LiLi Revisits Hotlanta

Hello Kittens – LiLi here. KoKo + I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta a couple weeks ago for our first market together. Man are we excited about the awesome vendors + merchandise we saw and will be rolling out soon! I was especially giddy for this trip as it was a blast from the past for me. You see I went to fashion school in Atlanta (Bauder girls in da house!) + I used to work in the Atlanta Merchandise Mart back in the day. So I could not WAIT to get there + see everything again!

Leading up to the trip I kept dreaming about riding up that escalator to the main level to see floor upon floor (upon floor) of vendor showrooms reaching to the sky. For a fashion lover (+ confessed shopaholic) it’s sensory overload in the best way! Well, the Mart did NOT disappoint. Not gonna lie y’all, I think I peed my pants a little when I hit that main floor.

But being back in the ATL – I was also reminded of how vibrant + eclectic Atlanta is. There are beautiful aesthetics everywhere! Let’s start with the gorgeous hotel KoKo + I stayed at – Glenn Hotel on Marietta Street. The attention to detail throughout this hotel was stunning. From the cute lobby:

To the beautiful view from their SkyLounge: 

Credit: glennhotel.com

Don't even get me started on their Southern Lionheart theme - we were obsessed with all the various + creative lion-themed artwork. A couple of our favorites were the dapper gentlemen scattered throughout the lobby and elevators.

   

But our absolute favorite was the “I am woman, hear me roar” piece we saw every time we got off the elevator for our floor. Everything about it was stunning: the dress, the photography, the artwork + of course the message.

Koko + I had pre-dinner drinks at the SkyLounge. It was cute + intimate + the view of the city was awesome. They have live music there too, which was super cool. 

The view inside the lounge was also  pretty fly. We could tell we were in a major city as everyone was dressed + ready for the night. They showed up with their fashion A-game! We were dazzled by all the beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen. We kept oohing + aahing over their clothes + shoes. They made us wish we had packed different outfits for the evening!

We got so caught up in enjoying the sights, we missed dinner at the hotel. Because I was just a few moments away from hangry, we decided to run across the street to Thrive Restaurant + Bar. 

Drinks + dinner were delicious! We shared the Crispy Calamari Rings (yum!), KoKo had the Hoisin Bourbon Glazed Salmon + I had the Garlic Shrimp & Grain Salad (you saw the jumpsuit I was trying to fit into, right?). While we were relaxing over dinner + strategizing about our plan of attack for the final day of market, we noticed a DJ setting up + thought cool, this place turns into a club later (put a pin in that).

Back to the SkyLounge for more sightseeing, cocktails + music. Way too soon they were kicking us out (take note, they’re only open till 11pm). What are two ladies dressed up + ready to make a night of it to do? Back across the street to Thrive!

We walked in + heard old school hip hop + were ready to dance! (Well at least I was, KoKo needed a bit more liquid courage). The place was empty when we arrived, but by midnight it was hopping. The DJ did a great job of sampling tunes that kept you moving. As the night progressed – he switched from old school, to current, and then to African inspired hip hop + we got to see Atlanta at its best. Side note: there may or may not be a Meme or video of me showing off my moves out there on the net. I saw a girl pointing her phone at me and smirking. She was either super impressed with how I throw my vibe down or was making fun of the old white lady who thinks she can still dance. I’m going to choose to believe it was the former. Because we knew we had to get to market early, we called it a night at 1am.

We jumped out of bed the next morning ready to go! Okay, I jumped, KoKo kind of fell - neither one of us are morning people, but the excitement of getting back to the Mart gave me some extra oomph. While we couldn’t wait to get to Market someone (it was ME!!!!) was hungry. Guess I should have had more than just a salad with all that dancing I did the night before.

We hit the Metro Café and Bar, a 24-hour diner/bar/karaoke joint. And like most American diners the food and coffee were exactly what two hungry (notice I said hungry, not hungover 😉) girls needed. Who knew pies and cakes could be so beautiful – almost made us want to skip breakfast and go straight to dessert. But we had a lot to accomplish and couldn’t afford the sugar crash later! 

After hitting the Mart we had some time before we needed to head home, so I asked KoKo if she would indulge me so we could check out some of my old haunts.

We drove by beautiful Piedmont Park (I was always obsessed with that area and was convinced I would live there one day).

Credit: Shutterstock

I showed her my old street in Buckhead (it looks nothing like it used to) + we of course had to check out Phipps Plaza (Bauder College used to be in the basement of the mall) + Lenox Mall (which is now 2-3x the size of what it was when I worked there during college).

Unfortunately, our time came to an end + we had to leave knowing we only scratched the surface of what the city had to offer. We will be heading back in June for market + will be bringing our hubbies. We plan to take advantage of (and for me to get reacquainted with) some of the other amazing sites in Atlanta – the aquarium, the Coke museum + and a Braves game. We can’t wait!

Well, signing off for now so I can help KoKo get all of our new inventory loaded. Let us know where you’re going next and what you plan to see. We’d love to hear all about it. And don’t forget to share your pics so we can visit along with you!