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Thread: Atlanta,GA

  1. #1
    Senior Member I_luv_HZL's Avatar
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    Default Atlanta,GA

    So in Jan I plan on flying to Atlanta for some training for work. I'll be there for about a week and was wondering if there was an place of interest I should check out and experience Atlanta. I'm already planning on visiting the Coca Cola museum. But I was wondering where some of the good food spots are or places to visit about an hour out of Atlanta. Any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks

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    Senior Member pemberly's Avatar
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    the atlanta zoo has pandas. and the atlanta aquarium is supposed to be nice.
    nytimes: Every hr you have 10 minutes where you’re not doing anything productive at work, & you can’t look at porn. So you make a comment & fulfill this desire to show yourself off as a smarty-pants.

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    yeah, so my parents supposedly have a house down there.
    but i never been

    but i know they got a restaurant called What the Pho

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    Senior Member I_luv_HZL's Avatar
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    its ok i havent gone yet, so any suggestions good.

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    Senior Member pemberly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by imthatlady View Post
    yeah, so my parents supposedly have a house down there.
    but i never been

    but i know they got a restaurant called What the Pho

    ****, i'm a late poster aren't i?
    omg! i know someone from spcnet who lives in atlanta, and he told me about that restaurant before! small world.
    nytimes: Every hr you have 10 minutes where you’re not doing anything productive at work, & you can’t look at porn. So you make a comment & fulfill this desire to show yourself off as a smarty-pants.

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    Senior Member Lady Zhuge's Avatar
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    I went to Atlanta last year for a conference. I thought the aquarium was fun to visit, but overrated. The central area where you can eat and visit gift shops is pretty big, but the actual space they had for fish and other aquatic creatures is smaller than I'd anticipated. There's a nice seafood restaurant close to the aquarium that I would recommend. It's ironic, but we ate there right before visiting the aquarium.

    Do check out the Coca Cola Museum. The best part is when you get to try out different kinds of soda pop from all over the world. There's an underground market nearby that you can check out as well.
    Last edited by Lady Zhuge; 01-06-08 at 01:59 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by pemberly View Post
    omg! i know someone from spcnet who lives in atlanta, and he told me about that restaurant before! small world.
    yeah, i think that restaurant is quite popular cause of its name
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    Senior Member pemberly's Avatar
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    this might be a little belated, but this article was in the nytimes about things to do in the winter in atlanta.

    January 18, 2008
    Winter Day Out in Atlanta
    By KEVIN SACK

    IT is in Midtown that Atlanta feels most like a real city. That is where the sprawl finally ends, where Costco and Outback give way to condos and Outwrite (the gay bookshop). There is a vertical grace to the streetscape, a fundamental yet all too rare appreciation for proportion and design. Home to the arts center, a great urban park and some of Atlanta’s best restaurants, the district has a vitality that is at once hip and sophisticated.

    This makes Midtown an Atlanta oddity, a destination for its own sake, and one that my family and I can enjoy on an early-darkening winter day as well as a long, scorching one in midsummer. After all, in Atlanta’s temperate climate, we have seasons but not snow shovels.

    A crisp, clear day for my family begins with a walk or jog through Piedmont Park, the city’s century-old “common ground,” which stretches north from 10th Street. Pathways wind through 189 acres of sweeping lawns, offering unparalleled views of the Midtown skyline. The kids insist that we stop by the dog run, where the city’s mongrels mix indifferently with its blue bloods, and that we pause to watch the inline skaters, who slalom through orange cones near the 12th Street entrance.

    We’ve earned a brunch at the Flying Biscuit Café, where breakfast is served all day. Picture windows expose the bustling corner of Piedmont and 10th, site of Outwrite, as well Nickiemoto’s sushi bar and Zocalo Mexican Restaurant (where even a second margarita may be ill-advised). The cafe’s eponymous biscuits, served with cranberry apple butter, provide reason enough for the visit, but the menu also features an array of flavorful stuffed omelets and scrambles.

    The lovely Atlanta Botanical Garden, just north on Piedmont, has quietly become a leading civic asset, sponsoring lavish sculpture installations and a concert series. Even on a chilly day, the Fuqua Conservatory remains tropical for the benefit of orchids, pitcher plants and visitors alike.

    Our path takes us through Ansley Park, the city’s most elegant in-town neighborhood, past the Greek Revival First Church of Christ, Scientist, and the new skyscraper at 1180 Peachtree Street, with a cantilevered top that looks like a futuristic missile silo.

    We take an afternoon stroll through the High Museum of Art, where the recent addition of new wings by Renzo Piano to the white porcelain mainstay by Richard Meier has added a sense of scope and ambition. Currently on display is a three-year rolling exhibition of treasures from the Louvre. Though the permanent collection remains uneven, the High provides a jubilant introduction to Southern folk art, from Gees Bend quilts to Howard Finster’s frescoed bicycle.

    On to dinner at Pura Vida, a tapas bar that has earned raves for its chef, Hector Santiago. The bar, with its fanciful Boteroesque murals of zaftig musicians, serves mojitos worthy of South Beach, and a soothing sangria as well. The menu includes ceviche made four different ways, empanadas stuffed with chicken and raisins, and smoky strips of grilled hanger steak.

