Places to see/things to do in ATL?!?! Recs please!

[carandru]

Hey everyone,

I'm going on a 4 day vacay to Atlanta this saturday and I am soooooo excited

. I get to hang out w/ my roomies from college whom I haven't seen since my wedding last year.

Anywho, my friend asked me if there was anything special I wanted to see and/or do....AND I had absolutely no idea, lol. I of course want to shop, eat, and go out, but I am up for anything really.


So any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. It can be anything but I definitely want to know:
-which CCO to check out (and where it is cuz my friend didn't even know what I was talking about)

-any cute and possibly cheap clothing stores/chains/best malls
-great food places to check out

b/c good food makes me happy
-local attractions ...I know about the aquarium and that's about it lol.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[mtrimier]

The CCO I like here is at the North GA Premium outlets, in Dawsonville. It's about an hour or so away from Atlanta, and a straight shot up GA-400 for the driver if you go. I haven't been to the one in Lawrenceville (Discover Mills), though.

There is the World of Coke near the aquarium and they have combo tickets if you want to do both. High Museum of art too if you want to check out permanent collections and the selections from the Louvre that are here at the moment.

There is also Six Flags over GA if you feel rollercoaster-ish.

Shopping wise, there is Lenox Mall (Buckhead) for high end duds, Little Five Points for consignment shops and funky clothing (this is the strip on Moreland Ave.), and lots of boutiques in Decatur and Virginia Highlands.

The freestanding MAC store here is at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, just in case.

Food wise, I would have to know what you prefer/like. Some places, like in all cities, are hit or miss, so I don't really have any one standout place to recommend, but will ramble about a few of the places with food I like to eat.

I'm kinda finicky

For Japanese I like Umezono in Smyrna, or if you just want to spend beau coup bucks, MF Sushi on Ponce de Leon or Nakato's on Cheshire Bridge Rd.

Cuban - The Cuban Diner(Roswell) or Coco Loco (Lindbergh)

Traditional Southern meat and three, Carver's Deli (they are only open M-F from like 10-3 or something) or you can try Mary Mac's Tea Room.

BBQ, I don't have a place to recommend. I don't like what's here.

Tapas - Pura Vida on North Highland

Chinese/Vietnamese/Mexican/Peruvian - Just pick any of them from the strip of Buford Hwy. but I really love 88 Tofu House. It's open 24 hours and just has really basic Korean food.

Dim Sum - Canton House (Buford Hwy.) or Oriental Pearl (Chamblee)

Hope you enjoy your vacation, and hopefully it's not rainy off and on as it has been lately. (Supposed to be nice this weekend. Supposed to.)

 

[ThePerfectScore]

I've lived in Metro Atlanta all my life... My fav Mall is Perimeter Mall.. they have an Actual MAC store there... its not a pro, but its not in a department store. Other popular Malls are Lenox and Phipps Plaza which are across the street from one another. These are the high end malls. both of which have MAC counters... Phipps more so than Lenox. Another Mall is Discover Mills Mall which has a CCO inside of Off Saks. This is an okay mall.... its not a typical "outlet" mall even though they claim it is. Its a regular Mall with regular stores aside from the neiman marcus and saks fith ave outlets.

As far as eating... if you want to spend some money I suggest Morton's Steak house which is next to Lenox... but all over that area are great food places. For desert, drinks, and coffee go to Cafe Intermezzo (they are open late into the night and its a very trendy place. You can dress up to go there, or go in jeans and a tee). There are two locations, so visit their website.

If you are outdoorsy... Stone Mountain is a greaat place, even if your not outdoorsy its a great place. But thats not in downtown Atlanta, but rather in my neck of the woods about 40 minute drive from down town. Another popular place is Atlantic Station... that's where the H&M is... Atlantic Station is a great shopping and food place...