…I had a nice weekend.  It was dreary, rainy + cold, but it had its perks. 

I saw Ryan Bingham for a sold out show at The Loft on Friday + he definitely fell into the “even better in concert” drop box for live performances.  Smoking + drinking on stage didn’t affect his perfectly raspy voice in the least, in fact it made it even richer.

The new Anthropologie was a warm + welcomed escape from the cold on Saturday.  If you haven’t been to the Howell Mill location yet, you need to check it out.  The store is just great + there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on about the dressing rooms that makes me want to try on the entire store.

Slick + I chowed down on some “gator bites” at Six Feet Under on Saturday afternoon.  Kinda tasted like chicken…don’t be a’feared.

And then we fell in love with this handsome little guy at the Atlanta Humane Society.  We aren’t in the market for a furry friend right now, but this pup (Charlie Bucket) stole our hearts.  Adopt him!

Feeling brave enough to take on a potential tornado, we warded off cabin fever by spending a few hours at the Georgia World Congress Center for the 2011 Atlanta International Auto Show.  This Camaro caught our eye, but the Lotus stole the show in my opinion.

I went with LK + some lovely ladies to see Red Riding Hood on Sunday. 

I went in with seriously low expectations + ended up actually pretty pleased with the film.  Although that wasn’t the general consensus of the group, I think keeping your expectations low is oftentimes the best way to approach things.  Just sayin’…

We drew the weekend to a close at Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs for dinner.  Couldn’t have imagined a better way to end it.  MM truly is “happiness as expressed in pizza…”  Will always love my Pizza Sundays!

Slick did some shopping at Richards Variety Store + picked me up a Lite Brite (never had one as a kid) which kept me busy until I hit the hay.  (It’s certainly not an iPad 2, but it will do for now…)

It wasn’t the craziest weekend we’ve ever had, but it was super relaxing + now I’m rested for the excitement ahead. 

So, bring it.

xx, L

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Check THIS out!

For more information (or at least a readable version of the photo above – SORRY!):
http://alturl.com/3h3t 

Visit the link below to reserve a spot: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Atlanta/Dining/AtlantaGrill/Default.htm 

Sounds fantastic to me!  Just love, love, love Atlanta Grill… Yum! 

xx, L

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I kinda dig zombies.  (Yeah, you read that correctly…)

Walking dead people?  Yes sir!  In fact, I can quote both of these classics:

Weird?  Whatever…  I don’t judge you for watching Miley Cyrus movies.  (Okay, I do.) 

Anyway, there’s a point to all of this zombie nonsense.  Thanks to Kurt K., I heard about THIS awesome zombie-related opportunity:  http://alturl.com/x9go! 

AMC is filming The Walking Dead in downtown Atlanta and they need zombie extras!  You even get to attend zombie school!  So. freaking. cool.  If you are free in June to participate – DO IT.  Check out the deets in the link above!

I love this city.

xx, L

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For real this time: I have a new job!

Watch out, World!

It’s totally bittersweet because while I am very excited to take the next step in my career, I’ve truly LOVED where I am now for the better part of four years and I can think about a zillion and one things I will miss. In particular:

• Downtown Atlanta

My current, superamazing firm is located right smack dab in the middle of downtown Atlanta and my new company is up in Sandy Springs, teetering on OTP. (Teetering…but still inside.) I love my proximity to, well, everything downtown. So what if I’ve never been to the (new) World of Coke? If I wanted to go, right this very minute, it would only take me about 5 minutes on foot. And you know what, Giraffe Purse-Toting Women of America’s Mart?

I will miss you, too.

(although, I suspect there will be pleeennnty of Giraffe Purses in Sandy Springs…)

• The Peachtree Center Ecosystem

The other night, Lindsay and I were discussing our intense desire to be “regulars” somewhere…

Norm!

…and lamenting the fact that we aren’t quiiiiiiiite there. Anywhere. (YET.)

But today, as I ordered my skim latte from the Peachtree Center Caribou, I realized…they know my name AND my order. Same goes for the adorable people at My Friends Place (who just yesterday raised an eyebrow when I ordered a turkey sandwich instead of my usual tuna salad plate.) Come to think of it, I’m a regular everywhere around here! The twin girls who run the newsstand know me by name and know what kind of protein drink I like in the morning. Pepper, our janitor, knows my birthday and asks about Olive every once in a while. In fact, just the other day – I bought a cheap pair of sunglasses from a kiosk that I’d never really noticed before, and the guy recognized me and gave me a tenant discount. I am totally a regular!

