Must-buy souvenir: Atlanta Influences Everything t-shirt. Just because it has become a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Tourist trap I love anyway: The Varsity, a game-day staple since 1928. Sometimes you just need a chili dog and milkshake in the company of very enthusiastic Georgia Tech fans.
For peace and quiet: As long as your visit doesn’t coincide with one of the blowout summer festivals like “House In The Park,” Grant Park is an urban oasis, just a couple of miles from downtown. Imagine 131 acres of lush greenery and wide walking paths. Spread a blanket on the grassy lawns and enjoy the shade of all seven varieties of Georgia magnolias.
Best way to get around town: Car. Movie studios aren’t the only thing we have in common with L.A. Rush hour is a nightmare, but our drivers are polite.
Day trip: Providence Canyon State Park, aka “The Little Grand Canyon.” Full disclosure: It may look like a natural wonder, but it’s really a lemons-to-lemonade situation. Bad farming in the 1800s created massive gullies over 150 feet deep that look so much like the Grand Canyon, you could fake it on Instagram. The giveaway would be the late blooming azaleas with their lovely pink, purple, and white flowers.
Best time to visit, weather-wise: Anytime except July or August. All other months, you can ride with the top down.
Cheap date: Last fall, Eats shut down, and I felt like someone had erased my memories of my twenties when a five-dollar pasta dinner wasn’t so much cheap as doable. I am happy to report that an angel investor has taken over and Eats is re-opening at the Lee + White compound. Young folks and bohemians all over town are rejoicing!
Worth-it splurge: Lazy Betty. What’s more decadent than an eight-course dinner with wine pairing? Eight courses, wine pairing, and caviar enhancement. It’s a great place to go on your birthday, because there will be at least one other person raising a glass to another trip around the sun.
Best place for people-watching: The Beltline is a pedestrian thoroughfare that spans about 15 miles. Booed-up couples, runners, boom-box-toting skateboarders, and fashionable dogs and their walkers love it. If you’re lucky, you may catch a popup performance by the CommUNITY ATL Choir. The acoustics under the North Highland bridge spread their joyful sounds for miles around.
Secret spot only locals know: The Busy Bee is an old-school soul food joint that has been open continuously since the 40s. You have not eaten fried chicken until you go to the Bee! They were awarded a James Beard Award in 2022, but they haven’t gotten siditty. Why? Because most folks who frequent this place don’t know James Beard from a can of paint. They just know good food!
Favorite airport restaurant: Ecco is in the international concourse—outside security, so your friends who are not traveling can join you. The menu is the same as their flagship location in midtown. If you don’t get the upgrade on your flight, enjoy a whole branzino and glass of Sancerre at Ecco and pass on the plane food.
What you should know about my city: Atlanta is known to history buffs as the city that rose from the ashes after it was burned in the Civil War. “The city too busy to hate” is the birthplace of Gone With the Wind as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. So many movies and TV shows are taped here that we have earned the nickname, “The Hollywood of the South.” When Andre 3000 famously declared, “The South got something to say,” he was talking about Atlanta.