Flying in the sunset was spectacular!

As with most cities i visit, the few days before mean filling up google maps with stars from online research and recommendations from friends! Each trip = more stars! (And if after visiting some spots, they don’t make the cut… they get unstarred!)

Popping in to The Post in East Nashville - love love love their juice sipping owl logo! Also their woody facade is fun, and their quiche is custardy deliciousness!

One of the most recent popular Nashville exports i keep seeing around is Olive & Sinclair “Tennessee’s Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Maker” - you can take factory tours or just peek at the stone grinders in progress while you shop. The bourbon brittle is addictive!

The most exciting launch from the folks of Olive & Sinclair… Seersucker Candy Co!!! We tried them ALL… including the standout Fresh lemon curd inside buttermilk white chocolate spheres finished in Countrytime Lemonade Powder… hopefully coming soon. All available in their factory store though!

Their adorable open sign!

My favorite mural in Nashville is definitely at Little Octopus! Painted by

On fun new shops - Moto Moda is the ultimate lifestyle motorcycle shop - with a fantastic back logo wall!

Here’s shawn’s view as you walk into the store.

Our favorite shirt they stocked is also from Nashville local, Denim & Spirits.

Another must stop is High Garden Tea - after being gifted some, we’ve been ordering online from them since! Amazing how much tea, ingredients, and knowledge they pack into this shop and tea bar.

Rave reviews brought us to The Pharmacy for burgers and wurst, but its the logo that grabbed me most!

House sitting for Shawn’s parents of course meant quality time with BEAST! His now 13 year old 120lb lab!!! But he can still pull off that puppy look as an old dog when he needs to…

Felt like when we were in Portland a while back browsing the local beer can section… so much amazing graphic design i wanted it all!

Awwww sleepy beast!

More local goodness… i read about and then HAD to track down some Switters Iced Coffee - particularly the Sweet Coffee… it’s so good! Not TOO sweet but definitely delicious condensed milk mixed… like an americanized version of what you’d find in south east asia.

The magic of instagram lead us over to the amazing world of makers and designers tucked into an old warehouse at 500 Houston St. (THANK YOU, Jonathan!!!!) Here’s a peek into Jonathan Malphrus’ Steric Design

When popping into his neighbor, Sideshow Sign Co, couldn’t miss his latest print taking on Trump.

Another amazing design duo in the same building… Grand Palace SilkSCREAMERS!

All of these guys and more in the same building was incredible… you can also join Fort Houston, that has the largest space, for access to everything from dark room and CNC to motorcycle repair space!

To shop local southern goods online - it’s all about Batch - and now they have a gorgeous physical space popped up in the farmer’s market!

No Nashville trip would be complete without some music… so we saw Old Crow Medicine Show at the new Ascend Amphitheater.

You can see how much construction is going on downtown behind it! The space was the perfect intimate size to just lay out on the grass and take it all in.

A Nashville icon, Hatch Show Print has been making posters since 1879!

And dragged Shawn to do some touristy things like… a bourbon tasting at award winning Green Brier Distillery

On unexpected surprises while home - i had no idea that we had the same house geckos in the south as in south east asia! Apparently this invasive species has been flourishing since coming over on boats long ago…

Also was a trip to have coffee on the screened in porch while watching a squirrel chase a hawk around that then stopped to feast on something fluffy.

It’s the littlest things that often amuse me… like their broken meter’s read DEAD.

Popped by some of Shawn’s childhood spots like - Fox’s Donut Den!

Twitter folks lead us to Sweet 16th Bakery for their must try cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich, which sounds simple with just egg in it… but it’s more like a custardy frittata with peppers and more mixed in. DELICIOUS! The Breakfast Sandwich An egg and cheese casserole with mild green chilis served hot on our cheddar cheese scone.

Still one of my favorite hidden shops in Nashville - Peter Nappi! Such an amazing space and great leather goods… go find it!

Another studio space and store front worth checking out - Otis James has branched out from the signature ties and bow ties and is making many a custom cap now!

Next door to the studio you can see this old tiger from football games of the past…

Last trip it was all about Crema for the coffee… well one of the guys has now branched out and started the lovely Steadfast in Germantown, and not only is the building and space (and garden!) beautiful - we were told to try their flash chilled iced coffee (on tap!) and their COFFEE SODA! Coffee Soda is iced coffee + citric acid + simple syrup + carbonation topped with an orange twist. Definitely unlike anything else i’ve tried - orange italian soda with a coffee aftertaste?

No trip is complete without Shawn fixing something… so this time it was replacing his mom’s final stage resister for her BMW blower.

Final meal before heading to the airport… ridiculously good strip steak and drumsticks on the grill from Porter Road Butcher - i wish we could have brought some back!

And lastly… what an epic last view of Nashville… Vanderbilt football, TN Titans preseason, and Nashville Sounds all playing simultaneously!

While we do get back to Shawn’s hometown of Nashville pretty regularly… i must say it’s absolutely incredible to see how much newness pops up and how much changes SO QUICKLY! Can’t wait to see what we find next trip.