If you’re driving down the street in Nashville on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and you see a large number of people standing in line near a brick building, you’re probably on 21st Avenue South.
This street near Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities, with its wonderful storefronts, is my favorite place in Nashville to park and walk the street. College professors, panhandlers, students, young professionals – everyone hangs out on this street because, well, it might be the best.
Sunday’s big attraction is the Pancake Pantry. In business since 1961, the Pancake Pantry opens at 6 a.m. every morning and customers will be lined up down by the block after 9:00 a.m. (as I found out when I drove there this week). The old brick building is warm and full of people eating breakfast food together. Waffles, pancakes, crepes… I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t had crepes in years.
Down the street, Revelator Coffee Company is an independent coffee shop that walked past a few times because it was so unlike my usual coffee hangout. Far from being the cluttered, crowded brick space I usually opt for, this coffee shop was all white and gray clean lines: minimal design heaven. Rows of simple white ceramic cups lined the shelves in small and espresso sizes. The barista was making coffee in a simple, clear glass filter holder using the pour over method, carefully nursing the hot water over the grounds. The filter holder almost looked like a glass beaker, and I had to imagine the barista in his apron as a scientist, working with precision to get perfect results. My latte was smooth and creamy with no bitter bite to it, just the way I love it.
And last and best of all: the best part of the best street in Nashville is the city’s best bookstore. BookManBookWoman sings a siren song to any bibliophile driving down 21st Avenue South. It’s a small storefront, it’s overstuffed with books, it’s small from the front and huge on the inside… all the things that make bookstores magical. I found one of my favorite books – in an old edition I read in our public library. HUGE score! And there were so many more to see, many of them fascinating. This bookstore is so good.
21st Avenue South isn’t extensive, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Beautiful, sophisticated, timeless, a place you’ll be glad you put your feet to the sidewalk.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~