Thoughts From the First Days

I cannot believe how hot it is here.  I spent the majority of my childhood summers in Washington, D.C. swamp heat, so the level of oppression is somewhat familiar, but after spending the last 5 years in Los Angeles, my tolerance for any temp outside of the 68-72 range has decreased substantially.  It’s okay though, because I have so much to do that I’d rather suffer from circumstances beyond my control than the pressure of getting off to the right start on this life-altering experience.

Dramatics aside, I couldn’t be happier to be in Nashville. Owen is a remarkable school, I’ve befriended several fellow students and met dozens more, and my wife and I love the culture, attitude and convenience the city provides.  For me, the key to the first week is balance.

Through the magic of Craigslist, we found a lovely house in Sylvan Park at a price that most Angelinos would consider a scam, and our first task was to fill it with furniture we could afford but also enjoy sitting in/looking at. I’m not sure if this is a priority of my more single classmates, but I’ve found that since getting married, matters of taste have become central to any domestic consideration.  Bottom line, I’m very classy now.  But I’m also broke, which has made me slightly sassy as well.  Classy and sassy. Balance.

We found several areas around town for furniture, as well as other household items:

Charlotte Pike: Thrift stores, antique shops and furniture depots can be found here. Sanders Furniture has a ton of quality couches, desks, and dressers.  The thrift stores certainly had better deals, but you may have to sacrifice classiness/comfort in the process. Bottom line, there are options for both ends of the spectrum, so if you like to shop storefronts, it’s a good street to visit.

Also, Charlotte will meet any automotive need you have.

The Nashville West Shopping Center is chock-full of big boxes (Target, Best Buy, etc.), so if you live on the West Side, it’s a good place to visit. Reviewers on Google have gone so far as to call it great!

The Mall at Green Hills is another west side retail destination with a ton of stores. http://www.themallatgreenhills.com/

8^th Avenue South: Specifically, Remix furniture, a consignment shop with nice deals on great pieces, and Habitat ReStore, a Habitat for Humanity operation that sells a wide variety of furniture and building materials. If you like shopping locally, it’s a diverse and rewarding place to go.

From corporate to locally owned. Balance. It’s what my early days here are all about.