Stroll around a Southern town square
Location: Marietta Square
Date taken: August 9, 2012
The Marietta Square, also known as Glover Park, is home to dozens of restaurants, antique shops, art galleries and the Strand Theatre, which first opened in 1935 as a motion picture house. During the Civil War, the town center became famous because it was where the Great Locomotive Chase began.
Climb a mountain for a panoramic view
Location: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Date taken: August 9, 2012
Growing up in Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain was a frequent destination for hiking, a little bit of history and spending the day outside. I often spent time with my best friend at her grandparents’ house, which was located at the base of the mountain. We would climb to the top and try to spot their tiny green house below. Then, we would wander around their backyard with her grandfather, watching him use his metal detector to locate and dig up Civil War artifacts. I learned about the Civil War in school, but seeing him pull a button or a bullet out of the ground provided a different sort of history lesson.
Take yourself out to a ballgame
Location: Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field
Date taken: August 14, 2012
In 1991, the “worst to first” Atlanta Braves lost the World Series, but the city threw them a parade anyway. The parade was held on a Tuesday, and my high school emptied out in the middle of the day as everyone headed downtown. I recall piling into my mom’s minivan with several friends. Wearing our Braves gear, we couldn’t wait to watch our favorite players ride by in the parade (mine was Tom Glavine). It was a great day to be an Atlantan. The Braves had come a long way since the 1980s, when going to a game usually meant you had an entire section of Fulton County Stadium to yourself. These days, the crowd at Turner Field is quite a bit bigger than in the 1980s. And, I’m sure if you asked them, they’d say they are ready for another parade.
Experience the adage ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’
Location: My Favorite Place
Date taken: August 1, 2012
My Favorite Place is truly my favorite flea market in Atlanta. There are aisles and aisles of furniture, dishes, purses, sports equipment, books, toys, random collectables and the occasional mounted deer head — all stacked on top of each other. Unfortunately, the name of the store has resulted in numerous “Who’s On First” conversations over the years:
Friend: “That’s a great lamp. Where did you get it?”
Me: “My Favorite Place. It was only $13!”
Friend: “Wow. Nice deal. Now, where did you buy it?”
Me: “My Favorite Place. It’s in Chamblee near the car dealerships.”
Friend: “I realize this is your favorite place, but what is the actual name of the store?”
Me: “I am telling you the name — My Favorite Place!”
Watch writers compete in a battle of words
Location: Write Club at PushPush Theater
Date taken: July 11, 2012
The first time I heard about Write Club and its seven-minute bouts, I envisioned a few different scenarios − writers assigned a topic and writing a story in seven minutes; writers throwing sentences (like punches) back and forth; writers sitting with paper and pens (computers would be too dangerous) in a giant boxing ring. The reality is that Write Club is set up better than I imagined. The monthly event features three rounds. The writing is carefully crafted beforehand (fiction, non-fiction, poetry) and delivered in seven minutes. The audience is lively and loud. And the winner of each round (by audience vote) selects a charity where proceeds are donated.
And, if you are wondering about the photo … the boxing gloves are just a prop. The clock is not.
Wander around a historic cemetery
Location: Oakland Cemetery
Date taken: July 5, 2012
Historic Oakland Cemetery Interesting Facts:
• Established in 1850 as Atlanta Graveyard or City Burial Place
• Listed on National Register of Historic Places
• Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, Maynard Jackson and other well-known Atlantans are buried here
• Final resting place of approximately 6,900 Confederate soldiers
• Home to second oldest Jewish burial ground in the state
• Atlanta’s first greenhouse was located in the cemetery
• Historic Oakland Foundation offers weekend tours, twilight tours, Halloween tours and audio tours
• Cemetery hosts an annual Run Like Hell 5K and Run Like Heck Fun Run
Atlantan Lindsey Kerr
Location: Lindsey Kerr’s home office
Date taken: July 10, 2012
Her two older brothers collected and traded baseball cards. But as a child, Lindsey Kerr collected things that were a little more unique – Band-Aids, pencils and stationery. She loved things with patterns and prints, especially pretty pieces of paper. The stationery store at the mall in her hometown of Lake Jackson, Texas, was a frequent shopping destination for Lindsey and her friends. They would spend their allowances on individual sheets of paper and envelopes − then trade them. Lindsey kept her collection in three-ring binders, where she could flip through the sheets and admire them often (sometimes for hours at a time).
A few decades later, as she was ordering invitations for a friend’s wedding shower, the inefficiency of the process led Lindsey to an epiphany. She thought, “I could do this better.” So, Lindsey started handling invitations for a few friends, and slowly she began to build her own business of pretty pieces of paper − Linvites. She researched stationery lines, bought printers, started an e-commerce site, taught herself Adobe Creative Suite and created her own designs. Although being a small business owner presents some tough challenges, Lindsey says, “I can’t imagine giving this up.”
Linvites is a stationery design studio and boutique based in Atlanta that features invitations, personalized stationary and unique gifts. Recently, Linvites has started offering items for businesses and corporations, including employee recognition gifts. Contact Lindsey at www.linvites.com.
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