PlanetEye

Braves baseball is huge in Atlanta. If you visit, it might be a fun for you to see how southerners partake in the national pastime. It's not a yelling screaming event like a Yankees Game, and it's not an event that only serious fans get nab seats to like the Red Sox's, a braves games walks a fine line between being a social function and a pure sports game.

Located just south of downtown, Turner Field (named for local media giant Ted Turner) is very easy to get to and get out after the game. There's plenty of official parking lots if you happen to have a car, and plenty of gypsy lots that I don't recommend that you use-just in case the person encouraging you to park in the lot isn't actually the one who manages or owns the space. For those of you who like taking public transportation you can take MARTA to the Five Points Station, walk up the stairs and look for the signs indicating Braves Shuttle-buses will pull up to the stadium on the half hour before and after the game.

As for the game itself, tickets are easy to come by day of minus only the few biggest games of the year. On Tuesday nights, there is a 2 for 1 deal in the outfield which I particularly like and on Friday's they set the town in lights with a great fireworks show.

Back to the social function I spoke of earlier, if baseball means, beer and hot dogs for you and less of keeping track of stats and who's up to bat -you and your friends should buy the cheapest seat you can, then head to the Budweiser pavilion just above the relief pitchers in the outfield. A standing room only bar, with plenty of good looking southerners and lots and lots of beer.

Go to Atlantabraves.com to get the home schedule and events list.

I wanted to tell you about a great night to avoid defrosting chicken breasts for dinner and putting away the delivery pizza menu's for your company's lunch. The night, Dining Out for Life. It works like this, go out to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, on the day of April 23rd and 20% of your bill will be donated to support the charity Open Hand. Open Hand provides nutritional meals for those who are unable to prepare their own.

There are some great restaurants signed on, Rathbun's (Esquire voted Kevin Rathbun's steak one of the best of 2007), Shaun's (See my earlier review), Wahoo! (Fresh Seafood), and the Carroll Street Café (One of my favorite place in Atlanta for a date), go online to see the full listing.

If your going to eat out, why not make it a good cause.

http://www.diningoutforoh.org/home.html

I pulled the following from Food & Wine Magazine. I'm glad to see that Atlanta is getting some mentions as far as the national food scence goes. Keep in mind that Craft is yet to open. Spice Market on the other hand is now open, in fact I personally know that the famous JG himself flew in yesterday morning...checked into the brand spanking new W hotel and promptly came back down with his chef whites on (though I doubt at his level of sucess he did less cooking and more directing). 

Make sure to give Spice Market a try and let me know what you think.

ATLANTA
Craft Tom Colicchio built his ever-expanding empire on dishes that revel in regional ingredients; Atlanta gets its first taste this spring at Rosewood Hotels & Resorts' new Mansion on Peachtree. 3376 Peachtree Rd. NE; 404-995-7500.

Spice Market (Atlanta and Istanbul) Star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will spread his passion for Asian street food with Spice Market, opening in Starwood hotels throughout the world. The first opens in February 2008 in a techno-glam space at the new W Atlanta. In March, a Spice Market will debut at the W Istanbul. Menu items like mushroom spring rolls and panko-and-sesame-coated crab balls mirror signature dishes from the original New York City restaurant. W Atlanta, 188 14th St. NE; 404-892-6000. W Istanbul, Suleyman Seba Cad 19; 011-90-212-327-9116 or starwoodhotels.com.

There are famous festival cities around the globe where world travelers get the feeling of being immersed in local culture. It’s been my experience that these type festivals are a bit harder to uncover in the lower forty-eight. When you visit Atlanta you’ll inevitably run into a similar predicament-where are the festivals?
In order to circumvent this, I’ll do my best to keep you updated with Atlanta’s social gatherings and festivals as soon I hear about them.

Here’s what I know so far:

Inman Park Festival-April 25-26 (The granddaddy of all in town festivals, local art, great music, food that not your typical street fair and a parade on Sunday afternoon that will be unlike anything you’ve seen in the states before)

News Update-
In an earlier post I told you that the Midtown Atlanta W hotel would be opening this week. It’s not. The hotel has pushed back it’s opening date for another week or two, though I hear it’s book for the whole month of April already. Seems like the marketing for Starwood has paid off well because Atlanta is going to be the W’s new hotspot with 4 hotels in the city to be opened within the year.

Celebrating it’s fourth year as Atlanta’s premier venue for finding locally grown items-Piedmont Park’s green market is in full bloom each Saturday May-October from 9 A.M till 1:00 P.M.

Found at the intersection of twelfth and the Piedmont Ave. park entrance there is no shortage of vibrant food purveyors nestled underneath the shady hardwoods of the park. Vendors sell everything from spring onions to hormone free breakfast sausage, craft artisans hawk jewelry or recycled clothing and purses, and lots of fresh herb and flowers stands for you to take home to your own gardens.

Check out some of Atlanta’s most popular chefs teaching others their favorite dishes at the free Chef Demos twice each Saturday. Or lose yourself to the sounds of the live bands that rotate each week. (Schedules for Chef Demos and Music can be found at piedmontpark.org)

There’s something for everyone at the Market from young hipsters filling their cloth totes with succulent organic strawberries to Midtown mommies enjoying quality time with the kids as they partake in Saturday Safari (an environmental education theme activity session).

Tip- Parking can be tough at times. If all else fails try the side streets off Piedmont

I’m not sure if it’s a secret really, but I would venture to say that if you were walking by you wouldn’t say to yourself ‘wow-that place looks like fun’. The place is the Highland Inn’s subterranean ballroom. Down a stone staircase adjacent to the Inn’s main entrance there is a new scene popping up in an old space.

A small entrance, a even smaller bar area with a few tables that have chess boards on them, and a very, large drab room lay the groundwork for a good time.

My first time in the ballroom, I could almost envision 1960’s wedding receptions with guest doing there best versions of the electric slide.  That vision wasn’t too much of a departure from Saturday night’s hipster, 60’s night party we attended. Mohair blazers, ascots, polyester mini-skirts and knee high boots were abound as the crowd of hip Atlantan’s brought out there best thrift store wears.

I hear that Thursday late night DJ act is a good scene, as the night with the Syrens of the South Burlesque troop.

Check out the website for up-to-date information on who’s playing on the night you stop in. I figure the worst case scenario would be that you drop in on a high school prom-and maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing that happened to you.

http://www.thehighlandinn.com/ballroomlounge/ballroomloungeevents.html