Where do I get stuff and where do I get rid of it?

If you’re on a budget or are fortunate enough to have mom and dad’s credit card—for emergencies, of course—but are under far less financial supervision now that you’re out of the house, then it’s time to take care of those urgent needs immediately. You NEED a shower caddy! You MUST have an area rug! You will DIE without a keg-sized barrel of pretzels!

But where do you go? Like any other standout city in America, Music City has Target (or, as we in Nashville like to pronounce it, Tarzhay, the French accent bequeathing unto that store for everyone the sound of a shoppe for the elite only). Like similar but not comparable national chains, Target has everything you need to get settled into college life and more, combining convenience with affordability, clothing with appliances—even by higher-end designers (e.g. Mossimo, Michael Graves and Todd Oldham). Run, don’t walk to either location: 26 White Bridge Road in Nashville or 1701 Galleria Blvd. in Cool Springs. All locations are open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sun. 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Wal-Mart is also a 24/7 option, with SuperCenters at 5520 Nolensville Pike and 6670 and 7044 Charlotte Pike in Nashville. Though membership is required, Costco (98 Seaboard Lane) is your best bet for reasonably priced, ridiculously oversized items.

Super bargain hunters can find used and significantly less expensive items—from couches to mini-fridges—at Goodwill Industries (call 742-4151 for a location near you) and Salvation Army stores (see the phone book for nearby locations). Conveniently, these places also would love to have your stuff back at the end of the year. The ARC (Association of Retarded Citizens) will even come and pick up your bagged/boxed items for you. Call 248-4112 and be ready to tell them your zip code.

—Jessie Morris

Is there public transportation in Nashville?

Where’s the convenient subway or light rail system, you’re wondering? Sorry. In Nashville, your only public transportation option is the bus. Safe, clean and accessible, the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) can’t compete with The All-Powerful Automobile as a mode of transportation, which is why traffic in Nashville borders on horrifying. (The great fear of city planners and citizens here is that Nashville becomes “another Atlanta.”) But for those without cars or bikes, a bus is the best option for getting around town.

For adults—that means you—bus fare is $1.45. Transfers cost an extra 10 cents and must be used within 30 minutes of receipt, or on the next connecting bus. Senior citizens (Mom? Dad?) as well as kids K-4 ride for 70 cents. Elementary and high school students—age 18 and under—ride for 70 cents with a Commuter Connection Card.

Then there’s what they call the “Rush Zone”—an area that includes downtown within the perimeter of the river, Franklin Road, I-440 and the CSX Railroad—where the fare is but a quarter.

Additionally, you can transfer from an MTA bus to an RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) route, which includes service between Nashville and Murfreesboro, as well as the MTSU campus. The fare is 60 cents—85 cents if it’s an express. The cost to go the other way—transfer from an RTA to an MTA bus—is 10 cents.

For a map, schedule or bus pass info, call the MTA at 862-5950. They also offer Park ’n’ Ride and Ridesharing programs—call 242-4000. Disabled riders can also call Access Ride at 880-3970 for door-to-door transportation. All this information is also available online at www.nashvillemta.org.

—Jessie Morris

Where can I get a keg?

It’s that time of day again: drinking time. And the great thing about your non-high-school schedule is that now almost any time can be beer o’clock. What’s that you say? You have no beer? Would you like it in a barrel? Of course you would.

Kegs are the easiest way to procure large amounts of instant party, plus they come with free cups. If it sounds too good to be true, try these barrel-hawking havens (and then find your own). Not entirely true to its name, Frugal MacDoogal’s (701 Division St.) requires a $100 cash or check deposit and gives you three “working” days to return everything in top shape. It’s not for the spontaneous—call 242-3612 two days ahead to reserve your kegger. You should also check out J-J’s Market (1912 Broadway—just a short bike ride back to Vanderbilt or Belmont). They “always have” the standard college beers on the premises, but call ahead (327-9055) just to be sure. It’s a choice spot for just hanging out, but if you’re dead set on a keg, they offer a deal—leave an $85 deposit or a credit card number. J. Barleycorn’s Beverage Barn, 5000 Harding Place, matches this offer and also gives you 10 days to return the hardware. They only keep a portion of their 150-keg collection on-site, so call to confirm the presence of your beloved Natty Light (837-9700). Other than that, we’re assured that “all you need is ice, cups and people...and we sell ice and cups.” The people part is up to you, but you’ll probably make some friends. Eventually.

