Reasons to visit Atlanta. Hmmmm…. honestly I’ve not had many reasons to visit this city. I had heard tales of this city from my eldest god sister who had gone to Freaknik, but I had yet to go. My first trip was 1996. We were traveling from NC to AL to visit my dad; he was stationed at Ft. McClellan. My sister and I were too young to help with driving so mom had to do it all. We passed through ATL and mom made sure we were awake. She slowed down enough to keep the speed limit while still giving us a glimpse of the setup for the 1996 Olympics. Then that Army Wife put the pedal to the metal and didn’t stop until Alabama.
I didn’t see the city again until around 2008, I came face to face with the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL? I was traveling from NC to FL to visit my parents. The family I was a nanny for had hooked me up with a buddy pass and luckily I was able to get into first class seating. I should write another blog post about my adventures in this airport. Something always happens. Anyhoo, ATL and I met again in 2011. I was auditioning for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). I had a great audition then went out to dinner with my HS friend. We ate at Frank Ski’s it was decent. Nothing to rave about.
The airport and I met some more between 2011 and 2017. Thankfully, my most recent encounter, I was too tired from coming back from Bahrain to even realize if something was annoying. Even standing in the long line waiting for my bag to get checked and holding a lady’s 6 month old baby while her formula was inspected didn’t bother me. The baby smelled like lavender. Heck, I wasn’t even bothered by having to carry ALL my bags from the baggage claim to be checked again for the rest of my journey home.
Alrighty, November 2017, I was in Atlanta for The Fearless Reloaded Conference and stayed at the W Midtown. I was able to hang out with my same friend again. Shout out to my girl Tiffany! And yeah that’s about it. Say all this to say, Atlanta is just one of those cities that doesn’t call my name and I’m usually there for the airport and business. I’ve been telling myself that I would start making it a travel spot due to the Orlando airport and ATL airport being hubs; flights are cheap. Anyone who knows me knows that food is life. As long as I’m fed and had an enjoyable eating experience the entire trip can go to hell in a hand basket and I’m good.
The gawds and gawdesses must have heard my silent prayers. A retweet comes across my TL from a young lady who says she is going on a date with a married man and wanted restaurant recommendations. And she wanted intimate spots without all the hype and flare. This spoke to my soul as someone who likes to eat in peace. While others judged her for her dining reasons and company, I scurried down the rabbit hole of her mentions in search of recommendations. This is what I found:
- Rays on the River (Get a table in the back room. Go through the curtain down the stairs and face the river.)
- Henry’s
- Park Tavern
- The Canoe
- Eco
- STK
- Marcel
- Umi (opt for the private room to maintain privacy)
- Hal’s
- Aria
- Restaurant Eugene
- The Optimist
- Copeland’s
- Watershed
- The Sun Dial (apparently it’s busy but the atmosphere keeps people focused on their business and not yours)
- Six Feet Under (Be not turned off by the name. It’s dim on the roof for an added layer of discretion)
- Cafe Intermezzo (Go after 10pm)
- Marcel (opt for the late menu)
- King + Duke (go to the patio)
- Dantanna’s (Dim lighting and cigar smoking if that’s your thing)
- Agave
- Urban Licks
- No. 246
- Eav Thai and Sushi
- City Winery
- Pashcal’s
- Negril’s Village
- Scales 925
- St Regis (The guy who tweeted this says he takes all his girls who have boyfriends there. He’s yet to be caught.)
- Manuel’s Tavern
Bon appetite y’all!
