Eating my way through the Atlanta metro

Well, my "getting to know Atlanta" stage continues with a few more cool places to tell you about! We are really amazed at the number of good restaurants, interesting things to do, etc. that are here in this metro area.

I had lunch at our friends' restaurant (Jennifer Hicks-Tiberia and her husband Tony) called Sprig. If you are in Atlanta, you should really try it! It's farm-to-table, delicious southern influenced food; all scratch-made in their kitchen. The decor is lovely with lots of antiques that have been "sprig-ified" by Jen herself. It has a really nice bar that you'd love to sit at and chill.

http://www.sprigrestaurant.com/

We went out of town for my dad's memorial party and needed to board our dogs. This is always stressful for me because a) they are like children to me and b) Sammy has occasional seizures so I need to be confident that the place they are staying will know what to do to help him if something happens.

Enter Atlanta Dogworks - http://atlantadogworks.com/

It is practically in Chattanooga (OK, not really but it takes us 50 minutes each direction) but it is a really great place and I love the kennel manager, Laura. The owners live on site and Laura lives in an apartment that is attached to the kennel. They have luxury suites and regular indoor/outdoor runs. Yes, you know which one my pups were in. They had their own flat screen TVs and were turned out 6 times per day, and walked every day. Laura promised me she knew what do for Sammy if need be, she didn't flinch at our lengthy "services" list for the boys, and she even told me that if it thundered she'd bring the boys into her apartment with her since Shanahan is really afraid of storms. They have a lovely swimming pool for recreation and dock diving (they train competitive dogs there) and it's on 15 or so acres with a pond and tiny ponies! It seemed as if the boys had a good time and I was able to relax and not worry about them. (OK, maybe I worried a little but that's just what I do)

After Dad's party, my friend Caroline was able to stay an extra day so we went to a daytime movie, a luxury neither of us usually has time to enjoy. We opted for "The Help" but wanted to eat lunch too. It needed to be at a specific time so she could catch the train to the airport and near a MARTA station.

Well, hello Buckhead's "Fork and Screen"!! You are pretty cool!

http://dinein.amctheatres.com/Locations/Buckhead

We parked in a convenient garage adjacent to the theatre and parking was validated. The theatre was clean and well-decorated and had a nice bar (that we didn't partake in since it was 11am but I could see myself ordering something there another time) The tickets during the day were super cheap - like $6 per person! I had a really great BLT that came with roasted red pepper soup and fries. Under $10 and the servers were fast and unobtrusive. I didn't feel like they were in the way at all. Would definitely go back!

We were introduced to a wonderful Italian restaurant by Brian's business associate Peter Velardi and his lovely wife Janine.

La Pietra Cucina - http://www.lapietracucina.com/

Located in Midtown, this restaurant was outstanding and the service was excellent. It's nicely decorated, sleek but still low-key enough that you could come dressed casually and be OK. They have a decent late 1800s refurbished Steinway piano in the entry and a good pianist was playing that night (and I'm picky). The noise level was moderate and the piano didn't interfere with conversation. My world was changed that night because I ate a fried olive with tomato marmellata. Seriously, heaven in a tiny, briny little package. Black spaghetti with shrimp, duck salad, grilled scallops, calamari in a tomato broth, fresh made gelato, and a couple of bottles of Amarone made for a fabulous evening!

We've joined the Michigan State University Alumni Association and the club here in Atlanta is very active. They have a lot of activities (mainly sports related and at bars - but that's OK) and we went to the first one of the year last weekend. It was held at the Hudson Grille in Midtown.

http://metrocafes.com/hudsongrille/Home.aspx

Probably 150 or so Spartans on the top floor private dining room. Free keg until it ran dry, free tee shirts, decorated with green and white balloons, pom pons on the tables, etc. 20 or so flat screens (also showing the Detroit Tigers - thank you!) and one HUGE projection screen to watch our fair Spartans barely beat Youngstown State. Even the bathrooms have TVs so you don't miss a minute! Menu was upscale bar food and they ran some pretty good drink specials.

