Midtown Atlanta Getaway - the surprises along the journey

WOO HOO NO KIDS!

It was time for a Getaway Weekend for JUST the TWO of us!  It seems that every six months or so we get the itch to ditch (the kids that is).  We LOVE being parents to our four beautiful kids but when we get time for just the two of us it makes us BETTER - better parents, better partners and just better people overall.

I hopped on Travelocity and booked two nights down in Midtown Atlanta.  Got the room REAL reasonable.  Had the flexibility to cancel if we had too and was able to pay for our stay upon arrival to the hotel.  So, Friday afternoon after writing down the kids crazy schedules for our sitter (THANK GOD for our ANGEL Emily!).  We tore out of here with suitcases in hand and cooler packed. {insert sound of wheels peeling out on pavement here}  We went straight to the hotel, do not pass GO and do not collect $200!  The Hyatt Midtown Atlanta was our base station for the next two nights.  We decided to valet, even at the cost of $25 a day - it comes with in and out privileges (get your mind out of the gutter), unlike the self park at $12 which you pay every time you are coming and going (stop).  Our valet Chris (same name as my hubby) was super helpful.  Parked our car AND brought our bags to our beautiful corner room.  Which felt more like a mini-suite than just a regular room with a little couch living area, big bathroom with tons of counter space and TWO large windows with a delightful view of Peachtree Street including the Margaret Mitchell house.

Another cool feature the room had was under the bed stand lighting that was motion activated - so those middle of the night trips to the potty were easy to navigate.  I had never seen that before cool stuff!  We hadn't eaten lunch yet so we were hungry as it was almost 4pm.  I had packed our cooler and snack bag with yummy treats for the room.  Cheese plate, apples, crunchy grainy fresh bread, hummus with pretzels and pistachios WOO-HOO (which we can't eat at home anymore due to our 5yr old's severe allergy to tree nuts).  Cracked open two C-O-L-D UFO Whites with orange slices and plugged my phone into the Hyatt Stereo IPod Docking Station turned on Songza and had our own little happy hour!  This takes a little bit of planning ahead but there are so many easy prepackaged delightful cheese and meat combos out there now - that you can find in your local food store's deli section.  After fueling up and resting up we got ourselves ready for dinner.

We had made plans to meet another couple for dinner.  They live a little closer to midtown then we do and we thought this would be a great way to get some quality time with them too.  Reservations were set for 8pm.  The Lawrence was within walking distance from the hotel.  After, a brief visit to the hotel bar and a quick round of questions from Gettoknowu.com (even after 16+ years of marriage and knowing each other for close to 30yrs it is fun to find things that we still might not know about each other) we bundled up and hit the road headed for The Lawrence.

The Lady Lawrence - Lavender Mint Tea Vodka, Ginger, Cassis, Lime, Soda

The evening at The Lawrence was just perfect.  Timing of the meal was a great pace - didn't feel rushed at all.  The courses came just when you were ready for them.  The cocktail/wine/beer menu is special without being overwhelming.  Our waitress was awesome.  The Cheese Board and Charcuterie Plate were terrific especially when paired with the Pimento Cheese and Pretzel Bread.  I swear I could have eaten the Pimento Cheese and the Blue Cheese spread with a spoon.  Not to mention an incredible candied pear spread that could have been served on cardboard and I would have eaten it!  After much eating, drinking and laughing we didn't want the night to end just yet.  So we headed to The Vortex for some more drinking and laughing!
What a FUN night!

We woke around 8:30 Saturday morning got dressed in our "walking = strolling" attire.  Ate an energy bar. Hit the Caribou Coffee on the way down 10th street for coffee and chai tea.  Jumped on the Atlanta Beltline's Eastside Trail just across the street from the Park Tavern at Piedmont Park.  It was a busy day on the Beltline due to two factors - 1) it was a Saturday and 2) Atlanta was looking like London or Seattle for a while there and this past Saturday was SUPER SUNNY!  Lots of walkers, strollers, roller bladers, bikers and even skateboarders!  Many happy puppies walking their owners.  As I am going on I think that Saturday on the Beltline needs to be a post in itself....
To be continued....