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Saturday, June 10, 2017

Best of Atlanta!!

     The last week of May I jumped on a plane destined for sunny Atlanta, Georgia! I was visiting a friend who had recently relocated there for work.  Two and half days would be spent in Atlanta, and the other three and half days were spent on a holiday weekend in Savannah. This post will focus on my brief but super fun visit to Atlanta.

     After a short two-hour plane ride, I stepped into the busy Atlanta airport and followed the many moving walkways before giving up on walking and hopped a train that would take me to the super chaotic terminal to collect my luggage. The traffic collecting passengers outside was just as chaotic as baggage claim, but it was a short wait before my friend collected me and my baggage and whisked us away into the beautiful but busy metropolis of Atlanta. The highways were beautiful and lined with lots of green trees, so while we were on a busy highway and headed towards a cluster of tall buildings, it felt like a drive through the country......only with tons more traffic!

     Our first stop of the evening was the famous Mary Mac's Tea Room for a southern dinner and proper welcome to Georgia! Mary Mac's has been serving up southern cooking for over 70 years, and has been declared Atlanta's Dining Room by the Georgia House of Representatives.  Many celebrities and politicians have dined here, and their photographs can be seen in the various rooms and hallways of the restaurant. Baskets of rolls, corn muffins and cinnamon rolls are brought to the table while you wait for your food. We shared some fried green tomatoes for an appetizer before enjoying chicken fried chicken with gravy and samplings of mashed potatoes, broccoli soufflé, macaroni and cheese, and fried okra. I also had a refreshing Arnold Palmer, but it's wasn't the best. While it was fun to eat here, I'd say the food wasn't the best. I really enjoyed the fried green tomatoes, chicken and mashed potatoes, but the rest was just not that great. It was fun though, and now I can check the Famous Mary Mac's off my list! Yay!





After dinner we took a drive past Grant Park and the old historical houses that lined the perimeter.  It was fun taking in all the southern architecture, big wrap around porches, and imagining the socializing over tall glasses of sweet iced tea that must have taken place there over the last few centuries. 

     We made our way over to the famous and historical Oakland Cemetery. Founded in 1850 and the final resting place of many Atlanta settlers and notable citizens, the beautiful garden cemetery is full of old Oaks, fragrant Magnolia trees, flower bed plots, and winding brick passageways. It was a cool night and right before sunset as we made our way in to explore the many old plots, creepy crypts, aged fountains, and eerily still civil war memorial with tombstones as far as the eye could see. Some of the gardens were lush and beautiful with many colorful flowers, and the fragrance mingled with the sweet blooming magnolias as it drifted in and around the aged trees where I explored.  Many plots seemed to be tucked away in secret rooms, or so they seemed from being lined with bushes and trees to enclose them.  Some had been well kept and looked new, while others were dilapidated and the small stone stairways that led to them seem to be crumbling away.  There were many styles of beautiful art and architecture among the extravagant mausoleums that no doubt held the remains of Atlanta's richest and most notable citizens of the past.  The colorful city skyline of downtown could be seen between the trees, but light faded as we explored and casted long dark shadows across the gardens and weathered tombstones. Soon we were alone in the quiet cemetery in the dark. We made our way to the gate as the night grew cooler, and found the gate was locked! We briefly imagined how we were going to get out, and got a little spooked when suddenly in the distance a guard walked up and quietly opened the lock.





     The next day my friend was working, so I had plenty of time to explore the city or at least a small part of it!  I was staying in Midtown, not too far from Peachtree Street, and walked to Joy Café for breakfast!  The café had recently opened on the ground floor of an office building, and it was fairly quiet on this weekday morning.  I enjoyed cheesy scrambled eggs with house made hot sauce, a large biscuit with house made strawberry preserves, fresh fruit, and some amazing coffee! My server was excellent, and I loved the atmosphere there! The place was cute and modern, and offered both dine in and take out options. I highly recommend it!






     Next, I walked along busy Peachtree Street to the Margaret Mitchell House for a quick tour. Margaret Mitchell (the notorious Peggy Marsh) lived in the home in the late 1920's to early 1930's, and it was there near the little window seat (her favorite part of the apartment) that she wrote her world famous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gone with the Wind.  The tour guide gave us a glimpse into the life of the quiet and accident prone Margaret, and what it was like for this feisty outcast to become famous.  The house is said to be haunted by Margaret's mother, and I enjoyed hearing about the spooky employee experiences shared by the guide. The museum across the courtyard houses some great movie posters and a video offering a behind the scenes glimpse into the making of the movie.  I really enjoyed hearing more about Vivian Leigh and her struggles to get through the movie as quickly as possible so she could reunite with the man she loved.







    I popped across the street to the cute gift shop EcoDenizen, and had fun checking out the eclectic variety of gifts.  I purchased a cute wooden duck with a flaw on his bill, and now I fondly call this friend "Duck", my southern belle who flew south by Southwest with me!






    I hurried down Peachtree Street, and dropped Duck off at the Mayfair apartment before catching a bus across town (cheap and fun way to see the city) to the design district for a short walk to the Atlanta History Center. For $17 you can get a ticket for the Margaret Mitchell House that also includes a visit to the Atlanta History Center with it's beautiful gardens, working homestead, and Swan House.  The museum has great art, artifacts, and films of the history of Georgia, the natives who once dwelled there, the hard lives of the settlers, and the struggles of the civil war and modern day citizens.  There is a fun gift shop and the ever so popular tasty treats of Souper Jenny on site if you get hungry. There are also a few vending machines by the back door on your way to the gardens which is really convenient on a hot humid day!

