Stef's Knee Deep in Atlanta, Georgia - Update 1/27

[stefa70 205]

Are their any Zac Brown Band fans among the Fort Fiends?

If not, you may want to skip this report. Or....stick around and listen to me blab about my New Years Eve weekend anyhow! This report will be full of music, hotel reviews, a little movie memories, massive crowds, and college football craziness.

If you're not familiar with the Zac Brown Band, this is their latest big hit. These guys are a great blend of country/southern rock. Not only are they very talented musicians but also super nice country folk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_DTZGtaELo

First, we must backtrack a couple of months though.

We (as a family) had decided not to buy any silly gifts this year for Christmas. We would buy only what someone really needed and or wanted. My mother kept asking what was on our wish list and I couldn't come up with a thing. The day before I left for the Fort on December 6th, I got an email from the ZBB Family for an opportunity to see them in concert on New Years eve in Atlanta. Included in the "Platinum Package" was 2 floor tickets, one night in the Westin Peachtree, AND an eat and greet with the band.

Zac Brown loves to cook and even has his own cookbook out with his chef "Rusty." His ultimate goal is to feed everyone that comes to his concerts, but for now it is limited to a hundred or so lucky fans.

Needless to say, this package didn't come cheap, so half-jokingly, I fowarded the email to my Mom and told her that's what we wanted. She laughed about it, and I put it out of my mind.

Fast forward to Christmas morning where Trevor and I were given a big box with a travel pillow and blanket, with another small box inside. Imagine my shock when I discovered our platinum package reservations!

I was completely speechless for about an hour (& for those that have met me in person, you know that doesn't happen often!)

Atlanta is about 6 hours from our house, so Trevor and I decided that would be a very long day/night, so we planned to leave on Friday and get to the Macon area and spend the night so we would only have an hour or so drive on Saturday morning.

I did some checking of hotel reviews off of I-75, mainly looking for cheap, clean and safe. With a couple of addresses handy, we set the GPS for Macon and off we went.

We came up on this semi truck, with it's tail between it's legs. Notre Dame had just lost to FSU.

Between my excitement and my nerves, I almost missed the Georgia state line picture.

I expected it to be a bit bigger!

But I got the Welcome Center pic. It was official, we were in the Peach State.

My original title of this report was going to be Peaches, Pecans and P*rn, but the filters on FF would have made it Peaches, Pecans and Pictures of kitties, and that just didn't have the same ring to it.

Talk about a one stop exit! Gas up, eat some waffles, get a good nights rest and some adult toys!

There were a lot of similar signs along the way. Georgians are some kinky folks.

We saw a lot of naked pecan trees:

A lot of open farmland:

And a lot of cotton fields. (which is hard to recognize when you're running 80 mph)

We passed the GA state fairgrounds:

And a lot of open road:

The scenery did change a little as we got deeper into Georgia. We don't see much elevation change in Florida, so that's always a nice change:

We exited at Exit #3 off of I-475 in Macon, as a Super 8 hotel I had checked out had some of the best reviews of the area.

It did not disappoint! This would be where we would stop, have some dinner and get a good nights rest.

I paid $56.50 for a king bed room, fridge, microwave, free wifi and continental breakfast. If anyone is traveling to Florida and needs a cheap place to stay, I would highly recommend it. The girl checking us in was a total sweetheart, the area felt very safe, and there is a lot of things nearby.

Our room, small but clean.

Fridge, microwave, tv with HBO:

Bed check!

No bugs, rips, stains or pubic hairs! :jumpforjoy

Vanity and bathroom. Shower was clean, had ample hot water and great water pressure.

To the right of the hotel was a circle K with an attached Subway. You can see the main highway from the balcony, so it was easy to find and easy to get back out of.

From the other side of the hotel was tons of restaurants, and shopping plazas, including a super Target:

Directly behind it was a super Walmart:

After settling in, we ventured out to get some dinner as I wanted to get back to our room before dark. I still wasn't sure what would go on around the area after dark.