We went to the Decatur Book Festival to hear a presentation by our friend Nicole Chamberlain and her Atlanta Opera co-horts/collaborators/colleagues on their upcoming children's opera based on "Br'er Rabbit" called "Rabbit Tales". Great talk, nice singing, and we can't wait to hear the whole thing in October. The festival itself was huge and although there were lots of things to see, we pretty much just watched her presentation and did a big circle around the event. Did notice that it had the same vibe as a Renaissance Festival...if you know what I mean.

http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2011/index.php

Found two great year-round farmers markets that were simply eye-popping to both of us. The Dekalb Farmers Market and the Buford Highway Farmers Market.

http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/

http://aofwc.com/index.aspx

Amazing produce, lots of stuff I'd never seen or heard of before, many things I'm sure I will never eat and many that I will. Aisles upon aisles of food from other countries, a huge meat market, and lots of fish with the heads still on. I don't like that. I don't want my food looking at me as I pick it out. But at least you know it's fresh, eh? And the languages being spoken there made me feel like I was at the UN. Good prices, more interesting than Publix or Kroger. We're definitely going back there too.

Lastly, yet another Mexican restaurant was discovered. My friend Richard took me to lunch at La Parilla at The Forum.

http://www.laparrilla.com/

It was delicious but not terribly "authentic". I have yet to find a place warms my heart like El Azteco in good old East Lansing Michigan does. Any suggestions, my Atlanta peeps?

That's all I have for now but we have our sites on some Indian, some Ethiopian, and some Carribbean for the near future!

See ya!

The TP is back after a short hiatus!

Well, this summer has been busy and full, to say the least. Some good, some bad, some just life I guess.

It's been awhile since my last Transplanted Peach blog and that's because my dad, who I adored, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Saturday July 16th. It was more than just a sudden death though - my parents were in the middle of a move to a smaller house and it couldn't be undone (and no one wanted it undone, really) so it became a race to get the big house packed up and moved while caring for my mom (and attempting to care a little for ourselves which I still don't think has happened yet)

So from July 16 - 29, my brother, my husband Brian, and I worked like dogs to get Mom's house packed, her things organized, and everything moved to the new community about 2 hours away. Exhausting but we got it done. The new community is very nice and I think she will be very happy there. She and Dad had chosen it together and they know several people from their old neighborhood who have moved there - it's good to move in and already have some friends.

http://www.wesleycommons.org/lifestyle/residences/cottages-villas/

Mom and Dad had chosen one of these cottages and it's really going to be perfect for her for now. I think it may have been too small for both of them.

Dad didn't want a funeral so we are having a "Memorial Party" this coming Saturday August 20th at their old country club in Keowee Key South Carolina. It should be fun but honestly, I'm just ready to have it over. I need to put a cap on this and start healing a bit. But I'm sure I'll enjoy the day being with people who loved my dad. And two of my dearest friends are coming from out of state to support me and my family - love love love Caroline Covert and Carolyn Zavrel Cabanban!

Now onto the cool Atlanta stuff I've discovered since my last post:

Sunny China, the place I've mentioned before, delivers in under 30 minutes!! Holy cow! Made our life a lot easier the night I got home from my mom's. If you live in P'Tree Corners, Norcross, Johns Creek - you should try them!

http://sunnychinarestaurant.com/

With nail salons on every corner here, there are no excuses for ugly feet and hands in this town. I'm picky about where I go so I did a little research about it and decided on a place near my gym called Dream Nails.

http://www.norcrossdreamnails.com/

It was clean and friendly and since they didn't speak a lot of English, I didn't have to chat...which was exactly what I wanted. I will definitely go back.

