Atlanta, Georgia
Taking a small break from exotic locations..
Recently Jack, Dixie(the dog) and I ventured to ATL to visit our daughter Elle before she started law school at Emory University and to celebrate her birthday!
It was a quick trip, more about visiting with Elle and her new husband Eli than doing a bunch of site seeing.
I enjoyed going back! I was born in Atlanta, left for a bit and then spent my middle school years and my freshman year of high school in Roswell. As we drove to meet Eli and Elle for dinner the first night I recognized where we were from memory. When I looked it up we were about 1/2 a mile from the house my grandparents lived in when I was growing up! It was really neat to be back in the neighborhood where the memories were so strong!
For those of you familiar with Atlanta, they lived on Club Drive by the Capital City Club in Buckhead.
We were staying in Buckhead at the Hotel Colee. Instagram@hotelcolee The hotel is a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel right by Lenox Square. We chose the Hotel Coles because of its proximity to Elle and Eli in Sandy Springs and they fact that they are very pet friendly.
As we checked in they even gave Dixie some dog treats! She wasn’t so sure about revolving door or the elevator. We travel with Dixie quite often but not to hotels with elevators and revolving doors. She wasn’t sure how to work the door or why the floor was moving inside the box but she eventually got the hang of it!
We adored the hotel, it was clean, spacious, quiet and so stinking cute! Very eclectic in the decor but so fun!
The only way to park was valet, but it was easy in and easy out and while they were quite busy at times due to the very popular roof bar called Rose and Rye, they had plenty of attendants.
The hotel was perfectly branded if you ask me. Those who don’t know me professionally, I am a photographer and brand specialist and anytime I can roll a little case study into a trip I am all for it! From the minute you pull up to the valet, to the adorable lobby, to the rooms, all on brand. We never ventured to the restaurant “Sister” or to the rooftop bar but from what I saw they looked awesome.
A few other little items from the trip…
There is a huge Target just around the corner if you forgot anything and in our case we drink water like crazy so we stopped in to grab a case of water.
We learned to play Pickleball while we were there and if you have never played… go try it, it is so much fun! We played at a cute park called Hammond Park, there was a turf soccer field, a playground, pickleball courts, tennis courts, a nature trail, basketball courts, and yoga classes being held in the common areas. Such a great active area of Sandy Springs.
Elle and I ventured to an amazing little farmers market on Saturday morning. The Peachtree Road Farmers Market. It is every Saturday from 8:30-12:00 in the parking lot of The Cathedral of St. Philip. All of the farms represented are certified naturally grown or certified organic. They had amazing breads, crepes, fresh milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, handmade shops, candles, even a sustainable staple delivery service (it is called The Rounds- you can find them at theroundl.co) and it was pet friendly! You can find them on instagram @ptreefarmersmkt. Parking proves to be quite challenging unless you get there EARLY. I noticed quite a few people parked in the neighborhood across the street and in some of the parking lots near by and walked. There are sidewalks so walking in is easy!
If you are a Japanese fan, we ate dinner at Tomo Japanese located in Buckhead, for Elle’s birthday dinner. I really enjoyed it!
When I say anything about Atlanta to anyone the first thing I ALWAYS hear is about the traffic. Yes, the traffic can be horrendous! The trick is to 1. make time for it, you are not going to get anywhere quickly! 2. Take the side roads and avoid the interstates when you can 3. Pack your “patient pants” as I tend to say, there are crazy drivers, some go too fast, some too slow, it is what it is, just roll with it but pay attention! 4. Don’t hold your phone when to talk or text while driving both are against the law!
Travel is something that I adore, I try to make every trip, no matter how short, no matter if it is for pleasure or for business, and adventure. Try something new, don’t just sit in your room, go out and explore and try to immerse yourself in the area as much as possible!