We knew we couldn't go wrong here:

The only thing "wrong" with dinner was we both ordered sweet tea, and I honestly believe there was a cup of sugar per glass. We ended up having the waitress refill 1/2 our glass with unsweetened, which I'm sure verified to her that we weren't from around there.

Here is Trevor after his first big sip of mega-sweetness!

I ordered the country chef salad which was excellent. It was the only salad I've ever had that I'd wished had more lettuce. Trevor had the country fried steak.

After dinner we went back to our room and found this guy set up at the Circle K parking lot.

Where else can you find rabbits, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, "feel good" herbs, moonshine, peach seeds and honey, all out of the back of a station wagon?

We watched him from our room, and he had quite a crowd around him all evening.

After showering I went out to see what kind of things were happening in the dark (and see if I needed to deadbolt the door and sleep with my mace)

Surprisingly enough, everything looked safe and well lit.

Feeling safe, I crawled into bed. This was the only thing that may frighten someone:

I'll leave you with that for now. I know it seems as if I was I was doing hotel reviews, but I was curious to compare this "cheap" motel to the "fancy" hotel, we would be staying at in Atlanta.

I will review that one a bit later in this report, but there was something I really wanted to do in between Macon and Atlanta. We'll get to the next.

[SCTigerCock 171]

Guess you didn't choke :rofl2: Loving the report. :heart:

[devores 382]

We saw Zac Browns RV on the show Celebrity RV. They showed his million dollar RV and the mobil kitchen he tours with. It was pretty impressive.

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Our room, small but clean.

Are you sure it was clean? It looks like someone left an unwanted Jimmie Johnson cooler on the table.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

What a great Christmas surprise! I still don't know who Zac Brown is but I think I could like his music.

I know that stretch of road you traveled very well. We always comment about the p*rn. You don't see much of that up here.

Good job on the bedbug check, yuck I hate that job. I guess I'd hate bringing bedbugs home even worse.

Can't wait for the next installment.!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

INC and I were pretty upset we missed you. Could have planned on a breakfast meet as we were leaving town. :-[

Loving the report so far. I see a Chick Fil A sign in the distance in one of the pics you took from the hotel....that may be the one we had breakfast at in November. LOVE me some Chick Fil A.

[BRDof3...Rob 40]

Nice hotel room, for sure, but they DO need to get rid of that trash on the dresser before checking you in as a new guest.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Looks like a FUN trip!!!!

[Memphis 105]

Great start!

I love ZBB. I saw a show on palladia of a live concert with Zac and Jimmy Buffett that I would have killed to be at.

[rm0530 5]

Directly down the road past the shopping plaza (very good selection of stores) with the (regular) Target, there is a mall (you want to avoid it), a Sams Club, Lowes, etc. To the left of the interstate there is Macon State College. This used to be the happening area of Macon but has gone downhill in the recent years. They have built a new outdoor mall in North Macon, it's off I-75, exit 172 I think. All the crowds and development are springing up in that area. I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I've stayed at the Comfort Inn at Exit 3 before, not bad, but their trailer parking left a bit to be desired.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE ZBB, Dave lived in Atlanta for a few years and knew of them before they were a huge hit, can't wait to see more! You were just a few hours from me, next time your in the area let us know! I have a red solo cup with your name on it!

[stefa70 205]

:heart: God, I love you guys! I wanted to post this report only because I was so darn happy about it that I wanted to share with some of my best friends, and also for anyone familiar with the ZBB.

I should have known that the fiends would jump on a report, no matter how silly, or how much I ramble on.

Guess you didn't choke :rofl2: Loving the report. :heart:

No, I didn't choke! :smartass:

We saw Zac Browns RV on the show Celebrity RV. They showed his million dollar RV and the mobil kitchen he tours with. It was pretty impressive.

I (obviously) have seen the mobile kitchen, and what it looked like before it was restored, but I have not seen his RV. I will have to keep my eye out for that!

Are you sure it was clean? It looks like someone left an unwanted Jimmie Johnson cooler on the table.

Oh, believe me, I did the white glove test before that awesome cooler even touched that desk! :raspberry2:

What a great Christmas surprise! I still don't know who Zac Brown is but I think I could like his music.

