Flavorful Coffee for Fall at Octane

Octane Coffee Bar is one of Atlanta's mostly highly celebrated coffee institutions. Starting on the West Side in 2003, they have steadily expanded their business to several locations around town. In 2011, they opened their Grant Park location across the street from Oakland Cemetery and a stone’s throw from the BeltLine. They've joined up with The Little Tart, an outstanding local bakery. I decided to go around 11am on a Wednesday and it was pleasantly bustling. Their tall ceilings and large … [Read more...]

Give the Atlanta Streetcar Wings

I’ve been for streetcars on the BeltLine from the get-go, but only because they will run in dedicated guideways. Remove them from that context and run them through our city streets and they’re just another bus stuck in traffic. That a number of the planned 50 miles of streetcar lines will be integrated into already crowded city streets prompts this, my third post in an “upgrade the streetcar” theme. In my last post on the subject, I proposed some upgrades to the hundred-year-old technology … [Read more...]

BeltLandia Weekender: September 16th – 18th, 2016

Happy Friday and an even happier Guacamole Day! Hopefully, all of you celebrated Queso Day at Moes on Thursday so it is only natural to go for round two today and treat yourself to some guacamole goodness with your best amigos. With this the weekend of Music Midtown, it's a bit of an understatement to say the weekend will be full of live music. We can also cue the beginning of fall festival season in the peach state. We just have to patiently wait on the weather to get the hint. I hear … [Read more...]

Craft Cold Brew at Chrome Yellow

It was a lovely overcast Saturday in Atlanta, punctuating what I would say was the nicest week we’ve had this summer. When it’s 75 outside, it makes it really easy to leave the house on a whim, so I moseyed on over Chrome Yellow Trading Co. for my morning cup. If you couldn’t tell by now, I really enjoy getting to places right when they open because it’s not terribly crowded and I can feel a lot more present in my day. So the parking lot was bereft of cars, as was the coffee shop. Just me, two … [Read more...]

Signature Sips, Snacks, and Service at Spiller Park Coffee

Spiller Park is one of the newest coffee shops to hit Atlanta. Pitched as a “major league coffee shop,” it started out as a little pop-up shop selling coffee and donuts in the morning. In October of last year, they opened their permanent location smack in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Ponce City Market, just down the spiraling staircase to the BeltLine. The gentleman behind the counter suggested I try a piccolo, an espresso based drink similar to a cortado. Since developing a recent … [Read more...]

Posh Pastries for People and Pups at Parish

On another cool and comfortable early Saturday morning before we were once more oppressed by humidity and relentless sunshine, Beltlandia beckoned me towards Parish: The Brasserie and Neighborhood Cafe. A name evocative of New Orleans, my second love, enticed me to check it out and may have clouded my notions about the restaurant a little. I arrived at the neighborhood cafe in the back just as they opened and it filled up fairly quickly within twenty minutes or so. Located in Inman Park right … [Read more...]

There’s gold in them thar hoods!

I just took a peek at the latest statistics for a few neighborhoods around the BeltLine Westside Trail -- namely Adair Park, West End, West View, and Capitol View. The median days on the market for homes sold in the past six months was just 13 and average sales prices were over 100% of asking price. The land rush to the West is clearly on! And it’s going to get more intense as the completion of the BeltLine Westside Trail approaches. But at this stage I still talk to people in the market … [Read more...]

The Perks of Being an Early Bird at Inman Perk Coffee

July weather is in full force and it is not kidding around. Admittedly, my walks on the BeltLine have been few and far between as I mostly stay home, hugging my window unit and whispering sweet nothings into its vents. Hydration is of paramount importance, but water gets old and coffee sounds much better! So this morning I left the house early to go to Inman Perk Coffee right when it opened to beat the heat. Inman Perk is located off North Highland Avenue in the heart of Inman Park, just off … [Read more...]

Putting the Market in Ponce City Market

Tuesdays just got more exciting, y’all! May 3rd heralded the opening of the new Ponce City Farmers' Market held under “The Shed” right on the BeltLine. I went a little later in the evening and it had definitely drawn a crowd. I try to do a once-over with all booths at farmers’ markets when I first get there to see what everyone has available and to get more bang for my buck. I usually just bring a fresh Jackson (or Tubman, if you’re from the future) with me and I like to stretch it, but I also … [Read more...]

Habitats for HIPsters

While Beltlandia is certainly attracting a healthy share of the classic hipster population to it’s environs, I refer in this post to those who qualify for Atlanta BeltLine’s new Housing Initiative Program [HIP]. Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) today announced the reopening of HIP with a new round of grant goodness. HIP has up to $3 million in financial assistance for the purchase of new homes or the rehabilitation of existing homes along … [Read more...]