Adventures in Atlanta: The Big A is Absolutely Happening
Atlanta has always had a special place in my heart, not just because I love Diet Coke and it’s the home of Coca-Cola, but I was always a fan of Hank Aaron when he played for the Braves. In an odd twist of historical fate, my first solo flight, back when dinosaurs roamed the planet, was from Los Angeles to Atlanta; I was four years old. But that’s a story for another day.
Atlanta has grown up quite a bit since then, as of course have I. So it was high time to revisit the capital of the Peach State or the Goober State, depending on one’s preferences for the delectable fuzzy delight – Georgia’s official state fruit – or peanuts – its official state crop, and Georgia’s most populous city. With several nicknames, including Hotlanta, A-town, and The A, there is truly something for everyone here.
The Bed
There is no better address than the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta perfectly situated in midtown. This area is also known as ‘Heart of the Arts,’ as it’s also home to several museums, parks, performing arts centers, Colony Square with its many eateries, and Jojo’s Beloved Speakeasy that few locals even know about – walk along the left of the food court and look for a secret door – as well as a plethora of nearby restaurants and bars.
One great thing about the Four Seasons Atlanta is that in addition to great mattresses and luscious bedding for which the Four Seasons brand is well-known, beds here have multiple types of pillows: soft, medium, and firm, including my personal favorite, the Tempur-Pedic pillow. This of course ensures perfect slumber for everyone.
There is an in-room Nespresso machine, hot pot, stocked mini bar, a 60-inch flat screen television, dining table, and Josephine-style lounger. The marble bathroom has a stall shower with both Euro and rain shower heads, separate bathtub, and Atelier Cologne environmentally sized amenities.
If you need another reason to stay at this well-located Four Seasons property or are an automotive aficionado, the hotel has a complimentary four-hour Lucid experience where guests can borrow a late model Lucid Air Pure all-electric sedan for four hours. It was a very good ride and gave me the perfect excuse to tool around town and engage in environmentally sustaining retail therapy.
The Four Seasons Atlanta also has a state-of-the-art fitness center with Techno-Gym treadmills, Peloton bikes, Hoist machines, and free weights. If you prefer to swim off your calories, there’s a beautiful indoor pool and an outdoor sundeck. Take advantage of the spa next door where talented masseuses will pummel you into a stress-free state causing you to forget your name.
The Meals
At midtown’s Lyla Lila, an interesting mixology menu with creations like “Stop Making Sense” and “Monk’s Repose,” set the stage for Chef Craig Richard’s and sous chef Jarvis Bailey’s fusion of southern European dishes with seasonal elements, resulting in creative culinary delights. The tuna crudo with peaches and charred ramp aioli was fresh and tangy and followed by a squid ink spaghetti and rock shrimp that was, in a word, divine.
Ordering a half portion the squid ink spaghetti however may have been one of my more regrettable recent dining decisions. But that regret swiftly subsided by the magic shell ice cream sandwich housing coffee gelato; it was so good it nearly caused me to weep.
South City Kitchen with both indoor and patio seating is a good spot to sample traditional Southern fare where Chef de Cuisine Chuck Hambley takes his commitment to his kitchen seriously in a casual, yet charming atmosphere. Starting with a salad of ripe, sweet peaches that cleansed the palette, next came Southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sautéed collard greens with house made hot sauce containing serious kick. Swearing off dessert, my arm was summarily twisted into “just tasting” the chocolate silk pie. My swearing off progressed to only having two bites. However, the umami flavors of sweet, salty, crunchy, and smooth, overcame any possessed good swearing intentions and quickly turned me into a criminally pathological liar as I rapidly demolished the entire dessert.
Having lived in France, it’s impossible to turn away from classic French cuisine. An exceptional dinner at Brasserie Margot paid homage to its Gallic roots with an elevated, elegant twist. Starting with their delectable signature foie gras, it was served with true French toast, dollops of blackberry gastrique, and bless Executive Chef Jon Novak’s heart, an abundance of divine black truffles. Feeling carnivorous, I opted for the côte de boeuf. It may have been one of my best recent culinary choices. Cooked to perfection and flavorful, it was so tender my knife started inquiring about gainful employment elsewhere.
The Finds
At the Margaret Mitchell House, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the 1936 historical fiction, “Gone with the wind,” Mitchell resided here from the mid-1920s until 1932. While neither the first nor the last attempt to provide a fictional version of the South – Roots, Twelve Years a Slave, Selma – Mitchell’s account remains the most influential one. In addition to displays on the book’s impact on American popular culture to include even Scarlet Barbie Dolls, there are also displays of Jim Crow laws. This book and the movie altered the way in which millions have comprehended the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The Museum of Design Atlanta is the only museum in the southeast dedicated to design. It packs a punch towards understanding just how much design plays a role in our everyday lives.
At the High Museum of Art there’s a great collection of work by Southern artists, New Vision photography, and African art. Ryoji Ikeda, one of the world’s leading composers and media artists had a special exhibit entitled ‘Dataverse,’ that was admittedly difficult for me to appreciate. However, I was deeply impressed by Korean painter Kim Chong Hak’s work. Well known for his flower paintings and depictions of Korea’s Seoraksan National Park’s changing seasons, much of Hak’s work is colorful, rich in depth, and perceptive of nature’s blessings.
At the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, in addition to learning about the Holocaust and the Jewish role in the Civil Rights movement, it houses the largest collection of archival resources relative to the Jewish experiences of the Southeast.
Next to the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank is the Atlanta Monetary Museum – only open weekdays – where visitors can learn plenty of interesting facts such as when tea bricks were used as currency.
Wanting to quench my thirst I meandered to the well-done World of Coca-Cola. A heartwarming six-minute video having nothing to do with Coca-Cola but everything to do with life’s inspirational moments reflects the incredible symbiotic relationship of the iconic brand to worldwide culture, and is aptly symbolized by their 1987 slogan “Coca-Cola is part of your life, you can’t beat the feeling.”
There’s the bank “vault” where recipes are kept, display rooms of facts and myths, a scent room where visitors can guess elements of each coke flavor, historical photos, posters, dispensers, vending machines, and other memorabilia from around the world. At the end, the “tasting room,” where guests get their fill of sodas and waters under the Coke brand, and of course a mammoth-sized gift shop.
Highly caffeinated I stopped next door at the Georgia Aquarium. Though a PADI-certified diver and I far prefer the ocean as my classroom, proximity prevailed. It turned out to be the awe-inspiring highlight of this Atlanta sojourn. It’s the largest aquarium in North America with a 100-foot glass tunnel, several viewing areas, including one that is 63-feet long, 27-feet high, and nearly two feet thick, that holds 6,300,000 gallons of water. Another one holds 5,000,000 gallons.
In the main aquarium, in addition all imaginable species are two massive whale sharks, one that’s 40-feet long and his kissing cousin, one 30-feet long. In another viewing area are communities of alligators, including the extremely rare, eerie-looking but somehow adorable, hugging albino gators. The best part? No equipment necessary except curiosity. Added plus: your hair won’t even get wet.
The Lessons Learned
The only constant in life is that things always change. Both the good and the bad. Fortunately, as this recent trip to Atlanta made clear, sometimes change is for the better. While I didn’t have time this trip to get to a Braves game, I now have yet another very good reason to return to The Big A.
Julie L. Kessler is a journalist, attorney, and the author of the award-winning memoir: “Fifty-Fifty, The Clarity of Hindsight.” Her work has appeared in major publications around the world, including The L.A. Times, The S.F. Examiner, The Asia Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Vancouver Courier, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Daily Journal, among many others. She can be reached at Julie@VagabondLawyer.com
