the melrose neighborhood pub

Photo by kungfoofool@flickr

Location 2535 Franklin Pike, Nashville TN, 37204
Hours Open daily 11am – 2am (food served until 1am)
www.themelrose.net

I’ve been on vacation from work for the past two weeks, and this week of my vacation I spent in Nashville. While in the past I would say my most visited bar in Nashville was Beyond The Edge, this trip most drinking time was spent at Melrose Neighborhood Pub.

I first went to Melrose on Wednesday night with my friends Kate and Chris. Kate and I had pregramed pretty hard before heading over there, so I can’t be positive but I’m pretty sure I ordered a Bud Light, which is pretty standard for me in a bar. The bartender, Cliff, was very nice and welcoming, making you feel like this is a bar you had been coming to for years.

The bar was pretty crowded for a Wednesday night, I’d venture to say even decently packed. The bar is long enough that there is plenty of room, enough room even for there to be three stools open for us to sit together. There are also a good amount of large booths against the wall as well as several high tops in the front and back. Plenty of seating. There is also a patio in the back if you feel like being outside, or like me, feel like smoking.

Now let’s get to the important part: the food. We all ordered food, and I was excited for my taste buds because this place boasts some of the best burgers in Nashville, all made with natural local beef. I ordered the Blue Cheese Burger (bacon, blue cheese crumbles, grilled onions) and waffle fries.

Food came out pretty quick, but let me tell you….it was worth it no matter how long we waited for it. It was truly the most amazing burger I have ever had in my life. The blue cheese crumbles were perfectly melted on the burger, it was juicy, the bacon was crisp…it was literally heaven on a bun. I’m not a huge fan of fries but the waffle fries were pretty run of the mill, made amazing by me drenching them in Tabasco sauce and then dipping them in the spinach dip that Chris had ordered, which was TO DIE FOR.

I got several more Bud Light drafts also sampled Chris’ White Russian, which was really good, and I was about to order my own but thankfully Kate ushered me out the door to head home. I’m pretty sure that White Russian would not have stayed down.

Thursday night I headed over there with Ian and George after dinner and drinks at Applebee’s. Thursday nights are Two-For-Ones starting at 4PM, so I wish we had arrived a little earlier – in the future I will be here promptly at 4 on Thursdays, as there are few things I love more than a good 2-4-1 night.

Other notable specials are Happy Hours Mon-Fri 4PM-7PM ($1 off apps, liquor, wine and beer), $2 domestic drafts on Saturdays, and $2 drafts all day on Sunday. They also have trivia on Tuesday where you can win up to $50.

They also have a brunch menu on the website, which looks AMAZING. Brunch is served Saturday & Sunday 10AM – 3PM and I’m really considering flying in next Friday evening to sample what must be a delicious treat in the AM.

I give Melrose a hearty 4 1/2 stars. One of my favorite bars that I’ve been to in Nashville. So if you’re ever in town, I’d definitely suggest stopping by here, if not for the friendly staff and great atmosphere, then for the burgers. Holy crap.

The Lemon Light Is Back For Real

But I think I’m going to do something a little different with this and just write reviews. Of movies, books, music, restaurants, TV, art, makeup, hotels….really anything that I find worth writing about. It will be like my own personal Yelp….only better. First review coming your way in a few minutes! <3

Is this bad form?…

So, the last time I wrote, I entitled it “The Return Of The Lemon Light” as if I was going to start writing again after a 2 month haitus. Now I’ve been on an 8 month haitus….so my question is: is it bad form to make ANOTHER “Return Of The Lemon Light” post? I really do want to start writing again. There have been some crazy nights in the past 8 months that I haven’t even written about. There was a trip to Nashville in January. A trip to San Diego in February. Another trip to Nashville/Covington for Maifest (which had more than it’s share of write-able material), and countless funny nights out on the town here in Boston.

I’d really like to start writing again! Unfortunately, I’m not going to regale all these past stories that I missed out on. I’ll let it be a lesson to me that I should continue writing and not stop for long periods of time. Let’s keep this blog alive!!

I guess I’ll write about my most recent venture, just to kick this off with some fun.

Last Tuesday, Lauren and I decided to have a good old fashioned All Day Drunk Day. Unfortunately at 5PM, we still hadn’t even come close to venturing out, so it actually turned into a normal night of drinking. When we FINALLY emerged from our houses, we headed to the liquor store and got a bottle of Skyy Grape Vodka (yeah…shelling out the big bucks) and a six pack of beer and headed over to Spenser’s.

