Category Archives: Georgia

Atlanta: A Million Skyline Looks.

Posted on February 6, 2017 | 13 comments

The skyline. Anyone who follows me on this blog or on social media knows I like to capture city skylines. With that I got excited starting the A Million Skyline Looks series.

Toronto, Chicago, Auckland and now it is Atlanta’s turn. The unofficial capitol of the South has distinct skylines in both Midtown and Downtown.

Photo opportunities to capture both from parks, bridges, high up-top sky rises and from right out on the open road (as a passenger of course) have presented themselves, along with many more. Coming up with a million skyline looks of a place I’ve lived in and visited a lot is easy. Well without further ado:

Eat a burger from this ATL institution, the Varsity, while capturing the city.

Sometimes random Atlanta city skyline shots just present themselves.

Atlanta skyline from immy Carter Library and Museum

Head to the park behind the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.

Skyline trying to peek out from the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum.

The Downtown skyline and state capitol from near Turner FIeld.

The Downtown skyline and state capitol from what was once Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.

Downtown helping to protect the World of Coca-Cola.

Atlanta skyline from up-top The Sun Dial restaurant

Midtown view from 73rd floor of The Westin Peachtree Plaza at The Sun Dial restaurant.

View from 73rd floor of The Westin Peachtree Plaza at The Sun Dial restaurant. SunTrust Plaza is standing tall.

Love looking straight up in a big city.

View from 73rd floor of The Westin Peachtree Plaza at The Sun Dial restaurant.

Midtown standing tall from Piedmont Park.

The skyline is playing peekabo in Piedmont Park.

Downtown Atlanta skyline from the Downtown Connector

Exit for the Downtown ATL skyline anyone?

Midtown Atlanta skyline from the Downtown Connector

One Atlantic Center, the tallest building in Atlanta, standing in Midtown.

Heading right into the heart, northbound on the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85).

Atlanta skyline from the Downtown Connector

Heading southbound on the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85). Skyline hugging the guard rail.

Midtown skyline from the Downtown Connector

Heading into the city from the south. Can you see the Georgia State Capitol?

The pond and spot to grab a city shot within Piedmont Park.

Midtown will greet you at the end of a climb in Piedmont Park.

Midtown in Autumn, straight ahead at Piedmont Park.

Atlanta skyline from Old Fourth Ward neighborhood

Good reason you think to pull off the road on Boulevard NE in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood?

More Atlanta skyline opportunity out on the open road in Old Fourth Ward.

Heading off the interstate and into the heart of the Midtown skyline.

My favorite place to capture the ATL skyline is the 17th Street Bridge, my peaceful place.

Atlanta skyline from the 17th Street Bridge

Many, many, many lanes heading into the city from the 17th Street Bridge.

What other spots would you recommend capturing the Atlanta skyline from?

13 Comments

Posted in Atlanta, Georgia, travel

Tagged a million skyline looks, ATL, Atlanta, Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Midtown Atlanta, Piedmont Park, skyline, travel

Soaking in The Fall Colors of Suwanee, Georgia

Posted on December 6, 2016 | 8 comments

Do you have a chance to capture Autumn colors and the leaves falling to the ground in Georgia each year? You bet. Suwanee just northeast of Atlanta is no exception. The suburban town provides a scenic backdrop annually for those looking to walk to take in the colors of the season.

Fall colors in Gwinnett County outside Atlanta.

A rainbow of Autumn colors along Sims Lake.

My Suwanee Fall color tour started at Sims Lake Park which offers hills, picturesque and lake side views. I next headed to Town Center Park for Fall scenery with a small-town view. The park sits in the heart of town and is the home to many special events throughout the year. Looking for a long distance Autumn stroll, I then ventured onto the the Suwanee Creek Greenway. The greenway provides miles of trails through wetlands and wooded areas. Well without further ado.

The Fall along Sims Lake of Gwinnett County and Suwanee in Georgia.

The Fall colors of Sims Lake of Gwinnett County and Suwanee in Georgia.

The orange Fall colors of Sims Lake Park.

Plenty of yellow color to be found at Sims Lake Park too.

The Fall colors of Sims Lake Park in the Atlanta area.