    We skip dessert, heading instead for a nightcap at our favorite spot down on Ponce, an Atlanta institution since 1965. The anticipation grows as we near. Will the circular beacon in the window flash its neon welcome?

    “Hot Now,” it screams, and the whooping commences in the back seat. We watch as our glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts rumble down the conveyor belt, knowing that a frosty night in Atlanta cannot end any more warmly than this.

    Flying Biscuit Café, 1001 Piedmont Avenue NE; (404) 874-8887. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE; (404) 876-5859. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street NE; (404) 733-4444. Pura Vida, 656 North Highland Avenue NE; (404) 870-9797. Krispy Kreme, 295 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE; (404) 876-7307.
    nytimes: Every hr you have 10 minutes where you’re not doing anything productive at work, & you can’t look at porn. So you make a comment & fulfill this desire to show yourself off as a smarty-pants.

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    I might be going to Atlanta for work in April. First time visit.

    Is there anything interesting nearby (within 2 hours drive)?
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    OK, now that I looked a little bit into Atlanta, it does seem to have a few other attractions such as Atlanta Underground, MLK Museum, and Stone Mountain.

    According to wikipedia, the metropolitan area is about 55% black, 35% white, and 2% Asian. I doubt I've ever been to a big city where black accounts for more than half of the population. It will be interesting.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member pemberly's Avatar
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    you should go up to some random guy and ask, "are you ludacris? you look like ludacris."
    nytimes: Every hr you have 10 minutes where you’re not doing anything productive at work, & you can’t look at porn. So you make a comment & fulfill this desire to show yourself off as a smarty-pants.

  12. #12
    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Actually, I plan to visit his restaurant, which is co-owned by an Asian and the food is Asian-inspired.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

  13. #13
    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    By the way, how's the Atlanta Chinatown in the Chamblee area?

    Are there restaurants open past 11pm?
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

  14. #14
    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    After some preliminary research of Atlanta's restaurant scene, I am SUPER excited about this trip Soul-stirring descriptions abound of delicacies such as "melt-in-your-mouth beef brasato (beef braised in Barolo wine)" and "mussels dry-roasted in a hot iron skil-let and served in spicy chipotle broth".

    Of course, timeless are the buttermilk fried chicken and red velvet cake.

    Unlike when I went to the great food city of San Francisco, I intend to do most of my dining in non-Asian restaurants this time.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    I'm happy to report that my experience in Atlanta was good. Here is a quick guide for future Atlanta travelers.

    Food - This was the main focus of my trip outside of business. As such, I researched the restaurant scene ahead of time. Most of the famed restaurants are in the Buckhead area. The best restaurant I went to was Ecco, which was named THE Best Restaurant in America (and 2nd best in the World) in 2008 by International Restaurant Magazine. The food was truly delicate and tasty, and my server was both knowledgeable AND personable, which isn't always the case at high-end restaurants. Another restaurant that gets my accolade is Canoe, for its great view, romantic atmosphere, and fresh seafood.

    I avoided Asian food as much as possible, and yet the only Asian restaurant that I did try, was good enough that I went back the next night. It is Canton Cooks, which had excellent Cantonese food minus dim sum, with traditional Cantonese goodies such as the beef brisket hotpot, wonton soup with egg noodles, and a variety of seafood.

    Two of the famed Atlanta steakhouses, Bone's and Chops, both having the highest Zagat rating in the country, were good but not great.

    Sights - I originally compiled over 20 sites to visit, but due to more business to attend than expected, I ended up visiting less than a handful. Georgia Aquarium (world's largest) was good, though not quite worth the steep $30 fee (entrance was free for me). Across the street, the Centennial Olympic Park and its fountain show were not particularly stunning, though I did enjoy the free concerts which run on certain days of the week. Over at Buckhead, the Atlanta History Center had several good nature trails in addition to exhibits. The highlight of my sight-seeing was not really a sight, but Piedmont Park, the outdoor Midtown neighborhood park filled with locals. It is here that I felt a nice presence of the people, in a city dominated by cars and businesses. It's a big park with facilities for many outdoor activities, and people definitely do take advantage of them on a nice sunny day.

    I do regret not having the chance to visit Sweet Auburn, the historic African-American neighborhood, and the MLK Jr Birth Home.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

  16. #16
    Senior Member ByTmE's Avatar
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    Well, it sounds like Atlanta made a good impression on you. I have a must ask question that I ask anyone who takes a visit down to The South. I heard that because of the "down home soul food" cooking that takes place in The South, the girls there are shapelier as a result. I had a friend from Tennessee who swore this to me! Even the Asian girls are hotter.

    In your opinion, PJ, was this true for Atlanta?

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  17. #17
    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Nothing jumped out at me in terms of differences in figure compared to the Midwest. Broadly, I observed there is less obesity in Atlanta than say Indianapolis.

    I saw very few Asians from Atlanta when I was there. There were plenty of Asians at my conference, but they were not local.

    My other regret is that I didn't get to try much "Southern" food. Not sure how I let that happen.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

  18. #18
    Senior Member ByTmE's Avatar
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    Really? Am disappointed...maybe you didn't spend enough time there to "enjoy the scenery"?

    Unfortunately, I don't really know what people from the Midwest look like. I've only lived on the East Coast and a third world country [they make us look FAT].
    I like me.

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