I know that stretch of road you traveled very well. We always comment about the p*rn. You don't see much of that up here.

Good job on the bedbug check, yuck I hate that job. I guess I'd hate bringing bedbugs home even worse.

Can't wait for the next installment.!!

Thanks doodle! You would love ZBB, and a couple of others that belong to his label "Southern Ground Artists" which I will share later.

It was a great Christmas surprise. I'm still floating on air after this weekend. Momma did GOOD!!

INC and I were pretty upset we missed you. Could have planned on a breakfast meet as we were leaving town. :-[

Loving the report so far. I see a Chick Fil A sign in the distance in one of the pics you took from the hotel....that may be the one we had breakfast at in November. LOVE me some Chick Fil A.

Dave, me too!!! When doodle told me that ya'll were there, I was trying to find the right time to text you and find out where you were so we could meet. Since I knew absolutely nothing about the downtown Atlanta area, nor where our hotel was located, I thought the best thing I could do was wait until we were checked in, then say "I am here, where are you, in relation?"

That was my only downer of the whole weekend...my bad.

Nice hotel room, for sure, but they DO need to get rid of that trash on the dresser before checking you in as a new guest.

I already stuck my tongue out at Gots2pitt, but I have another reserved just for you!

Looks like a FUN trip!!!!

It was amazing Carol!! Definite weekend of a lifetime. Thanks for reading along!

Great start!

I love ZBB. I saw a show on palladia of a live concert with Zac and Jimmy Buffett that I would have killed to be at.

Great taste you have! I have seen those videos of Zac & Jimmy and said the same thing, what a great night that would've been.

Directly down the road past the shopping plaza (very good selection of stores) with the (regular) Target, there is a mall (you want to avoid it), a Sams Club, Lowes, etc. To the left of the interstate there is Macon State College. This used to be the happening area of Macon but has gone downhill in the recent years. They have built a new outdoor mall in North Macon, it's off I-75, exit 172 I think. All the crowds and development are springing up in that area. I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience!

It's funny that you mentioned the Macon State college. I laughed my ass off at the "originality" of the Georgians. Not long after getting across the state line, we saw a sign for Southern Georgia College and a few hours up the road we saw Middle Georgia College. I'm assuming if we traveled any farther we may have run into Northern Georgia College. Just a guess.

I was very concerned with the safety of where we were staying for that night, but I felt completely fine in that area.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE ZBB, Dave lived in Atlanta for a few years and knew of them before they were a huge hit, can't wait to see more! You were just a few hours from me, next time your in the area let us know! I have a red solo cup with your name on it!

I knew I loved you!! I never realized that you were so close. I must admit, that I looked up Genia's address to see if she was close enough to meet up with me, but it was a good distance, and I don't like her that much! :rofl2: (J/K Genia, you know better!)

Another missed opportunity! I would like to go back into that area, so maybe next time.

[stefa70 205]

Okay, moving right along! The worst part about being away from home is catching up when you get back. :banghead:

Saturday morning we got up, cleaned up and wandered down to the office to see what the continental breakfast looked like. I wasn't expecting much for the price that we paid.

I was pleasantly surprised!

They had the standard muffins, bagels, toast, danishes and cold cereal. They also had pre-packaged biscuits & gravy, hard boiled eggs and a waffle maker where you could make your own waffles. The nice girl who had checked us in the previous night was busy stocking the bin with all the fresh baked goods. I opted for a bagel and OJ and Trevor ate a couple of danishes and OJ. Great (free) way to start the day!

When we started planning this weekend, I wanted to make the most of our trip into Georgia. I started looking around the areas we would be traveling through to see if there was something of interest, that wouldn't require a lot of extra travel time. I found what I needed to see! About 30 miles up the road from the Super 8 is Forsyth, GA, so I punched in the address I was seeking. It took us out some real country back roads, which I appreciated all the more knowing my next destination was Atlanta.

Of course, I thought of Donnie (stacktester) when I saw this:

We were headed for the little town of Juliette, when I saw the first sign!

To say that I was excited is an understatement! Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies of all time!!

