October 4, 2019

Dateline: Atlanta, Georgia

And it’s time for a quick weekend getaway. I’ve been tethered to the house most of the last few months and this was the first weekend since returning from Europe that didn’t have a bunch of stuff that had to get done. I was originally going to go to the beach, but then the HVAC died and the only time I could be home for a prolonged period of time for it to be replaced during business hours was Friday afternoon. They didn’t finish it up and ask for a very large check until nearly 6:30 and I wasn’t going to drive until Midnight or one am so that meant retooling plans to somewhere somewhat closer to home. Therefore, I threw some things in a suitcase, hopped in the car and decided to spend a weekend in Atlanta, something I haven’t done in a while. It’s not my favorite city, especially in this sweltering weather, but it’s urban, close by, and I got a deal on the Buckhead Hampton Inn.

I think I’ll look for something at the theater or a film that will never come to Birmingham for tomorrow evening, and I am walking distance from Lenox Square so I’ll do some upscale window shopping while I’m here as well. I’ve also made a Sunday brunch date with an old high school friend whom I haven’t seen in decades so it should be a relatively pleasant weekend away from the world of geriatrics and the world of theatrical rehearsals.

I went down to the Pizitz (an old downtown department store redone as yuppie condos and an international food hall) last night for dinner and to check out the new movie theater in the basement. Around the same time that Steve and I moved to Birmingham, a gang of crazy locals started up a local film festival known as Sidewalk. It’s grown in size and prestige over the years and they have just built a two screen theater in the Pizitz basement so that Birmingham finally has a place to see films other than the ones that open wide at every cineplex in the country. The space is great, reminding me a bit of an updated Harvard Exit (one of my high school hang outs in Seattle during the heyday of revival houses) and I was able to have cocktails, Chicken Shwarma from Eli’s Jerusalem Grill, and enjoy the film all without leaving the air conditioned environment. (A plus when it’s over 100 degrees in October). The movie was ‘The Death of Dick Long’ which was filmed locally last year and several friends are in the cast. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of early Coen Brothers and MNM will be weighing in on it soon.

I’m planning on lying in tomorrow morning before going out to explore. If I get a burst of energy, I have two projects with me – the next chapter of the book I’m writing and my lines for ‘Dear Brutus’. It remains to be seen how constructive I’ll actually get. I’m going to wrack my brain and see if I can come up with an Atlanta story for y’all from my past as well.