Last Week in Atlanta : Free ASO Concert

 Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of getting to attend my very first performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra!  The best part was, as fun as dressing up and being all fancy is, I was barefoot, taking pictures, and snacking on cheese!  Thanks to a big Atlanta collaboration, the ASO gave their (free) performance at Piedmont Park, and everyone was invited!

My friend Cary is my go-to person when it comes to knowing what's going on in Atlanta.  She has already invited me to way too many events than I could ever accept, but I'm really glad I was able to make it to this one.  I used to visit the Chattanooga Symphony often in college because the events were required for my music minor.  I always love listening to beautiful music played well, and the ASO's Performance in the Park was no exception.  I'd had a very busy week last week, and I thought that I might have to head home early from the concert just so I could get some extra rest, but turns out listening to lovely live music was just what I needed!  I stayed all the way through the encore and had a great time.

Look at how many people were there!  I'm pretty sure this picture covered maybe half of the entire audience.  It was so delightful to see how many people had come out to enjoy the performance!  There were kids dancing to the music, people who stopped by after their workout in the park, and even some folks with their dogs on the outskirts of the crowd (because they technically weren't allowed).  I wonder how many people there were listening to a symphony for the first time ever! 

Last year, the ASO gave 4 free performances in the summer, but required guests to RSVP, which meant a smaller number of folks could attend.  This year, they decided to hold one free concert but have the guest list be unlimited.  I'm hoping they'll keep up the unlimited plan for next year, and I think you should keep an eye out for them, too!

Our First Family Camping Trip!

The last weekend of September, Caleb and I made our way north to Fort Mountain State Park, claimed a site among the campgrounds, and set up our first Lindsay + Caleb camping trip!  We brought food for meals, eno hammocks for sleeping, and tarps and tent poles for shelter.  We also brought the dog, who was hyper-alert the entire weekend and was exhausted by the end of the vacation.

Something Fun to do in Atlanta

My mother-in-law likes to give her children experiences as gifts more than just things.  Last Christmas, she got Caleb and I an annual membership to Callaway Gardens, and this summer, she got all us kids a tree top experience at Panola State Park, and most recently she got us slots on a game at Mission Escape.

This was all of our first times doing anything like Mission Escape, but we were pretty sure we were going to have a good time.  Each game is an hour spent in a locked room looking for clues that will allow you to solve the mystery and escape the room.  Of course, if there's an emergency or anything goes wrong, there's a staff member available to free the players.  The staff member also is allowed to give out 3 hints, which ended up being invaluable to our team the evening we went.

Fewer than 30% of teams who play actually win and figure out the puzzle.  Once we heard the odds, our collective competitive spirit rose to the occasion.  We really wanted to beat the game!

Each game at Mission Escape allows for ten people to play at a time.  We kids made up eight, and then two others we didn't know, a super cool couple, were also in our game.  Turns out we needed every mind in the room, because there were multiple puzzles that needed to be figured out all at the same time if we were going to make it out in an hour.  There were secrets, surprises, misleads, and super awesome I won't share because I don't want to spoil anything.  Even with the pressure mounting with every passing minute, we had a total blast.  Everything came to a head right before the end of our 60 minutes, when we were sure we were on the last puzzle.  We ended up breaking all the codes we needed and made it out with just under 3 minutes to spare!  Oh the elation!  The adrenaline!  The glory!

I'd highly recommend visiting Mission Escape Atlanta, bringing all your good-natured friends, and checking this out.  Winning the game sure gave us a good time, but I think that even without making it to the end before the hour was up would still be a blast.

Mission Escape plans to release another game soon this summer.  We're planning on making another trip there as soon as it's available.  It's located right near Atlantic Station, which is super convenient as it's right off the connector of I-75 and I-85.  Tickets are $28 each, but especially if you're going to a team building event or just an off the wall, fun experience, it's worth it.  Enjoy!

Our Lovely Visit to the Duluth Food Truck

Our summer is well underway in our corner of Downtown Atlanta.  I've been busy at work (hence the inconsistency here on the blog), the weather's been hot and humid (except for our current lovely and breezy 80 degrees), and we've been eating a lot of BBQ (Caleb recently picked up my dad's old grill).  Even though the blog hasn't been seeing much new content lately, I do still post on Instagram and Twitter often, and I wanted to share one of my favorite evenings of the summer so far.

Recommenced Resources for Atlanta Dog Owners

Even though I've lived inside the perimeter since September 2013, I feel like I'm just now shedding my Atlanta green-ness.  And that's only in some areas.  Thankfully, I've run into loads of people in the dog area who've been willing to offer help and resources, and I wanted to pass them along to anyone else in the same boat.  Of course there's much, much more to be discovered, so if you have your own recommendations to add, please leave a comment below!