My father was big into reading but unfortunately, he was also big into buying books instead of taking them from the library or using a Kindle. We had to get rid of a TON of hardcover and 2 TONS of paperback books. I tried Craigs Listing them for Mom and then I tried selling them at used bookstores but these days, no one wants them. Even the Gwinnett County Library doesn't have a used book sale like Cincinnati did. But what they have are these "book bins" run by an outside company called Better World Books. Apparently BWB resells these books with the proceeds going to the place where the bin was housed. I can live with that. They are no longer in boxes on my office floor.

http://friendsgcpl.org/green-book-bins-to-benefit-gwinnett-county-public-library/

Now for some food and fun reviews:

Went to Loca Luna, a great Latin tapas place with college friends Jennifer Hicks-Tiberia and Shannon Smith Valentine (and our hubbies) and had a blast. Great friends, great food, fun location.

http://www.loca-luna.com/

Then went over to the Park Tavern on the edge of Piedmont Park:

http://www.parktavern.com/

And listened to the Main Street Exiles - an awesome Rolling Stones cover band

http://nation.pleaserock.com/profile/MainStreetExiles

And then listened to Yacht Rock:

http://www.yachtrockrevue.com/

All this was almost too much "sweaty, dancing, lite beer, 70s music fun" to handle! Can't wait to go again. Super fun - just plan on showering afterward because if you are having any sort of fun at all, you will dance until you are soaked!

We ventured inside the perimeter again the following weekend when we met up with Cincinnati friends Katie and George Curran at The Nook.

http://www.thenookatlanta.com/

All I can say is HOLY STINKIN' COW! If you haven't tried totchos (nachos made with tater tots instead of tortilla chips) than you've simply not lived. It was truly a religious experience that I could get behind!!!!

http://www.thenookatlanta.com/order-totchos.php

I think that's all I have for now - planning on doing some "tourist in my own town" activities some time soon so look for that full report!

Thanks for reading and enjoy these last bits of summer!

:-)

Red, White, and Peach!

It's been an exciting two weeks for this southern transplant! I have lots to talk about today so hold on to your hats.

Today's random observation: most streets in this town contain the words "Bridge" or "Ferry" (if they're not "Peach" something) and many of them have directions that do not correspond to the actual direction they go. That is all.

Last Monday, a piano got delivered to our house. We knew it was coming so it's not like it just randomly showed up. My mom has two grand pianos and since they are downsizing, they can only take one with them. I'm slated to get the Steinway when my mom passes away (I'm in no hurry to get it) but for now I have a beautiful Mason&Hamlin in our living room. Now if I can only remember how to play that dang thing...

We finally got our fence put up! YAY! Our boys can go out without having to be on leashes. We can highly recommend the Chamblee Fence Company:

http://www.chambleefence.com/

Our July 4th weekend was a combination of organizing the basement, unpacking some remnant boxes, and working.

I was hired to play with the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra for their July 4th Pops:

http://www.gainesvillesymphony.com/press/

Nice group, super nice musicians, steamy hot weather. I literally was drenched with sweat before the downbeat. But I loved the crowd who was happy to have us there on the campus of Brenau University.

We had a good BBQ with the Andersen family and their neighbors on Monday. There were some thunderstorms so we didn't see fireworks and came home on the early side to comfort a storm-phobic golden retriever but we had a nice long weekend.

It's hard to start over with things you've had for years in another city: dentists, physicians, veterinarians, etc. To me, you can't just pick one from the internet and go with it. So I've been gathering recommendations and contact info so that I have someone when I need it. And this last week, I needed it.

Found myself at Atlanta Women's Specialists: http://www.awsphysicians.com/

Nice office, very efficient staff, and a great website where you can fill out forms in advance (and they actually don't make you do it again in person - I hate when they make you do it again!) The doc I saw was extremely professional and very nice. I hope I don't have to see her more than once a year but I'm glad I have a "go to" now.

We were given awesome free tickets (thanks, Dave and Nancy Andersen) to the Braves for last Tuesday night:

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=atl

They were "Club Level" which meant I could go into the AC when I felt like it and have a beer and use a nice bathroom. It also meant free parking in a relatively close lot where people were tailgating. Good seats along the first base line too. Turner Field ("The Ted" as it's called around these parts) is a beautiful ball park. Lots of decent options for food and drink (bars and restaurants as well as concession stands) and it was really clean. What struck me the most was how NICE every single employee was. It was "how are you tonight?" and "we're glad you're here!" and "have a great night!" - and they MEAN it!!! I can't help but wonder how many more fans would come to games at other places if they were treated like this? It was really nice. I love GABP (Great American Ball Park) in Cincinnati, I love Comerica Park in Detroit, and I thought that the Giants Stadium in San Fran was really cool but honestly, they're not like The Ted. I'm excited to go back!

