Part II - Holiday Wrap Up

We arrived in Atlanta on Monday afternoon just in time for brief introductions changing of the clothes and packing of the vehicle so we could  get ready to tailgate. I had previously met his brother at a funeral around Thanksgiving but it was my first time meeting his wife and we hit it off real nice.  Mr. Mixologist went with all the guys in the vehicle to get the tent and stuff set up and I stayed with his SIL to get their kids situated with their grandmother and we rode the train to the Georgia Dome and met them there to set up the food.  They guy's were going to stay for the actual game, but she & I were just there  for the food,  fun and drinks !  And I had a blast. Falcons were playing the Saints that night & some people from Louisiana came through our area doing a Second Line Parade and it was hilarious with that and all of the antics, and line dancing & partying that went on. Although it was extremely cold that night, we had so much fun. I understand while tailgating is so addictive.

Brother,SIL, Me, Brother, Mr.Mixologist

Now I have been to Atlanta a few times before, but it has been many years ago & I was much younger. I hardly remembered any of the places that I went back then.  Mr. Mixologist lived there for 8 years after he moved from Baltimore and he loves the city. He couldn't wait to show me some of his old stomping grounds. I got to hang out with the guys for a couple of days because SIL had to go out of town. So when I tell you I went to so many Cigar Shops I lost count, you best believe it. LOL But it was fun. Non-stop hilarity. His brothers are fools & it has been along time since they all were together, so the stories I was hearing had me dying with laughter ! They were trying to "break me in" and one of  his brother's let me know that I was in fact,  being "vetted" LMAO !

Tuesday we went to the Little Five Points area to a restaurant called The Vortex, and the burgers were pretty good. The place inside was kind of interesting, pretty small so there was a bit of a line, but we ended up sitting at the bar which is where we needed to be anyway cause we were being rowdy ! The drinks were pretty good & we were just amped up having a great time, great laughs. We hung around in that area for a bit afterwards. There was a vintage clothing store that we spent some time in and a little coffee shop.

One day  for lunch we went to LaFonda Latina, which was sort of a hybrid of different types of Latin American Cuisine It's a fast casual type restaurant and the food was surprisingly pretty good. The guacamole was very fresh and the Maduros were really good too.  I got some Fish Tacos with Talapia that were quite tasty, but it was the 2 Pitchers of Mojitos we killed that I enjoyed the most ! LOL I was on vacation :)Later we ended up having Happy Hour at Houston's one of my favorite restaurants. It's always pretty consistent with a nice atmosphere no matter what city or state I visit. Our group sat at the bar & ended up having a female bartender who was actually from Houston.

The whole time I was in ATL my friends kept texting me asking me if I had seen NeNe, Sheree, or any of the RHOA ! LOL. I didn't see ANY celebrities the whole time I was there, but Wednesday we met some friends in from Chicago & Charlotte at Prime Restaurant for Sushi . They told us that we just missed Kim Kardashian & some other girl. I am not a fan but  I just knew I was going to see someone famous before I left and I still can't believe that didn't happen !

We spent quite a bit of time with my beau's brothers kids, which are adorable !  They have kids that are 15, 10, 4, 2 & they have a new baby boy who is 8 months old and boy did I get attached to him.  He is super juicy, just like I like lil' babies to be and we got to spend  a lot of time loving on him.  They are blessed to have her mother as a live in to care for their children. The kids are bright, and well mannered. Thursday night, SIL prepared a very nice steak dinner for us at the house. By then, we had been ripping and running and it was nice to just have a quiet dinner at the house, with conversation, laughter and just bonding with them.  We killed 3 bottles of Shiraz that night & when we got back to the Hotel, I slept like a baby.

Me and the handsome boys !

New Year's Eve

 NYE was our last night in ATL.  We went to the home of some of their friends for cocktails, and then stopped by a party that was being thrown by some New Orleans transplants, complete with a Second Line parade at the stroke of midnight. It was fun & kind of rowdy.  It wasn't really conducive to conversation so we decided to do something different. We wanted to find somewhere a little more subdued to spend our last night & they guys wanted to smoke Cigars, so we left the party just after Midnight and went to Cafe Circa. It was the perfect spot to end the week. The music was great, the wine was pretty good, the food was OK, the service was not the best, but the atmosphere was perfect. Very cozy, a little romantic but not overly so. After spending some time on the first level of the Lounge, we all went up to the rooftop patio so the guys could enjoy their cigars.  I think because it was our

 NYE

final night together, we were all  feeling a little melancholy, since it was the dawn of a New Year we were all feeling quite reflective. It was a wonderful evening. I look forward to coming back to Atlanta when it's warm because there is so much that we didn't get to do. I think it's a cool city with a lot to offer.




The "small world story"  I mentioned in my last post actually occurred when we had been in Atlanta less than 24 hours.  After hitting 2 Cigar Shops to buy sticks & compare prices, we decided to lounge and smoke at the Highland Cigar Bar. We had just gotten seated with some drinks. Mr. Mixologist & I were seated in chairs and both of his brothers were sitting on the sofa across from us. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to look up & see my ex-husband standing there. We shook hands and we were polite and cordial, and the encounter was very brief, but it was completely awkward and I was surprised to see him ! Although, I knew he moved to Atlanta a few years ago, after our divorce, honestly I thought  ATL was a bigger city than that ! Mr. Mixologist was very cool & considerate about it, and kept making sure I was comfortable and asked if I wanted to leave, but I was fine. Later in the week, I was subjected to jokes from his brother's about it & we all had a good laugh about it. Life is unpredictable.

Anyway, we had a wonderful vacation and it was hard getting back on the grind after having so much time off. I truly enjoyed travelling with my beau and am already getting excited about the next trip !

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?

Beautifully Complex