15 replies to this topic

[Morpheus9]

I will be passing through Atlanta on the way to Charleston and I'm considering stopping in Atlanta on the way, probably 2-3 hours.  So we can probably only go to one location.  Which would people suggest among Little Five Points, Coca Cola world/downtown, or Phipps/Lenox.  We used to live near the largest mall in the country (King of Prussia) so we need to know if Phipps/Lenox is really that special.  Or would we be better off making a stop in Athens instead?  I am planning the trip for October so I have plenty of time.  Does Little Five Points have any good record stores, cafes or used bookstores that are worth the detour?  Same for Athens.  My wife is chinese so she always appreciates a place with good asian food.

[SAV]

Well, I wouldn't waste those 2 hours in a Mall

[teshadoh]

If you want good Asian food - Buford Hwy, a 5 mile+ suburban strip northeast of town around Chamblee / Norcross that is full of Asian shopping centers & restaurants.   L5P has Wax n Fax Records, besides Wuxtry was my favorite record store (if you like vinyl & rare music), Criminal Records has a big CD collection, lots of magazines & cool action figures.  L5P does have a decent used book store also.

Athens is cool too - plus you really have everything you would want to visit in a small downtown to walk in.  Phipps & Lenox Malls aren't that special.

[Morpheus9]

teshadoh, on Jun 3 2008, 10:18 AM, said:

If you want good Asian food - Buford Hwy, a 5 mile+ suburban strip northeast of town around Chamblee / Norcross that is full of Asian shopping centers & restaurants.   L5P has Wax n Fax Records, besides Wuxtry was my favorite record store (if you like vinyl & rare music), Criminal Records has a big CD collection, lots of magazines & cool action figures.  L5P does have a decent used book store also.

Athens is cool too - plus you really have everything you would want to visit in a small downtown to walk in.  Phipps & Lenox Malls aren't that special.

Thanks teshadoh =)  My wife will be happy, she really loves Korean Barbeque and Pho and I wouldn't have found it on my own.  Maybe she'll be so happy whe won't mind a quick stop in little five points while i look through dusty old records, something I have much much more patience for than she does .

[davidb]

Morpheus9, on Jun 2 2008, 03:55 PM, said:

I will be passing through Atlanta on the way to Charleston and I'm considering stopping in Atlanta on the way, probably 2-3 hours.  So we can probably only go to one location.  Which would people suggest among Little Five Points, Coca Cola world/downtown, or Phipps/Lenox.  We used to live near the largest mall in the country (King of Prussia) so we need to know if Phipps/Lenox is really that special.  Or would we be better off making a stop in Athens instead?  I am planning the trip for October so I have plenty of time.  Does Little Five Points have any good record stores, cafes or used bookstores that are worth the detour?  Same for Athens.  My wife is chinese so she always appreciates a place with good asian food.

Little Five points and the malls really don't have anything unusual or unique.  I would suggest parking and riding MARTA and making stops in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead and walking around to see the development and new buildings.  Also, if you have time, stop by Decatur.  You might find a little more of what you are looking for there.

[markusparkus]

Morpheus9, on Jun 2 2008, 04:55 PM, said:

I will be passing through Atlanta on the way to Charleston and I'm considering stopping in Atlanta on the way, probably 2-3 hours.  So we can probably only go to one location.  Which would people suggest among Little Five Points, Coca Cola world/downtown, or Phipps/Lenox.  We used to live near the largest mall in the country (King of Prussia) so we need to know if Phipps/Lenox is really that special.  Or would we be better off making a stop in Athens instead?  I am planning the trip for October so I have plenty of time.  Does Little Five Points have any good record stores, cafes or used bookstores that are worth the detour?  Same for Athens.  My wife is chinese so she always appreciates a place with good asian food.

Little Five Points is definitely nice little detour for you to enjoy. Plenty of eclectic knick knacks here and there inside each store and vintage clothing to boot. If anything, go for the experience and enjoy city life at its most grittiest and bohemian.

From Little 5, drive through Candler Park and into Inman Park and discover some beautiful houses.

Try and check out East Atlanta as well, which is very similar to L5P in most respects (and right around the corner) but still has its own special charm.

However, if you're looking for a touristy visit, try out the World of Coke. Walk through Centennial Olympic Park, then mosey on through the Fairlie Poplar neighborhood to see Atlanta's old financial district.

Everything I just mentioned is accessible through car OR MARTA.

