Buckhead, Atlanta

I just read an article in the New York Times travel section (albeit a year old) about Buckhead, which is just north of Atlanta’s central downtown area—or we say “uptown” since it tends to be classier, more upscale, and a lot more expensive. According to the NYTimes article, it’s “one the of the nation’s wealthiest communities…the Beverly Hills of the South.” Now I don’t know if I’d go THAT far, but it certainly is a very nice area, with beautiful malls, great restaurants and bars (yes, I’ve created for myself a bit of a social life), museums, and stunning houses and hotels.

Here are some places in the Buckhead area that are worth checking out:

• Atlanta History Center – has the world’s largest Civil War collection
• Lenox Square Mall
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Atlanta High Museum
• Photography Center of Atlanta
• Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
• Cathedral of St. Phillip
• Swan House

Malls in the Atlanta area

I usually get all my back to school shopping done with well before school actually starts. And I THOUGHT I had done so this year as well, but apparently, as the kids tell me, especially my oldest, I did it all wrong. School supplies are a bit off, shoes are “so last year” and clothes are just “off”. I was getting bored of the mall near our house, so did a little research to compile a list of all the malls in the area (as far as Macon and Augusta). So if you still need to do some back to school shopping, almost one month into the action already, you can check some of these out:

• Macon Mall – Macon, Georgia
• Peach Outlet Shops – Byron, Georgia
• Southlake Mall – Morrow, Georgia
• The Mall at Stonecrest – Lithonia, Georgia
• Lenox Square Mall – Atlanta, Georgia
• Cumberland Mall – Atlanta, Georgia
• Perimeter Mall – Atlanta, Georgia
• Gwinnet Place Mall – Duluth, Georgia
• Discover Mils Outlet Mall – Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Mall of Georgia – Buford, Georgia
• North Point Mall – Alpharetta, Georgia
• Town Center At Cobb – Kennesaw, Georgia
• Augusta Mall – Augusta, Georgia
• Arobr Place – Douglasville, Georgia

Those are what I came up with, but feel free to add to the list! Happy shopping! (And wish me luck this time…)

Atlanta is fun!

Just a quick update on our going abouts in our new hometown. We’re really starting to love Atlanta. The Hammond family has been busy and the kids have each found new activities, new friends, and new places in Atlanta that they love. (Do I smell success??)

Our most recent trip was to Coca Cola World and I don’t believe that we’ve been here already for a few months and that wasn’t the first thing we did. I am not a coke drinker and rarely allow it into the house, however, this was a special treat and it really blew us away. The exhibits are fascinating and the kids came out of there on suuuuuch a sugar high…wow! But it was fun—worth the calories!

I’m a big Jim Henson fan and I literally had tears in my eyes at the Henson exhibits at the Center for Puppetry Arts. What a magical place! The kids loved it too, though thought it was strange that I was getting all dopey on them with nostalgia.

I don’t think that SciTrek, the Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta, was created for kids specifically, but it is definitely a great place to bring kids of all ages. Each of my kids (12, 9, and 4) found something that interested them. Alex was great and took Justin around with her for a little bit so I could spend some extra time with Julia (the 9) who’s going through a surprising science phase. All in all, another great day.

My special treat—I went out with some new work friends to the Atlanta Brewing Company for a free tour and tasting. It had been a long time since I’d “been out” so there was a hint of awkwardness—but nothing that a beer or two couldn’t cure!

So things are good. Now we’re all just looking forward to our family trip to San Francisco. The kids have a few weeks of camp and then we’re off!

Flashback to my Dolly Parton days…

I was never SO into Dolly, but a few years back I went through a little Dolly phase that brought me around Tennessee to all the famous Dolly hotspots.

So first on the list is Dollywood, one of the cheesiest and happiest places on earth. I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about Dollywood so much lately. I think it’s because part of my wanted to spend part of my precious time in Tennessee (during recent visit) at Dollywood, but I didn’t give in to myself, and now I sort of regret it. I’ve been to the National Gospel Convention there every year for the past few years, and will be sad to miss it this time ‘round. And we’re going to miss KidsFest this year, which bums me out (much more than it bothers my kids). And the kids loved Dolly’s Splash Country.

