Field Trip | Rooftops and Rare Bird

As you know, we at the Edit are a curious bunch–especially when it comes to discovering new things in and around our city. Instead of the typical “office breaks” that others adhere to, we choose to refresh and take a breather while learning about something new and interesting in the community. We are big on experiences verses cubicles, in fact, we are ALL about being out and about! In our Field Trip series, you’ll get little recaps on the places around Nashville that our team has galavanted to, quite literally hopping into the back of Lauren’s car one-by-one, ready for our next field trip.

I’ll be honest, I get a little bit of dread when I hear that I have to make my way downtown. I think the sprawl of Broadway causes that anxiety, but so does the fear of getting an Uber driver who thinks it’s fine to drive with open windows rather than turn on the AC in this 95-degree heat (the joy of avoiding parking downtown). I’ll admit I had that same initial dread when I was told to be at Rare Bird at 4 o’clock for a “Field Trip,” until Lauren informed me that The Noelle offers valet. Problem averted. 

Once conveniently valeted, I made my way into the beautiful Noelle hotel, in search of their rooftop bar, Rare Bird. I must’ve looked lost, as the staff kindly pointed me in the direction of the bar, but I was really just taking in how beautifully the Noelle was decorated. The lobby screams class, and the artwork on the walls is so interesting to look at. Once down the hall and up the elevator, we walked out onto the rooftop, each of us taking a seat at the patio in the corner.

Having rained all morning, we expected to be sitting on piles of wet cushions. Fortunately, our seats were dry and the city was cooling off post-rain. We celebrated this start of the week (hello, Monday) by ordering some of their specialty cocktails. Kimberly and I opted for the Sport Pilot (akin to a mezcal pinña colada), while Stacie and Lauren drank a frozen watermelon cocktail, and Alaina and Lacey enjoyed the Nashville Julep — all so refreshing on such a hot and humid day.

Between sipping our cocktails and chatting about what all was on our schedules for the week, we nibbled on some Caramelized Onion Dip with chips and their delicious Pimento Cheese. Our favorite snack of the evening was definitely the Shaved Ham Plate – each of us grabbing the last bit of it before winding down this fun outing and taking in the view from this Printer’s Ally rooftop.

Evenings like this are what make us fall in love with the city of Nashville all over again, thankful that we can enjoy our downtown again (safely tucked away from that sprawl of Broadway I mentioned earlier). While the rest of the team headed out for the evening, I made my way from the patio to the bar to enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc before calling it a night. Since work was ending for most of Nashville, I could tell several people were stopping in for a quick drink after leaving their downtown offices, enjoying their 5 o’clock drink just as much as I was.