David G. from Florida was the winner of the Propeller experience to "Win a Trip to Meet Chelsea Cutler on The Beauty is Everywhere Tour and Enjoy a Spa Package at 1 Hotel Nashville" that took place in March 2024. Below are some of David's highlights from the experience.
I'm very excited to share all about my trip to see Chelsea Cutler in Nashville with y'all! Thank you again to Propeller for the opportunity to do this - we definitely would not have been able to otherwise.
The trip began with my partner and I arriving at the Orlando International Airport early to make sure we would make our Southwest flight to Nashville. Neither of us are huge fans of airports, but we made the most of it by playing a game on my Switch together and getting some breakfast near the gate :)
When we arrived at the Nashville airport, we were almost immediately greeted by live musicians doing their thing inside the airport itself! There is clearly a lot of talent in this city. We took a rideshare to 1Hotel, both rideshare and hotel paid for by Propeller! Upon arriving to 1Hotel it was very clear this was the nicest hotel I had ever stayed at. Like, the front desk was seamlessly hidden behind (faux, I presume) mossy stone?? That's definitely a first.
The rooms were stunning, but we were so tired when we arrived that we forgot to take a photo of everything neat and put together. But trust us, the beds were so comfortable and very welcome after a day of travel. Because we were still recovering from our flight, we decided to make use of the in-room dining service that 1Hotel offers. It was honestly really nice to have that option, because we didn't really feel up to being in a restaurant atmosphere for our lunch. The workers who brought the food were very kind and professional.
In the afternoon, representatives from 1Hotel brought us a lovely fruit/snack arrangement that we were able to eat throughout the weekend. It was great to have some fresh fruit and nuts available to us, especially when that's not always a guarantee while traveling. While we snacked on fruit, we relaxed in the comfy beds and spent some time listening to Chelsea Cutler together in preparation for the concert the next day.
In the evening, we decided to get some food and drinks at Harriet's Cocktail Bar at the very top of the hotel. Their menu is not really meant for full meals, so I might suggest going to 1Kitchen first, and then heading up to Harriet's after for some drinks, but we were eager to try the menu at Harriets! The cocktails were well made and very tasty. The Sushi left a big impression. We've gone to a couple of pretty nice Sushi restaurants for date nights before, but I was pleasantly surprised that Harriet's sushi tasted just as good, if not better than the sushi at said dedicated restaurants. Highly Recommended! Being in such a nice hotel and eating such nice food did leave us feeling a little bit like we were out-of-place, though! Even one of the servers mistook us for a couple that walked-in and incorrectly informed us that our seats had been reserved for another couple, but we were on the Guest List and were seated by the hostess. Perhaps that's just how it goes, we typically wouldn't have been able to afford that Sushi on our own, anyway!
One last note on Harriet's: I really enjoyed the music. Props to whoever makes the playlists over there! Near the end of our time at the cocktail bar, a DJ also arrived and we enjoyed that as well. I always love seeing talented people at work.
The next day we decided to go to breakfast at 1Kitchen. It was quite good and their orange juice was really yummy. Sometimes it's the little things, y'all.
Afterwards, we went to the Frist Art Museum in Nashville. It was soo well put together and had a very interesting exhibition highlighting historical Southern art with a lot of nuance, tackling some challenging questions regarding the role of race in the creation of and depictions within the art being exhibited.
For lunch, we went to a Lebanese Restaurant, Epice, and had a meal so yummy we recreated it when we got back to Florida!
When we got back to 1Hotel, it felt like we had already had a busy day so we tried to relax some before our spa package. Little did I know there was some truly incredible professional relaxation coming our way. I had never had a massage before, plus I can be kinda ticklish, so I was honestly pretty nervous. But the environment in Bamford Wellness Spa was welcoming and my massage therapist was very understanding. It did not take long for relaxation to take hold and tbh I'm going to have to start a massage budget! The future path of my life has been permanently altered! I'm a massage guy now.
I was so glad we were able to do that, I felt way more prepared to go to the concert because of it. Honestly, the one lowlight of the trip was waiting in line. This is the case for any concert, of course, but I am autistic and had never had a VIP concert ticket, so it was especially hard. I'm still getting used to asking for accommodations, but once I asked, the venue staff was very kind and it worked out in the end. Imagine if I hadn't had that wonderful massage ahead of time!
Getting to meet Chelsea was really cool. I was able to take a picture with her and participate in a Q&A with her and the other VIPs. Honestly, the whole thing is kind of a blur - I was pretty nervous! But she was really nice and, while I didn't have the courage to ask a question until it was too late, it was really awesome to see her interact with other fans and hear her very thoughtful answers to their questions.
I got myself a snack and a drink and then it was concert time! The energy was unreal and she brought on some fantastic guest musicians (like Matt Maeson and a member of The Band Camino!) We danced and sang to the end. I will definitely look back on this experience very fondly. Thank you Propeller, Chelsea Cutler, The Human Rights Coalition, and 1Hotel!
- David G.
