Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 I went to Atlanta overnight with some girlfriends recently.Ok, I will add a bit more than that. We left early Friday morning, though not as early as expected, which wasn't a surprise. It was very sweet that all my children got up early to kiss and hug me good-bye. If the neighbors were up, I am sure they were amused at all the pajama-clad children running around in the cul-de-sac. :)After a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee, we hit the road. It was a straight shot down I-85 to Atlanta. The stated reason for our trip was to buy some furniture for one of the girls. She wanted to go antiquing at Scott's Antique Market which is held at the Atlanta Expo Center once a month. Admission is $5 per person, which isn't bad considering that covers parking all day and the bus ride between to the two buildings as many times as you want. (Hey, amusement rides are hard to come by!)I am not much for antiques or furniture shopping, but my friends were treating me to a weekend away, so I was happy to go along. The highlight of my day was finding a guy playing an electric piano in the back corner of one building. He was trying to sell a book he wrote of his memoirs. Turns out he was Dinah Shore's bandleader, back in the day. he also worked with Jackie Gleason at his club in NYC. My father always taught me that "no good songs were written after WWII" so this music was very familiar to me. I spent about 45 minutes singing with him in between his stories. We probably were very annoying to those around us. *blush*We had lunch there at the expo center. I think I had Greek food. It was good but obviously not that memorable. Well, what do you expect at the expo center?My friends had finally had enough of furniture shopping, so after loading up the armoire and 2 chairs one girl had bought, we headed for our hotel for the night. My friend's husband had reserved rooms for us at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. Very posh to a girl used to the Red Roof Inn! After checking in to our adjoining rooms and changing for dinner, we headed out. Dinner was at Maggiano's Little Italy in Buckhead. We split a chopped salad as an appetizer, then I had the Rigatoni 'D'. Yummy, but huge, so I was able to bring home the leftovers. (The hotel room had a fridge and we brought a cooler, so that worked great.) The restaurant had a piano bar, but I resisted the temptation to sing some more. That was probably a very good idea, since my friends decided it was important to have me drink 2 glasses of Sangria. For me, that's a lot.After splitting a slice of chocolate cake for dessert, we walked back to the hotel. Apparently, I was the only one who wanted to go swimming. One friend came with me and made phone calls while I frolicked by myself in the pool. I liked that though it was outside, it was not at street level, so I didn't feel like every Tom, Dick and Harry driving by was watching me play. When I was done in the pool, my friend was still on the phone, so I went for a walk in the hotel's Japenese Zen Garden. Small, but nice, except there was a party happening on the other side so some children came running through the garden. LOLAfter staying up way too late chatting, we finally headed to bed. I couldn't sleep, so I slipped on the robe provided by the hotel and read a book sitting on a bench by the elevators. I finally went back to the room and fell alseep around 2am.There had been talk of going to the gym the next morning, but that never happened. After showering and dressing, we packed up and checked out of the hotel. For breakfast, we went to the Corner Bakery Cafe, right next store to the restaurant from the night before. Breakfast was yummy, but don't go there if you don't like hugs. The manager gives everyone a hug, even if you have never been there before!Here is the only picture I have from the weekend. This is us after we finished our breakfast. (I am the one wearing a bandanna.) The plan for after breakfast was to head to the DeKalb Farmer's Market. We never got there. We were headed to "just one furniture place" when we drove past a place that said Estate Sales. Next thing I know, we are pulling in there. We were three hours there, finally leaving with a few chairs and other odds and ends. Did I mention we had two vehicles? Good thing! Then we went to the "one more furniture place". By the time we left there, everyone just wanted to go home. Our car stopped for lunch at a Cuban Sandwich Shop. My friend who liked Cuban food ordered for all of us which meant there was way too much food. Again, most of it went in the cooler, which still had my leftovers from the night before, plus breakfast leftovers. We got home around 7pm. Again, all my children came streaming out of the house. I had had a fun time, but I was glad to be home! I made it to church the next day, although most of the girls didn't. However, I spent all of Monday in bed and was still tired on Wednesday. My friends talk about going again. I hope they bring me along for that adventure too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sounds like a great time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Disneyzombie-Brenda 10 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sounds like some fun girl friend time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sounds fun! And I LOVE the Maggiano's Chopped Salad....so much so that I found a recipe and have made it at home now and then. Here is a recipe if anyone wants to make it...http://www.food.com/recipe/maggianos-little-italy-chop-salad-306894 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 It sounds like the perfect "girl's escape"!! I would have been right with you with the piano player. Jackie Gleason was such a great entertainer. They just don't make 'em like that any more. That was certainly a lucky find. If you can remember his name and/or the name of his book, I would be appreciative!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Sounds like a great time Marty! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Glad you had a nice get away, Marty!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momoffive aka Loretta 34 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Sounds like a GREAT weekend getaway!! Now to plan another!!! LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Looks like you had a nice break from playing Momma. Good for you! :jumpforjoy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Sounds like a GREAT weekend getaway!! Now to plan another!!! LOLExactly!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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