We have returned once again from Thanksgiving in Nashville, although this trip was a little different. On this trip, we weren’t just vacationing, we were looking at the city with new eyes-the eyes of relocating. When I lived in the city at the age of 18 things were different. For one thing, that was ten years ago. New buildings have gone up, old buildings have gone down, country music has had a turnover, and Opryland wasn’t quite as much of a distant memory. On the other hand, I was young, single, and had no cares in the world. I wanted to live downtown, I wanted things to be exciting, and I didn’t care if I had any money. Up and coming neighborhoods were the trend. Now that I have a child, I have a totally different viewpoint. We can’t just pick a house that we like and take it. There are other things to consider: does it have a yard, is it safe, are there any good daycares close by, what is the school system like…We actually have to be picky. It’s scary. So on this trip, we went armed with some house rental ads from Craigslist and went looking.
First up was Inglewood. This is one of the "up and coming" neighborhoods of East Nashville. The house was 4 bedrooms, a family room, and cost $900 per month. We never did find the house. The ones presumably around it, however, all had bars on the windows. Not for me.
The next neighborhood was around Tennessee State. The neighborhood was hopping, the street wasn’t as busy, and the houses were a little more kept up. But we still couldn’t find the house.
On Day 2, we ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Renaissance Hotel downtown. See review for further explanation. I woke up with a sinus infection and the subsequent driving around gave me a headache. On the plus side, we did manage to find two houses.
The first house we found was in Berry Hill. Finally, a neighborhood we could actually see ourselves living in. The house was nice, but has been up for rent for over a month. Picky landlords or perhaps a problem we’re not seeing? Who knows. The other house was close to that one but nearer to the railroad tracks and Nolensville Road than we would have liked.
To get to the next house we had to drive through Belle Meade. We decided that was the neighborhood that fit us the best. Maybe in ten years when we are millionaires. Unfortunately, although we drove up and down the street that the house supposedly set on, we didn’t find it either. A trend, you think?
The next house was located in Pegram. It was out in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, I thought we had gotten turned around and were back in Eastern Kentucky. The house, at $800, set on a lot that sloped straight downhill. And the house wasn’t in very good condition either. On the other hand, it was close to the new "Nashville West" shopping center. The center had a Wal-Mart AND a Target. Whoo hoo!
I was sick the next day so I stayed in while the others took on Black Friday. No good deals to be found. The Wal-Mart store didn’t carry the items that the advertiser boasted of. Damn. Later that night, however, my husband and I got a break from our son and went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was expensive and bland. I think next time I will just stick to the cheesecake. I like Green Hills mall though because walking around it makes me feel like I have money. (I don’t, so don’t get the wrong impression.) Afterwards, we went to the movies and saw the new "Twighlight" film to try to get a better understanding of the obsession my office seems to be in. (Note: we still don’t get it.) The cinema at Green Hills is going to need refurbishment soon. Just saying.
On our last night we decided to check out the Opryland Hotel to see if they had done any decorating since we had been disappointed with downtown Nashville’s lack of festivity. We were appalled by the $18 it cost to park (used to be free, but I guess that was a long time ago) so we parked at Applebees across the street and walked. Our son seemed to be impressed with the lights and trees inside, but pushing around a stroller with 15,000 people is not fun. We have now turned into the people that annoy us.