Travel Diaries: Atlanta

Woah! Has it really been a week since the Thanksgiving Day half in Atlanta?! We had so much fun exploring and eating and adventuring through the city! I wanted to share with y’all a few of the things we did, where we ate, and where we went!

Huge thanks to my brother-in-law, AKA, our tour guide, and father-in-law for making all the dinner reservations!

We flew out of Shreveport on Delta. I haven’t flown Delta a lot but our experience there and back was great and the staff was so nice! As usual, I crammed my travel necessities into a carry-on so I didn’t have to worry about getting to Atlanta without my stuff or having to wait on luggage during a prime-time for holiday travel. The only downside of ATL?! GOODNESS GREEN BEANS, THE TRAFFIC IS INSANE. Y’all can keep that.

Moving right along. We stayed at The Ellis Hotel and I’m only sad it wasn’t warmer out so we could have sat on their patio! The hotel had a beautiful lobby and they put their Christmas tree up the night we checked in, which I loved! We got in town and had some free time so we grabbed lunch across the street from our hotel at Alma Cocina and just happened to be dining there during a fire drill. It was cold out but thankfully it was just a drill! We both had the Huevos Rancheros and I highly recommend them! They also had a great selection of tequila which hubs enjoyed sampling. We always enjoy finding a good coffee shop when we get into town somewhere, and we weren’t disappointed with a visit to Ebrik Coffee Room which felt like we had wandered into a friend’s living room. Everyone knew each other and it felt so cozy after standing outside during the fire drill. I can’t speak to the coffee, but their hot chocolate was excellent! Our first night we went to dinner in Buckhead at a “contemporary seafood tavern” called Kyma that happened to have a Vegetarian/Vegan menu. Life made. The atmosphere was fabulous and their Dirty Greek Martini is a must!

Food Halls. If you haven’t been to one, you’re living under a rock. Or you live in a small town. Whatever the case, these trendier than a traditional food court spaces are taking over. And I love it! Everyone can find something they want to eat and then rejoin in a communal dining space/tables/chairs etc. We have been to 4 recently in different cities and I’m obsessed. Do you want pizza but your hubs wants a salad? No problem. Want Indian food but your friend is living off froyo and wine? There’s something for everyone. We ventured to Ponce City Market to see the shops and head to The Roof. If you are in Atlanta, this is a must do! Beautiful views, plenty of entertainment, and just an overall really neat experience. We also witnessed a proposal (she said yes!) Easily one of my favorite things we did this trip – I’m a sucker for roof top views. 

The day before Thanksgiving, we ventured to the West Egg Cafe along with the rest of Atlanta to have brunch at the most happening place in town. I’m assuming that must be true because EVERYONE was there. We had to wait an hour but they have a coffee bar and bakery so I grabbed a seasonal inspired coffee and people watched to pass the time. Worth it. I ordered the Pimento Cheese & Bacon Omelette but subbed the bacon for their vegetarian sausage. And the biscuits?! I’m counting that meal towards carb loading for the race. I also happened to be posted up near the coffee bar when I saw them make a “Milky Way” and it was so pretty I had to order one too. Spoiler alert. It’s basically pure sugar and I couldn’t even make it through half of it but at least it was pretty! There’s no better way to rest the legs the day before a half than a trip to the Georgia Aquarium! We had so much fun! I have been there once before but aquariums are fascinating to me and I can stare at jellyfish all day long. We had an early dinner so we could fuel before the race! Italian was a perfect choice. Pasta de Pulcinella was excellent and I’m still dreaming of their crème brȗlée!

We ran the Thanksgiving Day Half to kick off Thursday morning (see the previous blog post) and thankfully spent the majority of the day relaxing on the couch, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and playing card games. We ventured back to Buckhead for dinner at The Capital Grille to round out a great day! I had never tried their au gratin potatoes. One bite and I was hooked. I won’t lie, I basically ate the entire “share size” by myself. Whatever. I ran a half. I was hungry! Judge me.

Friday was a low key travel day and we were all a little worn out but we ventured to the Atlanta Botanical Garden and it was beautiful! If you will be in Atlanta during the holidays I recommend going to see their lights display! We didn’t get to go at night but I could tell from the setup that it’s a magical wonderland. We did a lap through the gardens and I could have stared at the trees all day but I can’t wait to go back and see it one year in the spring!

ALL THE TREES:

Thanks for stopping by!

Taryn