Oh, Atlanta

Oh, Atlanta. Every time I say that phrase I start singing the old Alison Kruass song of the same name in my head. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I was in Atlanta presenting at a conference over the weekend and into this week, which means I got some quality time in Hotlanta.

Item number one to discuss, while I love the association that was hosting the conference, they picked a really shitty venue. It was at the Atlanta Airport Marriott and it was in the middle of freaking nowhere. I am so use to staying in downtown Atlanta when I go, so I was a little thrown to be out in the middle of nowhere. But there was literally nothing on the exit, no food or gas, just a lot of hotels on wooded lots. If you got back on the freeway and went down exits, it was super sketch. The physical hotel was nice, the location just sucked. I was also annoyed that I had to pay for parking ($11 a day) and I was in the middle of nowhere. I get it if it is downtown and parking is limited, but this was the middle of nowhere. So, don’t stay at that hotel if you are looking for something to do while in town. If you need an overnight stay because of the airport, go with it!

Item number two, driving in Atlanta sucks. Sucks big time. As ANYONE who knows me well, they know that I hate driving in big cities, I just hate all that congestion. I also had a rental car, a Chevy Impala, and that thing is a BEAST compared to the little matchbox I drive, so you can only imagine the nightmare of it all. I cussed a lot. I braked a lot. I stayed in the right lane a lot. At the end of it all I was super happy to turn in that rental and be done with it all!

Item number three, I have been to Atlanta so many times over the years, I feel like I know my way around and where things are at in the mega-city. The thing I realized is that I don’t know a lot of great Atlanta spots… which really sucks! I have favorite places to eat, but they are normally specialized chains that I can’t find anywhere near my small little town. So, my goal for the next time I go to Atlanta is to find a new place to eat…. a yummy local one. Suggestions?