TODAY’S CREATIVE LOVING PROFILE
URBEX : EAST ATLANTA/GRANT PARK/ORMEWOOD : NEIGHBORHOOD INFO
Six hours in … Grant Park, East Atlanta and Kirkwood
Surreal art, a super-cool bar scene and the infamous Ghetto Burger
Everybody who’s anybody knows East Atlanta Village is synonymous with hip bars and local bands. Branching out from EAV, however, you’ll find several other eclectic and worthwhile destinations. And if you haven’t been to East Atlanta in a while, the Village just might surprise you with a few new pit stops.
4 p.m.: Confederate history in the round At a whopping 358 feet long, the Cyclorama, housed in a Greek revival-style building next to Zoo Atlanta, calls itself the world’s largest oil painting – and the longest-running art exhibition in U.S. history. The in-the-round battle-scape depicting the 1864 Battle of Atlanta is strange and awe-inspiring … and more than a little creepy.
5 p.m.: Coconut-jalapeńo ice cream Yep, that flavor combination exists – along with feta-chocolate-raisin and more traditional offerings – at Ormewood Park’s enchantingly weird Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream. Did we mention that this homemade ice cream, bizarro factor aside, is freakin’ delicious?
5:30 p.m.: Get lucky In the same commercial node as Morelli’s, but tucked away and hidden from plain view, you’ll find used clothing store the Lucky Exchange – a shopping experience made all the luckier given that it’s one of the least picked-over vintage shops in town.
7 p.m.: Wine, hold the nicotine East Atlanta is known for its smoky bars – which is why the Glenwood’s new wine bar is such an anomaly. No smoking is allowed in the granite-walled room flanking the restaurant’s other, smokier digs. Relax, sit back, peruse the 35 wines by the glass, and enjoy a cancer-free environment.
8 p.m.: Burger bliss Miss Ann has been threatening for years to shutter her Memorial Drive outpost, Ann’s Snack Bar. Before she makes good on her promise, pop in to feast on her renowned Ghetto Burger. It’s truly a work of art.
9 p.m.: Dive in We’re hoping that, at 9 p.m., the doors to Morris Restaurant & Lounge will be open. The erratic hours of this off-the-beaten-track dive bar can be tricky, but if you show up at the right time, your efforts will be rewarded. Kirkwood’s oldest black-owned business reminds us of a juke joint on Chicago’s South Side, and the friendly couple who own the place just might talk you into a karaoke song or two.
10 p.m.: Magic numbers End your night at East Atlanta’s newest destination, 529 Bar. The tiny, smoky space oozes cool. The best part: Despite being the size of a Manhattan apartment, there’s a closed-circuit TV above the bar on which you can watch the band performing on the stage behind you. Classic.
