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1) I have an interview in Nashville on Thursday (woohoo!)
2) Interviews end around 3pm, I fly out on Friday morning
3) I have from 3pm Thursday till 9:00am Friday to get a sense of the city and decide if I'm up for moving from Washington DC to Nashville.
If you were in my shoes, what would you see/do in the 18 hours between the interview and the return flight? (Aside from sleep .
What I love about Washington DC:
- My friends
- The Air & Space Museum, galleries, shows (mainly the musicals and Shakespeare), and random little things (a cheese shop in Del Ray, Eastern Market, after-hours classes at the Smithsonian, woodworking classes in Springfield, Old Town shopping, ...)
- The historic houses in Alexandria and South Capitol
What I don't love about Washington DC:
- Endless traffic
- Lack of a city identity (we're all from somewhere else)
Your comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!
I grew up in Washington DC (near the Zoo) and lived there until my late 20s, and moved to Nashville after a 7-year interlude in Chicago. When I moved to Nashville, I knew there were going to be some things I'd want to do that I would simply have to go someplace else to do, such as good museums and art galleries. There were certain things that I would miss, most notably sidewalks and good public transportation. On the whole I was very happy in Nashville and can't wait to go back (I've been in Wisconsin 3.5 years for my husband's job).
You need to decide for or against Nashville on its own merits, not as a compare/contrast to Washington. It's a much more provincial town - local news is very local, as opposed to DC where local news is national and international news as well. The Tennessean is not the Washington Post by any stretch of the imagination (it is, in fact, worse than its corporate sibling, USA Today), but the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are available for daily delivery. There are a few museums and art galleries, but nothing on the scale of the Smithsonian. On the other hand, you're a couple of hours from the space center in Huntsville, Alabama, which is a lot more hands-on than the Air and Space museum. It's easy enough to get back to DC or to Chicago on Southwest, and Atlanta is a 4-hour drive away.
Can't help you with your friends, but Nashville is on the touring-Broadway-show circuit as well as having its own theatre groups. The shopping has improved over the years, and has changed a lot since I left, but still I think tends more towards big box, although there are small local shops in funky neighborhoods. Not so many historic houses but the ones that are there are good - Belle Meade Plantation and The Hermitage come to mind - and of a different sort than Capitol Hill/Alexandria. more plantation home than city house. Still a lot of traffic, but it's a smaller, more manageable metropolis which is probably good since you will have to drive everywhere! There are more natives-to-the-area in Nashville than in DC (I am odd in that I am third-generation Washingtonian) but still enough transplants to make it more interesting.
What to see would depend on what your life is like - married with kids would be different recommendations than single.
One question you will be asked ad nauseum: where do you go to church? Tennessee is the buckle of the Bible Belt, and you will notice it. A lot. (One thing that struck us very much about Wisconsin was the ability to buy liquor, on Sunday morning, in a liquor store that also carries wine, beer, mixers, and snacks - the way I remember liquor stores in DC, perhaps without the Sunday hours. You definitely have to buy ahead in Nashville for your Sunday parties.)
A lot of my desire to go back to Nashville stems from family - I have some there, and my husband is a Nashville native with most of his family in town - but it's a nice place to live, too. Washington has gotten too hard to deal with - I still have siblings in the city (Woodley Park) and close-in suburbs (Silver Spring) who I visit fairly frequently, and I always come home feeling like it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't ever want to live there again. It's just not the same as it was when I was growing up.
1) I have an interview in Nashville on Thursday (woohoo!)
2) Interviews end around 3pm, I fly out on Friday morning
3) I have from 3pm Thursday till 9:00am Friday to get a sense of the city and decide if I'm up for moving from Washington DC to Nashville.
If you were in my shoes, what would you see/do in the 18 hours between the interview and the return flight? (Aside from sleep .
What I love about Washington DC:
- My friends
- The Air & Space Museum, galleries, shows (mainly the musicals and Shakespeare), and random little things (a cheese shop in Del Ray, Eastern Market, after-hours classes at the Smithsonian, woodworking classes in Springfield, Old Town shopping, ...)
- The historic houses in Alexandria and South Capitol
What I don't love about Washington DC:
- Endless traffic
- Lack of a city identity (we're all from somewhere else)
Your comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!
18 hours is not a lot of time to get a feel for the city...especially overnight. I honestly don't think you could make a thorough decision (either way) in that little time.
Anyways, seeing what you love about Washington D.C...I don't think you should expect the same or close to similar scale of things here. Washington is a huge city (well, metro-wise) and is the nation's capital. Things like the Smithsonian are very unique in terms of their scale and what they have. Nashville has a few museums, but absolutely nothing on that sort of grand scale.
However, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what we do have. Nashville is known for it's music scene...and most people think it's nothing but twangy Country -- well, a lot of it is, but certainly not the whole scene. There's plenty to enjoy for Rock, Pop, Bluegrass, Americana, and even some Indie and Hip-Hop...you just have to know where to find it.
Nashville is a little older than Washington D.C....but Washington grew at a much earlier age...so the historic housing stock in Washington is far greater. However, there are a lot of cool districts in inner-city Nashville that have an abundance of historic housing. Many of these districts are up-and-coming, as city dwelling has become popular among young professionals and families again in the last 15-20 years.
I think due to your time constraints, I wouldn't advise exploring the neighborhoods...that will take quite a while. If you end up liking your initial impression of Nashville, I would suggest coming back over a weekend to explore some of the neighborhood areas. Nashville is more spread out that a city like Washington.
Traffic-wise, Nashville certainly has its problems, but it's not on the scale of a much larger city. The biggest complaints generally come from commuters taking I-24 to and from Rutherford County. The other interstates have their moments and bottlenecks, and TDOT slowly makes their way around to fix the problems (usually many years later...lol). The biggest complaints about the secondary roads (for me) would be that there are very few truly big wide roads in Nashville...so it's not particularly easy to move through town off of the interstates. The traffic lights aren't synchronized, either, so through some areas, you're just hoping from light to light...start-stop-start-stop. But in the end, it's not really all that bad.
But back to the relevant 18 hours...first question would be, where are you staying? Is your hotel downtown? Airport? West End? Suburb? I'm guessing since you're flying, taking a cab will be necessary. Cabs aren't a particular bargain here, so I would suggest maximizing your walking time. Unfortunately, Nashville as a whole isn't a super pedestrian friendly city...though it's not too bad right in the middle of town and in-town neighborhoods.
Even if you're not into Country Music, I would suggest taking a stroll down Lower Broadway (starting at 5th) and walking to 2nd Ave. These are the Country Honkytonks. These are what the tourists think of when they think of Nashville. Obviously there's a whole lot more to the city than what the tourists see...but that's the image right there. I'm not saying that locals don't go there to have their fun, too (especially before/after Predators or Titans games)...but it's admittedly a bit cheesy. 2nd Ave is a little more cleaned up and toned down on the exterior...but there are a number of bars up that street as well. Also, even if you're not a big Country fan, you might still enjoy the Country Music Hall of Fame (I think any music/history/culture lover would at least appreciate the experience).
Unfortunately, at 3pm, you are leaving very little daylight to get a real look at the city. Perhaps an hour and a half of decent lighting. I don't think it will be that easy for you to get a good look at some of the things that might interest you.
A short list, though:
-Lower Broad/2nd Ave (entertainment district)
-Church St downtown, specifically the main branch of the public library, and the Downtown Presbyterian Church (Egyptian Revival architecture).
-The State Capitol building (north end of downtown)
-Bicentennial Mall/Farmer's Market (down the hill, just to the north of the capitol).
A mile or two to the west...
-Vanderbilt University's campus/West End/Hillsboro Village
-Centennial Park & the Parthenon.
Again...not much daylight to enjoy this stuff. If you like some of your initial impressions...or if you are at least curious enough to make a return trip, we can organize something for you that will be more thorough in helping you see our city.
For one of the few times on this site, I'm going to disagree with nashvols. I personally wouldn't do the touristy things during your visit. They are fun to visit, but would have little impact on your life if you lived here. I would try to target an area of town where you think you might want to live- find a hotel there if possible, eat at a local restaurant, visit a local coffee shop, store or grocery store. Get a feel for the retail and houses available in that area.
If you like it, you can still explore other areas before you move. But if you hate it, then that might be your answer.
We can help you pick an area to explore, but you would need to let us know more about what type of nieghborhood/house you prefer & a general budget.
For one of the few times on this site, I'm going to disagree with nashvols. I personally wouldn't do the touristy things during your visit. They are fun to visit, but would have little impact on your life if you lived here. I would try to target an area of town where you think you might want to live- find a hotel there if possible, eat at a local restaurant, visit a local coffee shop, store or grocery store. Get a feel for the retail and houses available in that area.
If you like it, you can still explore other areas before you move. But if you hate it, then that might be your answer.
We can help you pick an area to explore, but you would need to let us know more about what type of nieghborhood/house you prefer & a general budget.
I understand where you are coming from...and I don't mean it like "go and have a good time on Lower Broad!"
