Atlanta with my favourite person

October 18, 2025October 18, 2025 / Greg / Leave a comment

My second trip to Atlanta was, for me, a mostly work trip. Luckily, my wife was able to join me on this visit and we squeezed a few experiences around my conference activities. While I was off doing conference things, she visited the aquarium and the zoo, and was nice enough to indulge me on our first (and only) free day in the city touring some craft breweries. I made sure to pre-scout these so they had ample gluten free offerings for her. We had a grand time touring a few neighbourhoods we wouldn’t have otherwise visited. There was lots of laughter, some great Mexican food (the barbacoa tacos at Wild Heaven were tremendous!), a lot of tasty patio beers, and a few games of Yahtzee to get our trip kicked off well.

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Atlanta’s downtown art

September 11, 2017September 9, 2017 / Greg / Leave a comment

With a downtown hotel, limited time and a number of the sights I wanted to see all nearby, I didn’t get the chance to see a great deal of Atlanta. With what free time I had, I dedicated that to getting to a Braves game and to checking out three museums and tours that peaked my interest. Traveling to and from those things and a couple of restaurants and craft beer bars, I stumbled across some interesting public art over my four days in the city. One of my favourites ended up being a design by fellow Canadian, Jeff Santos of Coquitlam BC. This children’s playground was built in the shape of “ATL”, the airport code and general shorthand reference for the city. I found it visually striking and a nice touch to a public park in the centre of the city.

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Where was Anderson Cooper?

September 6, 2017September 6, 2017 / Greg / 1 Comment

CNN. Coca-Cola. The College Football Hall of Fame. Intellectually, those don’t really have anything in common. But in downtown Atlanta, within about eight city blocks, you can tour each of these institutions. With my free time in Atlanta in short supply, I wasn’t sure I’d get to all three, so I started with the one I most wanted to see first.

This is CNN.

As someone whose hair started going grey a decade or two earlier that normal, I was mostly hoping this tour would give me the chance to bump into Anderson Cooper for some hair care tips. Alas, he and I did not have the opportunity to regale each other with stories of our distinguished, yet boyishly good looks. I did get to meet Headline News host Mike Galanos and chat with him from the sidelines while his co-host Robin Meade was live on air. It was really interesting to see the polish and performance of the hosts as they were broadcasting live. I’m not sure my demo tape would allow me to make the cut, even though I think I’d be a welcome addition to CNN’s weather reporting.

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Southern food and beer

September 1, 2017August 31, 2017 / Greg / 1 Comment

Southern hospitality is a real thing. When I was in Atlanta, you could feel it in a few distinct ways. First, I was consistently referred to as “hon” or “love” in a way that reminded me of Atlantic Canadian grandmothers. Secondly, everyone I talked to was genuinely interested in having a conversation, and when they learned I was visiting, they were generous with tips on how to best enjoy Atlanta. And lastly, and luckily for someone who is a food and beer lover, the hospitality came shining through every time I sat down for a meal or for a beverage.

My introduction to southern hospitality and food started shortly after arriving in Atlanta from Saskatoon. I was starving, and through a bit of good fortune, I found Max Lager’s, a great gastropub, around the corner from my hotel. My server’s recommendation of the fried chicken was a winner – set on top of mashed potatoes, drizzled with honey and served with some tangy greens, it was a great first taste of Atlanta and was enough food for two. Or one hungry travel-weary Canadian.

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Baseball, Bartolo and the Braves

August 15, 2017August 10, 2017 / Greg / 1 Comment

A summer afternoon at a ballpark, beer in hand, nerding out watching a ballgame is pretty much perfection for me. I was heading to Atlanta for a conference, and by adding a couple of days onto the front of the trip, I got myself to a game in the brand new stadium in Atlanta. SunTrust park had only seen 11 previous games to start the season so many fans were seeing their first game here. It created a great pre-game and in-stadium buzz. Even a couple of hours before first pitch, there were lots of folks hanging out around the stadium.

Although there was plenty to do, see, eat and drink outside the park, shortly after the gates opened, I took up a spot in the centre field seats to watch the end of batting practice on what was a perfect afternoon for baseball.