Out on the open Atlanta area Fall color trail.

Looks like I’m not the only one checking out the Georgia Fall color.

Out on the open Atlanta area Fall color trail.

Sims Lake Park outside Atlanta, Georgia.

The Fall colors of Sims Lake Park of Gwinnett County and Suwanee in Georgia.

In the heart of downtown Suwanee, Georgia. The Autumn leaf landed there on its own.

In the heart of downtown Suwanee, Georgia.

Town Center Park in Suwanee, Georgia

Autumn leaves of the Deep South and Georgia

The Autumn leaves of Georgia.

Suwanee Creek Greenway in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

The trash bin is soaking in the Fall color in the Deep South.

Out on the open Suwanee Creek Greenway in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Miles of Fall colors await on the Suwanee Creek Greenway.

Suwanee Creek Greenway in Suwanee, Georgia.

What other spots in and around Atlanta and in Georgia would you recommend for checking out Fall colors?

8 Comments

Posted in Atlanta, Autumn, Georgia

Tagged ATL, Atlanta, Autumn, fall colors, fall leaves, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Suwanee Georgia

Walking Atlanta’s Historic Oakland Cemetery

Posted on October 25, 2016 | 9 comments

When researching places to go in a big city, the cemetery is not a place that readily comes to mind. After making a couple of visits to Oakland Cemetery in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta, I’ve completely changed my tune.

Oakland Cemetery represents the Old South. It takes you back into history when within. It’s the oldest cemetery in Atlanta founded in 1850. It sits on six acres and has roughly 70,000 graves. Past mayors, governors of Georgia and famous Atlantans rest here, along with many soldiers dating back to the Civil War era. The famous golfer Bobby Jones and Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With The Mind, also reside here.

Marvel at all the various architecture featured throughout. Oakland Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places which helps with the upkeep and preserving.

Along with being a cemetery it’s also a vast botanical garden and park with beautiful colors all year long. I was lucky to make a trip here in Autumn and being able to experience the Fall colors throughout.

This Grant Park neighborhood cemetery is also a beautiful spot to capture the downtown Atlanta skyline from. Always keep the camera out when walking the grounds!

Grab a coffee from Octane Coffee across the street and head in in the early morning hours. The park has many entrances, I recommend going in from Oakland Avenue. Your feet will take you onto the red bricked paths of many named narrow streets throughout. I walked around on my own, but guided tours are also available.

Some additional info:

Being a public park, Oakland cemetery is open dawn to dusk every day of the year.
No fees to enter.
Go on an official self-guided tour. Download the Android or iPhone app.
Guided tours are available every weekend during the warmer months and for tour groups and schools.

Tip: When on the Northeast end of the cemetery checkout the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills plant off in the distance.

What other historic cemeteries would you recommend checking out?

9 Comments

Posted in Atlanta, Autumn, Georgia, travel

Tagged ATL, Atlanta, Autumn, cemetery, fall colors, Georgia, Grant Park, historic, neighborhood, Oakland Cemetery, Old South

Why are those my favorite Atlanta Coffee Shops?

Posted on December 4, 2014 | 5 comments

Looking back to the Fall of 2010, when I wrote the post It’s a coffeehouse bonanza. How do I choose?, electrical outlets, Wi-Fi and beverage selection tastes all had their place. As with anything, over time, tastes change.

The coffee shop is still a second home for me when on the road and at home and over these last few years I’ve gotten a lot more particular about what kind of shops I visit and spend time in. It really got me thinking while at Star Provisions and at other coffee hot spots in the heart of Atlanta.

When on a road trip the number of electrical outlets a coffee shop has is important if I need to get work done. If I am just looking to charge my gadgets, now that I have a USB port in my car, a working cigarette lighter, and a portable pocket USB charger, a coffee shop could have them or not and it won’t alter my feelings on the place.

Wi-Fi in coffee shops seems to be a touchy subject these days. I could go either way on the matter. Sure there are times when I want to research upcoming destinations, checkout my social networks and surf the web on my laptop and doing so to some java is perfect. At the same time though you want to take the time to enjoy the coffee, the atmosphere, the conversation, the town or city you are in and having no Wi-Fi enables you to do just that.

