Before our Atlanta trip Jonathan made New Year's Eve
dinner reservations at a restaurant named Top FLR (http://www.topflr.com/). Yet again Jonathan's talent for finding a terrific, unique dinning experience was spot on, Top FLR was absolutely
fantastic!
We cabbed from our hotel through a nice residential area, then upon arrival were seated, fittingly, on the top floor. The menu was unique for the special evening, but not restricted or up-charged for the occasion. Feeling bold and adventurous I ordered the steak tar tare and oh...my...goodness, it was AMAZING! The steak was so unbelievably tender, flavorful and had a consistency to die for. My fears of a raw hamburger vanished immediately upon its gorgeous presentation and initial taste. Jonathan ordered a pork belly pho, which was also quite delicious, with just enough spice to awaken the taste buds, but not overpower the other ingredients.
After dinner we headed to Ri Ra's. Sure, Ri Ra's is an Irish pub chain, but its consistent, and the last time we ushered in the new years at one in Arlington, we had a blast. This Ri Ra's was quite massive, and included three levels, each offering different music with different atmospheres. We stayed in the less packed third level for most of the night, then made our way to the second level where we danced to a live band, and eventually counted down to midnight with our fellow east coast time zoners. Both having had bit of a long day and me needing to work the next day, we called it a pretty early evening and returned back to the hotel shortly after midnight.
While I toiled about in the office on New Years day Jonathan enjoyed some of what Atlanta has to offer.Yes, I know that sounds bitter, but it sincerely isn't! I am genuinely glad that Jonathan got to see a few sites while in town.
After touring a few hotels designed by John C. Portman, a renown architect credited with popularizing "hotels and office buildings with multi-storied interior atria "(which is the plural version of atrium, go figure). He took many a dizzying photo seen here. I thought a few even looked like alien skeletal structures.
After his hotel exploring Jonathan made his way downtown to the very hyped Georgia Aquarium. As much as he enjoyed the aquarium, the slight over commercialization, and at times questionable animal acquiring practices affected his overall experience.