We found a vet clinic that I love and feel comfortable with - something that is important to me since I have high maintenance dogs. Dr. Mike and a tech spent over an hour with us examining the boys, going over their records, addressing our concerns. They take a photo of your pet every time you are there and you get a paper outlining what happened at that visit with your dogs photo and vitals from the day every time.

http://www.allcreaturesanimalhospital.com/

It may seem a little weird to segue from the vet clinic to a Chinese restaurant but one does want to know what they're eating....so it's good to have recommendations for Chinese food too!

We tried Sunny China at the corner of Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle NW (see I really wasn't kidding!) It was really good and we pretty much had the place to ourselves because everyone else was at their lake houses or something.

http://www.sunnychinarestaurant.com/

Got my hair cut which is almost as nerve-wracking as finding a gynecologist (the ladies understand this):

http://www.vanmichael.com/

They did a good job - it's expensive but they have options too. You can go with "New Talent" which is someone who has completed their training school but is now being trained additionally by the salon or with a regular employee. I went with "new talent" but the girl got sick and they put me with Ginger, a full-blown employee. She was nice and they still charged me the cheaper rate. I'm used to having the same person cut and color me but this place has two people for the two services. We'll see how that goes when it's time for a color. They even called yesterday to ask how my experience had been!

Lastly and possibly most important to me - I found a kennel that I trust for the boys. I drove 45 minutes each direction to get to it but we went for a visit today and it's fabulous. Now I can go on vacation feeling confident that Shanahan and Sammy will be well-cared for.

http://atlantadogworks.com/

OK, folks - that's all for this peach! Please send me more suggestions about things to do, places to go, and whatnot!

Peace.

Week 4 - Where did a month go??

Today's topics are nature (again), roads and getting around (again), food (again), southern hospitality (again), and two new volunteer opportunities that I'm looking forward to:

I haven't cried in the car in a week - that's a huge accomplishment from the first week I was here. I'm not as impatient with the Garmin (although I have yet to name her - any suggestions?) and now that I have her stuck to the windshield, she's not losing the satellite as much as before. She actually tried to take me home a different way than I had been before and I knew enough of where I was to go MY way and make her recalculate! YAY!

So what's with the speed bumps around here? They are HUGE. Every parking lot has them in front of the store entrances and you seriously have to creep over them or you'll spill your coffee and hurt your car. It's nuts. My neighborhood has them about every 100 feet and they are serious "humps" as the sign says. Personally, my juvenile sense of humor makes me giggle every time I see "speed hump" but that's just because they were called "bumps" in Michigan and there's a big difference between a "hump" and a "bump". Just sayin'.

My yard is like Wild Kingdom. I love having deer go through my yard - they are so pretty and graceful. My boys go ballistic every time they see one and Sammy will sit in front of the window for hours watching them and/or waiting for one to happen by. The only bummer is that these graceful creatures are eating my flowers. The mangy, left-over rose bush from the former resident finally got a gorgeous bloom the other day. I looked at it and it was pretty. Then later that day, after the afternoon "Deer Parade", it was gone; an afternoon snack, I'm sure. Glad I saw it that morning!

We did two fun things this week that got us out and about:

Went to see "Let The Children Play" - a documentary about El Sistema and Gustavo Dudamel at this theater:

http://www.fandango.com/regalperimeterpointstadium10_aadit/theaterpage

Great movie, adequate theater. The area around the theater is nice with Starbucks and other restaurants in the same strip. We were horrified that a medium diet coke and a medium popcorn was $13!! We decided to pass on that - is that normal these days? Wow!!

We went to a lovely dinner in Johns Creek at Trattoria One41

http://www.trattoria141.com/

Food was excellent, service was good. We had sauteed calimari and shrimp in a delicious red sauce for an appetizer. The bread came with a wonderful red/cheese sauce spread. Amazing. Our caesar salads never showed up which was a bummer - they brought our entrees (veal chop and veal parmesan) first and were mortified when we mentioned that the salads hadn't come. We ordered chianti and the first glasses were musty so we sent them back. The replacement glasses were also musty so we sent them back too (and that's generally not how we are but if it's skunked, it's skunked) Waiter handled it very well and brought us a totally different wine, opened the bottle in front of us, etc. He made a great wine choice for us and I can't wait to go back there.

