peace garden @ scarritt bennitt
in the heart of hillsboro village, just offset from vanderbilt and belmont universities, you'll find the campus of Scarritt Bennitt. it used to be a university itself, boasting one of largest organs in the country.
the peace garden is a quite spot with various flower gardens that you can chill out it. for traffic being just feet away from you it's reasonably quiet. in the middle of the garden is a labyrinth, which happened to be under remodel at the time of this picture. this is just a quick walk from various eateries. it's also just a walk from one side of the campus to the other to find another gem, the library which has some great old texts. you can grab a bite to eat, walk through the library pick out a book and then sit on one of the benches chillin out.
the downtown library courtyard
just a walk across the street from the convention center you will find the downtown library, which of itself is pretty cool. however, within the walls you will find an awesome oasis in their courtyard. it has some fabulous foliage (although you won't see it in this picture because it's early march) and smells from the various plants they keep. if you are into people watching you can bet that there will be some others there on a really nice day, especially children playing around the fountain. if you are into your own space there are plenty of corners to settle into.
for those of you who are tech geeks. you will be happy to know that you can pick up a wifi connection from the courtyard. i got three bars on my mac the particular day i took pictures. if the sun is out in full force you will want to hide in a shade spot, otherwise it's too bright to see your computer screen.
if you were walking out of the convention center, just walk across the street and to your left, turning right between mckendree umc and the parking garage. at the top of the hill (the end of the block) you will see providence bread co. grab some grub from there and head into the library, up the stairs to the courtyard. it's worth the stop.
alektor cafe and books to paradise
modeled as a modern version of the early church, alektor cafe has been huge to my spiritual formation over the last two years. my friend sally introduced me to this church sometime ago. we stopped by for coffee. the presence of the icons, orthodox relics, readings from various denominations of the Christian faith & other faiths from around the world captivated me. i remember sally saying "this place challenges me." i met Father Parthenios & his wife for the first time. since then i have frequented when i need a place of peace in the rush that is my life & nashville (sometimes). Father Parthenios told me once that they have modeled this coffee shop after the ancient church. he doesn't give sermons, just serves you some fab food, answers your questions (of which, i find him very knowledgable and wise), he will give you a blessing upon request, plays various chanted prayers over a sound system, and teaches some classes (i think on thursday night). this church is truely a relaxed worship environment where prayer washes over you.
now the greatest times come from my tuesday mornings with sally & jonathon. we started meeting tuesday cause it was the only time jonathon and i could actually hang out.. now it's become our own morning prayer and conversation. this small time set aside for our ministries has been enriching for all of us & i'd like to share this with you all. if you are in the nashville area, you live here or will be visiting (ie. emergent or gaither conventions) come worship at the alektor cafe. article written about them in the tennessean
address:
1807 Grand Ave
Nashville, TN 37212
alektor cafe and books to paradise
alektor cafe and books to paradise
sacred spaces & places of nashville
welcome to your guide of sacred (and sometimes not so) spaces & places of nashville. call this part tour guide or part commentary about our town. if you are visiting our fine city of nashville then you would want to check check us out.
