Uber Driver: "Do you like big crowds?"
Me: "Not so much"
Uber Driver: "You are in for a rude awakening then :)"
...
Uber Driver: "You should try the Nashville Hot chicken"
Me: "We are vegetarians :)"
Uber Driver: "Uh oh"
Nashville is known for its southern food, country music and bars. It didn't feature on my travel radar primarily because I am a vegetarian who grew up mostly on Bollywood and pop music, who knows very little of country music, and who doesn't really drink. I ended up in Nashville for the 4th July weekend this year primarily because my friend wanted to go there. After my first full day there, I realized it wasn't a rude awakening but a pleasant surprise.
We stayed in East Nashville, about 10mins by Uber to Nashville downtown. There are plenty of Airbnb options here. We preferred not to rent a car and use Uber to avoid parking hassles in the downtown and it worked very well. We landed on friday night and decided to eat in East Nashville at a Mexican place called Rosepepper cantina. It was crowded and we got a table after waiting for about 50 mins. Despite the great reviews, the food was bad and the outside seating was attracting all kinds of bugs which fell into the salsa. At this point my expectations from the city were more diluted than the beans in my burrito.
Saturday morning, we went to an Indian grocery store nearby to get some things to make breakfast and tea. We rested a bit in the afternoon and then set off to visit the Nashville downtown. We got off at Riverfront park and walked on Broadway. Broadway is surrounded by bars and restaurants on either side of the street rocking with live music. The street is crowded but its the most fun part of downtown. Another thing which seems awesome are the Pedal Taverns where groups of people pedal, drink and sing in an open car. We walked around the downtown to see the Ryman auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame. The interactive displays in Musicians Hall of Fame are a lot of fun and definitely recommended by my friend.
After walking around the downtown for a bit, we wanted to go some place with live music. The sheer volume of options is overwhelming, but my friend from work had recommended that we definitely pay a visit to BB King's. BB King's is one of the local favorites too serving southern food and drinks while regaling people with some blues music. I absolutely loved the vibe of the place. We ordered some Nachos, drinks and spent an hour enjoying the live performance. We followed it up with dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory just a few shops down from BB King's. The ambience of the place is magnificent. I enjoyed some pasta, salad and the best broccoli side ever. That was day 1 and I was turning into a believer.
Then came day 2 and we started off with brunch at a restaurant which I think is one of the best Indian restaurants in U.S. - Chauhan Ale and Masala house. Executive Chef Manmeet Chauhan is an acclaimed chef who has won several accolades throughout her distinguished career. Her restaurant is a testament to her immense prowess and her ability to provide a menu which is eclectic, upscale and delicious while still being Indian (read 'not bland'). We had Nan Tacos and Nan French Toast which were both amazing. We made a dinner reservation for the next day as we left the restaurant knowing that we needed more helpings.
After a bit of rest, day 2 continued with our visit to Bicentennial mall and farmers market. While in Nashville, one of the top things to do is to catch a show at The Grand Ole Opry or the Ryman auditorium. Unfortunately they didn't have shows on our travel dates or the ones that were on were already booked. But a friend of my friend recommended that we try and catch Mark O'Connor and band who were in Nashville that weekend. Luckily, we happened to get tickets to the Schermerhorn Symphony where Mark O'Connor and band were performing live with the orchestra.
It was an amazing experience to listen to the orchestra and to some of the wonderful songs by Mark O'Connor and band. I have been listening to their song Coming Home on repeat ever since. Day 2 came to an end introducing me to Bluegrass music, Forrest O'Connor and Mark O'Connor.
Day 3 started off with some rain. But it didn't dampen my spirits to catch a little more of Nashville. We went out in the drizzle and walked through Centennial Park. The Parthenon was closed for visit that day (its closed on Mondays), but we could still see it from outside.
We continued walking down to Vanderbilt University and from there to Music Square. There is not much to see here and we soon started off from there for The Gulch.
The Gulch is a small area with some restaurants and shops near the 12th Ave. We were feeling hungry and decided to pop by Burger Republic which served us some delicious veggie burgers. We walked around for some more time just browsing through some of the overpriced stores.
It was time for dinner and we were back at Chauhan Ale and Masala house. This time we devoured Gol Gappa shots, Panner Tikka Masala and Parda Kathal Biryani. I was dying to taste the Garam Masala Chocolate cake but unfortunately they ran out of that. We tried the Gulab Jamun Cheesecake which was pretty good too. Day 3 came to an end with my belly full of a meal that I will never forget.
We had a half day to spend on day 4 before we caught our flight. It was just lunch at the Farmers market with some veggie crepes and falafel platter. This was followed by Jeni's ice cream which is one of the favorites in Nashville. Do try the Mango buttermilk flavored one and you will not be disappointed.
I went to Nashville not knowing what to expect. I came back with so many diverse sensory experiences that will last with me a lifetime. It was my first orchestra concert, first bar experience with live music, first experience eating at a celebrated Indian chef's restaurant and the first time that I fell in love with broccoli.
Me: "Not so much"
Uber Driver: "You are in for a rude awakening then :)"
...
