ok...Atlanta in January

So, work has bestowed the blessing of a week of training in Atlanta upon me. Jan 15 - 20th I'll be down there.

Anything fairly low-budget worth doing? I'll be relying on public transit for anything and be staying near Lenox Square

We really don't do January very well..most stuff around here is Spring through Fall. Here's a list of some low budget stuff..

http://www.atlanta.net/visitors/seedo/freeAtlanta.html

Lenox. Ugggghhhh. Buy a gun and pick a fight. Or come up my way. We can have coctails and go HD parking lot hoonin'

My training in Atlanta early this year involved a blizzard, ice storm, blackouts & the entire city screeching to a halt. I would not suggest that. :(

Life is what you make it.

Lunch at The Varsity. Make sure you get an F.O.

The Varsity is like, really far & stuff. Fado pub is close though. If you get stuck in "ICE JAM 2012," it'd be a pretty rad place to hunker down.

It's been awhile since I've lived there, but there was a really great place called Dantes Down the Hatch. It's fondu at your table and jazz 6 nights a week, pretty cool place from what I remember. I think there was one downtown and one up on Peachtree Rd.

Fondu place sounds kinda cool.. definitely will check out the bars

Ice, Snow in Atlanta? puh-leazzzz what's that 1/16" ?

In reply to Grtechguy:

1/16" will get the job done in Atlanta but we had a lot more than that earlier this year. It also hung around for the better part of a week.

That's 1/16" of ICE and we don't have snow or studded ice tires for a reason. We just don't need them. Pisses me off to hear a Yankee bitch about how they can drive in snow but Atlantans can't. Um, two things. First that's ice , not snow. It melts slightly and refreezes. Second, most people you meet down here are from somewhere else. Most likely the north east. They aren't Antlantans. They are the ones you say can't drivein the snow, that does include your self. And NO I'm not from Atlanta either. But I've been here 30 years. Rant over.

Dante's is still there and Dante is a car guy. He sponsored a Corvair team at the Mitty this year.

The botanical gardens are cool if the weather is decent.

Ferbank Science centre is cool with changing exhibits. They are doing Darwin right now. It's also free.

Lenox mall is a great place to people watch. Like wrist watches? Tourneau has a store there. Just don't buy anything as they are over priced.

I work just down the street. Drop me a line and well go to lunch. Unfortunately there are no inexpensive decent places to eat here. You will be near the rail line. It is fairly safe. MARTA cops are better trained and armed than the Atlanta cops.

We used to go Dantes back in the early 70s when I was in college. They didn't card you.

@Porksboy I just like to yank a few chains here and there. Most people who live in the cities around here can't drive in the snow and ice either

I might take you up on the lunch if my schedule allows it.

January is a bit dismal in Atlanta as there's not much special going on during the winter months, especially after the holidays. In other words, I hope you like eating & drinking, 'cause there isn't much else to do. That said, Dante's can be fun and there are plenty of half-way interesting restaurants around Buckhead (where you'll be) if you don't mind paying the prices. Cafe Tu Tu Tango comes to mind if you like weird tapas. It's not really high-dollar either.

For something a little less-expensive and fairly close I'd suggest Canyon Burger about a mile up the road from Lenox. The decor isn't anything special, but the burgers are excellent with a ton of topping choices and the prices are very reasonable. Whoever owns it is into mountain biking, so if you're into that as well you'll be entertained by the videos at least.

Not sure about public transport access, but Fat Matt's Rib Shack also has live blues pretty much every night and perhaps some of the best barbecue in the city. Personally, I suggest the ribs. It's fairly close to Buckhead if there isn't a Marta bus stop near there. Also, it's right down the road (quarter mile?) from Smith's Olde Bar, which holds concerts upstairs regularly, has plenty of pool tables, and plenty of bars with plenty of booze.

If you have the time to meet up, PM some of us Atlanta GRMers or just post in this thread and I'm sure some of us will come out of the woodwork, myself included.

Go to the aquarium, it is fantastic.

I go there every time I am in Atlanta, and never get tired of it.

Yankees are allowed to brag that they can drive in snow and southerners can't because it's the truth

Unfortunately, there ain't much that's cheap around Lenox. Fado gets a vote, though, and it's not bad on price. If you like art, the High Museum is just south on Peachtree rd and admission isn't too bad, less if you have a student ID of some kind. You could spend a whole day there with no problem. They did a great car exhibit a couple years ago and still have some knick knacks in the gift shop from it, postcards and such.

No trip to the Atlanta area is complete without a trip to the Clermont Lounge / Hotel.

And there is always Helen GA which is sort of Alpine village meets NASCAR!

I think that's the funniest description of Helen, ever.

Oh yeah, and the Aquarium, duh. The High Museum is also one of my favorite places in the ATL, so I fail at mentioning that one as well. I just ASSume I'm one of the few artsy-fartsies on this board.

I'm not even going to touch the Clermont Lounge suggestion without rubber gloves.

For winter karting fun, there's also Andretti Speedlab - but it's also not public transport friendly as far as I know (way north of Buckhead).

Not that I've ever been there, but the Cheetah III was AWESOME in he mid -80s.

Also, go to the Vortex to eat.

Brett_Murphy wrote: Also, go to the Vortex to eat.

This plus 11ty billion

Come to my house - i'll ply you with beer if you help spin some wrenches!

FOX302 wrote: It's been awhile since I've lived there, but there was a really great place called Dantes Down the Hatch. It's fondu at your table and jazz 6 nights a week, pretty cool place from what I remember. I think there was one downtown and one up on Peachtree Rd.

Dante's is seriously the coolest restaurant in the country. We went there for our anniversary one year, and the owner sat down and talked F1 with us for a few minutes.

Plus...these cars are all sponsored by Dantes...

BTW, that's at the Mitty.

Joe Gearin wrote: No trip to the Atlanta area is complete without a trip to the Clermont Lounge / Hotel. And there is always Helen GA which is sort of Alpine village meets NASCAR!

I went by a few weeks ago after a show and they were closed. I think like "for real" closed.