When we came home and went out to walk the dogs, we met our next door neighbors who invited us to sit on the patio for some wine. Then another couple of neighbors came over and they hung out too. It was nice to get to know some of them and our boys behaved well on their patio. They considered going after the fish in the koi pond and were twitching to get one of their cats but they didn't actually do either of these things (thanks to a leash on each of them!)

Speaking of the dogs, we've joined the golden retriever rescue group here called GRRA:

http://www.grra.com/

I'm hoping to do some volunteer work with them; my preference is to help with adoption events and to do some transport for dogs who are new to the program.

And since we also want to help people, we'll be helping out at this place on July 31st:

http://tcmatlanta.org/trinity-table

And next week, I'm actually working a little bit! Excited to play with the GSO on their outdoor pops concert:

http://www.gainesvillesymphony.com/press/

That's it - more soon!

As always, please make suggestions of fun things to do and I'll add them to my list!

Week Three in the ATL

Today let's discuss getting around, wild life (both human and nature), southern manners, shopping, and a few fun things we've done.

So after three weeks of living here, I'm still lost. Some friends tell me it will take YEARS to know where I am, others say they have lived here 10+ years and still need a GPS. I'm starting to accept the fact that it's huge and sprawling with street names that change without warning and bizarre intersections where I pray I'm not turning into oncoming traffic. There was one intersection where I was grateful for the red light because it gave me time to try to figure out where I was supposed to turn. Wow.

I did have a good day last Friday when I had three errands to do and made it to all three and home again with no confusion, tears, or the F-bomb.

Anyone else have their Garmin lose satellite reception though? Mine is doing it a lot and it's scary when you seriously are half way home and suddenly the lady can't help you anymore. Might just be the trees but it's super annoying to me.

The friendliness and manners here are nice but a tad unnerving. Never in my life have I been called "Ma'am" by so many people of all ages. It's a little weird and makes me feel old. But I do appreciate it and it seems genuine. I went to the Gwinnett County Library by our house to get a library card. Since I don't have a GA license yet, I brought a utility bill like their website said to do. However, it had Brian's name on it, not mine. The woman practically cried when apologizing for not being able to give me a card. She apologized so many times that I was starting to get uncomfortable...I finally just said "You know, it's fine. I'll come back - I was out anyway, I didn't make a special trip." She advised me to "just mail yourself something and bring it back" and then she could help me.

We have several kinds of wildlife in our neighborhood: bluejays, bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, deer, turtles, and the college kids who live across the street. The deer are in our yard (I think it's the same one every time but what do I know?) and the turtle was on our dog walk one morning. The boys freaked out barking at the deer and didn't notice the turtle at all. The boys did notice the drunk Auburn students in our front yard last Friday night though. I mean, they were sort of hard not to notice with two kids hog tying a drunk out-of-control kid face down near my sidewalk.

We came out, asked what was going on, and got varying answers. It was clear he'd been "over-served" but one of his friends also said he had "roid rage". Now drunk I can handle but I get a bit uncomfortable around someone who potentially is all roided up, pissed off, and super strong. I asked if they could take care of him, they said yes; I asked if he needed an ambulance, they said no, but when he got up and started coming toward me, I bolted for the door. Not gonna deal with that. They got him out of the yard soon after that. Now here's where the Southern Manners come in:

A handful of young men knocked on the door TO APOLOGIZE. I was flabbergasted. This would not have happened in Michigan or in Ohio. They assured us it wouldn't happen again. Then later when we had the boys out to use the yard one more time before bed, the kid who lives across the street also came over to apologize. He said "This probably wasn't the best "welcome to the neighborhood" that we could have given you." He's right but I was impressed that they handled it like they did. Now keep your friend out of my yard.

