Staycation

My wife and I marked our anniversary last weekend by taking a "staycation" right here in Atlanta. At a charity auction last fall we had won a two-night stay at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta, so we used it to celebrate our 13 years of wedded bliss. Thanks to the inlaws for taking charge of the four bambini while we were away!

A "staycation"--vacationing at home--is enjoying a moment of popularity right now because of the financial advantages of not having to pay for journey expenses. But we experienced another benefit of staying close to home--the chance to see our own city in a new light. We had been downtown many times before--our hotel room had an excellent view of the office building in which I spent about nine years of my professional life--but always with a particular task or destination in mind, after which we turned right around and headed back out. This weekend, by contrast, we could just hang around and see what is going on during both the vibrant party hours of Friday night and the relatively calm mornings of Saturday and Sunday.

Downtown Atlanta is certainly more lively than its reputation allows, but it is not yet ready to be mistaken for New York or Chicago, either. The streetscape suffers from the years of growth and development when the car was put at the center of planning, and so many blocks of downtown are fronted by nothing but parking decks. The scale of buildings and intersections is huge, designed to be admired from afar as you drive in; Atlanta has a glittering skyline seen from your car as you zip along the freeway, but get up close and it is like you are seeing the backstage supports for the set of particularly large-scale movie. There are exceptions: the historic Fairlie-Poplar district, which of course was developed before the automobile, has a more human scale. But overall, when walking around one feels a bit out of place, as if intruding on an industral site.

There is also the unfortunate issue of the Downtown Connector, the freeway that bisects the city and separates the leafy residential neighborhoods from the concrete core. Venture across one of the bridges that spans this river of asphalt, though, and the city is downright pleasant. Both mornings, we walked across the Baker-Highland Connector bridge to Highland Bakery on Highland Avenue. It is only a 15-minute walk but you seem to have entered a different town altogether. The leafy streets, the presence of residents of all types--young, old, single, families--the repurposed old buildings: this part of town has a human scale, and thus is a welcoming environment. It helps too that Highland Bakery has fantastic baked goods, delicious breakfast items, and quite good coffee, too.

After breakfast Saturday morning we walked the streets of Inman Park near the bakery, admiring the century-old homes that have been lovingly preserved and updated and envying the walking lifestyle that these old neighborhoods allow. It was peaceful, fun, and just as different to us as a trip to a faraway city would have been.

So embrace the newfound thrift of our times, and instead of lamenting your lost vacation this year, get out of your routine and your well-trod path to discover a new section of your home city. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.