It's a sunny afternoon. Outside my Uber window, colorful, renovated shotgun cottages whiz by as we drive through Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything stiffer than a Belle Meade bourbon or a strong espresso these days, but there are cranes everywhere: townhomes going up, Victorian houses being restored—telltale signs of a neighborhood in transition.
In recent years Nashville has become legit boomtown, and this leafy suburb, with its energized restaurants and cool-kid coffee shops like Steadfast Coffee and Barista Parlor, is now officially an alternative hang to the Gulch or honky-tonk-filled Broadway. You could build a whole town around the culty restaurants that are within walking distance: dinner on the patio at seasonal darling Rolf and Daughters, brisket and handmade tortillas at Butchertown Hall for lunch, inventive wood-oven pies and solid Italian wines at, City House, oysters at Henrietta Red. If you want to bring back a few souvenirs (for yourself even) hit up Wilder, a home interiors store that carries minimalist hammock chairs, Japanese ceramics, and brightly colored woven baskets (yes, they do ship). The Italian leather goods brand Peter Nappi has a showroom nearby built in the shell of an industrial boiler room. It’s a lot homier than it sounds actually, with giant leather couches and an espresso bar not to mention an impeccable vintage pieces alongside handbags, lace-up boots, and wallets. And when you’re ready to hit a honky-tonk (we say go around four-ish to avoid the bachelorette parties and frat bros), Robert’s Western World is less than a ten-minute ride away.
