Atlanta, Day 2 – Pedicures, Centennial Park & Dynamic Dish

And here is the final installation of my Atlanta recap. I hope that you have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. In case you need to catch up – check out day one and day two, part one….

After a bit of sitting in our cool (literally and figuratively) hotel room, we set out for pedicures. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that this was my very first pedicure. It most definitely won’t be my last. I was drawn to the purples and went with a light lilac color. Em went with a pretty pink. I was in heaven during the massage portion. Ahhh…it was perfect after all of our walking.

 
Post-pedicure, we visited Centennial Olympic park. There are really neat fountains as well as the Coca-Cola museum, the aquarium, and CNN center. Its a really neat spot and it was awesome to walk around.

CNN Center was amazing. I kept thinking about how cool it would be to go to work there. Maybe I would run in to Anderson Cooper? Sigh.

7 more walking miles later, we were tired, hungry and ready for showers. On the menu for dinner was Dynamic Dish. A vegetarian restaurant that focuses on serving all local and seasonal ingredients. The menu is fairly small and changes regularly. From the outside you may not even notice that its there, but once inside, the decor is awesome and it feels like you’re walking right into someone’s kitchen.

We were seated right next to the sweetest couple – a surgeon and his wife who were very kind and offered me a glass of their wine (the restaurant is waiting on its alcohol permit but allows customers to bring their own drinks). The wine was delicious but I’d say the conversation was better. People in the south are so friendly, y’all. :)

For dinner, both Em and I ordered the veggie burger with gruyere cheese and a pesto spread served with sauteed taters. Everything was SO fresh and delicious. We were ooohhh-ing and ahhh-ing the entire time.

After dinner, Em took me on a tour of Little Five Points, which is a super funky part of Atlanta. Think lots of tattoos, eclectic clothing stores and fun restaurants and bars.

While we were perfectly satisfied with our dinners, dessert was our next stop. Cafe Intermezzo looks like an old fashioned saloon and would be the perfect date spot. Dessert customers walk up to the extensive (and drool worthy) case and are guided through by a “tour guide.” It was most definitely a difficult decision (carrot cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, torte, tiramisu, mouse cake…) but I decided on a chocolate heath cake that was to.die.for. I’m so glad that Em and I split it though because it was super rich. Sorry for no pictures, it was dark in the restaurant and I didn’t want to ruin the cozy atmosphere. :)

Once we got back to the hotel, Em packed up and made her way home and I was left to my own devices. Being all dressed up and in love with the bathroom wallpaper, I took some fun pictures like a goofball.

I’m so thankful to Em for being such a wonderful guide and friend. I had so much fun on this trip and I feel like I saw so much of what Atlanta has to offer – its an awesome city. I can tell you that its been a tough transition back to the real world!  Ah well, I have a feeling Em and I will see each other again. :)