Road Trip Gift - Spring Break Essentials

"Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road."

                                                                                                              -Jack Kerouac

What better gift can you give to yourself than a road trip?

Loading up the car, the open road, singing along with your favorite songs,
exploring new places, 

expanding your mind, learning life's lessons.

My daughter has big road trip plans in the coming months,

 so I'm giving her a few gifts to commemorate her adventures.

What you pack and what you pack it in is key.
You have to look cute, be colorful and comfortable and this shirt definitely fits the bill.
And we are all looking for an escape, right?
This bag says it all...

North, South, East or West?
GPS is great but a compass ring is so much cuter!

Road Trips are usually not equated with First Class travel

 but fueling up the car can get expensive.

A little gas money wrapped in a toy car adds to the whimsical adventure...

There is nothing better than rolling down the car windows 

and breathing in the clear air of the open road.  

Just in case the air inside the car becomes less than pleasant, 

festive and fragrant fresheners will come in handy...

Digital cameras are great but road trips are old school and the photos should be too.

Printing pictures on the road has never been so retro or instant...

Never stop exploring!

Nuts for Nashville - Vanderbilt College Road

I've caught a bit of the travel bug lately.
My daughter is looking at colleges
and one of the perks for me is the chance to explore new cities.

We recently returned from a trip to the south and I have to say, 

we are nuts about Nashville.

It has a little bit of everything, 

and we were charmed and delighted with this jewel of a city.

I wanted to share a few places we were especially smitten with...

By far my favorite neighborhood for eating and shopping was 12 South.

I had read about the adorable 

5 Daughters Bakery and we knew we had to stop...

Who knew there could be so many photo opportunities with 

one Pink Lemonade Doughnut in one tiny shop?!

And the best idea of all time, 

a walk up To Go window...

We broke all the rules by having dessert first but,

then we headed to BarTaco for lunch...

Big chips and amazing tacos made for a fabulous meal.

I have become slightly addicted to finding wall murals, so we headed to the 

I Believe in Nashville sign that is in the alley next to Reece Witherspoon's shop,
 Draper James.

Speaking of Draper James...

what a breath of fresh air to step out of the heat and into this adorable store 

only to be offered a glass of sweet tea while we browsed.

Just down 12 Avenue, is another wonderful wall, 

this one of painted flowers...

Our last stop in the neighborhood was

White Mercantile, a shoppers' dream...

Fun and unique merchandise, all with a Tennessee flair.

We got a little lost on the way back to our hotel and ran smack dab into

The Nashville Farmers' Market.

Brimming with beautiful local produce and flowers outside...

and fun food stands inside, 

including the mouthwatering 

 Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream...

We were in town to visit Vanderbilt so we stayed at the Marriott that is on campus.

What a treat to find out our room and the concierge floor lounge overlook the football stadium!

Our tour of Vanderbilt was incredible.

A gorgeous campus...

impressive speakers...

(and food)

and the most spectacular mosaic floor I've ever seen on a college tour.

(it's in Cohen Memorial Hall!)

Our hotel was close to downtown and we were told it would be a sacrilege not to go to 

Hattie B's for fried chicken...

There was a line out the door but so worth the wait.

(and they are not kidding when they say hot... believe the spice chart on the menu)

Downtown is a neon sign and honky tonk lovers' dream.

It's crowded and tourist filled but is so festive and colorful. 

You get a real feel 

for the country music capital and it's history...

It is such a mixture of the old and the new...

We also became good friends with GooGoo Clusters while we were in town...

You can buy them all over Nashville
but do yourself a favor and stop by their shop and dessert bar on 3rd Ave South...

We made a quick stop to the infamous 

Pinewood Social.

A unique mix of bowling, great food, lounge and pool areas and even an Airstream.

And the Old Fashion Whoop Ass Wall, 

made me smile...

We also took a spin in our snazzy red rental car through 

East Nashville.

The Pharmacy is a burger parlor and beer garden 

not to be missed.

Believe me when I say there is nothing like Nashville,

I can't wait to go back.