Archive for September 30, 2008

Usual Random Photos From The ATL.

So, I have had an interesting week of taking Marta, walking, and indeed driving my Prius to most places Marta won’t go.  Here are some pictures taken in the last week that I find funny /interesting.

Here is a picture I took on Marta (sorry so fuzzy) – but this advertisement is for a hooker – oh wait, no – it is for a DENTIST!  I mean look at the sex in this advertisement.  Made me want to go home and shower!

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This next photo was taken by Tammy – yes, I made her get out of the car and run to the sign at night – heading back to her home in East Atl.

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And finally, on I-20, the day we were told the world would end if we did not bail out Wall Street  – I saw a double rainbow!  Gotta hope!

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Random Packaging

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I made some “homemade” chicken and dumplings the other night and let me just say they were tasty.  Before hand, I went and bought these dumplings (obviously they were “homemade” by Mary Hill herself) in the frozen food section of Publix.  Now, Grandma Mary on the picture made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and lo and behold, she has a message too on the packaging.  I thought I would share it with you.  (They are made in Georgia-not Atlanta per say, but close enough to warrant a post.)

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Public Transportation Anyone?

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I’d say this is a scary scene.  Looks like my Prius may not get any gas soon…I think I will be walking, riding my bike, or taking Marta places.  Buck up, folks.  It ain’t getting better any time soon.

EAV Strut

There are just some festivals that go against the norm – and one of those is the East Atlanta Village Strut.  This one day festival brings out people from – its own neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods!  Wow, what a concept!  It is not actually “burb” focused and manages to show the true colors of the [tag]EAV[/tag] in all its glory.  I will admit, Alison and I live 5 minutes from EAV and we have never been to the festival.  But this year, we strutted down there, and had a fabulous time watching the parade, listening to live music, and hanging out with my boyfriend, [tag]Matt Wilder[/tag], and his lovely wife, Sarah, at his booth.

Here are some photos!

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The parade begins!

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A man-bug on his scooter.

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Our friend,[tag] Robin Henson[/tag] enjoying her scooter ride!

HOLY TACO-We Got Kicked To The Curb

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The “eh, it’s okay” salsa in disposal containers at Holy Taco.

We have heard great things about [tag]Holy Taco[/tag] in East Alanta Village, but we never got to the taco-eating part during our first and last visit – we were basically dismissed by management.  A first for us.  What did we do to warrant such a diss, you ask?  Be patient – it is a slightly long story…

We walked up to Holy Taco on Saturday afternoon – about 30 minutes before the start of the [tag]East Atlanta Village Strut Parade[/tag].  We were told to “sit anywhere [we] liked.”  There was no hostess.  We scoped the patio – the available options included 2 small 2-tops in the sun or one 5-top round table with a nice umbrella where 2 guys were paying their bill and leaving.  We opted for the shade.  It wasn’t crowded and we planned on eating and then heading out to watch the parade.

Our waiter came by, we ordered beers and then 3 tacos and some $6 chips and salsa.  All was well. Then, in the middle of sipping our beers, and after we had been there for over 15 minutes, the waiter came back and told us that his manager has told him our table must be saved for a larger party and that we will need to move.  We said we would be glad to move if we could take our umbrella to one of the sunny 2-tops.

We heard nothing else until another 15 minutes later when we were almost done eating our chewy chips and mediocre salsa when the manager (?) (I assume b/c she never introduced herself) came by and physically took the food from in front of us and informed us we were being moved (without our consent) to a 2-top in the shade which had become available.  She said she needed our table for a large group.  In shock, we complied and followed her to the corner table across the patio.  Then I told her that never in my life had I been forcibly removed from my seat in the middle of a meal and that although I understood the need to maximize seating, we had been told to “sit anywhere” and that 2 people had previously occupied the same table without an issue.  She got defensive and sarcastically said that she was “sorry” we had been so misinformed.  Really? If you don’t want 2-tops at 5-tops, get a friggin hostess.  And if you realize this error after 2 customers have sat down, ordered, and started eating-it is your bad you sat them there and you suck it up or you ask them nicely to move and offer them a beer or something!  You NEVER force customers to chase their bowl of weak- ass salsa to a new table so you can cram in a few more guests on your patio.

