Atlanta is AMAZING

Wow. Atlanta is so great. And Christian is such a great host. I am going to let the captions do the talking, as this is a 35 picture post, and we are in a rush to head off to a pool party before heading to a barbecue before heading to a house party. I'm such a victim.

First, we met Molly and Dibsy, a couple of cute little pooches that belong to Kimberly, who is the real host of this Atlanta party.

(So fluffy.)

We headed out to Turner Field to catch the Braves vs. Marlins game at 7:35pm, as Christian had gotten us some good seats on the third base side. I won't even try to write about the whole experience at Turner. Just know that it was amazing, and I had an ear-to-ear punch-me-in-the-face grin the entire time.

(The most beautiful tickets I've ever seen.)

(Enter at your own risk.)

(It's been a couple of decades, but I finally got here.)

(Christian: The best dude ever.)

(The three musketeers standing in front of center field.)

(Happy as a clam in tailgateland.)

(A bit of nostalgia.)

(The largest high definition jumbotron in the majors. It was big.)

(Turner Field in all its glory.)

(Chipper Jones, up close and personal.)

(My footlong hot dog with sauerkraut and peppers.)

(The view from our "new" seats.)

(Thanks to a rain delay, I actually got down to the first row.)

So there was a rain delay in the top of the ninth inning, and since the storm showed no signs of letting up (as it turns out, the rain delay lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes), we sprinted to the car and headed out to the Buckhead area, based on Kirk and Ryan's recommendation. They guaranteed us crowded bars full of fun, youthful, local Atlantans, and they came through in the clutch.

(Yeah, they have cops as bouncers in Atlanta. They are not playing around.)

(Free Popcorn: the sign of a great bar.)

(The Red Door, located in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta.)

(Ah, memories of childhood - except for the Vodka part.)

(Lemon Lime Slush Puppie with a double shot of Vodka. Mmmmm.)

(Ryan and Kirk, my Carolina grads and roadtripping buddies for the next few days.)

(Kirk shows off his moves on the pole at Red Door. Yes, there were poles at Red Door.)

(Across the street from Red Door, we found Kramer's. There was a live band in the back that played "Africa" by Toto. I went nuts.)

(The girls down here are both friendly and beautiful. Winning combination.)

(Late-night 2am Dominoes with Pepperoni and Jalapenos. $6.70 well spent.)

Jeff was gracious enough to play the heroic role of Designated Driver all night, although given his 8:15am flight back to New York the following morning, I can't imagine drinking would have been a good idea in the first place. That being said, I did offer to drive him to the airport (because I am both a good friend and an idiot), so it was an early morning for both of us (though I was back in bed by 7:30 and slept until noon.)

(When you're a true friend, you are in the car at 6:37 in the morning to drive your friend to the airport, even after a big night out.)

(The loss of a legend.)

I was very sad to see Jeff go, but I had to look forward to a beautiful Saturday in Atlanta, and so there was only only thing to do: Eat Brunch. 

Murphy's had been recommended to be before the trip started, but when Christian mentioned it as his favorite spot, the deal was sealed.

(Murphy's: THE place to go for Brunch in Atlanta.)

(A fresh clean interior, and plenty of supplies to start your Saturday off right.)

(Jessica claimed she wasn't photogenic, but I think she looks juuuust fine.)

(Eggs Hollandaise with Cheese Hash Browns.)

(Portobello Frittata with Pesto, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken)

(Making friends with the waitress.)

(Deep Blue Saturday Afternoon Atlanta sky.)

So I suppose it's off to the pool. This would be a good place for some sort of "dive in" or "get my feet wet" pun, right? I'll skip it.