• Business Formal
  

When I was a kid, I was INSANELY jealous of my neighbor, Cameron, who attended Catholic school and wore a uniform during the week. Not only did she look crisp and polished every day, but she did it WITHOUT the 20 minute daily meltdown I experienced in my closet as I chose my school outfits. PLUS with all the money and creativity she saved during the week, she could really afford to step it up on the weekend attire!

Well, that’s how I feel about my suits. I practically get dressed with my eyes closed (suit + shell + accessories + pumps = Done.) and, in my opinion, I always look neat as a pin and have the added bonus of feeling like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl:

All business, baby. "I am not steak. You cant just order me!"

I mean, in reality, I probably look more like this most of the time:

So sophisticated.

But whatevs. I love love love my suits. I do. I’ll miss them – my new office is bid’ness casual. Truthfully, I’ll bet I don’t give them up completely. I totally sympathized with Barney in the episode of How I Met Your Mother when he meets the superhot girl who wants him to give up his suits. In fact, there is an 87% chance I, too, will break into song today a la Barney in Nothing Suits me Like a Suit

• Working with all women

My firm currently consists of 5 gorgeous women. At one point during my tenure here we were as big as 9 gorgeous women, but we’ve always been small and all female.

It often feels like going to work in a very sophisticated sorority house. The conversation is: work, work, work, fashion, boys, work, work, fashion, work.

The funniest part about it is when there is a “man on the hall.” When the distinct baritone of a male voice carries through the hallway, we are all popping out of our offices like Petticoat Junction to see who it is
I mean, it could be the dude that delivers our water or our FedEx guy, it doesn’t matter. If there is a man in the office, he will be surrounded in roughly 2.5 seconds. Fact. Another fact: I do not know one male who has visited who has not LOVED this, but I do have more than a few clients who have expressed a fear of visitation.

I love working with all women, but I think a lot of it is the particular women with whom I work. I can’t get into it without typing a novel or getting super sappy, so suffice it to say that I am so grateful and that nothing makes me happier than when I see qualities I have admired in each of them show up in myself. I am SO lucky.

Now, onwards and upwards…

xx, L

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Although I am partial to Mason Murer Fine Art and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, I’ve fallen in love with new event space in Atlanta.  It is located high above downtown in the Luckie Marietta District and is appropriately named Ventanas for its remarkable floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.  I went to an industry party for the grand opening of the space last week and was absolutely blown away by it – and now I am itching to throw an event there!

Ventanas Rooftop

Here is the Q+DD on Ventanas:

In late September 2009, Ventanas opened its dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal a sweeping view of Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead ranging from Stone Mountain to Kennesaw Mountain.  Perched high atop the 14th and 15th stories of the Park Pavilion building in the city’s Luckie Marietta District, Ventanas offers 9,547 square feet of indoor and outdoor rooftop space across the street from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.  The space is only one block from the CNN Center, Philips Arena, Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, American Cancer Society and AmericasMart.

In addition to ample parking and numerous food and beverage options, Ventanas offers exclusive amenities like a dedicated “space shot” elevator to reach the venue from street level – and the city’s only events space helipad!  Whether your group numbers 50 or 450, this dramatic space will accommodate your event and transform it into an unforgettable experience for you and your guests.  (www.ventanasatlanta.com)

The most exciting part of the venue is definitely the helipad on the third level of the space.  Imagine being whisk away from your special event on a helicopter!  AMAZING!

Outside Ventanas

At Ventanas, you can work with some of the best caterers around town to customize the culinary aspects of your event: Bold American Catering, Affairs to Remember, A Legendary Event, etc.  The room rental is very competitive at $4K for Friday (w/ $4K beverage min.) or Saturday (w/ $5K beverage min.) evenings. 

Contact Donald Mill, Director of Event Sales, for more information on Ventanas: sales@ventanasatlanta.com. 

Inside Ventanas

Trust me – you have to check out this space!  For me, at least, it was love at first sight. 

xx, L

Ventanas
275 Baker Street
Atlanta, Georgia  30313
404-ROOFTOP
www.ventanasatlanta.com

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