But with only 18 hours to explore -- mainly after dark -- finding a neighborhood to explore would be, pardon the terrible pun, a shot in the dark. You won't be able to see anything. Also, you might or might not find a neighborhood inviting at that time of day.
Still, your ideas of visiting a local coffee shop, store, etc, are good ones.
A question to FourEyes...are you renting a car or taking a cab?
Don't know your price range, but presuming you are not a millionaire, I'd go to Germantown or East Nashville if you want to see historic houses that you might be able to buy, or visit Belle Meade if you'd just like to ogle historic homes in Nashville's richest neighborhood.
Museums? Nothing that comes close to DC. The Frist and Cheekwood are both lovely, but small and boutique. There is (apparently) a growing and thriving gallery scene in which I do not really partake.
Traffic here is not endless, but it can be very rough during rush hour - at least from the burbs into the city proper. If you have a regular 9-5 job downtown, I'd suggest trying to live somewhere near work. Outside of rush hour, traffic seems usually unproblematic.
The city definitely has a strong identity. There are lots of transplants, but many of them come from other Southern cities or chose Nashville because they love the culture and music of the South and feel like Southerners at heart (which was our story).
The only person who ever asked me about church was the welcome wagon lady the 2nd week I was here.
You'll get a feel for the place right at the airport, I think.
I think I would DRIVE down Broadway . . past Union Station and the Frist and the arena and Lower Broadway . . then turn around and go back on Broadway, over the entrance to 65 and then bear left on Broadway and follow 431/016 South, which is 21st and then Hillsboro. Follow it and follow it.
Past Vanderbilt, The West End, Green Hills Mall, the Donut Den, past some lovely houses, past Grassland Market, and then all the way through to Franklin where you then want to take 96 back to 65 north to wherever you are staying.
Why? Because it's just one street and it passes a lot of things and open land and big houses and smaller houses and churches and Christmas lights.
I HATE driving around places where I don't know where I am going and just sticking to one street would make ME happy.
The job site would be in Hermitage, which I understand is about 14 miles outside the city. If my salary range stays about the same, I'd hope to rent a room in a house for about $700/$1000 a month. (I'm single right now, so I'd like to live in a place that has a more lively singles scene).
I'll be renting a car while I'm there to get around, which will hopefully give me a wider range of places to see. (You're right, Nashvols, it'll be hard to see anything that close to dusk!)
Judy: Where in Wisconsin are you? I lived in Waukesha for a couple years before moving out to DC. It's a great state, except for the winters!
The only person who ever asked me about church was the welcome wagon lady the 2nd week I was here.
You'll get a feel for the place right at the airport, I think.
I think I would DRIVE down Broadway . . past Union Station and the Frist and the arena and Lower Broadway . . then turn around and go back on Broadway, over the entrance to 65 and then bear left on Broadway and follow 431/016 South, which is 21st and then Hillsboro. Follow it and follow it.
Past Vanderbilt, The West End, Green Hills Mall, the Donut Den, past some lovely houses, past Grassland Market, and then all the way through to Franklin where you then want to take 96 back to 65 north to wherever you are staying.
Why? Because it's just one street and it passes a lot of things and open land and big houses and smaller houses and churches and Christmas lights.
I HATE driving around places where I don't know where I am going and just sticking to one street would make ME happy.
But then, I'm a simple kinda person . . . .
How funny, that's the exact route I take when I'm showing someone Nashville and have just a few hours. It really is an awesome way to see the city, all the way from downtown to the suburbs. About the only deviation I do is staying on Broadway to Centennial Park, doing a u-turn and going back to 21st to go through Vanderbilt and Hillsboro Village.
Since the OP's job is in Hermitage, he might want to explore East Nashville. While it's still a bit of a drive to Hermitage, it's at least against rush hour traffic so it shouldn't take too long.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
I've rented a car and hopefully I'll be staying at a B&B in East Nashville that is walking distance to downtown. If not, I'll be at a downtown hotel.
Here's my current itinerary, please feel free to make suggestions. Anywhere I'm likely to run into locals would be a welcome addition to the list:
- Stop @ the State Capitol and Public Library during daylight
- Drive down Broadway/21st/Hillsboro, then take Old Hickory Blvd over to 65 & back up (I like the idea of getting a sense of the roads/area.)
- Get dinner at a local spot (any suggestions for the East Nashville area? Hopefully something where I could eat at the bar and chat with people.)
- See a show, live music, or just hang out at a coffee shop/check out a grocery store in the evening (again, somewhere I might run into locals)
- Sky Blue Cafe for breakfast
- Off to the aiport
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