So, here we are, installment number 3...our last day in Atlanta. And it turned out to be the perfect ending to a perfect trip. I forget exactly who told us to book an evening flight on our final day...but I'd like to thank them right here for the good advice. After a couple chilly days the weather turned and we had a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The day's agenda called for relaxation and exploration and we had two fabulous guides to show us some Atlanta sweet spots. Rosalyn Sue and Heidi first brought us to the Virginia-Highland neighborhood...which is chock full of great shops and gorgeous homes.
We first took a stop in Paper Source, where there is always great stuff to look at. And then we strolled down to a shop called Urban Cottage, which is where I snapped the above and below pics.
Again, me and Aaron were probably most interested in pieces of furniture...which might be our built in wallet saving mechanism...since we couldn't possibly bring dressers with us on the plane.
But Urban Cottage was full of great stuff. Candles are always a fave.
And I loved all of these signs (see below). There were tons of them all over the shop. All in great colors with classic white lettering.
And when I asked the proprietress Gail for a business card we chatted a bit...and wouldn't ya know it...it turns out that she spent her college years up here in Jersey. The world never fails to show you just how small it is.
Loved her shop! Not only great decor...but tons of clothes!
I snapped pics in some other shops nearby but there's no way I could fit all those shots in this post. You're gonna have to trust me that all the shops live up to the neighborhood's great reputation.
At one point we were headed to the car in order to hit up some shops that weren't within walking distance when all of the sudden Aaron spotted a sign that said BOOKS. He never passes up an opportunity to explore a new bookshop.
So we crossed the road and upon entering we discovered that even though this shop had plenty of books...you'd never ever call it a bookshop.
Nope...this shop turned out to be maybe the greatest monument ever to the art of woodworking. Hence the name...Highland Woodworking.
Such a gorgeous shop full of the highest quality handmade tools and manly accoutrement.
My brother Walt woulda loved the place despite the fact that he's really a greasemonkey type. This shop is so utterly persuasive in it's attention to detail that I think it would convert any manly man into a woodworker extraordinaire.
Ok, then our travels took us to this giant, amazing place called Paris on Ponce. It's a hybrid antique center...meaning it's set up like an antique center, with booths belonging to different dealers, but in addition to a ton of great vintage stuff you'll find booths full of new clothing, candles, handmade furniture, artwork, etc...
I guess the one common thread that carries through is the quality of stuff. Every booth was awesome.
Aaron found his fave, seen above and below. It had some great masculine candles and shaving and travel kits.
He spent a bunch of time trying on hoodies.
I'm a total sucker for little medicine cabinet type things...especially stripped down metal pieces with mirrors, like the above gem.
Absolutely loved these enameled silverware sets.
Seriously, every booth was perfectly curated. This was another one up Aar's alley...vintage hats and typewriters...say no more.
Love this United Nations collector's piece.
And an antiquing trip isn't complete without some creepy dollheads!
Hard to believe this was all in the same building.
This was another great booth...mostly filled with oddities.
Plenty of gussied up taxidermy.
And yes...those are Kung Fu squirrels. Years ago when we travelled to Toronto we saw tons of black squirrels. I guess Atlanta is home to the elusive Kung Fu squirrel.
And then, as if Paris on Ponce wasn't over-the-top enough...all of the sudden we turned a corner, went through some double doors, and we were smack dab in the middle of this crazy bordello/Moulin Rouge themed banquet hall! If only I were a bit taller the above pic might've turned out better...ha!
The name of the banquet place is Le Maison Rouge (check out the site for pics) and every inch of it looks even more outrageous than the above pic. I'd have snapped more shots but it was pretty dark in there. As we were doing our walk through we saw a couple planning to have their wedding here.
Here's a shot of the outside of Paris on Ponce.
Rosalyn then took us to lunch...which is like Wow awesome of her. As if she wasn't the hostess with the mostest already!
She took us to one of her favorite local places...Seed. It's a chef driven menu...lot's of farm to table options...and straight up Amazing! Aar got the fresh catch of the day with roasted cauliflower and caramelized brussels sprouts. And I got butternut squash ravioli with a sage butter sauce and roasted pumpkin seeds. Mine was deeelish and Aaron says his was too. But I can't directly vouch for that...because before I could even think about maybe sampling some of his...his plate was utterly and unforgivably clean! I guess he was hungry.
Rosalyn and Heidi have both been to Seed many times before and the staff knew them on sight. I love when people share their favorite places with you...and it turns out that their favorite place RULES. I'm a worrier when it comes to flying...well, I always think something is gonna hold us up and we'll miss the plane and end up stranded in some airport for 24 hours. So we headed to the Atlanta airport fairly early for our evening flight. Right after lunch we departed...but before saying goodbye, Heidi snapped this pic of us. Rosalyn Sue and I snapped one too, but I wasn't able to grab that shot from her.
It looks like Aaron is seriously concentrating right here, but I believe I snapped this while he was devouring his lunch...an in-between-forkload shot.
It was a weekend full of special moments. So much fun and friendship. One thing we weren't looking forward to was the plane home. Again, we had one of those tiny planes. And we didn't know if the tiny plane would feel even scarier at nighttime. Well, turns out...that under cover of darkness it felt a bit less claustrophobic. Aaron was actually relaxed enough to do some writing, and I had downloaded some silly games to play. It was a fast flight...but No John Denver this time. Instead, our flight attendant gal had spot-on Amy Winehouse eye make up. I wonder if she'll played her in the Lifetime movie?? ha! I forgot to ask.
Ok, thanks so much again for reading along with our Atlanta adventures. I actually have some other Atlanta stuff to share...which I will this weekend. I want to show you guys some of the stuff we came home with...especially the amazing gifts we received from our dear friends...wayyyy too generous and sweet. We were spoiled with their kindness!
Guess what though?...we're still not completely unpacked yet! I gotta get on that.
For now, we're getting back into the swing of things...we actually finalized some details of the classes we'll be teaching this spring. Can't wait to get out there on the road! And we're also setting up dates for book signings and all that good stuff. Yep...the book hits shelves November 12th! Wow!
See you back here real soon!
xo, Jenny & Aaron