I was never a tourist in Nashville, but whenever we had friends coming for a visit or passing through, we always sent them (and sometimes accompanied them) on one of Nashville’s music history tours that took visitors to the estates of Dolly Parton, Kix Brooks, and others.

Atlanta’s got great shopping (better than Nashville’s as a whole) but I do miss Broadway Avenue which I grew up with as the best “big city” shopping in the area. I used to love going into old record stores and browsing through piles and piles of old music. And if you go to Manuel Exclusive Clothier, they make a big deal about being responsible for dressing Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, so that’s fun.

Nashville’s public transportation system is called the Music City Star—I’ve even feeling nostalgic for that, and barely ever rode it!

Dolly Parton was born in Sevierville, Tennessee (near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is a beautiful place to visit, if you’ve never been) and at an early age was making TV appearances and performing at the Grand Ole Opry. In Tennessee, that’s a huge accomplishment for a child. In Dollywood there’s a replica of the house where Dolly and her 10 brothers and sisters lived, it’s tiny and inspiring, how someone who grew up with so little of what we now consider necessities made it so big in the world and now provides so much for others who grew up like she did.

Dolly is not just a sex icon and a country singer, though. I’m most impressed with her Imagination Library project which sends one book a week to children from the time they are born until Kindergarten.

My heart breaks when I hear the song Just Because I’m a Woman, one of Dolly’s first hits and one of my favorite songs to listen to when I’m feeling down. Here are the lyrics (from http://www.dollyon-line.com/); I’m sure every woman can relate:

I can see you’re disappointed
By the way you look at me
And I’m sorry that I’m not
The woman you thought I’d be

Yes, I’ve made my mistakes
But listen and understand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

So when you look at me
Don’t feel sorry for yourself
Just think of all the shame
You might have brought somebody else

Just let me tell you this
Then we’ll both know where we stand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

Now a man will take a good girl
And he’ll ruin her reputation
But when he wants to marry
Well, that’s a different situation

He’ll just walk off and leave her
To do the best she can
While he looks for an angel
To wear his wedding band

Now I know that I’m no angel
If that’s what you thought you’d found
I was just the victum of
A man that let me down

Yes, I’ve made my mistakes
But listen and understand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

No, my mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

So just a little reminiscing…we all need that sometimes. By the way, I came across a fun blog post that has great pictures of Dolly’s model house in Dollywood and some fun facts about Dolly Parton. Julia (the author of the blog, a self proclaimed real-estate junkie) also gives a list of other famous houses, in fact that’s the theme of her blog—fun!

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Related Travel Guide Topics:

• Theme Parks in Ashville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Mountains
• Nature and Wildlife in Ashville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Mountains
• Places to Visit in Ashville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Mountains
• Fun facts about Ashville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Mountains
• Fun Things to Do in Ashville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Mountains

Ambivalent in Atlanta…?

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Time is really flying, which I guess is good—no hurdles slowing down time is always appreciated. We’ve already been to Antioch and back, which was both fun and relaxing, but also difficult—Alex cried so hard when she had to say goodbye to her friends again, and it just broke my heart. But kids are so resilient, aren’t they? Only one week back and already she’s involved in intense middle school drama with an entirely different group of kids.

So the kids hung out with friends and I got some free time to meet up with some of my girlfriends at Hickory Hollow Mall and even spent an afternoon BY MYSELF at Cheekwood (a mansion/museum in the area), where even I got a little emotional (or a lot). My parents took us all to a High Kings concert at the Ryman Auditorium & Museum, in Nashville, which was great, and Justin fell asleep in the isle like he always does.

I’m getting a little sad now as I write this – maybe taking this job in Atlanta wasn’t the best idea. I’m starting to regret the fact that my kids aren’t going to grow up with their grandparents down the street from their house like I was able to do. I really felt like I needed to go, though. The job promotion was a big part of it, but also, everywhere I looked I saw a past that I could not escape from. I was born, raised, educated, married, mothered, and divorced all within a 50 mile radius of Antioch, Tennessee. And I just started to feel…trapped.

