Chilly Day in Atlanta

Part 2:

After meeting with Layla,

I was so happy to go visit with one of my best friends

on the planet.

Meet Elisha ~

Don't you just LOVE her hair !

I have never been brave enough or bold enough to pull

off something like that. And she's not just wearing it...

she's rockin' it !

Looking at this photo, I can't help thinking...

when did I get to be so "vanilla"?

Maybe I need to rethink my make-up choices...

be a little more bold...

who wants to blend, anyway?

Alyssa and Dylan with E.

We had killer cuban food at LaFonda Latina on Ponce.

There isn't a cuban restautant within 150 miles of home,

so I was lovin' this!
LaFonda... it's been too long.

After our delicious cuban dinner, we headed over to

Zesto's diner for ice cream.


McBig Mouth.


Now let me take you on a little tour...

We had to go by our old home.
The Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts.
By far the coolest apartment I ever had in Atlanta.
I had always wanted to live in a loft, and loved every second of
it. This cotton mill began operations in 1881 and
Cabbagetown was built as the surrounding mill town and was
the first textile processing mill built in the south. .
This area is home to many artists, musicians, and now
professional people as well. (Yuppies)

Now the area is affectionately referred to as the

Yuppie Ghetto.

I'm not kidding.

Check the next photo.

Only a few blocks from historic Candler and Inman Parks,

and Little 5 Points.

This home belonged to the founder of Coca Cola.

Just blocks from the Ghetto.

I used to love driving by these homes everyday,

taking my son to school. Beautiful victorian homes painted

vibrant colors and covered with gingerbread and fretwork.

And only blocks away from Martin Luther King's birth home.

I love the little shotgun houses through out Cabbage town.

I know that some people cringe at the sight of it...

but I even loved seeing all of the graffiti art.

This was one of my all time favorite pieces, painted on

the wall next to my loft apartment.
"The angel of cabbagetown."

Just past this wall is the Krog Street Tunnel.

To a tourist, this is probably a scary place.

A dark tunnel underneath the train tracks, and in

the Ghetto. But to many in Atlanta, this has long been

a sort of 'public art' space. A ghetto landmark.

You may disagree ~

but this is art.

And I love it.

And it is ever changing.

Always, within a few days or weeks, kids will start

"tagging", and covering over the nicer art.

But the artists always come back, cover the graffiti,

and paint new murals.

Wish I could have seen this one before it was defaced.

Bob Marley.

I love Atlanta.

I love the diversity.

I love the vibrancy.

I love the culture.

I love my pinkest best friend.
Hope you enjoyed this little tour of East Atlanta.