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A Visit to the Opryland Hotel

05. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Travel · Tags: , , , , ,

On one of our days in Nashville, my sister suggested that we visit the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, which is next to the Grand Ole Opry. After exploring the 9 acre hotel, we were shocked that none of our friends had recommended it as a must-see in Nashville. So here is my official Opryland Hotel endorsement: if you are in Nashville, go! You will not regret it.

DSC 0090 1024x555 A Visit to the Opryland HotelI spy the Opryland Hotel (and maybe some fall leaves?!)
DSC 0095 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland Hotel The lobby of the hotel
DSC 0099 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelTo our right: a woman dressed as Little Boo Peep singing “Hoooooowdy” at the top of her lungs. The sound rang in our ears for the rest of the day and we took it upon ourselves to share the “Hoooowdy” love with other strangers
DSC 0130 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelHaha! Trying to pose like the statue. The Roman Sisters are a bit odd

DSC 0109 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelWe decided that late night hide-and-seek in the hotel would be epic
DSC 0138 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelLas tres amigas
DSC 0141 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelWe hit up the on-site Mexican restaurant for happy hour- appetizers were $4-$6! Tip: if you buy food in one of the on-site restaurants, they will validate your parking ticket (which is usually $20). We bought happy hour appetizers for a total of $12 and ended up with free parking- win!
DSC 0143 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelQueso con chorizos y guacamole. Come se dice “nom nom nom” en espanol?
DSC 0145 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelThe three musketeers- happy, full, caffeinated, and ready for a night at Tootsie’s!

For more photos from the Opryland Hotel, visit my Nashville pictures page!

“Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?”

02. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , ,

On Wednesday night, my sister, our friend Colette, and I boarded a plane (for the first time all together!) to Nashville.

DSC 00011 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?In the security line, we jokingly got called out by a TSA agent for being troublemakers. Before we sat down, we asked the man in the adjoining seat if he would cry if we sat next to him. We thought it was nice of us to give him a fair warning.

When we got to Nashville, we met our friend’s aunt and uncle, who we were staying with. The five of us hit it off immediately- they’re the kind of people you feel instantly comfortable around. We heard so many inspirational stories from our friend’s aunt over Mexican food and margaritas.

The next morning, Sara Rose and I met up with Sam Davidson, our TEDxRaleigh amigo, for breakfast at Marche, an adorable artisan eatery in East Nashville. We had the best ricotta, sun-dried tomato, and pesto omelettes with green salads on the side, giant mugs of delicious coffee, and scintillating conversation.

DSC 00231 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Our chauffeur (aka our friend) picked us up from breakfast to take us to see the Parthenon replica in Centennial Park but we left when we realized we would have to pay for the museum. I swear we’re cultured…
DSC 00271 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Peeking out to say cuckoo.
DSC 00401 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?And speaking of birds…we ate lunch at McDougal’s in Hillsboro Village. My buffalo chicken salad was amazing- and gluten-free!
DSC 00611 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Time for Pied Piper- voted the second best ice cream place in Nashville. The guy working said Taylor Swift goes there sometimes. I ordered The Professor and sent a photo text to my boyfriend the professor haha.
DSC 00671 1024x1002 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Then we spotted this across the street from Pied Piper: the city’s only full-service weenery. Obviously we thought this was hysterical and said “That’s what she said” a lot.

We made friends with the neighbors- including one guy we nicknamed Wendy- and they showed us a local burger joint called BurgerUp. Caramelized onions and gluten-free buns- I’m a fan! It was on par with Chuck’s in Raleigh.

DSC 00751 1024x533 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?The next day, we grabbed lunch at Calypso Cafe, a cute local Jamaican chain and rehashed our interesting night out on Broadway Street (it involved fireballs, card tricks, and giving nicknames to everyone we met, like Birdie, Bong, and Purple Stripe Man).
DSC 00771 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Jerk chicken, green salad, and a bean salad. So good and affordable! And let me tell you, that green salad was delicious at 3am too icon smile Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?
DSC 00811 1024x950 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Haha black bean check!

To be continued…

Exploring Music City {Nashville}

26. September 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Travel · Tags: , , , , , ,

Off to Nashville this evening!

It’s has always been on my radar as a city that I had to visit, but my sister, our friend Colette, and I knew we had to book a trip when we saw $100 round-trip tickets on Southwest’s Fall Fares list.

We are again lucky enough to have someone to stay with in the city, which minimizes travel costs by quite a bit.

Since I’ve never been to Nashville- also known as the Athens of the South- I put up a Facebook status asking for ideas for what to do. Here are some of the suggestions my friends gave me:

  • See the Parthenon replica at Centennial Park

partenon nashville Exploring Music City {Nashville}[Parthenon replica]

hall of fame thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Country Music Hall of Fame]

  • Listen to a show at Blue Bird Café
  • Bar hop on Broadway, especially Tootsies and The Stage

broadway nashville thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Bars on Broadway]

One thing we know we’re doing is meeting up with Sam Davidson, who we met through TEDxRaleigh last year, for an authentic Nashville breakfast.

I’ve got my kicks and I’m ready to rock. You better believe I’ll be listening to Party in the USA- except this definitely is a Nashville party icon smile Exploring Music City {Nashville}

boots Exploring Music City {Nashville}

 Any other suggestions?! I’d love to hear them!

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

18. July 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Transitioning back to the workweek after a family staycation and a fun birthday weekend is a challenge- as Nutritionella pointed out, ever feel like you need a vacation to recover from vacation?

I thought it would help to remind myself of the fun trips I have on the horizon for the rest of summer and the beginning of fall.

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Back to Hollymead

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Work & fun trip to DC

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Bachelorette party at undisclosed location

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in Nashville

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in San Francisco

Thank goodness I have generous family, friends, family friends, and friend’s family in cool places! We’ll be driving to most of these places, so the gas split between multiple people won’t be too expensive. For the other places, I/we have managed to find great deals by browsing Southwest’s fall sales and planning trips around the cheapest dates {hooray for workplace flexibility!}.

Where are you headed this summer/fall? What tips do you have for affordable travel? 

P.S. For more travel inspiration, check out Linnie’s Summer Travel Series!

pixel On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips
+Cristina Roman