This post is a recount of a long weekend in Nashville with my sister Tori.
Friday: I could hardly wait to get out of work. It was a Friday afternoon in mid-May. I sat at my desk, unable to concentrate. I managed to pass the time by taking care of a few menial tasks, ones that require minimal mental effort. I stopped by my supervisor’s office for a brief chat around 3 pm. I let him know I was leaving to catch a flight to Nashville and left the office. I stopped by my apartment to grab my bag before heading to Buffalo for my 7:00 departure.
I was really looking forward to a long weekend in a big city; the small town I lived in just wasn’t doing it for me. I departed on time and made it to Nashville around 11:30 pm. I caught an Uber to where my sister and I were staying: The Comfort Inn on Demonbreun St. I dropped my bags, brushed my teeth, and made my way out the door.
It was my first time visiting Nashville. I remember looking out the window as my Uber cruised down Broadway. Crowds of young people lined the sidewalks, making their ways in and out of the countless bars and clubs that lined the strip. Finally, a demographic I could vibe with.
I met up with my sister and her friend Dan at FGL. Dan was in Nashville for work that weekend. He and Tori knew each other through mutual friends in Pittsburgh. We hung out on the rooftop overlooking the strip. The place was packed, and I loved it.
I ended up taking some pictures with a bachelorette party. One member of the squadron apparently thought I wanted to learn about how and why she was a teacher. She poured her drunken heart out to me about making the most of life and having a fulfilling career. I thought she was nice, but her breath kind of smelled so I kept our conversation short.
Tori, Dan, and I got back to The Comfort Inn around 3:00 am. We hung out until around 4:30 am, at which time Dan mentioned he should probably get back to his hotel because he had work in the morning (i.e. in 3 hours). I still don’t know how Dan pulled it together after a night like that. I think he might be superhuman.
Saturday: I woke up around 10:30 am. I was more hungover than I should have been, probably because I hadn’t eaten much the night before and was dehydrated. I walked down Division St. looking for a place to eat. I stumbled upon Hopsmith, an American grub and craft beer hang out with a brunch menu (would recommend). It checked the boxes for me. I downed a mimosa and felt a little better. I ate an omelet with some hash browns, paid my tab, and then headed back to the Comfort Inn.
I woke Tori up and we Limed downtown. Both of us were still nursing hangovers, Tori’s far worse than mine. We stumbled upon the Copenhagen Snuff Museum on 2nd Ave. Perfect! I thought to myself, nothing cures a hangover like some Cope straight.
We entered the museum. It was pretty interesting, Copenhagen tins lined the tables and walls. They even had a bar that served tins of Copenhagen (it was kinda funny). Farther back was a display area where the production process was shown, from growing the tobacco to aging, cutting, flavoring, filling etc. It was pretty cool.
We then went to the far back of the store. The far back is the real deal. We signed our lives away with some waivers and entered the “tasking room.” Behind the bar stood a dude in an apron. Behind him was an entire wall of sealed Copenhagen tins, stacked tall in dispenser tubes. I picked a few flavors to try, and the bartender cracked the tins for me to taste. I hadn’t packed a dip in over 4 years; man was I buzzing.
I got my picture taken in front of a gigantic wall of tins laid out in the shape of the Copenhagen logo. On the way out, I made a custom tin lid with my initials on it. It was quite the experience.
That evening, we stopped at Dawg House Saloon for a simple dinner (would recommend). After, we Limed down to Vanderbilt and toured the campus. It was pretty nice, reminiscent of Harvard’s campus in a way. By that time school was out, so we didn’t see many students. We called it an early night, getting back around 10 pm.
Sunday: Sunday was fairly uneventful. I kind of felt like we had pretty much seen everything at that point. We Limed around near the river and took a few not-so-great looking selfies. There were plenty of walking paths and overlooks, but the river isn’t much to speak of. It’s sluggish, murky, and not very scenic.
That evening, we Limed back down to the area near Vanderbilt. We grabbed dinner at McDougal’s Chicken Fingers and Wings (would recommend). It was a nice low-key place. A few college students and we were the only ones there. We swung through East Nashville but unfortunately, the shops were closed.
After, we hit a few rooftop bars on Broadway before calling it a night. We caught our flights home the next morning, Tori to Pittsburgh and myself to Buffalo.
Overall, I give my Nashville long weekend a score of 10/10.
