Not Far Now!

Paul and I wanted to do something special in honor of five wonderful years together, so we spent a day in Atlanta.   Neither of us had been before and this gave us just a taste…we are planning on going back for more when our sit here in Chattanooga ends in May.

Statue of Andrew Young in downtown Atlanta

We were admiring this statue when a man named Aloyis happened to be walking by.  Aloyis stopped in his tracks when he saw the quizzical looks on our faces and gave us an impromptu history lesson on Andrew Young and the remarkable life this man has lived so far.

Andrew Young was mayor of Atlanta from 1982-1990. Politician, diplomat and pastor are just a few of the hats he has worn.   Mr. Young and Martin Luther King, Jr. were friends.  He was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Atlanta.  The list goes on and on.

By the way, Aloyis is an engineer from Michigan who is currently waiting tables at Ted’s Montana Grill, which is only steps away from the statue.   We will be sure to ask for him when we go back, and leave him a big, fat tip!

Paul stocked up on some British staples at The Corner Shop

Marietta is just northwest of Atlanta and we spent an hour or so strolling around it’s charming Square in the sunshine.  How fun it was to discover the The Corner Shop, which is full of goodies one does not typically find here in the States.

Paul happily piled his basket full of items like Irish bacon, British bangers, HP Brown Sauce, lemon curd tarts, beef and onion pot pie, pork pie, kippers, potato cakes, etc.

Can’t wait to visit England with him again…in the meantime that food is all his (except for the potato cakes). I deliberately stayed away from the candy aisle and am very proud of myself.

Paul sticks a thumbtack in Ashbourne on the visitor's map at The Corner Shop

Thank you, Yvonne for a fun few minutes with you in your daughter’s lovely shop.  And, if any of you Brits out there are wondering where to go for the goodies you see above, be sure to visit this website as there is an online store : ).

Paul is sitting next to me reading his Union Jack paper as I type. He is a happy man!  It doesn’t matter where we go, we meet the coolest people.  Life is good.

Valentine Stamps at Rubber Stamp Fantasy in Marietta, GA

Rubber Stamp Fantasy is located on the other side of the Square.  I thought is was sweet that Paul wanted to go in (he was lured by the handmade cards in the window).  He bought me a stamp for Valentine’s Day (waiting for tomorrow to find out which one).

My cousin Jenna makes the most beautiful cards (of course I have kept every one of them) and I like to think that I will one day get my act together and follow in her footsteps.  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy shops such as this one.  There is no website, but Debbie and Gary are the owners and can be reached at 770-590-8500.  The phone didn’t stop ringing while we were there; bet people were getting their Valentines ready!

I am sorry to say I do not know the name of this church. If you know it, please share in the comments section. Simply. Stunning. Architecture.

OK, people.  you know how I love my meals, right?  And I have been slowly and surely cleaning up my act when it comes to caloric intake and the like.  That made our dinner at Nikolai’s Roof extra extravagant in every way. It was Russian/French perfection.  We started out in the bar (see pic below). This restaurant is at the top of the Hilton in downtown Atlanta.

Paul gets the party started at the bar at Nikolai's Roof

The meal was four course and at one point our Bulgarian waiter presented us with a wooden cheese cart. (I wish I had written his name down…he has been at Nikolai’s for seven or eight years and is the epitome of polished.  White gloves and everything!).  So, we chose three cheeses each, from all around the world.  The cheese, along with our bottle of Row 11 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, was so.dang.good.  Everything was AMAZING.

And that is all I am telling you about our combination Anniversary/Valentine’s Day celebration in Atlanta : ) Here’s to LOVE,

V&P