Wanna Stay Warm?
Hey Nashville. So this is our current situation:
It is cold, y’all. Like, really cold. Even people who moved here from Minnesota think this wind chill is a bit excessive! Twitter and Facebook are flooded with stories of doors frozen shut, outside pets becoming inside pets, and not being able to take showers because of frozen pipes (so if someone smells rank this week, just give them a pass). Instead of just chilling till’ you freeze to death (puns) like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining (spoiler alert), we suggest you find an activity to help you stay warm. Also, buy 10000 pairs of gloves (because, yeah – it’s the Rockies). Here we go, Nashville: your Wannado guide to the best ways to stay warm in Nashville:
missing or outdated ad configCurl Up With A Good Book:
East Side Story
Is there anything that looks warmer than this picture?
WHERE:
Where the wildly cool things are: Woodland St. in East Nashville!
WHAT IT IS:
In our humble opinion, this is one of the most exciting developments in Nashville at the moment. Love a good book? Love buying local? You will LOVE LOVE LOVE East Side Story. The brainchild of Chuck Beard, the business idea won a contest with Proof Branding Solutions and got the keys to their location on August 1, 2012. The first purely local bookstore in Nashville, this place celebrates all things art! There’s books galore – real, physical books. Tired of reading the 25683rd Buzzfeed list about “Top Ten Things Your Dog Thinks When He Watches ESPN” or “How To Be The Worst Person Ever In Your 20s”? Crack open a book from Jon Acuff or local mystery writer JT Ellison! Since they’re in East Nashville, of course they do music as well. Check out their event tonight at Mad Donna’s, featuring author Carson Morton and music by Allie Farris! There’s also a program for your kids (and you can enter too): read a book by a local author, write a letter of feedback, and bring it back to the store. They’ll deliver it to the author, and once you’ve done it 5 times, you get a free entree to one of their partner restaurants. Can’t go wrong, y’all!
PAIR IT WITH:
Some writing. Whether you write for a living (like half of the people in this town) or haven’t written more than a grocery list since your 12th grade English class, this is your time to shine. East Side Story provides a prompt and a competition every month (except January – they’re giving us extra time to prep). Give them your February story about the fires of loooooove. That is bound to keep you warm.
Veg Out, Nashville Style:
Stream Some Local Love On Netflix
Who says you can’t go to sleep in the clothes you woke up in?
WHERE:
On your very own couch, champ.
WHAT IT IS:
We don’t know about you, but our most serious relationship is the one we have with our Netflix account. When we log in and nestle in to the corner of our couch with our fuzziest blanket, we hear Nat King Cole singing love songs, birds chirping…it’s a beautiful thing. If you can’t brave the cold, you can still figuratively get out in your city through your Netflix queue! First check out Blue Like Jazz (let’s face it – this is probably going to be a ‘flix marathon with this weather). Based on the best seller by Don Miller (who just relocated to our favorite city), this movie was filmed in Nashville (you’ll recognize pretty much all of the locations) and features a ton of Nashville locals as extras. Like, you’ll probably see every single one of your baristas playing a college student in the big toga party scene. Not to mention it’s a great film! Next, watch Tent City; a moving, gripping documentary about the homeless population in Nashville. Seriously, watch this. Last but certainly not least, the great Neil Young has a concert special that was filmed in the ‘ville and is truly spectacular. So intimate, so raw…so. good. So, so good. Do it!
PAIR IT WITH:
Some local coffee for an at-home brew: we recommend Hair of the Dog from Bongo Java!
Let It Burn:
Spiked Seasonal Drinks At Pinewood Social
“Let it burn. Let it burn. Gotta let it burn”. – Usher lyrics/our thoughts on every Hot Toddy ever.
WHERE:.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: the most happening place in town! By the Trolley Barns.
WHAT IT IS:
The drink menu at Pinewood Social is already famous, and they’ve been open for about at month. That’s how you know they’re good. But have you tried the spiked winter drinks from the coffee bar? The skilled artisan coffee minds behind Crema teamed up to bring us two little bits of heaven: Southern Limerick and Easy Like Sunday Morning. The Southern Limerick has seasonal coffee, bourbon (our favorite), sorghum, and heavy cream. Easy Like Sunday Morning is an absolute dream, y’all. A cortado with Fernet and Demarara. Yeah, we kind of don’t know what that is, but it is TO DIE FOR. Literally, we would die for it. These are bound to warm you up all the way down to your freezing cold toes (those cool boots you wear aren’t necessarily manufactured for warmth).
PAIR IT WITH:
The cheese plate. You got time! Settle into a booth or the community table (or even take some time for some bowling on the old-school bowling lanes). This is the kind of place you could camp out at all day! You don’t want to make that freezing cold walk to your car yet!
FEEL The Burn:
Group Fitness Class
Just look at how much fun these people are having.
WHERE:
All over the city!
WHAT IT IS:
2014 will be known as the year you try a group fitness class. It’s true! No better time than the present. Scrape the ice off that car and get out of your cabin fever funk! The roads are clear enough to make the short drive to some of the local places that have classes to offer. Vanderbilt has tons and tons and TONS of classes this week – everything from Zumba to yoga! Don’t forget Team Green Adventure and Climb Nashville bringing you some indoor rock climbing (don’t miss it – that happens today). You can find all the group fitness classes going on in this fine city of ours on Wannado!
PAIR IT WITH:
A post-workout bubble bath. You deserve it. Also, to pump you up pre-workout and get you some much needed vitamin C, D, etc. – check out Urban Juicer on 8th Ave!
Have A Fireside Chat/Dinner:
The Hermitage Hotel
Channel your inner FDR, you guys. #historyjokes
WHERE:
The beautiful, historic Hermitage Hotel!
WHAT IT IS:
It’s hard to find fireside dining these days. Most “fireplaces” are Pinterest approved, meaning a ton of unlit candles under a mantle. Nah. We want the real thing (though here’s a Wannado tip – to get a fake fire in your room, look up “Fireplace at Home” on Netflix and put a space heater underneath – so cozy!). Head to The Hermitage and grab some dinner. Finish things out in front of the big, quaint fireplace in the lobby. Nothing like it!
PAIR IT WITH:
A hot date. Just kidding. Kind of.
So there you go, Nashville – our guide to not freezing your butt off. Wear every pair of gloves your mom every put in your Christmas stocking and layer up! Drive safe, and find all your wintry adventures with Wannado!
– Your local guide.
As an adventurer, I think cold weather is a great time to go outdoors! With the proper gear, of course. Snow camping, ice-fishing, alpine climbing…I would definitely love to do that. Is there a ski-resort in Nashville? I’d like to visit there, hopefully, next week.