Diets and Houses

Cross Country Trip, Days 19 and 20

Atlanta, Georgia

On our way to Atlanta on Day 19 of our trip, we stopped at a little town near Augusta called Martinez to stock up on groceries at EarthFare (which you may remember from this post).  Atlanta has three Whole Foods but none of them carry Rudi's organic spelt English muffins, and this, my dear friends, has become a necessity for me.  (Who among you ever imagined you would get to know my breakfast habits on this trip?  Who among you cares?) How odd that a natural foods market was in the middle of this tiny town, and how fortunate that they had what we wanted.

This would be the biggest city we would visit on our trip, and we could tell from the volume of cars on the road as we approached Atlanta.  The metropolitan area is home to almost 5.5 million people (9th largest in the US) and it boasts a $270 billion (billion with a b) economy (6th in the country, 15th among world cities).

Atlanta is a treasure of a city, cosmopolitan and yet manageable, hip with traditional values, and so au courant that the menu at the Urban Pl8 restaurant offers paleo options in addition to vegan and gluten-free.  What is paleo, you might ask?  I did the asking for you.  It means a diet without grains and consists of foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate during the Stone Age.  Higher in protein and fiber, minimal carbs and high-glycemic foods.  Frankly, the diet seems to be skewed towards intake of greater animal fat, and directly contradicts the results of the China Study, which advocates a more plant-based diet.  (Who among you would have thought that a journal of a cross-country road trip would lead you to dietary and food analysis?  Who among you cares?)

We toured some of the residential streets with grand homes, exemplars of Southern grace and elegance.  There's a lot of neoclassical architecture with Doric columns, entry stairs and porticos  and windows with muntins (rather than the single panes of glass typical of modern architecture), like this:

The one below was my favorite.  I could totally see it in L.A. on about 20 acres of land with stables, an art studio, organic vegetable garden and a long driveway with an entry gate that reads B-B Stables.

The beauty of this particular neighborhood is that it's practically forested and yet steps away from the hustle of the City.  

 
We stopped in for a Sunday morning dose of spirituality at the local chapter of Centers for Spiritual Living, held at the spectacularly renovated Academy of Medicine, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features the chandelier used in Gone with the Wind.

If you're a fan of neoclassical architecture and would like to see more detailed photos of the lovely interior, click here. 

Lunch was at J. Thomas, a quirky and vegan-friendly place with an ambitious and creative menu that delivers on taste. 

  

After lunch, we ambushed a Ford Thunderbird in the parking lot.

Atlanta has a vibrant film industry and is often called the Hollywood of the South.  We hit up a place called Eclecticia (or something like that) which rents and sells film props and other tchotchkes.  Nothing worth dropping any coin on but Marina made a couple of new friends.