Hello all! I know I said I’d be posting an update Sunday night (I meant to! Honest!), but that pillow felt a whole lot nicer than I’d expected. Spoiler alert: I slept like a child.

As our impromptu holiday drew to an end, I still had a few boxes left unchecked. Santa’s Pub? Some other time. Honky Tonks? Maybe if they’re open… now. Athena’s Statue? I am a nerd. The weather was crummy, the traffic going back to DC was stacking, and frankly I felt like death from the absurd amounts of food consumed in such a short time. But, as Bluto said in Animal House, “Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?!”

Exactly.

I had to choose my parting memory of Nashville, and that would be a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.

We had some time to kill until any of the shops opened, so we braved the rain and headed for a downtown pedestrian bridge. As luck would have it, the rain let up long enough for us to walk a bit of downtown and enjoy some music coming from an early morning honky-tonk.

Eventually we stopped by the Red Bicycle cafe for some crepes and coffee. The place was packed but the food and coffee were on point. As we left, a kitter stopped and demanded tribute. “Meow!”, she cried. Now, most kitters would skitter if you got too close, but this one stood fast and demanded pets. I, a weak man, obliged.

Folks inside the cafe pointed and smiled as I’d been captured at paw-point by the toughest cat in town. I paid my ransom with chin rubs and pets until a neighborhood doggo came through and occupied my hostage taker. Seizing the moment, Q and I snuck out to the car.

We shopped around a bit at a local leather shop (Nisolo) then made our way to my final box. Now, Nashville is to hot chicken as Philly is to cheese steaks. Hattie B’s and Prince’s are the Pat & Gino’s of Hot Chicken, and I was determined to get one of ’em.

Until I saw the lines! We swung by two Hattie B locations with lines out the door and no parking in sight. Prince’s was out of the way, but a local spot “Party Fowl” caught my eye.

Side note: “Pine’s Party Fowl” was the name of my team during the Siemens Cookoff this year. What did we offer? CHICKEN SANDWICHES!

The place was packed but the bar was open. Having read reviews, I opted for a medium-spicy hot chicken & cheddar and a local brown ale. Q was fighting off a serious head-ache, but I devoured my sandwich like I’d not eaten in days. This concoction of fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and spice was everything I’d hoped it would be since I’d first tasted a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. I would get it again in a heartbeat, but spicier.

Bellies full and wallets lightened, we headed home. Twelve-ish hours later, we reached the driveway at 2:00 am. The cat, thoroughly convinced we were dead, was beyond happy to see us and did not leave Q’s side all night.

We’d happily return to Nashville, though likely we’d be flying rather than driving. If we had it to do again, we’d probably plan better on the “What’s open on Thanksgiving” side of things, as well as figuring out how not to eat to the point of gluttony. I’d also be curious to come back and check out the myriad state parks in the surrounding area.

Thanks to all who followed this blog for this trip!