PLACES: Hillsboro Village Is (kind of) Like Danville’s Long-Lost Twin

I simply don’t feel I’ve done Fido justice. Though I discussed it in my first “PLACES” post, there is so much more to say. Not just about one little restaurant, though. About all of Nashville. It’s a place far from my first home that now is my first home.

So for this week’s PLACES update, I’d love to introduce you to one of my favorite parts of Nashville: Hillsboro Village. To me, Hillsboro is the patch in the quilt of Nashy that feels most like my California small town of Danville. 

Bricks and centuries-old homes give each of these places a quaint, old-town charm. Don’t be fooled, though. Neither Hillsboro nor Danville is messing around. Cutesy doesn’t quite cover it; they boast some of the best high-end retail shops, boutiques, and award winning restaurants in their respective regions. Danville and Hillsboro are the perfect combination of class, culture, community, and couture.

 I’ve found very few streets I like as much as 21^st Avenue in Hillsboro and Hartz Avenue in Danville.  (These towns are twins, right?!) And though I’d love for everyone to get to experience both of these lovely towns, I know full well that travel is limited a devious evil called “budget”. To solve this problem, how about a little this-is-like-that to help you imagine what being in either town would be like! 

We’ll compare Hillsboro’s finest to Danville’s dandies with Twitter-like brevity

…and if there’s not really a match, well, I’ll have some other comparison for you.

Bookman Bookwoman is like Rakestraw after a tornado of dust, a flood of coffee, and a plague of old-people smell.

Sweet Cece’s is like Yogurt Shack with cooler topping dispensers, but not as cool toppings. #ironic #youneedaspoon,notaknife,alanis

  

Fire Finch is like Ella J.: stylish clothes, kind-of-a-splurge prices, and #cats?

Sam’s is kind of like That Bar: a decent scene with some good grub and the game on loud, but you’re more than likely to run into your boss, your friend’s mom, or a teacher. #yikes

  

McDougal’s is like…a hoarder’s paradise: if you look hard enough, you’ll find some decent fried chicken hiding between old license plates and newspapers. #help

The Belcourt is like The Vine. Both walk the fine line between artsy/cultured and pretentious, home to hipsters, documentary buffs, and businessmen alike.  #butstillpretentious

Side note: You should check out the Belcourt if:

-       You missed Sundance and want to feel cultured

-       You can name any Bon Iver song besides “Skinny Love” (even his cover song will count, guys)

-       You’re looking to be totally confused and bewildered by a film

Fido is like Sideboard on steroids, plus hipsters taking up all the booths, minus blankets for outside. #cmonguys #sharethelove

Jackson’s is like Pete’s Brass Rail: no one knows their namesake, but I’ve heard they’ve got some pretty good specialty beers. #iwouldntknow #imnot21yet

  

Pancake Pantry is like Valley Medlyn’s: if you’re local, you go there once a year. The portions are big, the servers are friendly, the lines are long, and the pancakes are great.

Provence is like La Boulange: France meets America in the most joyful of ways – coffee and pastries. (But unlike Provence, La Bou requires real people money.) #vandycard

In review,

Things Danville has that Hillsboro should get on board with:

-       A store for puppies and kitties! Like Molly’s Pup-Purr-ee!

-       A nice consignment shop. C’mon. We’re college kids, not millionaires. Posh, while it is nice to walk through your rows of way-too-expensive dresses and wish I had Taylor Swift’s closet, at the end of the day, you’re more of a window-shopping kind of place. Take a hint from Danville’s Savvy Shopaholic.

-       Sideboard's hot chocolate with graham crackers on the rim of the mug - yum!

Things Hillsboro nailed that Danville’s slackin’ in:

-       More than one coffee house! Sideboard is great, and I understand that Starbucks (*cough*cough* Char-bucks*) is nearby, but can we please get our act together and establish another hometown coffee shop that’s bigger than Sideboard? Dear Danville, consult Hot & Cold if you have any questions.

-       Jackson’s cookie dough egg rolls

But I guess even twins are different. I hope Danville and Hillsboro get to reunite someday.