That Time I Went to Atlanta for Work

In mid-July I attended a conference on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta.  I traveled with two co-workers.  We went, we saw, we ate.  It was a very enjoyable trip and I definitely need to take The Husband and see more of what Atlanta has to offer.  For our trip, we did not leave Emory's campus except to drive home.

Now please enjoy a timeline of our trip, complete with restaurant links and really bad cell photo photos.

Jax was not a fan of the suitcase and packing business.

Day 1
After departing Birmingham around lunchtime, we didn't make it far before we decided lunch was in order.  We stopped at The Irondale Café, made famous by the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.  It is a wonderful meat and vegetable place.  My favorite!  I had fried green tomatoes (of course!), cream corn, peas, and cabbage.  It was all delicious.  I remember visiting years ago and not enjoying it so they either stepped it up or I was in a much better mood/frame of mind (definitely the case). 

We headed east towards Atlanta and arrived with time to spare before our meet up with colleagues for dinner.  We stayed at the beautiful, Emory Conference Center Hotel.  Originally I thought it was part of the University but I don't believe that it is the case.  It's located on (or extremely close anyway) to campus so we were within walking distance to our conference space as well as a fun place with restaurants and shops.

My super spacious hotel room at the Emory Conference Center Hotel.

For dinner, we met up with colleagues (about 15 of them) and walked the short distance to Emory Point.  We decided on Marlow's Tavern.  It was a fun spot and we had a HUGE table/booth combo right next to the bar and were basically all to ourselves. 

I quickly found heaven on the menu in the form of the word "Feta."  So I ordered the Sizzlin' Feta as an appetizer to share with my co-workers and our other friends.  The Feta was oven baked with roasted tomato and basil pesto and served with ciabatta crostini.  It was pretty amazing.  Like really pretty. 

My boss ordered a deviled egg plate to share.  It is not on their regular menu so it must have been a special.  Being good Southern girls, we love some deviled eggs and these did not disappoint.

For my entrée, I ordered the Tavern Burger and fries.  A basic bar burger on a delicious-toasted bun.  It was so big I had to cut it in half!

Day 2
After a day a conferencing and learning and talking nonstop at certain times, I was exhausted by the time we arrived back at the hotel.  My pajamas were definitely calling my name so I did what any self-respecting professional does when she is at a conference, I called room service!  I invited my co-worker and friend to join me and we both ordered grilled chicken sandwiches.  I added a side of fries and she added the most amazing looking flour-less chocolate cake.  Sitting on the bed in stretchy pants, watching reruns of Castle, and having dinner delivered to the room made for a perfect evening.

Side Note - At the afternoon break, instead of sugary cookies or baked goods, the conference venue had granola bars, fruit, and this amazing trail mix.  Loved this!

Pecans, coconut shavings, dried mangos, bananas, and pineapple, raisins, and a whole plethoria of other stuff.

Day 3
The conference wrapped up at lunchtime and we headed back west to Birmingham.  Before leaving Atlanta we made a stop at The Varsity for lunch.  You can't go to Atlanta without visiting this famous landmark.  I had the chili cheese dog and fry combo and I might have had an apple pie on the side. 

This is not my photo!!  But this looks like exactly what I ate - well minus the onion rings!

And because in almost 10 years of marriage, we have only ever been apart for one night at a time, The Husband planned something special for dinner when I arrived home.  He made reservations and we visited The Melting Pot for the first time.  

So that's my Atlanta adventure.  Maybe on my next adventure I should shoot for some better quality photos.  I am a photographer after all.