I’m heading to Atlanta for a trip with some of the boys! Suzy, Touchpad and I are spending an extended weekend in Atlanta. When we were younger, we would play a lot of video games. One of these games is called Counter-Strike. And while we don’t play as much as we’ve gotten older, we still enjoy it! So when an opportunity to watch a professional tournament popped up, we decide to make a trip of it! Originally it would be four of us including King, but he needed to cancel. But we still made sure to carry him with us in spirit!
Flying to Atlanta (Part 1)
Our original itinerary would be to fly the red-eye directly from Vancouver to Atlanta. However, after take off, we hit a bird and the pilots decide to return to Vancouver. Since it’s the start of the journey, the plane is heavy and full of fuel. So after a few hours in the air to burn fuel we return back to Vancouver. Unfortunately, due to the time of day, our flights are rescheduled to the next day. This means we lose a day in Atlanta, but thankfully since this is our home city we have a place to stay overnight. It’s a Travelling Minion first to have a bird strike and a diversion. So while it’s a neat story and experience to have, I’m thankful we are all safe.
Flying to Atlanta (Part 2)
The next day we reconvene back again at Vancouver Airport for our rescheduled flights to Atlanta. Unfortunately we no longer have the direct flight and need to make a quick stop in Calgary. Aside from a lack of sleep and another small delay in Calgary, we eventually make it to Atlanta. Because of the timing of our flight, we are unable to pre clear US customs in Calgary. So we make our way through immigration and customs in Atlanta without issue.
Atlanta
After making our way to our hotel to check in and freshen up a little, we do a little exploring. Right by our hotel is Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park. It’s a large very well kept green space. It’s pretty peaceful. We spend some time walking through the park and enjoying the already warm Atlanta morning.
Atlanta Breakfast Club
On the recommendation of our hotel concierge, we cross through the park to Atlanta Breakfast Club. It’s a cool diner like restaurant that specializes in, you guessed it, breakfast! After settling down, we order a round of coffees and two entrees: The “Georgia Peach” and the “P Biscuit”. One is a chicken and waffles dish with a peach cobbler sauce. The other is a biscuits entree with chicken, eggs, bacon and gravy. I’m happy we only order two entrees to share as they are plentiful and fills us up! By the time we finish the place is packed and there is a large crowd of people outside waiting for a spot. So we’re lucky we scored seats when we did.
Dreamhack Atlanta
After breakfast, our next stop is Dreamhack Atlanta. Dreamhack is a large gaming (electronic and non) convention. The convention started the day before but due to our flight delay we missed the first day. There are multiple professional gaming tournaments being run at the convention and the one we are there to see is the Intel Extreme Masters Counter Strike tournament. Our intention was to drop by the convention, pick up our entry badges, head back to our hotel before returning for the tournament. However, after picking up our badges curiosity gets the better of us and we start exploring the convention. It’s a large expansive space with hundreds of booths selling everything from pokemon cards, to fantasy weapons to dungeons and dragons dice! It really is a place where any “gamer” would enjoy wandering through!
Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Counter Strike Tournament
For us, the main reason for visiting is to watch the Intel Extreme Masters Counter Strike Tournament. I’ve only seen these events from home, so being at one in person is a pretty cool experience. The production quality is very high and it really makes for a great spectator experience. Unfortunately we did miss the first day when there was a pretty big upset to the top seeded team. However it makes for a more interesting experience now knowing that any of the remaining teams could win the entire tournament. While none of us closely follow the professional scene, it’s neat to get caught up with the crowd cheering for different teams as they compete!
Ted’s Montana Grill
By the time the tournament ended for the day, it’s already the evening time! For dinner we decide to head to another recommended spot called Ted’s Montana Grill. It’s known for their bison offerings. So the three of us order different variations. I end up with a bison brisket which is delicious! After a day of gaming excitement this really hits the spot!
After dinner, we make our way back to the hotel. The overnight flight, and the full day event starts to catch up to us as we drift off for the evening.
IEM Counter Strike Finals
The next morning, we make our way back to the tournament to catch both the third place game and the finals. It’s cool to watch the event live take in the atmosphere of the crowd. Experiencing the crowd reaction to standout plays or a game changing moments is pretty awesome. It’s also fun to join chants for certain players or teams! It’s a great environment and while I am not as into the game as I used to be, I wouldn’t be adverse to attending another one of these events! At the end of the day, I’m happy to report that Navi, ended up winning the entire tournament.
Ponce City Market and Hops Chicken
With the tournament over, we have some time in the evening to explore Atlanta. On another recommendation we head to Ponce City Market. This is a large shopping and food space that’s in an older industrial building. It’s quite busy, but after exploring the different stores, we settle on having dinner at Hop’s Chicken. It’s tasty fried chicken and we enjoy it. But I wouldn’t say its incredibly unique compared to other places we’ve tried.
Atlanta Beltline
Ponce city market is also connected to something called the Atlanta Beltline. It’s this massive loop that encircles the Atlanta core. To me its reminiscent of the New York City High Line. It’s this multi use path for pedestrians, scooters, bikers etc. Especially given the time of day, we enjoy a cooler evening and a bit of a sunset as well. We walk the path for an hour or so until we arrive at another recommended market.
Krog Market
Krog Market is another market space that comes highly recommended to us. It’s beautifully appointed and I can see it being an awesome place to visit. Unfortunately by the time we arrive a lot of the stores are closing. But thankfully there is an ice cream shop still open named Jenis. We stop for some dessert and sit in one of the nicely lit patio areas in the market to enjoy our ice cream.
Atlanta Waymo
Since things are closing, we look to get a ride back to our hotel. One of the things we really wanted to try while in Atlanta is Waymo’s self driving cars. But because of their partnership with Uber, you can’t explicitly select a Waymo car. So when you book an uber its the luck of the draw if you get one. Throughout our time in Atlanta we struck out with our Waymo’s but we finally have a chance to try one, and its a pretty fun experience. The driving experience is not too dissimilar to my experience in Shenzhen. However, the car itself feels a bit nicer in the Waymo. The finishes feel a bit more elegant. Perhaps its because the brand of car in Atlanta Waymo’s is Jaguar, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience!
Late Night Waffles
As this is my last night in Atlanta. We decide to stop by a 24 hour waffle house beside our hotel for a late night snack. During the day we see lines outside so it sparks some curiosity. At night its a different experience. The first thing we notice is the police SUV on the sidewalk right outside the waffle house with its lights on. On one hand, its nice to know that law enforcement is around to keep the area safe. On the other, the need for a permanent police presence is slightly unsettling! The actual restaurant doesn’t open its doors to allow people to eat in. But you order from a window, they make the food and you can take it back to eat. After getting our food we head back to our hotel lobby and have ourselves a late night snack. I wouldn’t say its gourmet at this hour of the night. But at the same time its sometimes nice to have a greasy spoon type of meal!
Heading Home
After eating, we return to our room where I try to catch an hour or two of sleep before I need to make my way to the airport. Suzy and Touchpad will be staying an additional night to explore Atlanta while I head home on my own. Unlike our way to Atlanta, every flight on my way home is smooth without disruptions. I have another quick stopover in Calgary before the short hour long hop back to Vancouver ending this small weekend trip away!
Unlike my longer trips, I’ll likely leave it here without a wrap up. But if there are any questions, please feel free to leave it in the comments below!
Onto the next trip!