by Antiei30 » Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:14 am
A fellow supporter shared the following info and gave permission for me to repost this here:
Hey guys,
I just got your emailed itinerary for the match Sunday. Thanks! I just wanted to offer any support that I can. I live here in Atlanta. I haven't lived here for that long, so I may not have answers to everything, but I'm happy to support the traveling fans in any way that I can.
First thing to note is that Atlanta does not sell booze before 12:30 on Sundays. Period. Not in the stadium, not in a restaurant, not at the store. So if anyone is looking to pre-func in any way, shape, or form, they'll have to buy the night before.
For anyone coming in a day or two early and is wondering what to do:
"Downtown" Atlanta is pretty boring on the weekends. There are not a lot of good restaurants, mostly chains, just an fyi. However, there is the World of Coca Cola museum (Coke is from Atlanta), the College Football Hall of Fame, and the country's largest aquarium.
Atlanta has a ton of great beer! There are a lot of good brewery's to visit, and we just changed our laws so most of them are open to "tasters" on weekends now. Sweetwater is probably the most famous, but Monday Night Brewing, Orpheus, Scofflaw, and Red Brick are a few really good ones I would suggest looking into.
Ponce City Market is super cool. It's the largest brick building east of the Mississippi and was originally the old Sears headquarters. After sitting vacant for decades it is now a really cool mix use building with restaurants, bars, shopping, tech offices, and a rooftop with carnival games and a couple of bars up there.
Ponce City Market is right on the "Eastside Beltline" which is the most popular section of our walking/biking trail. It's got a lot of cool restaurants and such up and down it, as well as parks, and it ends right by Jacks Pizza and Wings, so it might be a good spot to hit up earlier on Saturday and make your way toward Jacks. If you do this, I HIGHLY suggest stopping right across from Ponce City Market at New Realm Brewing. They have some of the best brewery food I've ever had, their beer is great, and they have an upper deck with an awesome view of Midtown.
Piedmont Park is our version of New York's Central Park. It's beautiful and huge and definitely worth a morning stroll before it gets too hot.
Brunch is definitely a "thing" in Atlanta. Everyone will be sitting out on restaurant patios drinking mimosas late into the afternoon.
We have lots of new modes of transportation. Birds, Limes, Muving, and Ofo are electric scooter, vespa-like scooter, and bike transportation. These are all fun ways to get around when it's too damn hot to walk.
Oh, and anyone interested in history, MLK Jr. was born and raised here and is buried in his home neighborhood of Edgewood. It's a really cool, funky neighborhood adjacent to downtown. His memorial is pretty cool, and it's surrounded by some really amazing restaurants and funky bars.
Last but not least, I have some friends flying in for the match, and on Saturday we are going to "Shoot the Hooch" (float the Chatahoochie river). Anyone is welcome to come with us, we have a big group already planned. I am bringing my own raft, but since you're traveling you'd likely need to rent one. They are available at the river, and I believe for a pickup ticket (they pick you up at the end and bring you back to where we park) + a tube it is $26. And I think they also have cooler floats for rent.
I hope this is helpful to anyone coming out here early. If there's any other questions please feel free to let the other travelers know they're welcome to ask me. I'll do my best!
GO SOUNDERS!!!
