b2ap3_thumbnail_nashville-bonnaroo-guide-iami-1.JPG

turns out, Nashville is the most popular bachelorette city in the country. That's right, it beats it Vegas and South Beach.

I was just in town for a quick Bachelorette Party planned by the maid of honor and detailed down to a "t." That left little time for walking in circles wondering what to do next, but it also left little time for wandering at all. So, I flew in early to get a bit of shopping done, mostly because I've been following the denim store Imogene + Willie on Instagram for so long that I had to take advantage and finally go see it IRL and also because I read this article in the NYTimes about a mega-outlet called UAL. I left with the perfect pair of jeans for a big booty girl like myself from Imogene + Willie, who knew I'd have to fly all the way to Nashville to find it, and a crochet Rosie Assouline top, an Isabel Marant one piece bathing suit, a linen skirt and a Christopher Kane dress from UAL. So, all in all, I rate Nashville the most surprising A+ shopping city in America.

12th Street South is a kind of bizarre-o Wynwood that feels like a few years ago someone said "Hey, we should make a really Instagram-friendly neighborhood so all those dang bachelorette parties have somewhere to take those selfies, or whatever the kids call them" and then POOF 12th Street South showed up. It has a kind of Disney for Bachelorette parties vibe that's a little scary, and a little overwhelming - if I said I saw 30 groups of girls it wouldn't be an overstatement - but it's worth a stroll nonetheless.

The girls at Imogene + Willie recommended I have lunch at BurgerUp right down the street while they cropped my jeans to the perfect length for me. Get the kale salad with lamb and a grapefruit rosemary cocktail or get fried chicken takeout from Hattie B's Hot Chicken and eat it at nearby Sevier Park and then head across the street to Las Paletas for coconut popsicles.

The rest was kind of a blur - ACME, a giant restaurant space, has surprisingly good sushi for a sports bar even though the Predators game was on and it was a complete mad house. Sinema is a good group spot for a buffet brunch and bottomless mimosas if you can get the private room with couches, perfect for hungover friends to take a mid-morning nap. There isn't much of a trick to

There isn't much of a trick to Broadway, but Tootsie's and Nudie's were my top two spots for live music and they'll play what you want if you pay up. For a good cup of pick-me-up coffee Barista Parlor and Frothy Monkey are two local coffee shops with totally different vibes, the first a trendy, loft-like space serving acai bowls and Panamanian coffee and the second a coffee house in what looks like an old converted house.

The shots are cheap. The airport is big. The flight is only one hour and 50 minutes long. There are tons of reasons why Nashville is the perfect bachelorette party - and on-the-way to Bonnaroo pit-stop.