Now, after our epic first night, the morning came quickly… and found two 40-somethings in the bed and slightly immobile. Whoopsy! It happens! Do note I slept in that shirt I wore the night before. Nothing but class…
January 10 is my actual birthday, and there were many more plans laid to celebrate in Nashville and we had to get up and get moving!!! After a quick breakfast, much water, and a little peer pressure, we got dressed to meet the crew for celebration – day two!
We stayed in Downtown Nashville to be close to all the action at the Hotel Indigo, which is one of my favorite spots to sleep in the city. A great home base, it’s close to the iconic Printer’s Alley and is Lyft-able to just about anywhere you’d like to be including our first stop.
Nashville being my self-proclaimed hometown, I have a lot of friends from college (and after) that still live in the area and although it was a Thursday and very much a workday, we planned to meet for a fun lunch in the city. Over the years, I’ve talked about these ladies quite a bit… but lunch was star-studded with my friends Jaede, Jen, Donna, and Angela. We went to Gray and Dudley for a fabulous lunch (with a smidge of rose to get the party started.)
Now as a SERIOUS bonus add-on, one of my absolute favorites flew in to celebrate the day. My bestie Natalie hopped a plane from New Jersey to spend a fun 24 hours in Nashville too. So so fun to see her too!!!
After lunch and a few mural photo ops, the group split with several folks heading home to families and back to work, and Natalie, Donna, and I dashed out to explore the city.
Since I left Nashville 12 years ago, it has SERIOUSLY changed. It’s grown up and gotten SUPER cool. Almost too cool for me sometimes, I’ve thought. Usually when I come to visit, we spend more time hanging out, maybe take in a show, but we never really “do” Nashville. This trip, we “DID” Nashville… and we did it big.
Next stop on the tour was to the Bobby Hotel. Let me start by saying this place is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. I didn’t really even know it existed, but it was MAGICAL. Stunned by their hotel lobby’s chandelier and fun decor, we took the elevator to the rooftop for some added fun.
On top of the Bobby, there is an exquisite view of the city (hello Batman Building) and they’ve created a cozy environment for hanging out outside even though it’s winter in Nashville! Not only did they have a kitchy retro Greyhound tour bus that you could sit in, but they also had these cool igloos equipped with a space heater, games, and blankets where we sat and visited for a few hours until the sun went down.
So fun catching up with these two and just enjoying the atmosphere up there. Highly recommend checking this out!
Shortly after, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Donna always has her finger on the pulse in Nashville, and always has good recommendations. Her dinner choice did not disappoint! We dined at The Chef and I, an eclectic chef-owned restaurant with built in entertainment. When making the reservation, we had the option of choosing a bar seat… which we snagged immediately.
Instead of a cocktail bar, the bar seating overlooks is the mighty kitchen of chefs and sous chefs and you get to watch them prepare your meal. So fun interactive, this experience was on point. Full from dinner, we almost passed on dessert… but when the menu came out, the choices were incredible to the point where we couldn’t say “no thanks” if you catch my drift.
Before we left, I used the ladies room… and spotted my girl PAT BENETAR on the wall. You guys, Pat and I share a birthday, so this was a special birthday treat!
After dinner, we hopped in a Lyft and headed back to Broadway to give Natalie some exposure to the Nashville music scene. I mean, it’s what you do when you’re in Nashville and they didn’t even have to twist my arm one bit. We found a sweet spot at Tootsies World Famous Orchid Lounge where a live band was playing all of our favorites and the people watching was ON POINT.
And, as a bonus, two of the girls I met the night before at Taylor’s show joined us for some fun!!!
Fun Fact: I have a picture of Tootsies in my hallway at home… a going away gift from my Nashville team when I moved to Colorado years ago. So, this place has a special place in my heart.
The night ended with three ladies heading back to the Hotel Indigo for some much needed rest.
Nat and I scooted off to the airport first thing in the am; both heading in our respective directions and with more memories to tide us over until our next big adventure.
I’m going to say it here: 42 was the best birthday I’ve had in a while. And it’s not because of the trip and the hoopla or even the rose: It’s (and will always be) because of the women I spent that 48 hours with.
What is it they say… Find your tribe and love them fiercely. Ladies, I am forever a greater human, a more loving being, and a happier woman because of your friendship. xoxo