

 

Their onion dip and homemade chips...

 

I got a boring salad...did that a few times this weekend...tried to squeeze in some healthiness in between all of the indulgences :)

 Saturday

We grabbed a quick breakfast at our hotel with everyone....

Then Rob and I walked around a bit with Matt and Beth Ann...we walked through the Country Music Hall of Fame and checked out the fun stuff in the gift shop...

 

 Then it was time to head over to our next tour at 3rd and Lingsley for a Songwriter Show called "Backstage Nashville." This ended up being the best thing we did!

We got to listen to songwriters play some of their hit songs and tell the stories behind them...these songwriters have written hit songs for George Strait, Blake Shelton, Uncle Kracker and more!  It was so much fun to watch this amazing talent!

Our favorite was JT Harding...we even got to spend a little time with him afterwards!

 

After that, we Uber'd back downtown to hit a few more famous spots (well most of us did- Tom met us on a scooter- another big thing in Nashville!)

 

We hit the famous Tootsie's!

 

Later, when walking around, we spotted these cocktails- so fun- had to snap a pic!

 

Then we found the famous Coyote Ugly- so fun!

 

After this, Rob and I headed back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.

We had reservations at the famous Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse and it did not disappoint- "amazing" does not do it justice- "incredible" doesn't either...we just highly recommend it!  You can check them out HERE

 

Matt in his "bib"

 

The guys were psyched because they could see the tvs in the lounge from our table and they were able to keep an eye on the Bruins Game!

(Great end result too) :)

After dinner, we headed over to the lounge to enjoy the band- they were amazing and the stage was set on top of the bar- so cool!

 

It was the perfect way to end our trip.....

the next morning, Rob and I headed to the airport and reminisced on a wonderful long weekend!

It is always great to be home....especially with our little fam and Pidge loved the souvenir we brought her :)

 That's a wrap!