—Jessie Morris

Where can I get groceries?

Most campuses conveniently provide you with their version of the mini-mart, but sometimes you just need a good old grocery store. Perhaps you are having a barbecue, or it’s 4 a.m. and you need some munchies, or maybe you have a thing for freezer sections. Whatever your motivation may be, each grocery (or chain of stores) in Nashville has its own unique character and selection. To list:

Kroger—which you may also hear called Kroger’s, since apparently in the South everything must be possessed by someone or made plural, we’re not sure—is the original, the Ur-Market and occasionally the biggest pain in the ass since it’s usually the busiest. You can wander their aisles all night long in Green Hills (2131 Abbott Martin Rd.), Belle Meade (Harding at the Woodmont intersection) or Brentwood. Try the U-scan checkout lanes—it’s frustratingly fun!

Another grocery chain you’ll see around—specifically at 4039 Hillsboro Rd. in Green Hills and 4340 Harding Rd. in Belle Meade—is H.G. Hill’s. It’s a pretty standard run-of-the-mill grocery store, but it’s great if you need your groceries brought to your car for you or want to avoid the usual long lines at Kroger’s. (The commercial says “It’s just easier at Hill’s,” and it is.) If you’re looking for something a bit spicier than Wonder Bread, Harris Teeter is the best large-scale place for many ethnic and harder-to-find items and they have a great selection of fresh fish. These stores tend to cluster together—there are also Harris Teeters in Brentwood and Belle Meade (Hwy 100 at West Tyne) and on 21st Avenue. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, there are a number of specialty markets—try the International Market and Restaurant at 2010-B Belmont Blvd., International Grocery at 900 8th Ave. N. or International Food Mart, 206 Thompson Lane. The Produce Place, 4000 Murphy Rd., is by far the best choice for fresh fruits and veggies. To satisfy your organic urges, check out Wild Oats (3909 Hillsboro Rd. and 3201 Belmont Blvd.).

You probably won’t end up being a die-hard loyal of one particular store over all the others, but heed this advice to smart shoppers: Check out the Harris Teeter VIC Cards and Kroger Plus Cards. They don’t cost you anything, and you can end up saving a pretty good chunk of money from time to time.

—Jessie Morris

Where can I buy pipes and papers?

Dude. The first two best bets are Rosko’s on Elliston Place or Elliston Place Pipe & Tobacco located at 2204 Elliston Place, which is directly above Rosko’s. For high-end pipes, try Uptown’s Smoke Shop located at 3900 Hillsboro Pike, offering all kinds of tobacco products and a worldwide selection of coffees. (Plus it’s the best smelling store in Nashville.) The daddy of them all is Marivuana Hempalot’s Store & Café at 1000 Shelby Ave. Hempalot’s is open 10 a.m-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. It’s worth the trip across the river to East Nashville, if just to meet owner Howey Lineoff, a.k.a. “Punkenstein,” and visit what he calls the city’s “only counterculture pit stop.” Lineoff and his wife Marivuana do a musical show on weekends called the Pot Show, playing classics from jazz to country to folk, and sell what Lineoff calls, “specialty tobacco products.” Visit the store on the Web at marivuana.com (where you can find info about Marivuana’s run for governor). Punkenstein expects to be serving cappuccino and pizza soon.... Mmmm. Pizza.

—Danny Solomon

How do I register to vote? or Where do I get my driver’s license?

You should vote. Everyone should vote. If we learned anything in 2000 (especially Tennessee Democrats), it was that we all must vote. If you want to vote absentee in your home state, call home and arrange that—every state is different. But if you plan on being here for a while, you should register as a Tennessee voter. To vote in any election, you must be registered at least 30 days prior to that election. You can register in person at the Davidson County Election Commission, 700 2nd Ave. S. in the Howard School Building. (Call 862-8800 for more info.) You can also register by mail—grab a form at the post office or any public library—and when getting or renewing your driver’s license (find DMV locations at www.state.tn.us/safety/wheredl.htm). Even if you’re moving away, I still command you to vote—call 862-8815 for information on absentee and early voting. We have the potential to be the most politically influential demographic in America—even if we don’t all agree.

