Nashville Schenanigans

I had to go to Nashville in late March for work so I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. It actually worked out perfectly since Justin only lives a couple hours from Nashville – a much better drive for him than his usual drive to Pittsburgh :)

While we were there, we went to the Predators game at Bridgestone Arena. We had a connection and we were able to get a behind the scenes tour and sit in the box for the game. 

Yay for blurry iPhone photos!

I had never been to a professional hockey game before and I have to say…there is no better way to see a game than from a box with tons of free food in it! We got to stand in the area where the Zamboni enters/exits the ice while the players warm up. It is terrifying when the puck hits the glass! This is all I could think about:

Justin’s friend (one of the Best Men in our wedding!) lives in Nashville and he took us out on Broadway after the game. After this trip, I could definitely move to Nashville. There is no cover and every single bar has live music…live country music. It was the greatest thing ever.

Justin’s aunt and uncle live close to Nashville so we got to spend quality time with them while we were there. They took us to the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame. I was in heaven. They had a Reba exhibit that blew my mind and it was so cool to see all of the guitars, outfits, and props from country music stars and their performances over the years.  

Instagram @kimberlymhuber

Before heading to the airport, we did an 11 mile run from Justin’s aunt & uncle’s house. They live in the country and there were hills…tons of hills…I do not like hills… It was a great run though. We finished at a much better pace than we thought we would and now our butts are going to look awesome. The only bad part of the trip was the 5 hour flight delay and the amount of money I spent on airport food. Seriously though…I’m ready to go back and visit again. Who wants to move to Nashville with me?

Any Nashville readers out there? What are your favorite restaurants/bars?

Does anyone watch the show Nashville? I want to start now!

10 Miles & March Madness

Did I mention that I ran a half marathon last Saturday?  Well…I did! I promise to eventually give you a recap :) Training for it was a real hassle. Between work, class, and terrible weather, I had to really cut back from my original plan. When I was in Louisville or when Justin was in Pittsburgh, it was easier to get my runs in outside (I do almost all of my runs on the treadmill in Pittsburgh).

For my 10 mile run, we decided to run a part of the Pittsburgh Marathon course. It was actually a pretty awesome run. I even got to see parts of the city I had never been to before! 

We started at Station Square, ran down Carson Street, and crossed the Birmingham Bridge. Our next leg took us into downtown Pittsburgh -> past Duquesne University and almost down to Market Square. We made the turn and took off down Liberty, passed Consol Energy Center (where the Penguins play) and headed towards the strip district. We had to make a few detours when we got to the strip district. There were so many people out walking around! I have not explored that area of town yet and will definitely be headed back now that it is warmer outside. Back to the run -> from the strip district, we headed back towards downtown. We crossed the 9^th Street Bridge to run on the North Shore past PNC Park (where the Pirates play!). We crossed the Ft. Duquesne Bridge (right before Heinz Field (where the Steelers play!) and ran through Point State Park. From Point State Park, we walked back across Fort Pitt Bridge and to the car. It was an AWESOME run. I might just have to add the Pittsburgh Marathon to my bucket list so that I can experience it in all of its glory.

Instagram @kimberlymhuber

After our run, Justin and I went down to the Southside for our Second Annual March Madness Celebration. Even though Butler and IU weren’t in the tournament, we still had fun rooting for UofL, UK, and Tennessee. I always forget how much I love fried pickles smothered in ranch. I should really eat them more often. I also ate my body weight in chips and salsa at Emilianos and tried the weirdest vodka drink I’ve ever heard of at the Library. Get this: the bartender soaked all kinds of veggies in vodka: were red peppers, green peppers, celery, jalopenos…and probably some other things. It wasn’t that bad. Not really my thing, but if you ever get a chance, you have to try it! I only took one picture that day and it was this blurry iphone photo...some day I'll get better at carrying my camera around.