CommonsAdmin

#1: Vandy Vans

Vandy Vans are the shuttle system around the Vanderbilt Campus. There are three routes:

  

Download the app to see the van schedule, get notifications when vans are nearby, and see live versions of the map!

 

#2: Nashville MTA
One of the best ways to get off campus is the Nashville bus system. With more than 10 stops within walking distance from the Commons and even more stops surrounding the main campus, riding on the buses is incredibly easy. The buses run from 6 AM to 11 PM and can take you anywhere from the Grand Ole Opry to the airport to downtown live music venues. There’s also a free app for your Smartphone to help you plan your next trip. Rides are free with your commodore card.

 

#3: Uber

Uber is a popular and affordable way to get around—especially now that you can pay for rides with your Commodore Card! Download the Uber app, register for an account, then go to “Payment” to link your card.

#4: VanderBIKES

If biking is more your speed, you can rent a bike through VanderBIKES! The price ranges from $90-$150 a semester OR $150-$250 a year, depending on your bike of choice, and comes with free maintenance and u-lock. Click here for more information.

#5: Walking
Last but not least, the simplest way to get around is to walk. It’s free and there are so many interesting places within a few miles of campus. The closest attraction is Centennial Park. It’s located right across the street from the Vanderbilt bookstore and features a full-scale replica of the Parthenon. The park also hosts local musicians every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. In addition Hillsboro Village and the historic Belmont Mansion are within walking distance of the school. Of course the Vanderbilt football stadium and basketball gymnasium are right off campus, so it’s easy to walk over and support your Commodores!

Hey did you know your VU Meal Plan provides you with a Meal Money Account (MMA) that can be used to purchase food at participating off-campus restaurants through the Taste of Nashville program? Well if you didn’t know that, now you do. There are several options which are all within walking distance of campus, and all of those Taste of Nashville participants can be found here. But to save you time, we at MCL have compiled our Top 5 favorites in no order whatsoever. These dining options will satisfy both your appetite and your desire to soak in the ambience of more than just the Commons or Rand. If you take our advice and visit these or other options in the Taste of Nashville program, just use your Commodore Card as you would a debit card at the restaurant. The money will be debited from your Meal Money Account (which includes rollover money unused from your weekly Meal Plan).

Okay, here we go…..

5. Cabana, 1910 Belcourt Avenue

This is one of those places that just has a super chill vibe, and you feel it the moment you enter. Cabana bills its menu options as “casual Southern comfort cuisine,” and that is evident in offerings such as Kentucky Bison sliders, Spicy Shrimp and Cheddar Grits, and Chicken Pot Pie. If you’re really digging that Southern comfort food action make sure you save room for a piece of Peanut Butter Pie or a serving of Banana Puddin’, which tastes just like the kind your Grandma would make if your Grandma’s from South of the Mason Dixon line.

4. Soulshine Pizza, 1907 Division Street

Oh sure, you can get a pretty good brick oven pizza in the Commons or at Pi in Rand, but this place offers much more than pie with a cool factor of 10. Appetizers include standard fare like chicken wings or nachos, but if you’re really daring you’ll order up the Handmade Hot Tamales and thank us later.
Of course the main attractions here are the stone baked pizzas and calzones, and boy howdy do they know what they’re doing in this area. Of course you can build your own, but if you’re feeling adventurous we recommend the Boss Hawg or The Mississippian specialty pizzas. Or if you’re in the mood to go full cajun for your entree, they also serve up a pretty mean order of Red Beans & Rice. All of this awesome food is great, but the decor adds a funky feel that will satisfy music and pop culture lovers, too.

3. Qdoba, 2019 West End Avenue

Yes, okay, so Qdoba is a chain and not uniquely Nashville, we know. But if you’re looking to get some tasty Mexican food in your belly, this place gets the job done. Serving up tacos, taco salads, nachos, bowls, and burritos the size of tactical nukes (and perhaps just as potent), there’s a lot to like and a lot to choose from as you watch them build your personal food masterpiece. And here’s a huge plus … you work up an appetite walking from Commons to the corner of West End and 21st, and you walk off some of those calories you inhaled on the walk back home.

2. Smoothie King, 2422 Elliston Place OR hey there’s one in the Rec Center!

So not sure if you knew about this one or not, but that’s right, you can get a Smoothie after your workout at the Rec Center and USE YOUR CARD to pay for it. Nice! Okay, maybe we’re the only ones excited about this, but hey we’ve been eating Bison sliders, pizza named after a Dukes of Hazzard character and handfuls of nachos, so working out and getting something healthy inside of us feels pretty good. Order from their extensive menu or add your own special blend with a myriad of “enhancers,” including Acai (whatever that is).

1. Cafe Coco, 210 Louise Avenue

Looking for a place that screams NASHVILLE, well you’ve found it at Cafe Coco. A mixture of coffee house, music venue, and restaurant, this joint has tons of character and the best reason to get out of bed for breakfast on the weekends. Soup, hot or cold sandwiches, 7″ pizzas, pastas that you can customize, or a really awesome burger, the lunch and dinner menu has something for everyone. But again, breakfast! Do you love your coffee? Well check this place out as an alternative to Starbucks, grab a bagel or an Eggwich or French toast or all three and get motivated to hunker down on a Sunday and finish those papers you have due this week!