We had plans to head over to Ups and Downs but we wanted to pregame first. The main reason being that last time we went there we shelled out $60 between the 2 of us and left SOBER. Don’t ask me how, but we weren’t about to make that mistake again, so we played some games at Spensers, refilling our cups of Skyy and Sprite several times over. By the time we left the house, I was drunk.

Ups and Downs on and Tuesday isn’t that promising. Somehow this night ended up as a whirlwind though. Some girl was there with her boyfriend that I was convinced I went to middle school with (I didn’t), and she was OBSESSED with Lauren and I for some reason. So she kept buying us shots, and we kept buying her shots. Three or four or five or six shots of Grape Crush later, I was BLASTED.

What I remember is talking at length with this girl. About what, I don’t know. Her name was Nadia. I remember the following conversation:

Nadia: I think my Cosmo is really weak. Here, taste this.
Me: Okay! *takes sip of drink.*
Me: Wow, that is pretty weak. Chris! Can I get a Cosmo!

I also texted Crystal telling her I met a girl named MAFIA (I was referring to Nadia).

I also remember screaming into the ears of Lauren and Spenser at separate times, dead serious, lecturing them about SOMETHING, but I don’t remember anything I said.

I called Moises twice AND texted him (when he didn’t answer) in hopes to solve our problems. (Why does it always seem like the time to solve problems when you are at your least capable?)

Apparently, though I don’t really remember this, Spenser and Lauren claim I made out with some guy who was “much older, wearing plaid shorts with pulled up socks, was possibly not American, and looked weathered.” I remember I thought I saw Jon Gosseling of John and Kate Plus 8, and considering my judgment, this was possibly him.

And finally, I remember puking out the window of the car the entire drive on the highway. Next thing I know we are parked in front of Lauren’s house, I sit up to get out of the car, and I hurl all over her driveway.

I woke up the next morning in her bed, and I hadn’t puked anymore, thus not drowning in my own bile and dying. Which is always a plus after nights like that.

A week of drinking will do you good: the return of the lemon light

When I originally started writing this blog, it was on the tailwinds of the lifestyle I was leading, which involved a lot of drinking, a lot of boys, and a lot of good stories to tell. But what with dropping out of school, starting my new job, and pretty much having to grow up, I left that lifestyle behind and started living….well, a pretty boring life.

Finally, this week, when everyone comes home for Thanksgiving, my body got the alcohol it’s been craving

Wednesday afternoon, Lauren and I went to see Twilight (for the second time….) after which I ran home to quickly change, then headed over the Margaritaville to meet Katie D. and Jenna for a drink. I had a raspberry margarita, which is uncharacteristic of me, being that I don’t drink tequila. It was good though. I abandoned half my drink to make the hike down to Duxbury, where we drank for a bit at Katie H.’s house while discussing AIDS vs. diarrhea in a hot tub. Seriously. Katie, her roommate and I headed to a bar (Tommy D’s I think) and got buzzed there (I freaked out when a friend of Bridget’s said “Time Now,” because Afghani Mike used to say that all the time), then we headed to some kids REALLY nice house. He had two Westies and a Yorkie which made me happy. What made me unhappy was the plethora of 40-year-old men taking pictures and partying like they were 21, and the parrot that looked like he wanted to escape from his huge cage and rip our throats out. We left after one beer and called the night quits.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. Lots of turkey and stuffing. Loves it. I had to work that night but only for a few hours to it was okay.

Friday Jenna invited me out drinks with her friends from school, Zach and Scollins. Loved them both, they were both HILARIOUS. The three of them are all into improv so it was really funny hanging out with them. We had a few beers at the Venus then went back to Scollins really nice house (I’m frequently really nice houses lately) for some wine. They talked shop (read:improv) for awhile, and while I don’t know much about improv, I was so into the conversation! I wasn’t bored at all. Listen, that sounded sarcastic but it wasn’t. Jenna and I headed home after finishing out wine and realizing it was about 3AM. We found on the way home that Taco Bell was closed and we were PISSED. We also slid on a patch of ice and almost died. All in a nights work, huh?

Last night (Saturday), I worked until 9:30PM, then I took the T over to Fanueil Hall to meet the gang from high school for drinks at McFaddens. They had all started about 2 hours prior to me getting there, so I felt like I really need to catch up, especially since it was 10 by the time I got there and the last train home ran at 1. I started with a beer, then a vodka cranberry, then a chocolate cake shot, followed by another beer (insert cigarette break here, in which we run into a really cute guy from Newport Beach), then another chocolate cake shot and another beer. I think I sufficiently caught up. Krista walked in on some girl in the bathroom, so then I was scared to use the bathroom. When I finally went, lo and behold, someone walked in on me.