A few days ago I took Alexandra to the High Museum of Art, and just – Wow – even compared to Cheekwood which I love so dearly, this place…it’s incomparable, really. And that’s how I feel every time I get in the car and drive to work or to the kids’ schools, or to the mall – and it’s a great feeling. And I’ve been reading a lot about the rich history of the area and geography (can’t wait to go to the Golden Isles).

And these are reasons why we moved here. I guess it’s normal to go back and forth for a while.

Adjusting in Atlanta

We’re been in Atlanta now for a few months, and thank God, everyone is adjusting quite well. I think it’s hardest for Alexandra. Being 12 and in middle school is hard enough, but having also to make new friends and try and “fit in” just makes it harder. But she’s such a sport. I always make an effort to spend one-on-one time with each of my kids once a week. Usually when the other two are at an after school activity, the third one and I will go to Southlake Mall, go get ice cream, see a movie, or just hang out at home—I’ve become a mastermind at planning schedules so that this can work out each week.

Anyways, Alexandra and I have really been talking a lot. Sometimes I want to cry (and sometimes I do) when it hits me how mature she’s getting. The other day we were at The Mall at Stonecrest, and she asked if we could check out some makeup—she got a little sheepish about it and it was so sweet. We picked out a lipstick together (something VERY CLOSE to lip color) and then got manicures together.

I’m actually really excited about their spring break coming up. We’ll be going back to Antioch (or nearby) to visit friends and family. I’m trying hard not to say “back home” because I want the kids to accept Atlanta as our new home. But I really do feel that way, that Tennessee is home. Besides seeing their friends and grandparents (my parents!) I know all three of them will love going to Hickory Hollow Mall, The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park and the Tennessee Aquarium. I’m just worried about leaving…I hope it’s not too soon to go back for a visit….

Hello, Atlanta!

My job recently relocated me to Atlanta in the middle of the year and with three kids in elementary and middle school, the move was not easy. I made every effort to make the move smooth and fun for them, so I bought every guidebook there was on the state of Georgia and told them they were welcome to plan some trips. Every Sunday for the first couple of month of our move, I took the kids to the places of their choice. At the end of every daytrip, the kids and I rated the location on a scale of one to ten. I decided to write up all of our nines and tens so other people can reap the benefits of our organized ranking system!

First and foremost was the Georgia Aquarium. We moved from a small town in Tennessee where the local aquarium was a few fish tanks set up in a fourth grade classroom. The Georgia Aquarium blew us out of the water! That was a definite ten on our chart. Also up there was the Zoo Atlanta. We’d been on a family trip to the St. Louis Zoo before, so we knew great zoos—and now we had one in our very own city! The kids were thrilled about that. Also a raving ten was Stone Mountain Park, where we all piled into a glass-bottom boat and saw all the underwater life of some of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. We happened to be there during annual Indian Pow Wow, so the kids got a historical and cultural look at the area as well. Not too far out of Atlanta is the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The kids loved playing in the Chattahoochee River (and they loved trying to pronounce its name too!). We rented a canoe and saw the beautiful wildflowers as we paddled down stream. We packed our day with fun. Went hiking, had a picnic, and even went horseback riding—it was Justin’s first time and he did great!

Those were the tens. The nines really just include some malls that grabbed our attention as malls we’d like to return to. For us, going to the mall means spending an afternoon shopping, eating, playing at an arcade, eating some more, going to a movie, and taking advantage of other perks that the mall may have. Malls that fit our criteria included Mall of Georgia, Perimeter Mall, Gwinnett Place, Cumberland Mall, and Lenox Square Mall. The Mall of Georgia is number one mall, complete with a skatepark and a simulated NASCAR racing center—you can imagine how that went over with the kids! I personally vote for Cumberland Mall because of the Costco!

Lately the kids have been saying that Atlanta is not so bad after all…phew!