Yeah, yeah, we know … right now you are swamped with work, trying to knock out three papers and study for a couple of exams that your loving profs dumped on you between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving Break. But hey, everybody needs a stress reliever from time to time, and, you know, all work and no play, right? So here at MCL we’ve compiled the Top 5 things you should do in Nashville before it gets too late and you’re packing up to head home for the semester break. Here goes …

5. Eat some hot chicken

If you haven’t already tackled this uniquely Nashville culinary experience (and we don’t mean that KFC hot chicken mess), now is the time. Yes, it’s hot, says so right there in the name. But what better time to eat some hot food than when the weather is turning colder. I mean it will be turning colder at some point, right? Anybody have Al Gore’s cell number? Anyway, visit one of the many local restaurants specializing in hot chicken. MCL recommends Party Fowl in The Gulch or Hattie B’s in Midtown, just a short walk from The Commons. And yes, you can get the mild, but you’ve gotta give hot chicken a try just so you can tell everyone at Thanksgiving dinner that “this is good, but it’s not Nashville-hot-chicken good.”

4. Check out the Opryland Hotel

Yeah, we know, this seems like a total touristy Mom & Dad thing to do. But honestly, this hotel is pretty amazing any time of year. Then add two million holiday lights and you’ll think you’ve fallen asleep on your Chem text and woken up at the North Pole. While you’re there for a few extra bucks you can take a carriage ride, ice skate in an outdoor rink, or even go snow tubing. The holiday festivities are available from Nov. 11 – Jan. 1, and the lights get cranked on at 4 p.m. every day.

3. See a movie at The Belcourt

So sure, you can go see the latest huge box office superhero/alien/fast car/Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie at the megaplex if you want, that’s cool. But if you want a slice of Nashville history along with your choice of the best independent, documentary, world, and classic cinema, then The Belcourt Theatre is where you want to be. It’s walkable from The Commons, and they offer a student discount with your ID. Just a glance at future film offerings includes Noctural Animals with Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, The Last Waltz, the classic Scorsese documentary about The Band, and Good Burger (yes Good Burger) for everyone who grew up watching “All That” on Nick.

2. Go Country

Now you know when you go home for break that everyone is going to ask you about living in Nashville and country music. You know that, right? So even if you think Carrie Underwood is how you properly transport logs (see what we did there?), you should make the effort to get your country on. And lucky you, there are SEVERAL options. If you want to broaden your overall country music horizons and understand the history of the music, you can’t beat a visit to the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If live music is more your speed, but you still want a little history lesson, we recommend checking out The Grand Ole Opry. Or if you want to understand what makes Nashville tick, get at the heart of the songs with the songwriters themselves at The Bluebird Cafe. Then when Uncle Bob asks if you’ve met any country stars you can say “yep, saw Jason Aldean at the Opry,” like a boss.

1. Get some Nashville merch

By now you’ve likely embraced that Nashville is your home for the next four years. But are you really invested in Music City? At MCL we’re encouraging you to live like a local, and that means supporting all things Nashville. Sure, you love your home town teams, I mean who doesn’t? But while it’s cool to rock your Chicago Cubs jersey around campus, it’s every bit as cool to rep your new temporary home with some Titans or Predators gear. And it may not just be an ironically cool purchase, these days the Nashville sports teams are pretty decent. So jump on that bandwagon now, add powder blue and gold to your color wheel, and tell everyone in your home area code that the 6-1-5 rocks.

Do your post-summer blockbuster blues have you missing flying superheroes or short term memory impaired cartoon fish? Well cheer up my movie loving friend, because as the weather cools the theater may just be the place you’ll want to be. Get your popcorn and Milk Duds handy because here are the Top Five movies to see this Fall.

5. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, opening nationwide on September 30

Directed by creative genius Tim Burton (the man behind Edward Scissorhands & Alice in Wonderland to name a few) this movie is sure to be a fantastic combo of weird and amazing. Spanning alternate realities and featuring, of course, children with unusual abilities. If you like mysteries and movie magic, this is a film for you.

4. Masterminds, opening nationwide on September 30

Okay, so in theory you put a bunch of funny people together in a movie and you get a really funny movie, right. Well anyone who has seen the new Ghostbusters knows that’s not always the case (so, okay, it was a little funny, but could’ve been much better). But Masterminds actually could live up to the hype. With Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones (holy moly, that’s 3 of the 4 Ghostbusters), this one SHOULD be hilarious.

3. The Accountant, opening nationwide on October 14

No this is not a movie about some dude who does taxes, though at times Ben Affleck movies have been about that exciting. This one finds Ben taking a break from being a mediocre Batman to play an accountant with a unique skill set. Anna Kendrick co-stars so maybe she’ll break out into song as he takes on bad guys.

2. Arrival, opening nationwide on November 11

Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner make contact with aliens in a movie that is much more cerebral than, say, Independence Day. Billed as a modern day Close Encounters, this promises to be much more than a typical aliens come to Earth to check us out movie.

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, opening on December 16

Is it a prequel, a sequel, an R2-Dequel? Who cares, it’s Star Wars! But officially…Following the formation of the Galactic Empire, a rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. Sure, the weather will be cold in December, but technically it’s still Fall, so enjoy this one before the Winter Solstice.