Nashville

I’m traveling to Nashville for work. I always loved getting the chance to visit California for work in my last job, but how delighted am I that the Global team I now work with are based in Nashville. Total score! I arrive after midnight from Casablanca and head for the hotel Sheraton downtown.

I love that when you arrive in Nashville airport the messages over the tannoy to remember to pick your own luggage etc are courtesy of George Strait and Darius Rucker…. “This is George Strait welcoming you to Nashville and reminding you to check your luggage tag as bags can look the same”… hilarious!!

After a few hours sleep it’s already Monday morning and time to head to the office. It’s about a 10 minute walk and passes by Legends Corner which I can’t pass without a photo. In particular, because today is my mam’s birthday, and last time I was here was with her and the family.

I still have a touch of a dodgy belly from Morocco, so the first couple of days I’m not eating. Bit of a bummer as there is such good food here in Nashville. However, as the days go by I’m feeling better and manage some dinners with my work colleagues.

I’m staying for the weekend as my Texas girls (Jennifer and Renee) and Molly from San Fran are flying in to see me…. Woohoo girls weekend in this party city!! I get myself through a busy week and by Friday lunchtime I’m ready to check out the town…..

The girls arrived last night, so we had a quick catch up at the hotel, but the weekend is about to get started. I have to work for a few hours Friday morning so the girls have already gone for breakfast. By lunchtime I am done, meetings finished, emails answered I’m ready to party. I meet the girls around the corner from the hotel and we head straight for Broadway. Robert’s is first on our list of bars to check out.

In 2006, I came to Nashville for the first time and met my parents, big brother, Michael, little brother, Con, and big sister, Ange who’d all flown in from Dublin. We had the most amazing time and will never forget being in Roberts bar. I think we may have been there every day, sometimes for so many hours that we would just get a burger so we could stay longer without being starving..

It’s just how I remembered it. The stage looks the same, all the cowboy boots lined up along shelves, and burgers and cheese toasties being made behind the bar. We intended to stay for one but end up being there for about five hours. The music is just so good, we are loving it and it’s bringing back so many good memories. Old school country mainly but mixed in with some other tunes… Delta Dawn is a new one on me (how is that possible!) but I certainly know it now!

Eventually, we have to leave as we have dinner plans for tonight. We are going to a restaurant called Janes Hideaway.

We’ve made a reservation for drinks at White Limozeen. White Limozeen is a Dolly Parton themed indoor-outdoor rooftop bar that sits atop Graduate Nashville on West End Ave, walking distance to Vanderbilt University.

It has some very interesting decor, including this large round bed, which full disclosure we only jump on for a photo op…

We order drinks and also around of Jell-O shots – this is such an American drink and it’s got to be done. They’re actually very nice, not too sweet and not too alcoholic.

There’s a little bit of rain but we go outside to get a photo at the big Dolly statue.

Saturday morning we hit a local institution for breakfast and I’m very excited to have biscuits and gravy….

Rather than going back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the day (I’m rocking a just out of bed look!) we decide to head to the Ryman to see if they’ll honour our tickets from yesterday! Molly had booked the tickets ahead of time to do the tour but we didn’t get there as we spent so long in Robert’s. We are hoping they’ll let us use them today and we have a secret weapon – her name is Renee. We send her off to use her charm and get us in… of course we never doubted her and we are in!

The tour is just how I remembered it but this time it’s set up for a show tonight so you can’t actually stand on the stage. Last time I was here the big brother picked up the guitar and sang a John Prine number for the visitors – it was class!

The exhibitions are fantastic – loads of great info on all the country greats and Elvis of course.

The lady’s spot the recording booth and put my name down to record a song. You chose from a specific list so the obvious choice was “Walking After Midnight” by Patsy Cline. Well worth $15 for the experience and the recorded track.

After a spot of shopping at the gift store we head back to the hotel for a quick cleanup before catching a ride on the hotel golf cart driven by Asher the Dasher back to Broadway!!

For the rest of the afternoon we hit bars on Broadway… most are now owned by famous county singers and there’s a few I’m very interested in….. we start with Ole Red which is Blake Shelton’s bar.

I’d love to meet Blake but have to settle for his cardboard cutout!

The band playing are amazing – I love the stage and space to stand around and dance… it’s brilliant.

Next we hit the Whiskey Bent saloon and see a girl who apparently was on American Idol. Her name is Taryn Papa and she’s really good. I throw $10 in the tip jar and ask her to do “Girl Crush” by Little big Town and she does a really good job of it.

I’m insisting on a selfie in every bar…..

Next is Miranda Lamberts!

This bar is huge… multiple levels with multiple live music acts. I like the easy vibe on the ground floor …

It’s packed with youngsters getting their booze on so not really our cup of tea…. A quick drink and… NEXT!

We pass Dierk Bentleys and go into Laylas which I remember from before and is more low key with mostly blue grass bands. The band of ladies are fantastic.

We round off the afternoon/early evening with a final drink in Robert’s… sure you’d have to! Molly and Jennifer head back to the hotel while Renee and I have just one more before following suit.

Tonight we are hitting a well known pizza restaurant called City House before going to the grand old Opry. The pizza and red wine is delicious. Anthony Bourdain was here in his “parts unknown” series.

We have managed to get tickets for a Keith Whitley Memorial show – “I WONDER DO YOU THINK OF ME: THE OPRY REMEMBERS KEITH WHITLEY”. It has quite the lineup, and we see Ashley McBryde, Keith Whitley‘s son Jesse, Lorrie Morgan (Keith’s wife), Terri Clark, Mark Wills, The Grascals, topped off by none other than Mr Garth Brooks.

The main man is hard to beat. There’s no screaming and you can actually hear him sing – LOVED IT!

Sunday has come around very quickly so we pack up and head to our brunch spot for a final meal together. It’s a place called Husk and it’s in a beautiful old house with lots of history. They have a significant breakfast/brunch menu, including appetisers and mains. We make the most of things and order savoury dishes each with some sweet dishes to share. Throw in a Bellini cocktail and everybody is happy. I think we stay over two hours at the restaurant and then we slowly make our way back to town.

We check out a different area of town on the walk back and see lots of little shops, cafés, bars and you guessed it – more live music.

Eventually we find our way to the cowboy boots store. We know we shouldn’t but about an hour later, Molly and I have bought matching pinkish red cowboy boots. We’re so long in the shop, we have to say our goodbyes to Renee and Jennifer who need to get to the airport for their flight.

Molly and I decide we need to go to Roberts for one last drink …. it has to be done. Yet again, the music is fantastic and it’s hard to leave this place.

I could stay for hours. I feel I’m all beer’d out but I manage one more (actually I think we had a cider!) to send us on our way.

It has been an amazing weekend so happy I got to see the girls and delighted that we all loved the country music and the bars. It is a crazy party town in a lot of ways, but once you find the right bars it’s amazing. It’s defo the best place to visit if you’re a country music fan or even just a fan of good music.

Until next time, Nashville, be seeing ye!