Friday Night Lights

Friday night kicked off with a stop at my new and lovely friend

John G's house. Although John's a native Southerner, the skateboarding aesthetic of his home blasted me back to California.

We took a meandering drive through

the Cabbagetown neighborhood after an encounter with a police detour that had drawn a huge crowd at a gas station. John and I jumped out of the car to investigate as I, perhaps insensitively, hoped to witness my first urban shootout. A little investigative work revealed that there had been an armed robbery at the scene. I was disappointed to miss a shooting, but found it pretty cool to see how the community gathered and spread news to each other in a crisis.

G describes Cabbagetown as the place where skateboarders go to raise families in Atlan

ta. Even at 1 am I loved the feel of the town.

I dropped off John after dinner and headed out to Tucker, GA to meet up with Kimmi and her

friends Serene and Aermone at the club Studio 72. Tucker sits

a ways out of DeKalb county into the suburbs where bars can stay open til 4 am.

Being inside this club was like being in a hip hop music video: lots of bling, booty, and black. Bottles of Grey Goose were freely passing hands. Perfectly synchronized dance moves, running commentary on the security situation on stage, and of course wild antics in the girls room made for an entirely entertaining foray into the darker side of ATL.

The Girls Room: Where the real action of the night goes down

We ventured back to Atlanta for a late night bite at R Thomas, a groovy raw and health food restaurant.

The first raw establishment I've encountered since Santa Monica, this exotic locale proved a treat even before walking in - bird cages housing sleeping parrots line the entrance. The There are plenty of regular food options as well for non-vegans, hippy music and real parrots and a monkey outside. I'll definitely be stopping back in the future for some raw food ideas, although not too soon. Like all raw restaurants, this one's pricey (it costs a lot to keep fresh stock!)