Wendell Smith Restaurant | Nashville, Tennessee

While in Nashville, Markus and I were determined to get some Southern food. Being in Korea for two years, you start to crave it. The closest is Korean BBQ and while it is delicious it really can't fulfill that craving. For dinner we wanted to eat somewhere inexpensive and well known. I read lots of reviews about Wendell Smith. It's definitley a dive, which I love.We went around 5pm so it was filled to the brim with the elderly there for the early bird special. I think we were the only ones there that didn't have white or gray hair. It was pretty awesome.

All three of us decided to order a "meat and three" which is exactly what it sounds like. We tried to get a wide variety of sides, my cousin Joy even ordering this weird fruit jello concoction.  Before we knew it, our table was filled to the brim with heaps and heaps of food. For the most part, it was good but it wasn't to die for. The fried fish and hush puppies were really tasty, but it's hard to ruin fried food. The fruit jello was exactly what I thought it would be, terrifying. I tasted a little and couldn't continue. It reminded me of hospital food. Everything else was just okay. If I were to go back to Nashville, I probably wouldn't go back and would try another dive. It's definitley worth a try if you're in the area, but it left me wondering if there were other delicious places.

Jurassic Park Car | Nashville, Tennesse

When Markus and I were in Nashville with my cousin Joy, something exciting and a bit strange happened. After we spent the day in the city, we drove back to our hotel. Along the way, I spied a Jurassic Park car at a stoplight. Since Markus is a huge dinosaur fanatic, I tried my best to get a photo from the other side of the street. Joy decided that a photo in the car wasn't enough and she decided to follow the car.  Total stalkers I know! We tailed the car all the way to a nearby shopping mall and asked the driver to pull over.

The driver was really nice and said that people follow him all the time. He actually made his car like that as a way to advertise his film project, Jurassic Park: Origins. They're basically trying to raise money for a film that will tell the back story of Jurassic Park. It's mainly focusing on the creation of the dinosaurs, scientific challenges and the moral and ethical struggles. It's a pretty cool project, so you guys should definitley check it out! I never thought we would come across something like this in Nashville. This is why road trips are the best!

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | Nashville, Tennessee

I feel like I have to be honest with you, dear readers. I am not a fan of country music. Any time I hear it, I immediately get an uncomfortable feeling and seek any means to stop it.  I know it's a bit harsh, but it's the truth. I don't get annoyed by much, but playing country music is a sure fire way to irritate me. So with that in mind, imagine how I felt when my lovely cousin Joy suggested we go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Both Markus and I were uninterested, but she really wanted to go. We exhausted every possible option to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't budge. She even went as far as buying our tickets for us, so we had no choice but to go. I feel really lame telling you this story, because in the end, I actually enjoyed the museum.

Despite not liking country music, I'm a huge fan of folk music. I know, it doesn't make sense. In the museum there was a great section dedicated to old folk music. They explained the inception and evolution. It was great stuff. The rest of the museum was less about the music and more about the people that create the music. They even had some of the things that famous people owned. There were so many lovely items such as real blue suede shoes, a golden piano and a custom gun car. Anyway, I'm pretty sure there is a valuable lesson here about not judging things before actually experiencing it. Even though I enjoyed my experience, it still didn't change my mind about country music. I still don't like it. I'll stick to folk music, sorry country fans.

Historic Marathon Village | Nashville, Tennessee

As I've said before, I love Nashville. It's a great city. One of my favorite parts of the city that we found by accident was the historic Marathon Village. It was the location of Marathon Motor Factory and they manufactured cars in from 1914 to 1918. Unfortunately, Marathon Motors did not take off and they closed their doors soon after. Thankfully, the space has been fully restored and is now used for local businesses like Antique Archaeology.  I love when cities take old warehouses and buildings and turn them into lofts or commercial spaces. I think that we tend to lose a lot of charm when we demolish old buildings. They add a lot of charm and character to a city. I'm glad we were able to explore this great space and see the charming side of Nashville.

Antique Archaeology | Nashville, Tennessee

When Markus and I were living in Korea, we scoured the internet for interesting television shows. Through the encouragement of our dear friend Brittney, we watched an episode of American Pickers. It's a show about two guys that drive all over the country looking and "picking" for really strange and old items and paraphernalia. After that first episode, we were hooked and watched heaps of episodes. Every time we watched an episode, we dreamed of "picking" and visiting Mike Wolfe's Antique Archaeology in Iowa. We knew were were moving to Chicago and that it wasn't too far to drive.

While were driving around Nashiville, I remembered I read online that Wolfe opened a second store there. Thankfully, my dear cousin Joy was flexible and fit it into her packed itinerary. We had a great time exploring the store. The space was a lot smaller than I thought and it didn't have a lot of "picked" items. It was more geared toward fans of the show and I was a little disappointed. It's okay though, I was happy to be able take the detour and see some strange things.