First, I'll say that there are a lot more independently owned pet stores than I would have expected.  In my hometown, we had a PetsMart and a PetCo in the city next door then the feed and seed store where we'd get our chicken feed.  Here in Atlanta, there are more pet stores that I've been able to visit.  So far I've visited two locations of Red Bandana (I like their rewards program), Intown Healthy Hound, and The Clean Dog.  Everyone I've met in each of these stores has been very kind and helpful and completely willing and able to tell me everything I could possibly want to know about their products and what would be best for Mako.

Second, a true godsend for a young couple looking to save money, Atlanta has a pop-up low cost vaccine clinic that travels to different locations throughout the month.  Mako just got his rabies shot Saturday from the vet conducting the clinic, and again I was overwhelmed by how helpful and kindhearted the vet was.  He could tell Mako was our first dog as a couple, so he showered us with important beginner info, just in case.

I've scanned the 2015 shot clinic information.  Here it is below!

Free Haircuts in Atlanta!

I got a free haircut last Monday, and if you're in the Atlanta area, you can too!

Van Michael is a posh salon in Buckhead, and they offer stylist classes and continuing education courses.  The stylists taking these courses always need people to practice on and be tested on, and that's where I came in last week.  I connected with a girl named Victoria on the internet last week who told me she needed to complete a long layers cut to finish her course.  I've had that cut for years, and November is haircut month, so we quickly made an appointment, and I was in her chair the same day.

Travel Destination: Atlanta Treehouse

This tree house looks unbelievable!  Seriously, can you believe it's in the center of Atlanta?

My Birthday in Atlanta!

My first birthday in Atlanta, my first birthday as a wife, and my first time being 26!

My birthday was this past Sunday, on the 17th, and I planned out everything to ensure I/we got the most out of the day.  Caleb and I kicked it off with breakfast in bed with the most recent episode of Legend of Korra.  When we finished breakfast, we walked down to the Georgia Aquarium and spent about 2 and a half hours enjoying everything there.  (They let you in for free on your birthday!)  I love aquariums, and Caleb does, too.  It's so great to find something we both like so much!

My favorite part was spending 20 minutes in front of the whale shark/manta ray tank.  The aquarium had the doors to their ballroom open, which was a rare treat.  There weren't many people in there, so there were times when we had the exhibit to ourselves.  Manta rays are my favorite animal, and it was amazing to see them in person!  I had no idea they could get so big!  Some were doing back flips in the water like they were dancing.  It was just a completely magical experience.

This is a little video of our trip.

New Restaurants in 2014

As part of my 101 in 1,001 Challenge, I wanted to visit and review 10 new restaurants in Atlanta over the 1,001 days.  I didn't expect to finish this challenge within 4 months!

I'm so thankful for Scoutmob and for all the deals we got to use to get 50% off our checks.  That made this challenge a lot easier on the bank.  Another perk: Caleb and I both have new favorite restaurants!  He can't get enough of Noni's meatball sub, and I would rather go to Miso Izakaya than almost anywhere else.  Anyway, here are quick blurbs on the ten!

Atlanta's Food Truck Park!

Last month, on one of our dates, Caleb and I headed to Atlanta's Food Truck Park for lunch, then to Piedmont Park for dog watching and frisbee throwing, then to Honey Pig in Duluth for Korean BBQ (and making out in the car).

I wish I had gotten to experience a bit more at the Food Truck Park, but we did hit up three trucks in 20 minutes, so I think I shouldn't be too hard on myself.  Also, we plan to go back soon!  I can't wait, because I'm pretty sure the Indian food truck was calling my name last time!

Top left counter-clockwise: Loaded tots from Spiedie Zone, Rice bowl with avocado and cucumber added from Bento Bus, The Bento Bus, and a chocolate sea salt pop from King of Pops

Brief Update

Most of my posts from the last few weeks have been pre-written and scheduled so I could take a break from blogging during Lent, but I wanted to check in to add some real-life human interaction to the scene.

• I volunteered as a leader for D-Now again last weekend and had another amazing time, this time with a small group of high school girls.  (Here's the story from when I led in 2011.)
• I fell sick with a nasty cold last weekend, too, and I should have stayed home on Monday and Tuesday last week (but didn't).  Thankfully, my co-workers were all very understanding and helped me in the office by answering the phones so I could rest my throat.
• Tonight, Caleb and I are going on a date!  He's been spending most of his evenings working on an extra project that will help him at work, so we're taking this evening to spend time together over Japanese food at Miso Izakaya, and then we're going to see The Grand Budapest Hotel!  Besides Fantastic Mr. Fox, this will be my first Wes Anderson movie, and I'm very excited.

Second Sushi Date

This time we didn't learn to make sushi, but we did get to eat it.