Since our complicated order of 3 tacos was not ready at this point (about an hour at this point) we chose to relieve Holy Taco of the burden of having us as customers.  They quickly got us our incorrect bill, and we walked on to the Australian Bakery where they were actually happy to take our money and serve us.

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Alison pretty disgusted by our wrong bill at Holy Taco….

img_0421.JPGBrutus refuses to give any paws to this restaurant.

Cafe 458 Does Dinner Now!

I am not sure if you have ever been to [tag]Cafe 458[/tag] – an entity of [tag]The Samaritan House of Atlanta[/tag].  Cafe 458 by day is a wonderful place where the homeless can get a good hot meal “with reservations.”  The concept is excellent and the place does more than just feed people in need. (Read the link for good info on all this.)

Cafe 458 also does brunch (and NOW dinner!) for those of us who like to “give back.”   So, you can go get a great meal and all proceeds -including your hopefully big fat tip – go back to the real work Cafe 458 does!  I am excited about going to dinner (Thursday and Fridays from 5:30-8:30pm) because the menu looks delicious.  Alison and I have been to their brunch a few times and it is delicious with wonderful volunteers helping out each Sunday from 9am-2pm.

Located in the historic Martin Luther King area of Edgewood, you can’t go wrong with this meal.  You are doing a good deed and you are eating well while at it!  

tongue.jpg Little Girl thinks Cafe 458 is so good she may eat too much and fall asleep with her tongue out…

I Mean Seriously…

So, on our way out the other night, we came across this interesting scene on Moreland Avenue near Hosea Williams.  I am not quite sure this is legal OR safe since it is an open flame sitting between old(not used) gas station pumps.  (I have never seen anyone actually take out the gas tanks sitting below this man cooking up some ribs.)  Either way, if you want some “home cookin” in the city and are not afraid of blowing up, he is there most weekend nights.

(You can’t see this really well, but indeed these are two steel drums actually built to be his grill.)

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Jazzoo Atlanta Saturday, September 12

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I should have posted this last week, but alas, I was drinking wine in California.  Don’t forget about [tag]Jazzoo Atlanta[/tag] tomorrow night!  This fabulous new event for Atlanta benefits [tag]Zoo Atlanta[/tag] and it looks fun as heck.  Not only are there 4 live music stages, there are 30 great restaurants cooking for you, and 20 bars making your favorite drinks.  All the proceeds go to the zoo’s amphibian conservation program. (yes, it is the Year of the Frog)

The cost is 100$ per ticket and the dress code is “creative black tie.”  Ah, how fun is that.  So, dress up in anything that you want to wear and go enjoy some free music, food, and booze all while helping the frogs of Zoo Atlanta.  Oh, and last thing – Jazzoo is pretty green.   Solar powered stage, biodegradable cups, and loads of recycling bins.

Enjoy!  Rib-bit.  Rib-bit.

Random Meetings in California

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Alison and I just got back from a fabulous vacation in California.  A few days were spent sipping wine in the [tag]Russian River Valley[/tag] where we enjoyed meeting people while “tasting wines.”  Our favorite winery, Lambert Bridge, has a connection to Atlanta.  Not only does Andy, the proprietor (true title: National Sales Manager) of Lambert Bridge, have a girlfriend who lives in Hotlanta (although of course she wants to move to the wine country,) but he also knows a number of folks here – including members of the [tag]Concentrics Group[/tag].  So, at some point in the near future, I am hopeful that I can get a bottle of Lambert Bridge wine from One Midtown Kitchen (since it is doubtful we will ever go back to Trois.)

Lambert Bridge is a gorgeous spot and the winemakers, Jill and Mitch, create fantastic wines in small quantities keeping this winery nice and personable.  We loved hanging out with Gus the dog, Andy and his dad and even got a personal tour of the grapes.  Of course we became members of their wine club so we can get bottles delivered to us. Thank God Georgia passed that law!

Anyway, that’s it.  Great vacation and great wine!

alison-and-andy.JPG Alison and Andy with the grapes!