—Jessie Morris

What’s the best place to pretend you’re studying?

An age-old question. There are certain criteria that a location suitable for pretending to study must meet to be adequate for the task. Preferably, it must be chock-full of young, attractive people and interesting wall art, so there is always something to gaze at. There should also be a hint of danger to the place; an excitement produced by the possibility of being caught not studying. Pretending to study takes a profound lack of concentration. Therefore, tunes must be playing and Internet access should be available at all times. Most likely there should be comfortable couches or chairs, and there should be plenty of food available. Maybe even a place to work out. Where does such a vacuum exist? Where can one go to fully and successfully pretend to study? In Nashville, that’s easy: school.

—Adam Deal

How can I eat on $10 a day?

The fast-food industry is only too happy to take care of that, but will Ronald McDonald be at your side when you’re lying in a hospital bed recovering from quadruple by-pass surgery? Rise and shine with a fresh-baked bagel (14 varieties) thickly spread with flavored cream cheese (bacon-scallion, three-alarm jalapeño, magna cum laude veggie are among the choices) all under $2 at Alpine Bagels & Brew (422 21st Ave. S. or 2116 Green Hills Village Dr.). Nashville’s plethora of meat-and-three’s offer comfort food on the cheap ($5-$7). Or, go downtown for lunch at the Arcade, a mini-mall that runs between Fourth and Fifth avenues. Get a slice and a New York state of mind at Manny’s House of Pizza (242-7144). Around the corner at Sam’s Sushi, a teeny store fronting the entrance to Printers Alley, big Sam Kapakura—a.k.a. the Sushi Nazi—also serves massive bowls of steaming miso soup, chockfull of tofu, mushrooms, sprouts, seaweed, bok choy, burdock and grated carrots (726-1700). If you’re interested in a more international dining experience, hit Nolensville Road, a veritable United Nations of astounding ethnic restaurants. Hispanic, African, Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern are all represented. Or go to Charlotte Pike for Vietnamese cuisine at longtime favorite Kien Giang (5825 Charlotte Pike, 353-1250) or the challenger Pho Bac 54 (5821 Charlotte Pike, 352-9399).

—Kay West

Where can I get a tattoo?

You’re finally out from under your parent’s roof and watchful eye, so you have the opportunity to prove you can be responsible. Time to get a tattoo. The guys at Lone Wolf Tattoo (1602 21st Ave. S.) have been drawing on Nashvillians for over nine years and are health board inspected. They have a stable of six artists ready to tattoo one of their own images or an original onto your body. Check out their Web site at www.lonewolfbodyart.com to view a gallery of work done by each artist, including the owner, Ben Dixon, who did tattoos on the Dixie Chicks. If that doesn’t convince you, then maybe you should consider that readers of this very paper have voted Lone Wolf the best tattoo parlor in Nashville for four years running. Your tattoo will be a symbol of your newfound independence and ability to make decisions for yourself...just make sure you get it on your back so your parents don’t see it over Thanksgiving break.

—Adam Deal

Where can I get a tattoo?

You’re finally out from under your parent’s roof and watchful eye, so you have the opportunity to prove you can be responsible. Time to get a tattoo. The guys at Lone Wolf Tattoo (1602 21st Ave. S.) have been drawing on Nashvillians for over nine years and are health board inspected. They have a stable of six artists ready to tattoo one of their own images or an original onto your body. Check out their Web site at www.lonewolfbodyart.com to view a gallery of work done by each artist, including the owner, Ben Dixon, who did tattoos on the Dixie Chicks. If that doesn’t convince you, then maybe you should consider that readers of this very paper have voted Lone Wolf the best tattoo parlor in Nashville for four years running. Your tattoo will be a symbol of your newfound independence and ability to make decisions for yourself...just make sure you get it on your back so your parents don’t see it over Thanksgiving break.

—Adam Deal