     It was a perfect day to visit as it was quiet and fairly empty.  I really enjoyed strolling along the beautiful lush gardens, the chirping of the birds, croaking of frogs, and the soft music played by the re-enactor at the homestead. I toured the beautiful and historical Swan House, constructed in 1928 for the wealthy Inman family.  The home had an amazing collection of antiques and art in the basement, a huge kitchen, a beautiful entryway and staircase, as well as great rooms and the most breath taking view! The Inman family used the home for entertaining and political meetings. The home has been used as the finish line on The Amazing Race as well as two of the Hunger Games movies.  There is a secluded hiking path behind the mansion that takes you to other small gardens as well as an old log cabin.  I really enjoyed my visit here. It was so peaceful, and beautiful and fun way to learn about the history of Georgia.



















 
     After a long day of exploring my friend and I headed to the Flying Biscuit Café for dinner.  This was a casual and whimsically decorated restaurant that served up a bit of gourmet-southern fusion. I enjoyed the turkey meatloaf with melted cheese and roasted red pepper tomato sauce, basil mashed potatoes (a first for me), green beans and some yummy bread! We left pretty stuffed!


     We worked all that yummy dinner off on our long walk through beautiful Piedmont Park to get to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for their late night Cocktails in the Garden party! We had fun exploring the different gardens and the fun red painted gourds as we strolled along the winding pathways.  After about an hour the sun set and we roamed the flower beds, and ventured into a few buildings with colorful botanical displays.  We made our way outside to the lively party around the fountain.  With the lit up city skyline in view a DJ was keeping the dance floor busy with trendy tunes while people huddled in groups enjoying their cocktails. There was even a crowd playing Cornhole which seems to be very popular in Georgia, and can be found in random places like shopping center sidewalks! We made a short visit to the gift shop on the way out before our long walk home. My phone app said I had walked a little under ten miles that day, and boy did my feet ever feel like it!














The next morning we packed our bags, and stopped at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit for brunch. It was a cute little place serving up southern biscuit breakfast sandwiches and fruit biscuit bites. I enjoyed the the pricey but tasty fried chicken biscuit with pickles, and chipotle mayonnaise.




     My last day in Atlanta was really fun, and also a lot of walking! It was about a two mile walk to the Georgia Aquarium in the downtown area, and I passed the historic Fox Theater along the way. School had just let out for the summer, and it seemed as if all the children in Atlanta were there with their parents! Each exhibit was more magical than the previous one, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the sea creatures in the giant tank, the fun dolphin show, and the magical sea horses and jelly fish! I found a yummy salad at the café buffet, but be careful because they charge by weight and those will be the most expensive tomatoes you ever ate! Haha! Do check out the fun gift shop on your way out!!












 

     The World of Coca-Cola is just steps away from the aquarium, and I popped in to check out the history of this popular soda! Coca-Cola was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton, and sold for a whopping 5 cents a glass! Sales in Atlanta amounted to a somewhat modest 9 servings per day in the first year compared to today's average sales of 1.9 billion servings globally per day.

     Upon entering I was placed in a holding room and handed a small can of Coca-Cola! I opted for the lower sugar version and received the soda sweetened with cane sugar and stevia in a fun little green can! After being ushered into another room with lots of poster advertisements and other historical soda props, we were given some of the brief history of the Coca-Cola brand before entering the theater for a short but emotional film on how the soda is enjoyed by so many people all over the world! Next was a picture with the famous Coca-Cola polar bear before venturing into the secret vault, the lab, and museum, 4D theater, and tasting room.

     I loved all of the Coca-Cola art and advertisement props from the past century. While I don't recall seeing any Max Headroom, I'm sure he was hidden in there somewhere like Waldo.  The tasting room is fabulous! Grab a cup and you can try all the Coca-Cola products offered around the world! Some of the varieties in South America and Asia reminded me of pina-colada and fruit cocktails, and I'm really jealous that we don't have these options at home!  There are tons of fun souvenirs to check out in the gift shop on your way out, and it's best to take your time and work off some of that sugar from the tasting room before exposing the world to your new hyped up cola-filled self!! 


















          With my stuffed bag of cola souvenirs under my arm, I started on my long walk back home. Shortly after passing the AT&T building it started to rain. It had been a really hot and humid day, so the rain was welcomed even if a bit uncomfortable to walk in. Even with the umbrella in hand, I arrived back at the apartment half soaked.  I had a few minutes to dry off while waiting for my friend to arrive, and then we ventured over to the quirky and eclectic shop called Junkman's Daughter.  This shop was full of great wigs and clothes for costumes, whimsical gifts, and some fun art work. I didn't explore the whole store, but there seemed to be a lot of weird going on there to check out if you have time! I found some fun hot air balloon wall décor and a quirky map before heading off to dinner. 



     We were in a bit of a time crunch to get to the airport, so we stopped in for a bite at Krog Street Market.  It was a fun food hall with a nice variety of tasty delights to choose from. I selected Yalla for a yummy Mediterranean steak wrap with egg plant, hummus, tabouli, etc., .....basically all the yummy stuff on a Mediterranean buffet! This yummy wrap wrapped up my trip to Atlanta!!





     



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