[Morpheus9]

markusparkus, on Jun 12 2008, 07:19 PM, said:

Little Five Points is definitely nice little detour for you to enjoy. Plenty of eclectic knick knacks here and there inside each store and vintage clothing to boot. If anything, go for the experience and enjoy city life at its most grittiest and bohemian.

From Little 5, drive through Candler Park and into Inman Park and discover some beautiful houses.

Try and check out East Atlanta as well, which is very similar to L5P in most respects (and right around the corner) but still has its own special charm.

However, if you're looking for a touristy visit, try out the World of Coke. Walk through Centennial Olympic Park, then mosey on through the Fairlie Poplar neighborhood to see Atlanta's old financial district.

Everything I just mentioned is accessible through car OR MARTA.

Sounds good =)  So between Virginia Highland and Little Five Points which one is more interesting?  We decided to stay one night in Watkinsville south of Athens because there's too much to see in just a couple hours.  I'm looking forward to going to Wuxtry's in Athens.

[Monti]

teshadoh, on Jun 3 2008, 11:18 AM, said:

If you want good Asian food - Buford Hwy, a 5 mile+ suburban strip northeast of town around Chamblee / Norcross that is full of Asian shopping centers & restaurants.

+1

My wife is also Chinese and we always go to Cafe 101 (just inside 285 on Buford Hwy).  This is not typical Americanized Chinese food but the "real deal" Sichuan style cuisine.

[Martinman]

Monti, on Jul 6 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

+1

My wife is also Chinese and we always go to Cafe 101 (just inside 285 on Buford Hwy).  This is not typical Americanized Chinese food but the "real deal" Sichuan style cuisine.

I've heard that a place called Frank Ma's has great Sichuan style cuisine also.  Have you tried that one?

[Monti]

Martinman, on Jul 7 2008, 05:01 PM, said:

I've heard that a place called Frank Ma's has great Sichuan style cuisine also. Have you tried that one?

I've never been there but according to Yelp.com the actual person named Frank Ma is no longer with this restaurant, yet some reviewers wrote that the food is still really good.  Frank Ma's is in a strip mall known as Atlanta Chinatown consisting of a supermarket and other Chinese shops.

Last weekend, we went to Sichuan House in Duluth, just up from Chamblee on Highway 85 (north).  My inlaws, who are visiting from Chengdu, went with us and said that the food was "very impressive"...the chef even came out to chat with us (he's also from Chengdu).

Edited by Monti, 08 July 2008 - 01:25 PM.

[Martinman]

I've been to Sichuan House too ... very good.  

Off topic but its funny that everyone calls that Duluth.  I believe its technically its in the new city of Johns Creek.

[Monti]

Martinman, on Jul 8 2008, 03:49 PM, said:

I've been to Sichuan House too ... very good.

Off topic but its funny that everyone calls that Duluth. I believe its technically its in the new city of Johns Creek.

I don't know that area very well (live in Midtown), I was only going off of what is posted on Sichuan House's website:

www.sichuan-house.com

But looking at Google Maps, I agree with you...this clearly seems to be in Johns Creek.  What I find even stranger though is that Super H Mart, with only 3 Metro Atlanta locations, has 2 of them only 7 miles apart (in this area)!

Edited by Monti, 09 July 2008 - 02:02 PM.

[Martinman]

I didn' t even know Super H Mart had three locations.  I know they're opening a new one in Doraville just inside the Perimeter.

Edited by Martinman, 09 July 2008 - 02:41 PM.

[Morpheus9]

Martinman, on Jul 9 2008, 02:03 PM, said:

I didn' t even know Super H Mart had three locations.  I know they're opening a new one in Doraville just inside the Perimeter.

Thank you Monti.  We just got back from our trip to the south and we went to Cafe 101 while we were there, it was one of the best chinese restaurants we've been to.  My wife is from Beijing but she really likes Taiwanese food too, and their sanbijie (chicken in three cups sauce) compares to the best we've had in the US.   We didn't get a chance to go actually into Atlanta, we went straight to Athens from there.  Athens is nice too, reminds me alot of downtown State College PA where I went to school, but bigger and with better stores.  Wuxtry's there is good, they had a nice selection.  I don't know how they compare to the Atlanta location but they had everything I was looking for.  Maybe next time we'll go back and spend more time in that part of Georgia.

[Martinman]

I'm glad you had a successful trip.

[ironchapman]

I second what Martinman said. Glad you enjoyed it here. Please do come back and take a look around the city sometime!