Visiting Atlanta

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by wasel

Next time you visit be sure to stop at the Buford Highway Farmers Market....it blows Super H away.

It sounds like you ate at Pasta de Pucinella...a place near and dear to my heart.

Wow, I just googled it and saw a video with Anthony Bourdain about it. It looks incredible! I'm already booking my next trip Dec 2-4, going to bring a couple friends this time with us lol. Thanks for the recommendation and yes, it was Pasta de Pucinella! haha

Originally Posted by JPD

Glad you had a great visit!

I think many locals would agree that Atlanta's best asset is it's collection of unique neighborhoods. A great way to get a feel for a bunch of them is to do the Bike Tour of Atlanta. The tour goes right by my house in Cabbagetown, sometimes several tour groups each day, and they always seem to be having a lot of fun.

Bicycle Tours of Atlanta | #1 Atlanta Outdoor Activity

This looks great! We love biking, we were going to rent bikes when we walked the beltline, but thought it'd be better to first walk it. I'll definitely see if the others want to do this when we come up. I know we would like to do it.

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Well, I think this is a negative statement, or at the very least short-sighted. Had the OP followed this terrible advice, he/she would have missed what it sounds like they really enjoyed: Chamblee and Buford Highway.

OP, if you enjoy Asian culture, I recommend you visit the hub of the Asian population in Atlanta: Duluth/Suwanee/Johns Creek. Start at Pleasant Hill Road near Gwinnett Place Mall. It's an older, mostly dead mall, but that decay allowed the Asian culture to move in. Just about every shopping center around the mall has tons of Asian businesses. There are Super H Marts, shabu shabu joints, karaoke, and everything else you can imagine. This is Gwinnett county, also home to the area's biggest and best park system. It's different than Piedmont Park. Instead of a wide open areas where people congregate, you will find beautiful lakes, nature trails, and serene spots. If you are up on Pleasant Hill Road, stop at McDaniel Farms park. You won't believe you are footsteps from a major commercial area as you wind through rolling hills, wooded forests, and check out some of the remaining structures from when this was a family farm.

Bottom line: There is PLENTY to do outside of VaHi/Inman Park, etc. We have people in the city who never venture outside these areas, and as a result they have no idea the riches the region offers (I imagine every metro has people like this, best not to listen to them and let them continue to exist in their bubbles). Atlanta is a city that rewards the patient explorer, I have lived here for 20 years and am STILL discovering new things all the time!

I'm glad that you enjoy Orlando. You know, it doesn't get a lot of love from many people, but I think it's one of the great American areas. You've probably already discovered the Lake Eola area, which is a favorite of mine, along with downtown Winter Park. Like Atlanta, it offers tons to do for good explorers. There might be people there who say things like, "no reason to leave the Lake Eola area" or "nothing good outside the attractions," and those people are fools. Take a trip up to Blue Springs park and check out the manatees! Then go back in the summer and swim with the gar.

So much great stuff around, people who don't get out of their safe zones really aren't good to listen to.

There are even people who would tell you to avoid Atlantic Station!

I understand all cities have bad areas and while most of the places I visited during my trip were some of the nicest parts, I still enjoy seeing the okay or even bad areas as long as there is a reason, such as good food. In San Francisco, there were a couple restaurants I'd trek to in the Tenderloin (really crappy area where there are more homeless than typical people on the street).

Thanks for the advice! I did go to one Korean restaurant in Duluth that was amazing and I saw tons of Korean businesses in that area. I wish we went during the day, so I could take a better look around. My GF was also pretty sick at the time, so we didn't do any exploring. I will definitely do the things you recommended here including checking out the park, thanks!

Exactly, most people think there is nothing outside of the theme parks, but there are plenty of charming areas like the farmers market around Lake Eola, Park Avenue in Thornton Park, Downtown Winter Garden among some other areas.

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I absolutely love Atlanta, I've posted here awhile ago after my first visit and have came back numerous times since. Are there any new food halls or markets? Anything new that would be interesting to someone who likes food, architecture, walking around? I'll have a car again, so it doesn't have to be in the heart of Atlanta.



Thanks!