The Fourth in Atlanta

John surprised me this week with spur of the moment plans. He called me from work and told me he was taking me to Atlanta for the weekend. He had made reservations at The Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. I love it when he surprises me with spontaneous getaways. And I love Atlanta.

We drove down yesterday with nothing in mind other than to relax and eat some good food. When we arrived at the hotel, we were asked by every member of the hotel staff, "Are you here for the race?" The first person who asked me had a thick accent and because I knew nothing of a race, I could not figure out what he was even saying to me. After I said, "Pardon me?" once, I was too embarrassed to admit I couldn't understand him the second time either. So I just said, "We're staying till Monday." He looked at me strangely and I knew he wondered what I thought he'd said. The truth was, I just had no idea. And I didn't think I would understand him even if he repeated the question for the third time.

When we got to the registration desk, we were asked again and John said, "What race?" We then found out about the annual Peachtree Road 10K Race that happens on July 4 every year (since 1970). We were told that about fifty thousand people would run/walk past the hotel. So we got up this morning and walked across the street to Caribou Coffee as the race was beginning. I would never have any interest in running six miles, but I sure did enjoy sitting outside and sipping my coffee while watching other people run.

For not knowing anything was going on, we picked a great place to stay. There was a band playing and Caribou Coffee had some interesting lattes. I had a dark chocolate, nonfat Campfire Mocha (marshmallow and chocolate with espresso and steamed skim milk). It was very good, although quite sweet. I added a little strong coffee to it (free refills) and it was perfect.

We spent part of the day just cruising Buckhead and Midtown. Atlanta is such a beautiful city. We walked over to one of the nearby malls so I could stroll through Nordstrom. We sat out on the patio of a restaurant and had a drink before dinner.

We've had two amazing dinners here. Last night we had seafood at the Atlanta Fish Market. It was so delicious, I could have eaten there two nights in a row. Tonight we had Italian food at Brio Tuscan Grille. It was excellent as well. If you can believe it, I did not take any pictures of my food this trip!

We weren't sure we were going to brave the crowds, but at the last minute we decided to walk from the hotel to Lenox Square and watch the big fireworks show. It was a walk of just two tenths of a mile. And it was SO worth it. The fireworks were spectacular.

I have more pictures, but it's late and I'm too tired to upload them. It's been a great Fourth of July weekend. Tomorrow we head for home. And no matter how much fun it is to get away, there is no place like home.