We had two social outings to explore the area a bit:

The Peachtree Corners Festival - http://www.peachtreecornersfestival.org/

This was the first one they'd had for my little neck of the woods - it was fun but hot! Lots of vendors, food (kind of like of Taste of Peachtree), musical acts, community groups like animal rescues and voter issues, etc. It was hot and rainy at one point during the day but we stopped by toward the end and it was fun. Another example of "southern hospitality": a lady overheard me telling Brian that I'd forgotten to put on sunscreen and she took a small bottle out of her purse and gave it to me, saying she never burns anyway! Wow.

Vallarta Mexican Grill - http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/121597/restaurant/Atlanta/Vallarta-Mexican-Grill-Norcross

A new friend told me about this place and it turns out to be literally 5 minutes from our house. So we checked it out last Thursday night. The food was great, cheap, and fast. Margaritas were $4 and they walk around topping off your drink! The refills aren't as strong as the first one but what a nice touch! We'll definitely be back.

Did a little furniture shopping:

Underpriced Furniture - http://www.underpricedfurniture.com/

I was a little skeptical because of the name but once in the place, I was amazed. It's good quality, mostly tasteful with a range of styles, they give you free hotdogs and bottled water when you get there (we only had water), and it was huge! We were not hounded by salespeople but could find one when we needed one. We bought a dinette set there and will definitely check it out again when we need something else.

Lastly (a huge step for me) - I may have found a church I can handle.

Simpsonwood United Methodist - http://www.simpsonwoodumc.org/

I've been twice and the people are nice, not pushy about joining or attendance, not so "Ned Flanders" that I feel weird, and it is close to home. The traditional service is still fairly casual and they offer "contemporary" services that I'd probably hate because of the music (haha) I'm hoping to volunteer at the soup kitchen that they help in July.

So that's all from my THIRD WEEK in Atlanta! As always, please message me about suggestions of cool stuff to do, places to eat, etc!

:-)

Eating and Exercising Go Hand in Hand

It's true. I love to eat. I'll eat almost anything and usually in massive quantities. Once in high school, we had to sell these amazing candy bars for band. Chocolate with the most incredible gooey caramel center that oozed out onto the chocolate like sweet gold...I can almost taste it now. Which isn't surprising since I ate the entire box that I was supposed to sell and had to pay for it myself. Kind of not the point for a band trip fundraiser. Sometime I'll tell you about how I ate so much of the candy that was going in our table favor boxes for our wedding that I had to buy more...but I digress.

Since I eat shocking amounts of food, I also work out a lot to offset the caloric intake. It was imperative that I find a gym upon relocating to Atlanta. I had done some research on the internet first but being completely unfamiliar with the area, I didn't want to commit to anything until (of course) I had seen the facility and I had some idea of how long it would take me to get there. The two that I were interested in (Lifetime and LA Fitness) proved to be too far of a drive and I just couldn't see us doing it. Luckily for me, there is a Gold's Gym just 5 minutes from my house. So far, it's been great with a good class offering, excellent instructors, and a nice facility. Thank God because now I'm going to talk about food.

Here are the places we've been so far in our limited time in ATL - this list includes two from a previous visit in December:

Goldbergs Deli - http://www.goldbergsdeli.net/

This place was a total lifesaver for a post-rehearsal dinner hangover of unprecedented proportions. The bride (my second cousin Kristen) is about 27 or so. I apparently thought I could keep up with my younger cousins and her friends. Saturday morning, it was obvious that I was mistaken. As I sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes closed, Brian (who had been working a lot in Atlanta and knew the area somewhat) said "I know just the place. Get dressed, we're going to Goldberg's." The bagels, corned beef hash, potato latke, and coffee (and a gallon of water) made me able to function by about 3pm.

Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Cuisine - http://www.unclejulios.com/

We went to Uncle Julio's to watch Sunday NFL football the day after the wedding. The drinks were good, the food was delicious, they had all the games on at the bar and the bartender didn't talk too much. I can't wait to go back and have a real meal since we basically just sampled appetizers and had margaritas. I would like to experience some more "authentic" Mexican here though - any natives with suggestions?

