A Relaxing Weekend in Nashville
Part of me wishes I could tell you all about the amazing things that you must do in Nashville, but as I didn’t really see all that many of them, I’m probably not your go-to girl for that*. I went to Nashville to visit my awesome and super creative jewellery designer friend Lindsay (of Simon and Ruby) and I won’t lie, I asked if we could spend the weekend just relaxing. After 2 weeks switched on all the time, I was ready for some couch time. We did see some and do some cool things though.
On Friday morning we headed out to see Centennial Park which includes the Parthenon (yes Nashville has it’s very own) and some other sculptures (for lack of a better word) including a steam train from 1942, which has been kept in fantastic condition considering it’s in a public park! Don’t let that sunshine fool you though, it was a freezing -3C! Brr!
I had seen in my guidebook that there was a cool 50s Soda Shop not far from the Parthenon so when it all got too cold we headed over there for some fried chicken sandwiches with fries and strawberry sundaes! I have never had a sundae like it! I think it’s a must try if you’re in the area!
After leaving with happy full tummies, we headed to an area called Hillsboro which has some really cool indie shops including one called A Thousand Faces which I just fell in love with. It has some awesome gifts and notebooks and cards, amongst other cool things. While we were walking around I spotted this vintage neon sign and just had to take a photo! (The graphic design nerd in me told me to!)
After a trip to Target and TJMaxx we headed back to the house to have some dinner and watch some movies. After a cruisey start to Saturday (and more overnight snow!) We went to the mall at Opry Mills to get me some Toms for Charleston as all I had with me were silk ballet flats and snow boots! Next door to Opry Mills is the Grand Ole Opry, the famous music venue for country music. I’m not really into that kind of music, but you don’t go all the way out to it and not take some photos!
We had a great lunch and joint brainstorming session for both of our different projects (how awesome is brainstorming with people who get it?!) and popped over to see the opening of the new location for Old Made Good (OMG). A quirky, indie store with a gold glitter floor!! That’s Lindsay having a opening day drink at OMG.
We had dinner out with Lindsay’s friends Becca and Josh and I got a bit better at ordering a serving of food that I could finish, yay! Becca was talking about it being the Super Bowl (like a football grand final) the next night and how she was making all this cool food for it. We didn’t have any plans, so a new one was hatched and Becca Josh and another friend Patrick, would all come and watch the game and the ads (they’re the best bit). There was a feast of food to choose from and while I was still just as confused about the rules of the game at the end, it was fun to watch once. And of course I got to see the Super Bowl where the lights went out. Apparently that doesn’t happen every year.
I had an awesome weekend in Nashville. *I didn’t think we did all that much with all the relaxing that we did, but now I’ve written it for you, we actually did quite a bit! I think I’ll be back again, even if it’s just to see friends again.
Thanks so much to Lindsay for having me stay!
Kansas City: Things to See and Do
Kansas City is an awesome place to visit, especially if you have a friend who loves being a tour guide like I did! It’s not a super common place for people to visit when you’re from as far away as I am, but it’s right in the heartland of the USA and is a great spot to see how America is outside of LA, NY and Las Vegas.
Kansas City let me experience all different kinds of weather whilst I was there. It was 21°C/70°F and sunny on Monday, chilly and raining on Tuesday and cold and snowing on the Wednesday! It sure gave me a taste of all the weather in such a short period of time!
There’s a lot to see and do in KC and I thought I’d share some of my favourite places with you.
The Steamboat Arabia & Historic City Market
The Steamboat Arabia museum is a really cool place to visit. What started as a family looking for treasure and wanting to find the wreck of the Steamboat Arabia turned into a museum where they are still cleaning and restoring the artefacts that they uncovered when they dug her up. If nothing else, the sheer size of the cargo that they uncovered, many pieces intact or near to it, is just amazing. I’ve shared just a couple of photos to try to give you an idea of the scale of it. The tour guide said that it will take approximately 30 years to clear the silt and mud off all of the pieces. One of the other cool things about the Steamboat Arabia is that it’s open on a Monday when most of the other museums are closed.
The Historic City Market which is just next door is a great open market that looks like it would be amazing in the summer time. When we visited, just the fresh fruit and veg market was there but it all looked so delicious!
Union Station
When we visited Union Station, it was a cold wintery day. But if you have to visit anywhere on a day like that, Union Station is the place to go! It is beautifully restored and nice and warm. The architecture is just amazing! If you’re visiting, be sure to take the time to look up!
It is the second largest train station in the USA (only second to Grand Central), and the waiting area (as shown below) was once filled with long pews that people would sit on while waiting for their train. When it arrived they would walk through the doors on either side and down to the trains that ran underneath the station. Apparently, thousands of American soldiers came here and waited for the trains that would take them off to WWI and WWII. I’m just trying to picture what that sight would have looked like back then. I think Union Station is a must see if you’re in the area.
Be in Two Places at Once
One of the really fun things about Kansas City is that it crosses the state line between Missouri and Kansas. Missouri is where the touristy things to do are, but if you’ve ever wanted to be in two places at once, this is the place to try it! If you’re going to though, I recommend not going on a freezing cold day and trying not to pull a silly face like I did. Haha. (Missouri is at the top of the photo, Kansas at the bottom).
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson, as it’s called by locals is an amazing museum. This place has something for everyone, and I don’t say that lightly. There’s an Ansel Adams in the Photography section along with many other beautiful photographic works and an Andy Warhol in the Contemporary section. There’s also some beautiful renaissance paintings and the building itself is a work of art. It is definitely a place to get lost in.
There is also a sculpture garden outside including two giant shuttlecocks! It was so cold I thought I was going to be left with a frozen smile on my face from the photos! I clearly need more cold weather training. It would be beautiful in the summer time though.
Kansas City also has a gorgeous shopping precinct called the Plaza, that is modelled on the city of Seville, Spain which is worth a look and has all the major US brands that you could think of and lots of eateries too (but the food is another post all by itself).
I loved visiting and I think I’d go back again in the warmer months, I think it would have an even more vibrant feel to it then.
Salt Lake City: A Winter Wonderland
While I was in Salt Lake City for Alt, I did get a couple of chances to get outside and see some of SLC. Once was on the Wednesday morning to visit the post office and once on the Saturday for the Alt Photography Walking Tour. Here are some of my favourite photos that I took from SLC (as well as one shot from the plane):
1. SLC from the plane; 2. Drive thru post boxes and snow; 3. Cool bike rack; 4. Where City Creek Center meets Temple Square; 5. Reflection Pool in Temple Square in January;
6. Entrance to Temple Square; 7. Salt Lake Temple from Joseph Smith Memorial Building;
8. Salt Lake City Library entrance
