Mac McGee's

I've been to a lot of Irish bars and also to a lot of bars that call themselves Irish. Despite having all the requisite furnishings of an Irish pub--including, but not limited to, a quirky Irish name, well-placed Guinness ads and (this is crucial) a framed photo of Michael Collins and/or Colin Farrell--some of these bars fall short of really feeling like an Irish bar.

When I walked into Decatur's newest Irish pub, Mac McGee's, I wasn't sure if it was going to be the real deal. They had the name, Guinness posters aplenty and sure enough, a framed photograph of Michael Collins hanging right by my table. But the only true test to determine the authenticity of an Irish bar? The drinks, of course!

And Mac passed with flying colors. First of all, the bar has Magners cider on tap, the drink of choice for all Irish girls and 14-16 year old Irish boys sneaking 'beer' from their parents. Note: I love this cider and haven't been able to find it on tap since leaving Ireland last August, so my squeal of delight at the waitress was completely justified.

Irishmen and beer lovers everywhere will be happy to know that Mac McGee's barman passed perhaps the most important test for an Irish bar: the two-part Guinness pour! That, combined with the list of 100 whiskeys and the cozy, friendly atmosphere made me feel like I was back on the Emerald Isle--great craic altogether!

Something I've always wanted to be in Atlanta...

View outside of my apartment

...Snowed in!

Well, not exactly - I'm more than capable of leaving my apartment, but I'm still feeling pretty risky without the requisite supply of milk and bread. Plus, the Atlanta news channels would make you think that this is the blizzard of the century. We've heard enough about your snow, Baltimore and DC, it's Atlanta's turn to close our schools and cancel all outgoing flights (like the Atlanta airport needs another reason to cancel flights).

The Winnipeg Free Press tells me that 49 out of the 50 states currently have snow on the ground, so take that as you will - either way it's turning out to be a perfect night in Atlanta to snuggle up inside and watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Cross your fingers that work is canceled on Sunday!

Community BBQ: No More Meat!

No matter what you have to say about the South, you can't deny that it has some of the most gloriously delicious food in America. Sure, we all know that it's unhealthy--just reading a Paula Deen recipe is enough to jump start cardiac arrest (for proof, check out her recipe for a burger sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts). But morbid obesity and various digestive issues aside, there's something delightfully comforting about southern food, especially a good ol' barbecue.

Earlier this week, my friend Laura invited me to Decatur's Clairmont BBQ and I couldn't wait to try it out. I even wore a brown shirt in case of a spill. So you can imagine my disappointment when we walked up to the door to a scribbled sign that read "CLOSED: No More Meat."

Later that night, I logged on to the Community BBQ website out of curiosity and sure enough, under the hours it reveals that it's open until 8:30 or "whenever the meat runs out." Can't say I wasn't warned.

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

If I'd consider myself an expert in anything, it would be in scouting out new places to write the endless stream of papers that come along with being a liberal arts major. As a senior, I've exhausted most of my favorite coffee shops and study nooks so I was excited when my friend Sara introduced me to Dancing Goats in Decatur.

Today I'm sharing a big round table with a couple of eclectic graduate students and my coffeehouse radar tells me that this is a perfect haven for people who are interested in getting work done and/or people watching while pretending to get work done. It's a big space filled with little tables, comfy furniture and intelligent looking people. There's also a woman handing out Hershey's Kisses to everyone that walks by--is this weird? or just really nice?

Bonus - I'm convinced that the baristas infuse their coffee with adderall because I've never been this productive in my life. Ever. They also have a huge selection of interesting coffees (brand name Batdorf & Bronson)--and when the most exciting part of your day is choosing what kind of coffee to order, this is pretty crucial.

Reason #64783 Dancing Goats is better than Emory Village Starbucks: Free wireless!

Bluepointe

Although this swanky Buckhead restaurant was the site of an ill-fated first date (and when I say ill- fated, I mean a severe meningitis kind of ill) two years ago, it's still one of my top three restaurants in Atlanta. It's just that good. Honestly, even if Danny DeVito asked me out and offered to take me here, I'd say yes without hesitating.

Every time I've eaten here, I've ordered seafood and sushi. Being a sucker for presentation, I got hooked by the incredible detail the chefs put into arranging the food on the plates--seriously, it's nothing short of artwork. And this is definitely one of those high-end restaurants whose food tastes as good as it looks. Plus the glitzy atmosphere just makes you feel like one of the elite. I'm thinking this should be the location for the next girl's night out!

My only advice--dress to impress. More than likely, you'll be rubbing shoulders with the Buckhead socialites who dominate these types of trendy upscale restaurants. Word on the street is that Usher has been known to drop in...if that's not a good reason to get up and make a reservation for this place, I don't know what is.

Rag O Rama

I need to preface this post by saying that my single biggest regret from college is not finding out about this place sooner! I had been meaning to go to this thrift/vintage store since last fall, and my boyfriend's visit to Atlanta over winter break gave me a perfect excuse to check it out.

I expected to find a bunch of dirty bins of used clothes, but instead the store was huge and well-organized with labeled racks of dresses, coats, tops, jeans, shoes, etc. I have to admit, pawing through the racks of clothes looking for bargains was a bit of a rush!

Also worth noting, I was a little concerned that the place might be flooded by Atlanta hipsters with their affectations of poverty and eternal search for ironic t-shirts, but I was happy to find that Rag O Rama attracted all types of customers--my dressing room was in between that of one woman with pink hair and tattoo sleeves down her arms and another who looked like she just walked out of the Upper East Side.

After two hours hours of rummaging and trying things on, I walked out of the store with a pair of Nicole Miller stiletto booties, an Ella Moss dress and a BCBG sweater--all for a measly 45 bucks! My boyfriend found a colorful plaid shirt (am I the only one really not into this trend?) and to his delight, a safety green t-shirt with the face of Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air printed on the front.

I can tell that this place is going to be my newest guilty pleasure. I'm already planning to go back soon, maybe to snatch that long-sleeved sequin dress with the shoulder pads?

It's about time!

If you've ever thought "It can't be time to leave already...there's still so much I want to do!" then you can understand how I'm feeling as graduation from Emory looms around the corner. Which is why I've decided to cross off all the places on my "i've been meaning to go there" list (yes, I do actually have a list) and share my experiences exploring Atlanta with the rest of the blogging world.

Since moving to Atlanta three and a half years ago, my relationship with the city can best be described as a love/hate affair--I love the restaurants, bars, shops and events Atlanta has to offer but I hate getting to them. If the GPS can't even figure out how to get me where I need to go in Atlanta (more than likely somewhere with a variation of Peachtree in the address), how can I be expected to find it?

But for the next few months, I'm going to suck it up and fight the traffic, impossible parking and missing street signs to make it to all of the places I've always wanted to go. And I'll also post about my favorite places in Atlanta, from pubs to hair salons to boutiques, I'm doing it all!

And a note about the title: As much as it sounds like an eighth grader's attempt at adopting "cool" instant messaging lingo, it's (itz) really just the first three letters of my last name. I solemnly promise never to write "lol" as long as I write this blog.