Category Archives: Places to Go

Bored?, Grant Park/Cabbagetown, Places to Go

How to best tailgate a Braves game

The ideal college schedule doesn’t include Friday classes, and if you’re one of the lucky Atlanta college students who sleep in on Fridays, a worthy way to spend those free Friday afternoons is going to a Braves game. These guidelines will ensure that you’ll have the ultimate experience at Turner Field.

First, you should arrive about five hours prior to first pitch so that you’ll have time to savor your tailgate. Prime parking where grilling is allowed is near the YMCA on Pryor Street and it’s only an eight-minute walk from the ballpark. Grilling is also permitted in the grassy areas of the Braves Blue Lot—which have shady trees and tables as well.

A view from Sec 401L Seat 12. Photo by Wikimedia User Zpb52
A view from Sec 401L Seat 12. Photo by Wikimedia User Zpb52

Early arrival is important for tailgaters who double as avid baseball fans because batting practice begins nearly three hours before game time, according to the Braves’ website. If you’re hoping to catch a home run ball during batting practice, Kurt Smith, the author of Baseball Park E-Guides, believes the premier place to stand is left field because the majority of hitters are right-handed.

If you have minimal interest in snagging a souvenir, an alternate spot to watch from is the Chop House, a restaurant that offers a wide variety of menu items and overlooks centerfield. There, you can try some of The Ted’s ballpark food after warm-ups. Other the Chop House grub, Smith says his favorite dish is the Georgia Dog and it can be bought at any of the Top Dog Express stands.

Buying a Skyline ticket, which is for seating at the highest row, is just a dollar and can save cash. After the third inning, ushers allow fans to move seats without much trouble if there are available spots, according to Smith. The same practice can be used in the lower level to move very close to the field, but ushers operate more strictly closer to the field.

Turner Field will be demolished in 2017 and then Friday afternoon trips to a Bravos game from Emory will be an entirely different process. But for now, you can follow these words of advice and you are sure to maximize your spectator experience.

At the bottom you will find a map giving directions from Emory to the parking lot that Smith named as a great parking option near the YMCA.

 

Decatur/Druid Hills, Places to Go, Quirky Atlanta

Humans of Decatur: Why is Decatur Special?

Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s blog Human’s of New York, which photographs random New Yorkers and includes quotes alongside the photograph, I set out around Decatur to ask strangers what they thought was special about Decatur.  Check out their responses below!

“Decatur is good food, good drinks, good people” – Jeremiah, Barista at Cakes and Ale
Talia Blanchard
"I really like the diversity of the community" - Shakeem
“I really like the diversity of the community” – Shakeem, The Yogurt Tap Employee (White)
“I have had many senior customers who’ve lived in Decatur for a long time like Mayberry in the middle of a big metropolis. It’s very much a small, close-knit community feel but with all the amenities and drawls of a big city that has a lot to offer” – Owner of Vivid Boutique Michael Minga (Aqua Green)
“I love Decatur because of the community as a whole and all the locally owned businesses” – Annette
"What’s so special about Decatur is its sense of community, feels like a very small town." - Squash Blossom Employee Barbra
“What’s so special about Decatur is its sense of community, feels like a very small town.” – Squash Blossom Employee Barbra (Orange)
"Square pub is the best place to hang out after work because it’s close, people are great, and everyone from" - Liz
“Square pub is the best place to hang out after work because it’s close, people are great, and everyone from” – Liz
"My favorite thing about Decatur is HomeGrown, which is a local co-op that has local art from around Atlanta. It’s a way for smaller artists to get their art out to the world at large. We get lots of visitors from out of state and they come to this store and they get to see things that we would have never reached them before" - Cuppy, Employee at HomeGrown
“My favorite thing about Decatur is HomeGrown, which is a local co-op that has local art from around Atlanta. It’s a way for smaller artists to get their art out to the world at large. We get lots of visitors from out of state and they come to this store and they get to see things that we would have never reached them before” – Cuppy, HomeGrown Decatur Employee (Green)
“What I find special about Decatur is the different types of food” – Jordan
“What I find most exciting about Decatur is the architecture, especially the Square” – Spencer

Bored?, Downtown/Old Fourth Ward, Places to Go, Things to Do, Transportation

How to spend a day in O4W

O4W

12 p.m.