We kept on going...until the next intersection proved we were heading in the right direction.

Since it was only 9:30 am, I knew nothing was going to be open, but looking back now, I'm sort of glad. I was able to walk through by myself (Trevor isn't into the movie so much) and I honestly felt like I was in the movie. I would like to go back and actually eat at the Whistlestop Cafe, but just seeing it was enough for now.

This is the real cafe that they filmed the movie in, train tracks included!

This is a beauty salon, that has the stars, Mary Stuart Masterson (Idgy) and Mary Louise Parker (Ruth) right on the sign.

And on the corner of that building was this: :heart:

I continued my stroll, just taking it all in.

To put into perspective how small this area is, here is a picture from one end to the other:

I imagine when they were filming there, it was total chaos!

The only regret I have besides not being able to actually eat there, was I didn't get a picture of the BBQ pit where Big George cooked Ruth's abusive husband up. It was there behind the cafe, but I didn't see it until we were turning the truck around, and I was freezing!

It was a really neat experience! So many of these little towns are gone, it's nice to step back in time.

We continued on to Atlanta. When we got into 7 lanes of traffic, we knew we had to be close!

Here is the first glimpse of our hotel, the tall cylindrical one is the Westin.

What really surprised me about this area was that there are huge hotels and buildings, but the streets are tiny in comparison. A lot of them (we found while driving in circles) are one-way only!

At this time, it was around 10:15 am, and check in was technically 3:00 pm. The streets were very busy, and everywhere we looked was "event parking." I decided to go ahead to the hotel and see if we could at least check in, even if our room wasn't ready. At the very least we would have that out of the way and our truck would be in one spot. We pulled into the VERY small entrance to the Westin, and was met with a sign that said "Self parking full" :banghead: Now what? Trevor hopped out of the truck and asked the valet guy where we could park instead. He smiled, smugly I might add, and said that valet was our only option. I said FINE, grabbed my crap out of the jeep, shoved anything of value into my backpack and handed this guy our keys in exchange for a claim ticket. I had already read complaints of this hotel sometimes taking 45 minutes to retrieve your vehicle, so I was not thrilled with the idea of valet parking although it was only $7 more than the self parking fee. Imagine paying for parking in a hotel that cost $165 a night. As Lou said when I told him "And people think WDW is a ripoff"

We got to the registration desk and was greeted by a very nice woman who checked us right in! 45th floor, room 18. Have I ever mentioned that I'm terrified of heights?

We found our room with no problems, dropped our stuff and checked out the view of the city. The first thing I noticed was we were overlooking our self parking garage, which was NOT full by any means. :rant: Oh well, what's done is done! The view was spectacular otherwise and I will share that, pictures of our room and my reviews in the next post.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Love the photos!! I've stopped at the KOA dozens of times in Forsyth, but have never explored!!! (Too anxious to get to WDW I guess!!)

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

I also am a fan of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, it never dawned on me that it was filmed that close, I just put Juliette on my list of places to go!! I love that kind of stuff. I feel your pain about down town Atlanta, I had to meet my kids father at the Embassy suites last weekend.. it was a mad house and that place is not SUV friendly and the people were just plain rude, I've often wondered what happens to people when they get within city limits.. the out skirts of Atlanta you find some of the nicest people around.. but as soon as you cross the line.. BAM.. jackwagons GALORE!

[SCTigerCock 171]

1. Stalking me, luv it :heart: but scared :clint:

3. I really meant my text, the LOL wasn't real. :flush2:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Count me in as a Fried Green Tomatoes fan, the movie not the food. I actually haven't ever tried fried green tomatoes so who knows, I might love those too. :rofl2:

I am also very anti-Atlanta but mostly just the traffic part. I may have to make a side trip to Juliette when I am at Stone Mountain in May!!

The 45th floor? Yikes!! I am not a fan of heights either.

Ok I'm done rambling and waiting for more. :pocorn:

[SCTigerCock 171]

What a great Christmas surprise! I still don't know who Zac Brown is but I think I could like his music.

you are sure getting edumukated here. First NASCAR, then Hockey and now ZBB........