Uber Driver: "You should try the Nashville Hot chicken"
Me: "We are vegetarians :)"
Uber Driver: "Uh oh"
Nashville is known for its southern food, country music and bars. It didn't feature on my travel radar primarily because I am a vegetarian who grew up mostly on Bollywood and pop music, who knows very little of country music, and who doesn't really drink. I ended up in Nashville for the 4th July weekend this year primarily because my friend wanted to go there. After my first full day there, I realized it wasn't a rude awakening but a pleasant surprise.
We stayed in East Nashville, about 10mins by Uber to Nashville downtown. There are plenty of Airbnb options here. We preferred not to rent a car and use Uber to avoid parking hassles in the downtown and it worked very well. We landed on friday night and decided to eat in East Nashville at a Mexican place called Rosepepper cantina. It was crowded and we got a table after waiting for about 50 mins. Despite the great reviews, the food was bad and the outside seating was attracting all kinds of bugs which fell into the salsa. At this point my expectations from the city were more diluted than the beans in my burrito.
Saturday morning, we went to an Indian grocery store nearby to get some things to make breakfast and tea. We rested a bit in the afternoon and then set off to visit the Nashville downtown. We got off at Riverfront park and walked on Broadway. Broadway is surrounded by bars and restaurants on either side of the street rocking with live music. The street is crowded but its the most fun part of downtown. Another thing which seems awesome are the Pedal Taverns where groups of people pedal, drink and sing in an open car. We walked around the downtown to see the Ryman auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame. The interactive displays in Musicians Hall of Fame are a lot of fun and definitely recommended by my friend.
 |
| The "Batman" building in downtown Nashville |
After walking around the downtown for a bit, we wanted to go some place with live music. The sheer volume of options is overwhelming, but my friend from work had recommended that we definitely pay a visit to BB King's. BB King's is one of the local favorites too serving southern food and drinks while regaling people with some blues music. I absolutely loved the vibe of the place. We ordered some Nachos, drinks and spent an hour enjoying the live performance. We followed it up with dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory just a few shops down from BB King's. The ambience of the place is magnificent. I enjoyed some pasta, salad and the best broccoli side ever. That was day 1 and I was turning into a believer.
Then came day 2 and we started off with brunch at a restaurant which I think is one of the best Indian restaurants in U.S. - Chauhan Ale and Masala house. Executive Chef Manmeet Chauhan is an acclaimed chef who has won several accolades throughout her distinguished career. Her restaurant is a testament to her immense prowess and her ability to provide a menu which is eclectic, upscale and delicious while still being Indian (read 'not bland'). We had Nan Tacos and Nan French Toast which were both amazing. We made a dinner reservation for the next day as we left the restaurant knowing that we needed more helpings.
After a bit of rest, day 2 continued with our visit to Bicentennial mall and farmers market. While in Nashville, one of the top things to do is to catch a show at The Grand Ole Opry or the Ryman auditorium. Unfortunately they didn't have shows on our travel dates or the ones that were on were already booked. But a friend of my friend recommended that we try and catch Mark O'Connor and band who were in Nashville that weekend. Luckily, we happened to get tickets to the Schermerhorn Symphony where Mark O'Connor and band were performing live with the orchestra.
 |
| Orchestra starting to get set up |
It was an amazing experience to listen to the orchestra and to some of the wonderful songs by Mark O'Connor and band. I have been listening to their song Coming Home on repeat ever since. Day 2 came to an end introducing me to Bluegrass music, Forrest O'Connor and Mark O'Connor.
Day 3 started off with some rain. But it didn't dampen my spirits to catch a little more of Nashville. We went out in the drizzle and walked through Centennial Park. The Parthenon was closed for visit that day (its closed on Mondays), but we could still see it from outside.
 |
| The Parthenon at Centennial Park |
We continued walking down to Vanderbilt University and from there to Music Square. There is not much to see here and we soon started off from there for The Gulch.
 |
| Music Square |
The Gulch is a small area with some restaurants and shops near the 12th Ave. We were feeling hungry and decided to pop by Burger Republic which served us some delicious veggie burgers. We walked around for some more time just browsing through some of the overpriced stores.
It was time for dinner and we were back at Chauhan Ale and Masala house. This time we devoured Gol Gappa shots, Panner Tikka Masala and Parda Kathal Biryani. I was dying to taste the Garam Masala Chocolate cake but unfortunately they ran out of that. We tried the Gulab Jamun Cheesecake which was pretty good too. Day 3 came to an end with my belly full of a meal that I will never forget.
We had a half day to spend on day 4 before we caught our flight. It was just lunch at the Farmers market with some veggie crepes and falafel platter. This was followed by Jeni's ice cream which is one of the favorites in Nashville. Do try the Mango buttermilk flavored one and you will not be disappointed.
I went to Nashville not knowing what to expect. I came back with so many diverse sensory experiences that will last with me a lifetime. It was my first orchestra concert, first bar experience with live music, first experience eating at a celebrated Indian chef's restaurant and the first time that I fell in love with broccoli.
Madam, the barrel of Jack Daniels you ordered has arrived.
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