We got the T home, where I believe I was talking very loud, and I think we were all quite entertaining to the few other passengers in our subway car. When I got home I had a full plate of Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. Drunk meal.

In the end, I know I was drunk because of this text that I sent to Crystal: “I’m so drunk. Help me. I want to have a threesome wit pi party chris and the soulja boi. Can you make this happen? Write back. Love. Pony.” Which I wanted to be involved in a threesome with either of those people is beyond me. Why I signed the text “Pony” is also beyond me too.

Moral of the story is, a little drink does the body good. And Thanksgiving weekend is a good time to get that done.

the ponz’s guide to air travel

Photo by Flip Barrientos

Two weeks ago I officially began my career in the airline industry. Working at the ticket counter, I have already come across enough people experiencing travel faux pas that I feel inspired to write this blog, covering several helpful hints and guidelines for you to be aware of before you plan your next vacation. Knowing the facts will mean you can get to the airport later free of worries, and will minimize the risk of you missing your plane.

Check and double check your itinerary, even if you booked through a travel agency. They make mistakes! You have no idea how many people come in trying to check in for flights that left two days ago. They then think that because their travel agent messed up, not them, that they should not be charged. But you are responsible for knowing your reservation! You will be charged to change your flight because it was not the airlines fault.

Know the policies and fees associated with the airline you a flying. Do they charge for a second bag? For a first? How many pounds are considered overweight? What is allowed to be in your checked/carry-on luggage? What happens if you miss your flight? These are all things you should know before you arrive at the airport. My airline charges $50 for any bags over 50 pounds and I can’t tell you how many times I hear “FIFTY DOLLARS!?!? Are you KIDDING me?!” every day. I always let people try to take things out and rearrange so they can avoid the fee, but weighing your bag before you leave in the morning can expedite the entire situation.

You are not an exception no matter what your situation is. Although you are the customer and we want you to be happy, just because you are you does not mean we will magically waive the fee. Be prepared if you know you may have to pay a little extra.

Check in online if you are able to. Then your time at the airport is so much quicker. At my airline, we have a bag drop line, so if you check in online (or at the kiosk) and already have your boarding pass, we just check your ID, scan your boarding pass, take your bag and you’re done! Quick!

The airlines do not control the weather and no matter how much you yell at your ticket agent, if ATC tells us we aren’t flying, we aren’t flying! Do you really want your plane to hit turbulence and go down in a field in Iowa? We know how frustrating it is to have a delay, we’ve flown too! But there is literally NOTHING we can do about it.

We won’t hold the plane for you, sorry. I didn’t know this before I started working, but the airline is fined for every minute that the plane is late taking off that is their fault (not due to weather or ATC, etc). If you’re late, you’re late. If the jetbridge door is closed, it’s not opening for you. If that planes takes off late because of you, that throws off flights for the entire day.

We can’t boot someone from their aisle seat just becaue you want it. Seats are first come, first serve. We get that you may need to get up to pee 6 times during the flight, but that is something you have to work out with Mr. Aisle Seat Holder. If you have a middle, you have a middle. Someone has to sit there.

That’s all I can think of right now. If I think of any more I will let you know.

The Ponz

things that made me happy today

Photo by tiny_muffins

On my way to keep my mom company while she was babysitting my cousins, I stopped for ice cream at Peaceful Meadows. It was 9:50PM and they close at ten, so I felt like that jerk that shows up last minute wanting to order. Luckily, there was another jerk there.
Me and this guy stood at the window while at least 10 employees inside ignored us in hopes we would go away.
He turned around and asked me, “Are they closed?”
I reply, “I don’t know…I thought they were open until 10.”
He taps on the window, asks if they are open, and one of the girls reluctantly replies yes and takes his order. He gets his ice cream and walks away (so I thought).
I order my ice cream and as I’m about to pull money out of my wallet, a five dollar bill is thrown on the counter from behind me, and Guy says “I got hers.”
I smile and tell him he doesn’t have to do this, but he insists, a bit sheepishly and he buys my ice cream. I now am drumming up ways to dance around the inevitable asking of the number, but with a smile he says, “Enjoy your ice cream!” and walks back to his car.

It left me smiling for a good few minutes. I like nice people.

quote of the day

“The second kiss is always tougher than the first one…that first kiss, it’s the passionate one. It’s the one fueled by desire and attraction and all that. But the second kiss is rational. You’ve had time to think about it. Worry, and overanalyze. Most women, they prefer the first kiss – but I’m partial to the second one. Because it’s about something more.”
-Dawson’s Creek