Atlanta Girls Trip!

Oct 26

We left Statesboro, GA with bright eyes and bushy tails; excited to go out on the town and explore the vibes Atlanta, GA had to offer. Our long nights prior and exhaustion from school couldn’t take away from our motivation to get away from Georgia Southern, yet. I for one, was beyond anxious to explore because I hadn’t been to Atlanta since I was in the 8th grade; Tyler Perry Studios was still Fort McPherson and my dad was stationed there.

For a trip that took about 3 hours to complete, it seemed like we got there in no time; maybe because we talked, laughed, and vented to each other the entire ride. We lodged at the Hampton Inn in Buckhead. It was perfectly located and just the right price for the 3 of us. We were able to check-in early and the adventure began in “Uh-lan-uh”.

Day #1

We ate at Louisiana Bistreaux for a quick lunch before we started our shopping sprees. It was right next door to the hotel, super convenient! I had their Jambalaya and their red sangria. One of my friends had shrimp and grits and the other had pork chop; all GREAT choices! We had no complaints!

On our shopping spree, we visited Lenox Mall and Perimeter Mall. We found some good bargains and I was happy to see that folks were still out enjoying shopping, all while working hard to “slow the spread” of COVID. We had just a slight interuption that made us laugh, after it was over.

After dinner at Maggianos, we SO bad wanted to go out! Two of us (including me LOL!) were tired from the week and we ended up knocking out soon after we got back to the hotel!

Day #2

The morning of day 2 was already planned weeks ahead of our trip, we knew we were heading to brunch no matter what! One of my girlfriends is quite familiar with the different brunch spots in Atlanta and first on our list was Real Milk & Honey in College Park.

Our wait was long to be seated, but let me tell you, folks were waiting! I’m glad we waited because the food was outstanding! After a few mimosas and shrimp and grits, I was so grateful we didn’t become super “hangry” during the wait and head to Waffle House instead!

After brunch, we stopped to see one of the many street murals in town. Seeing this paint of John Lewis ignited me, even more, with the drive to continue being a badass (Sorry, Grandma; there’s no other way to put it).

We eventually made our way to Atlantic Station. It was a cool spot for shopping and outdoor activities. In addition to some common department stores like Forever 21 and H&M, there were a few small businesses set up outside selling their merchandise ranging from jewelry to candles to handmade soaps. It was such a vibe!

After a power nap, we were ready to hit the streets! Hitting the streets consisted of trying to find a place to land and hangout. We ended up at Twin Peaks.

Day #3 (sad face)

Is it just me or I am the only one that gets sad when it’s time to go home!?

We started the morning off packing our things. It’s funny because we all were feeling some type of way about leaving. After checking out early that morning, we headed to our 2nd brunch restaurant, Thumbs Up Diner. And guess what, I shamelessly had Shrimp and Grits AGAIN; It was delicious!

There happened to be an art festival happening in the rear parking lot of the diner. We decided to take a look; I think experiencing that was one of the top highlights of the trip! There was handmade jewelry, paintings, plants, vintage clothing, handmade soaps, and much much more! Besides all the crafts and art there, it was the vibes for me! Almost every other booth had either a sign or some creation that had Black Lives Matter; if it wasn’t Black Lives Matter, it was promoting the equality of the LGBTQIA community. There was so much freedom and unitedness. It made me feel so relaxed and safe that I didn’t want to leave.

After 2 rounds throughout the festival, we went on to Ponce City Market. It was a neat location that had a lot of stores that I hadn’t heard of before, I think that may have been the best part of it it wasn’t familiar. Ponce City Market is an old structure that has been “reinvented” into a place for recreation, office spaces, shops, and PLENTY of food! There was an entire hall with restaurants catering to different corners of the world. After devouring our burgers from H&F Burger, we hit the road home.