BeltLine Eastside Trail

Atlanta’s urban connector the BeltLine is still a work in progress, but it has a few elements ready for public use, and one of the most rewarding is the Eastside Trail. The trail runs from the intersection of Monroe Drive and 10th Street (at the southeast corner of Piedmont Park), all the way to Irwin and Krog Streets in Inman Park, and passes by quintessentially Atlanta sites like Freedom Parkway and the Historic Fourth Ward Park. Walk it, bike it, rollerblade it—no matter what, get out into the fresh air. In its entirety, the trail adds up to about 2.25 miles.

 

1:30 p.m.

Condesa Coffee

If you’ve gone the north-to-south route on the trail, it’s a short jaunt over to Condesa Coffee (480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave) for your mid-afternoon caffeine fix. But Condesa’s not quite your average coffee shop: The baristas are dressed to the nines. They make latte art. They serve simple but elegant plates of breakfast food and sandwiches. And there’s a full bar. It’s still all about the coffee, featuring espressos and cappuccinos and all the other “o”s, but Condesa is certainly a step up from your neighborhood Starbucks. Plus, if it’s a nice day out (which hopefully it has been, if you’ve been walking for two miles), sit outside: facing east, you can see infinite green space; facing west, you’ve got a lovely view of the Atlanta skyline.

 

3 p.m.

Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site

No visit to the O4W/Sweet Auburn area is complete without an acknowledgment of the late great Dr. King and his life’s work—after all, this neighborhood was his stomping grounds for quite some time. Less than a half mile from the coffee shop, you can explore a multitude of aspects of Dr. King’s legacy: from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached, to the “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden, which features King-centric poems by Atlanta students, to the beautifully serene reflection pool outside the tombs of Dr. King himself and his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

Learn more about the King Center here.

 

6 p.m.

Edgewood Corner Tavern

It doesn’t get much more American than this. Finish off your day at burger and beer hub The Corner Tavern, whose Edgewood location (464 Edgewood Ave) has a special every. Single. Day. Of. The. Week. On Thursdays, there’s breakfast for dinner and bar trivia. Friday is crab legs night. On Saturdays, stop in for live music. No matter what day you choose to have your O4W adventure, you can always find some excitement going down in the Corner Tavern.

Get a walk-through of the day’s spots with this map:

Bored?, Get Involved, Grant Park/Cabbagetown, Places to Go, Quirky Atlanta, Things to Do, Things to See, Uncategorized

WonderRoot: saving the world, one artist at a time

Imagine a place where creativity goes to flourish. Where artistic and creative types convene to develop their work. Where artists are empowered to engage their community through the arts.

A place where art is thought of as a tool for social change.

urbex_wonderroot
Photo Credit – Creative Loafing Atlanta

This place is WonderRoot (http://www.wonderroot.org), a nonprofit organization with the mission is to “unite artists and community to inspire positive social change.” The organization, which was founded in 2004, has many facets. There is the Arts Center, which is located at 982 Memorial Dr. SE and houses a community garden, community library, performance venue, darkroom, ceramics, screenprinting and recording studios, digital media lab and a gallery. WonderRoot provides access to computers (loaded with software) and wireless Internet. Members of WonderRoot pay either $10 a month, or $60 for the year and get access to all that the organization has to offer.

Past events at the organization have included:

  1. Power2Give: Loose Change Magazine – Building Community Through the Written Word – WonderRoot’s literary magazine, Loose Change, is eligible for a grant through the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. According to the WonderRoot website, the $10,000 grant will support Loose Change to “publish a second print issue, conduct three additional writing competitions, launch the inaugural writer in residence program and host a series of community literary events throughout 2013.” http://www.power2give.org/atlanta/Project/Detail?projectId=2271
  2. Between Passages – A showcase of color photographs by Nicole Akstein, from her time living in rural northeast India, where she taught art and photography classes to elementary students in the Dhampur Sugar Mills in Dhampus, Uttar Pradesh.  Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. through Fri. March 15.
  3. Music Show — $5 show on March 13 at 9 p.m. featuring Lux Noise, D. Charles Speer and the Helix, Jason Howell and Jesse Nighswonger. Join the Facebook Event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/714944665203199/.