From Downtown to Down South

I love the big city. So much to see. So much to do. Sports teams. Restaurants. Eclectic shops. Pedestrian friendly. The distinctly different neighborhoods. The mystery. Should I go on? I used to live smack in the heart of one.

But now, I live nowhere near a big city, comparatively speaking. New Orleans is close enough (and interesting enough) to whet my whistle, but far enough away to keep me a svelte 205 pounds.

Let’s face it, if The Gulf of Mexico wasn’t in my front yard, I’d live out in The Boonies. La la land. Twenty minutes to get to anything. DoorDash won’t even make the trip.

So as much as I can, I hit the big city. Lest I forget about the way it makes me feel.

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My current travel companion is my seven year old son. So far this year, we’ve hit Boston, Memphis, New Orleans, and Charlotte. In previous years, he’s been to New York City, Washington DC, Dallas, and Miami. In a few months, Detroit is on the docket.

This past weekend, we hit Atlanta.

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Prior to our leaving, he informed his mother and me (for the third or fourth time) that once he had enough money saved, he was moving to Boston to live in the penthouse suite of a hotel. Needless to say, the allure of a good city had made its mark.

When we finally hit the road for Atlanta early Sunday morning, we were both salivating, except he had no idea where we were going or who we were going to see.

He had no idea we were going to Atlanta United vs Inter Miami with one of my college teammates and his kids. He had no idea we were going to hang with Grandma and Granddad for a couple of days. He had no idea he was going to get to swim with Grandma for hours on end. Or play at LegoLand. Or eat nachos at a Braves game. Or see the high rises. Eat the food. See the people. Smell the smells.

But most important to him…the hotel. I swear it represents freedom and it’s in the genes. The pool, the snuggles, SportsCenter, lying in bed at midnight eating something good.

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I literally started laughing out loud to no one in particular as we left LegoLand Monday afternoon. LegoLand is on the third floor at Phipps Plaza, an uber upscale shopping center in the ritzy Buckhead area of Atlanta. We came down the escalator, and I saw a sign that pretty much epitomized the abk journey of the last five plus years.

One way pointed to The LegoLand Discovery Center, the only reason we were there. The other way pointed to Tom Ford, one of my favorite luxury designers of my past life.

As I laughed out loud, I thought to myself, Man life has changed. From Tom Ford to LegoLand. From Downtown to Down South.

What a journey.

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Have a great week.-Benj

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