Thanks to a Facebook ad, I heard about Ra in Midtown.  I signed up for the the emails and got a $20 gift certificate for my half-birthday month!  So, on one of the last days of February, Caleb and I headed off for some sushi.  After an appetizer of potstickers, we ordered the Salmon Asparagus roll (fresh tasting and yummy), the Rainbow Roll (my favorite of the night), and the Viva Las Vegas Roll (just stupid, do not recommend).

The restaurant's atmosphere was cool and sexy.  It has some great happy hour deals that don't just include drink, which is pretty neat.  We chose our appetizers and sushi rolls from the discount menu and got everything for a great price!  Unfortunately, we didn't find out until after we'd eaten everything that the gift certificate didn't apply to discount food, but it wasn't too expensive, so it was all good.

Another Asian Atlanta Adventure

I want to share about the sushi class Caleb and I went to for Valentines Day!

Me, eating the first sushi roll I ever made: the California.

Caleb found sushi classes available for $80/person at Sushi House in Doraville, Atlanta.  (Here's their Facebook page.)  He's been wanting to learn how to make sushi for a while now, so this was a no brainer for our Valentines Day date.

Lunar New Year in Atlanta's China Town

At the end of January, I somehow discovered through Facebook that Atlanta has a China Town and that the community was going to throw a Lunar New Year celebration!  Caleb had planned to work on learning a new coding technique that day, so my sister-in-law Hope and I headed out to Doraville for the festivities.

There was a tent at the celebration site.  It cost $5 to go in, and I know there were tasty foods inside and I think some crafts and cultural dances, but Hope and I stayed outside.  We mainly came for the Lion Dance and Dragon Dance, which were being held outside anyway.

The 2014 Snowpocalypse in Atlanta

The Snowpocalypse that hit the South here in the States slammed into Atlanta pretty hard along with the rest.  On Tuesday, my boss sent us home early at 12:30.  I've never had experience driving in the snow, but I'd had a plan of bringing home dinner from a nearby Vietnamese place, and I stopped there first.  Within the 20 minutes it took me to get back into my car and onto the road, Downtown had become a parking lot.  It usually takes me 10 minutes or less to make the 0.5 mile trek home.  On Tuesday, it took nearly 2 hours.  I hadn't eaten my lunch before I left work, but others ended up not eating for 24 hours as they were stuck in their cars over night!  I heard of a lady who had to give birth on the road with the help of her husband and a police officer.  One man's house caught fire in an unrelated incident, but no fire trucks could get through the traffic, and the man's entire house was lost.  Many people went out to help those trapped on the roads, and I wish I had been one of those stories.  Instead, I recorded my own as I waited in my car.

 8 minutes, 44 minutes of attention-loving entertainment

Human Moment #80: Meeting Mr. Thompson

Caleb and I stopped at a good ole ghetto gas station late one Sunday night.  I stayed in the car, and Caleb filled her up.

A rough-looking older man walked toward us and stopped right by our car.  I didn't realize he was there until I heard him start to speak to Caleb.

"Can I ask you a question?" he said.

"Yeah..."

New Discovery: Scoutmob

I first heart about Scoutmob while I was unsubscribing my boss from junk emails a few weeks ago.  It's kind of like a hipster conglomeration of yelp, Pinterest, and a community newspaper.  They have branches that tell you about fabulous restaurants in your city of choice.  They curate beautiful and interesting goods made from independent craftsmen.  They send out What To Do This Weekend email blasts telling you about the Victorian Street Festival in the cemetery and all the things your local NPR station doesn't have time to talk about.  Their app does have a feature that adds mustaches onto your phone's pictures, but for the sake of the content, I'll overlook the heavy hipster impression.  (It's what hipsters do these days: try to be offended by hipster culture.)

I've only been subscribed and following and reading Scoutmob for a week now, but I think I'm really going to like it.  I imaging the folks behind the scenes as young and interested in the same things I am, which makes me want to keep up with them even more.

One other thing I'm really excited about is getting to take advantage of their hand-picked experiences.  This section is kind of like Groupon, but some of the experiences available through Scoutmob aren't available anywhere else.  (Exclusive!)  The first experience I want to experience is the Mediterranean Date Night for Two at Couscous.  Caleb loves Mediterranean food, and I wish I could take him here for his birthday (November 29th!), and the deal from Scoutmob has the meal at 50% off!

Doesn't this look exotic and delicious?
Couscous via Scoutmob

Our New Apartment!

Caleb and I moved in the Monday after our wedding!  We've found a cozy,  but not too small, one bedroom flat in downtown Atlanta.  My morning commute, including walking to the parking garages, is less than 20 minutes!  That might be my favorite part about the apartment, but I also like the small balcony where I can journal when I get home earlier than Caleb.  It overlooks a very nicely kept courtyard.  I also like the carpet in the living and bedroom and the wood in the bathroom and kitchen.  There's tile right in front of main door with a closet beside (which I kind of what to turn into a shoe closet like we had in Korea).