The Historic Hotels of America is a national trust for building preservation with several hundreds of member properties across the country. At a recent meet and greet event I learned that many happen to be in Georgia, where I live, and had no clue of! Six to be exact - I have visited the King and Prince and the Georgian Terrace but that's about it. I have also stayed at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC. I doubt if I have actually stayed in any historic hotels in other cities and states at all. Amazed to learn so much about the history of these buildings that are now hotels and inns. Quick info - The National Trust has 27 historic sites across the US. Be sure to check those out. Also, you can purchase historic properties if that is of interest to you. And the link is here. Check out their member directory online and maybe you can stay at historic hotel the next time you travel! Make sure you sign up for their newsletter for special offers and deals.
0 Comments
There is a new chef in town and he is ready to rock and roll! Chef Stuart Tracy is back from a stint in Charleston and clearly happy to be home. At a recent media dinner, he regaled guests with some fantastic dinner deliciousness and I was lucky to be invited to participate. I hope the images below do justice but you must go visit him and check out what he has in store at Parish. Our evening included family style first course, entrees for the second accompanied by shareables and then family style dessert. We had a lovely Nicolas Potel , Macon Villages 2013 white and Jean Francois Merieau , Le Bois Jacou 2013 red wine keep us company for dinner and our desserts were ably partnered by Evolucio Tokaj Late Harvest, 2012 in the cutest ever dessert wine glasses I have seen in forever! My favorites of the night were pretty much anything with a nice juice/jus to the dish - which seems to be the chef's specialty. So if you try the heirloom tomato salad burrata with mint and grapefruit, the mussels in mustard saffron brother and fennel pollen, jumbo flounder or roasted chicken, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Missing from the pictures are the mussels and caramelized okra - disappeared too soon to get a picture in time! If you are local, you have probably driven past this building many times driving around Peachtree St and never thought to enter. Mainly because it looks like a sinister mansion with tall walls and no windows - and rightfully so. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta wouldn't exactly pop up as a tourist attraction or a place you'd want to visit but it is free and open to the public - well, at least the museum part of it. The Visitors Center and Monetary Museum has exhibits to teach you about the Federal Reserve system and its role in the economy. Might sound like a good school field trip but it actually does have a lot of interesting information relayed in interactive formats. If the economy is something you like learning more about then you could spend a few hours in here. I happen dot have very little time to spare so could only do a quick walk around of the space. They do have a parking deck but parking on the street or other public decks in the area is easy. You will have to do a security check at the entrance and cannot take into the museum space any large bags and purses, or other carry-on items. You are allowed to keep your phone on you but cannot take calls or pictures. The museum itself has a nice flow to it and begins with an introduction to the US central banking systems and how monetary policy works. Each room gradually leads into the other so keeping track of the story flow is easy. The cash corridor talks about currency, notes, gold and coins. They also have an interactive money game to show you the flow of the economy. There is a short video you can view as well but the most exciting part for me, as well it will be for others I am guessing, was the room at the very end where you could view cash-processing. You can see employees and machines working to count and sort cash and screen for counterfeits. All that machinery is pretty impressive. And while at it, look upward at the ceiling and notice the number of cameras there - talk about a no-pressure job! This location is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks in the country to make up the central bank. If this sort of thing interests you then make sure you have at least an hour or two to spare. There are no restaurants here or gift shops. They do have restroom facilities though. I paired my visit here with my visit to the Margaret Mitchell House and lunch at Cafe Agora nearby. |
10 year home!Atlanta GA was my home for my first ten years in the United States - the city has so much to offer :) Atlanta Travel & Tourism Guide from Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau Archives
January 2016
Categories
All
|