NASHVILLE: MUSIC CITY

One of my best friends from New York City lives in Nashville now, and I hadn't seen her in years. I was super excited to see Camber, but also to see this city of music, home to Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and the Grand Ole Opry. So by the time the city skyline came into view, I was beyond psyched. We began the evening with a trip to sushi and then a gay bar, Tribe, close to our hotel on Music Row. We passed a sculpture of people dancing in a circle that we vowed to return to for a photo op, but we found way more to do that kept us busy. My friend Camber retrieved me and took me to a local spot called Melrose, known for their burgers and beers. I tried neither but can vouch for the chocolate chip cookies which were warm, gooey and delicious. We embarrassed ourselves a little at pool and then left to do something we were better at - dancing! It was Latin Night at a club called Mai, and we did our best to keep up with the sizzling moves of the actual Latin couples. I had a great run the next morning, and saw some of the city's most well-known buildings. Union Station, the AT&T Building (better known as the Batman building), the Tennessee State Capitol building, Fort Nashborough, which is a still-standing wooden fort, and the Nashville Municipal Auditorium where we were performing. Later on our walk to the theater, we set out to get some coffee but wound up dashing into the Nashville Clothing Company for an impromptu shopping spree. Such an amazing place. We only had a few minutes to spend, but we knew we'd be back the next day during our time off. The arena was really cool with oversized ticket stubs from previous acts adorning the walls and silver beads dangling down from the ceiling of the warmup room. Our audiences were great, and my friend Camber brought a friend and her two young daughters to the evening show. The girls were decked out in sequins and pink, and they were dancing in the aisles and smiling the whole time. Afterwards, they ran up to me with flowers and fawned over me like I was Elvis. It was incredibly sweet and reminded me how much I love what I do. After the shows, we dolled up and hit the town. Joel, Camber, her sister Blossom, their friend Rob and I all devoured some tasty Mexican food and then headed downtown. We hit the honkytonk bars hard - that's what we came for. When there was no room on the floor to dance, we danced on the tables. We tried the fireball shots which are apparently as indigenous to Nashville as honkytonk. The music was fantastic, and the dancing was a blast. At the end of the night, we ran into one restaurant past the bouncer because we heard "Take Me Home Country Roads" playing and had to dance. When the song was over, we went home. Our day off was the best. We loaded up on free breakfast at the hotel and then returned to the Nashville Clothing Company. It was just me and Joel, and an immaculately dressed gentleman who worked there. He spent about an hour helping each of us put together an awesome outfit for the day (both happened to be lime green). We also went into a store that just opened called Bullets and Mullets. I got the most amazing sequined owl headband, and Hooty and I have been inseparable ever since. We met up with some friends for brunch to celebrate Joe's birthday. We went to a place called Marche in East Nashville, which is an area similar to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and they served a delicious brunch. It was the first true brunch I've had on tour, and it was incredible. I had couscous with a million flavorful vegetables, and a few bites from several desserts, one more mouthwatering then the next.

We did a bit more shopping in a really cool part of Nashville called Hillsboro Village at a place called Posh. I found a green and gold silk jumper on sale that was perfect for our fancy outing that evening. Our destination was called the Patterson House. Every local we'd encountered raved about it, but warned us we had to get dressed up, and there was no standing permitted. Patterson House is an old house, hidden from view, and sure enough, there was a hostess at the door in front of a curtain shielding the bar from us. The menu is like nothing you've ever seen; each cocktail is a complex and unique combination of fresh ingredients, and the mixologists look and act more like pharmacists than bartenders. They are meticulous and serious about their creations. I had a beverage that tasted exactly like pumpkin pie, made from moonshine, egg whites and orange bitters, with nutmeg sprinkled delicately on top. I had a sip of a beverage made with bacon-infused whiskey - it tasted like a fire in the woods at night. After enjoying what was likely the single best cocktail any of us have ever had, we left. We went to a place called Whiskey Kitchen, where my friend Camber received a movie star's greeting, and I, too, was treated like royalty. We were prepared drinks adorned with fresh blueberries and orange, and then a cup of maraschino cherries soaked in moonshine. This is where I spent my last hour in Nashville with one of my best friends, and it was the perfect end to a wonderful few days.