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

you are sure getting edumukated here. First NASCAR, then Hockey and now ZBB........

See, you're never too old to learn something new! I already knew hockey though. I live in the great white North, remember.

[stefa70 205]

Love the photos!! I've stopped at the KOA dozens of times in Forsyth, but have never explored!!! (Too anxious to get to WDW I guess!!)

How is that KOA Carol? We passed it and I commented how we could come back to this area with the camper (and bring Mason, we missed him!)

I highly recommend taking the extra hour and going to Juliette. I also saw signs for the Gone With The Wind Museum off of I-75 in Marietta which I would also love to see! Love the movie and the book.

I also am a fan of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, it never dawned on me that it was filmed that close, I just put Juliette on my list of places to go!! I love that kind of stuff. I feel your pain about down town Atlanta, I had to meet my kids father at the Embassy suites last weekend.. it was a mad house and that place is not SUV friendly and the people were just plain rude, I've often wondered what happens to people when they get within city limits.. the out skirts of Atlanta you find some of the nicest people around.. but as soon as you cross the line.. BAM.. jackwagons GALORE!

Amen, Judy! How can you go from one quaint town with friendly folk, to mass chaos with jackwagons? I'll stick with the country sections of GA.

1. Stalking me, luv it but scared

3. I really meant my text, the LOL wasn't real.

1.How many times have I told you...be very skeered! You'd have pooped your pants if you heard a knock on (the bottom) of your door, and it was ME! :jumpforjoy

3. ( :hah: ) Just wait, it gets better......

Count me in as a Fried Green Tomatoes fan, the movie not the food. I actually haven't ever tried fried green tomatoes so who knows, I might love those too. :rofl2:

I am also very anti-Atlanta but mostly just the traffic part. I may have to make a side trip to Juliette when I am at Stone Mountain in May!!

The 45th floor? Yikes!! I am not a fan of heights either.

Ok I'm done rambling and waiting for more. :pocorn:

I've never eaten fried green tomatoes either, but they're DEEP FRIED, so it's gotta be good right?

Please, ramble away! I hate to be the only one!

you are sure getting edumukated here. First NASCAR, then Hockey and now ZBB........

We are gonna turn her into a southern girl yet, well, except for the hockey part, but there's fist fights and that's kinda southern, right?

[.....Gary 85]

Count me in as a Fried Green Tomatoes fan, the movie not the food. I actually haven't ever tried fried green tomatoes so who knows, I might love those too. :rofl2:

I am also very anti-Atlanta but mostly just the traffic part. I may have to make a side trip to Juliette when I am at Stone Mountain in May!!

The 45th floor? Yikes!! I am not a fan of heights either.

Ok I'm done rambling and waiting for more. :pocorn:

Try fried green tomatoes, they kick **s just like the ZBB. If you need to know how to fry'em just ask it's easy.

[SCTigerCock 171]

Try fried green tomatoes, they kick **s just like the ZBB. If you need to know how to fry'em just ask it's easy.

DITTO!!!! :jumpforjoy

Nuttin like Fried Pork Chops and Fried Green Mators... :clint:

[BouncingTiggers 98]

Never heard of that band & have never seen fried green tomatoes but I'm on board. This is looking like a fun TR.

[stefa70 205]

Try fried green tomatoes, they kick **s just like the ZBB. If you need to know how to fry'em just ask it's easy.

DITTO!!!! :jumpforjoy

Nuttin like Fried Pork Chops and Fried Green Mators... :clint:

Maybe one or both of you could post a recipe? I'll try anything once (twice if I like it)

Never heard of that band & have never seen fried green tomatoes but I'm on board. This is looking like a fun TR.

WHAT?? No ZBB or Fried Green Tomatoes? Get the movie, you can probably buy it at Walmart for $10. It's just girlie enough that your wife will love it, yet funny and dark enough for you. Unless you like chick flicks, and that's ok too, I won't judge you.

Hpw can you watch NASCAR without seeing the ZBB? :banghead: Where is the real Steve? And can you keep him there? :rofl2:

I agree, keep the old Steve, especially if this new Steve is anti- #88