Need help settling into Druid Hills area... (Atlanta, Decatur: work, home)

[cityhopper]

You may remember I had inquired on the boards about locating an area to stay that met my price/safety requirements. Long story short, I settled on a decent complex in the Druid Hills area.

My problem, I have not lived "north" of the City before so I am completely disoriented in locating certain services that fall under good quality/service, good price which include:

-Furniture Store (would be okay if second hand and I've been to IKEA already)
-Seafood market
-Seafood restaurant (casual eat-in or take-out)
-Dry Cleaners (with a fixed price would be good)
-Automotive Service (electrician, mechanic, tire/brake)
-Italian Pizzeria (looking for good pizza, spaghetti, lasagna...)
-Any type of club/organization that I could get into to meet mid 20s or 30-something professionals?

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by cityhopper

You may remember I had inquired on the boards about locating an area to stay that met my price/safety requirements. Long story short, I settled on a decent complex in the Druid Hills area.

My problem, I have not lived "north" of the City before so I am completely disoriented in locating certain services that fall under good quality/service, good price which include:

-Furniture Store (would be okay if second hand and I've been to IKEA already)
-Seafood market
-Seafood restaurant (casual eat-in or take-out)
-Dry Cleaners (with a fixed price would be good)
-Automotive Service (electrician, mechanic, tire/brake)
-Italian Pizzeria (looking for good pizza, spaghetti, lasagna...)
-Any type of club/organization that I could get into to meet mid 20s or 30-something professionals?

I would be happy to help, having lived in this area all my life...however, you'll have to be more 'neighborhood-specific' than just Druid Hills...that covers a lot of area.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by cityhopper

-Furniture Store (would be okay if second hand and I've been to IKEA already)
-Seafood market
-Seafood restaurant (casual eat-in or take-out)
-Dry Cleaners (with a fixed price would be good)
-Automotive Service (electrician, mechanic, tire/brake)
-Italian Pizzeria (looking for good pizza, spaghetti, lasagna...)
-Any type of club/organization that I could get into to meet mid 20s or 30-something professionals?

The best place to find furniture at good prices on the northside is in the outlet area around Howell Mill Road and Huff Road (not too far from Atlantic Station). If you start driving around that area, you'll find a ton of furniture stores.

Can't help with seafood at all.

There's a dry cleaner at Toco Hills (I don't use dry cleaners so I can't vouch for their quality, but they are certainly convenient to Druid Hills)

I use ASR Automotive off Cheshire Bridge

Personally, I'm a Papa John's person, so "good pizza" is a relative term. Check out this link for Decatur area restaurants -- plenty of pizza places, surely one will suit you:

http://decaturga.com/cgs_citysvcs_ce...staurants.aspx

You might want to offer a bit more guidance regarding the type of club/organization you're interested in joining. Is it purely for business or social networking? Or are you looking for something related to actual interests you have?

[capoeira]

The Atlanta Farmers Market at 4166 Buford Hwy(Buford & Clairmont) is a great place for seafood. I have found the selection to be better on Friday when they are stocked up for the weekend compared to earlier in the week. It is super crowded on the weekends so shopping early is a good idea. The Whole Foods on Briarcliff and Lavista also has good seafood at a much higher price point.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by cityhopper

You may remember I had inquired on the boards about locating an area to stay that met my price/safety requirements. Long story short, I settled on a decent complex in the Druid Hills area.

My problem, I have not lived "north" of the City before so I am completely disoriented in locating certain services that fall under good quality/service, good price which include:

-Furniture Store (would be okay if second hand and I've been to IKEA already)
-Seafood market
-Seafood restaurant (casual eat-in or take-out)
-Dry Cleaners (with a fixed price would be good)
-Automotive Service (electrician, mechanic, tire/brake)
-Italian Pizzeria (looking for good pizza, spaghetti, lasagna...)
-Any type of club/organization that I could get into to meet mid 20s or 30-something professionals?

Not certain if you are closer to VA Highland or N.Druid Hills.

At LaVista/Briarcliff there is a shopping center across from Whole Foods that would have most of what you need--no seafood or furniture. There are some good restaurants in Decatur and VA Highland.
I like Mama Fu's at Toco Hills. They have a shrimp bowl that is tasty.

Evening at Emory would be one way to start meeting people and find out what is going on.
Emory Center for Lifelong Learning - continuing education classes in Atlanta, Georgia

[cityhopper]

BTW, I am very close to the Toco Hills shopping center (and I've already tried Mam Fu's - which was good).

I am still learning the surroundings so I am not sure if I am considered close to VA Highland area and I have yet to venture to where Whole Foods is located.

What area (or street numbers) along Buford Highway have furniture stores?

[plessthanpointohfive]

cityhopper, you're not that far from VaHi. It's not in walking distance but it's probably only a couple of miles from Toco Hills. You could bike there, cutting through Emory's campus, crossing Briarcliff to get to Johnson...

And Whole Foods is just down Lavista at Briarcliff.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by cityhopper

What area (or street numbers) along Buford Highway have furniture stores?

Buford Highway does not have many furniture stores. The place to go is Furniture Row on Dawson Blvd. in Norcross.

Lower prices adorn 'furniture row' - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Furniture Row in Gwinnett

Yahoo! Yellow Pages

Underpriced Furniture

[George Chong]

DeKalb Farmer's Market to purchase groceries: Your Dekalb Farmers Market - A World Market It not an open air farmer's market - more like an international no-frills store. Give the restaurant and the desert counter a try. The produce is super fresh and inexpensive. They also bake most of the breads that they sell. Just eat the bread fast as it contains no preservatives and it goes bad quickly.

Shorty's for pizza. It's not a traditional Italian place but thin crust pizzas with unique toppings. Some of them sound like a bizarre combination but they really work. Shorty's | AccessAtlanta

Italian (traditional and American-Italian) I love Alfredo's. It is a blast from the past. It is as if the restaurant stood still since its inception in 1974 and someone from the Soprano's cast will walk on any given day. Alfredo's Italian Restaurant Just don't sit with your back to the door (LOL).

Mechanic: Erik is probably 10-15 minutes away from you but he only works on foreign cars. He worked for my previous mechanic and I would consider no one else. He is through and honest. QuantumMechanicsAuto.com: Import Automotive Service in Decatur, GA 404-484-3995

[TakeAhike]

As well as great pizza Shorty's offers huge salads. Everything is good, really.

The Bagel Palace in Toco Hills has wonderful bagels and pastry as well as deli and breakfast.