Inside the shop, the layout and type of seating has taken a backseat (no pun intended) to the general décor of the shop. High ceilings, artwork and the type of coffee equipment being used, all catches the eye more now. Sitting in front of the coffee machine at Café Intermezzo in Atlanta airport did the trick, not to mention all the conversation between strangers and fellow travelers at the bar.

As far as seating goes, I’m sure window seating will still catch the eye as well as outside seating opportunities and being able to take in the fresh air.

The front entrance of a coffee shop and the roaming opportunities that surround it are as important as ever to me. The entrance to a shop tells you something right away, whether it’s popular, kept up, unique, etc. When the shop is in a neighborhood, city or part of town that I have not been in the traveler in me wants to see exploration options. A walk with some of the shops brew to beautiful scenery will likely lead me to come back over-and-over again.

As soon as I saw the outside to Condesa Coffee in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood I was hooked. The Midtown skyline views that sat right outside the doors drew me in even more combined with their outstanding coffee.

When going to a coffee shop, I will always give their signature drink a look even if it’s a specialty drink or latte. These days though I am more inclined to experience the coffee itself. Sugar, milk, creamer, chocolate syrup, etc. all have their place, but watching a pour over being made right in front of you and smelling the beans and coffee in its natural state gives me goose bumps. Watching a Kenyan pour over being made at Dancing Goats Coffee Bar within Ponce City Market gave me such a feeling.

I did go the signature drink route when at Octane Coffee in Grant Park. Their Ameri-cola, Atlanta’s own Coca-Cola combined with espresso shots, definitely did the trick on that morning.

Doing a basic Google search always helps when looking for independent coffee shops to explore. I’ve found that Swarm (Foursquare), Yelp and asking the Twitter-verse are just as effective. In the states, the blue signs along the interstate in regards to coffee usually will highlight Starbucks, Tim Horton’s and the other big chains. They don’t catch the eye as much now-a-days.

If I do stop for a Waffle House coffee, there should at least be some loaded hash browns alongside. As far as Starbucks goes, I’m not going to lie, the Egg Nog and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes do draw me in from time-to-time, just not nearly as much as before. Tis the season. 🙂

No Google, no maps, no problem. The unplanned, random spot sometimes turns out to be the best. Drip Coffee in the small downtown of Hapeville was such a place. The off the beaten path coffee shop nestled between the downtown ATL and the airport had the eyes wide open as I hung out inside and captured the outside scene.

I’m sure a couple of years from now when I revisit this post my tastes in regards to coffee shops will have changed some. By continuing to check out the coffee scene in Atlanta and elsewhere I look forward to discovering the next thing that will give me goose bumps.

What do you look for when exploring coffee shops around home and in your travels?

5 Comments

Posted in Atlanta, coffee, coffee shop, coffeehouse, Georgia, travel

Tagged ATL, Atlanta, coffee, coffee shop, coffeehouse, Georgia

An Atlanta Coffee, Skyline View and More at Condesa.

Posted on November 25, 2014 | 4 comments

On an Autumn day in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta it was time to hit up the local coffee shop with my dad. As I was capturing the outside look of Condesa Coffee, he was capturing something himself. More on that in a minute. You can see where I get my love of photography from. 🙂

Condesa Coffee has an industrial look, with open ceilings inside. Upon entering the goosebumps came because I was crossing off one of the top places on my Atlanta coffee bucket list. It was the heart of the day so there were lots of laptops open and lots of conversation taking place. The baristas were extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout the ordering process.

After we sat down I got a little Instagram photo happy haha, taking pictures some of which would make my feed. At the time I hoped we weren’t eighth in line to get our caffeine.

Condesa offers tea, wine, cocktails and craft beer, but coffee was the choice, as it usually is with me. Two basic lattes were ordered and consumed, made with their roaster of choice, Counter Culture Coffee.

Upon exiting the coffee shop, the Midtown skyline is right there for the taking. That’s what my dad was capturing and what I soon would be!

Looking straight ahead, you also got a taste of Autumn and some history with the Martin Luther King Jr. bronze sculpture. King was born, lived and is buried in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of the ATL. If you like going for a stroll the Freedom Parkway Bike Trail is alongside as well.