The Loving Hut - http://www.lovinghut.us/georgia/

Great vegan food - even though I personally need some meat for protein. Every now and again I get the urge for something super healthy and this was great. We ate it the day our movers were supposed to come with our stuff. We'd been eating so poorly and drinking lots of alcohol (the stress of a move will do that to you) that I decided to clean out our systems a little. We had the Rainbow Salad and the Won Ton soup and both were really great. Definitely will go back and try more!

Ten Bistro - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ten-Bistro/217069984976750

We went on their "soft opening" night for friends and family. We know the owner so we scored an invite. This is going to be a great restaurant! The night we were there the staff and kitchen were still sorting things out but the food we had was excellent. Brian had a caesar salad, and salmon served with something I can't remember, and I had flat iron steak with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. We'll definitely give them a few weeks to iron out service and go back - I think it's going to be a huge success!

Caribou Coffee - http://www.cariboucoffee.com/

I'd been in one before but they weren't common in Cincinnati. I was pleasantly surprised by the breakfast sandwiches and the coffee was good. Service was great at the one in The Forum - http://www.theforumonpeachtree.com/

Chick-fil-A is apparently an Atlanta staple - http://www.chick-fil-a.com/

I had no idea. The first one I went to with Brian was on a road trip to ATL before we moved here. I think it was in southern Kentucky or Tennessee. I was underwhelmed. But yesterday my friend Shannon wanted to meet me for lunch at one since she'd have her little boy with her and this is super kid-friendly. I said sure and went off for an adventure. The chicken salad sandwich was excellent and didn't feel like fast food. The fries were delicious so I'm sure they weren't good for me. But all in all, I was super impressed. Even more impressed hearing that they are a family-owned company and all locations (including in malls!) are closed on Sunday. I appreciate a company that sticks to what they believe in even if they could make more money by being open.

So that's all I have for now - I would love more suggestions on where to eat in Atlanta!

Welcome to Atlanta!

I'm new here - a transplanted "peach" I guess. I've decided to write a blog about my first year here and what I've found that's cool and some of the experiences we will have in this first year. If anyone decides to read this and they know the area, please feel free to chime in with suggestions of places to go, restaurants to try, festivals to hit, etc. I'm open to adventure!

It's a huge sprawling area and as far as I can tell, most of it isn't anywhere near the actual city of Atlanta. Coming from Cincinnati, which is a navigable medium-sized city, this is a little crazy to me. There are so many street names that contain the word "Peach" that to a new transplant, it's a little overwhelming. Peachtree Road, Peachtree Street, Peachtree Industrial, Peachtree Boulevard....and don't even get me started on the hyphenated names of streets! Peachtree-Dunwoody, Chamblee-Tucker, Chamblee-Doraville, and more that I can't even remember or haven't been on yet. It's crazy. I'm not prone to breaking down and I cried five times in one trip to run errands. One of those errands was to get my tire fixed since we got the "Welcome to Atlanta" flat tire while exploring "Historic Norcross" on Memorial Day. Then (ironically) I needed to get to Costco to buy a Garmin. I never did find it.

I gave up and went home but Brian and I found a Costco later that day and bought one. I'm sure I'll cry a lot less now even if I am a little sick of that woman saying "Recalculating." Seriously, shut up and recalculate. That's what I paid for. And stop with the snarky tone already.

I had heard the term "Hotlanta" and just sort of laughed it off. I figured "How much hotter than Cincinnati can it really be?" Well, I'm here to tell you that it's much hotter than Cincinnati and it will last much longer. While the degree number might be the same, the humidity (which I thought was bad in Ohio) is astonishing here. People tend to be harsh on southern girls with big hair. I'm a northern girl and I now have big hair. Cut these ladies some slack, people. They're working with what they have, embracing the hand Mother Nature dealt them!

In stores, everyone seems to move slow...both the shoppers and the employees. Last weekend it was bugging the crap out of me but yesterday I started thinking "Is this such a bad thing? Why do I rush around stressed out all the time anyway?" I'm thinking I'll just adjust my "to do list" (which is always olympian in size anyway) and just be a little more realistic and calm.

Plus it's too damn hot to run all over the place anyway.