T RA V E L
East Atlanta Village Boasts Big Town Locale, Small Town Vibe
The Post
March 14, 2008
Page 25
If You Go:
Rich history mingles with modern trappings in mini-mecca of Atlanta culture
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Steve Stevens is a writer and editor living in East Atlanta Village since 2004.
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By Steve Stevens There’s at least one good thing about Atlanta’s distinctive and famous urban sprawl. For a change of scenery, you don’t have far to go. In East Atlanta Village, or EAV as the locals call it, Flat Shoals Avenue is the lively main drag. The narrow, two-lane avenue used to be an Indian trail connecting Atlanta with Savannah, but that history was paved over long ago, and now a multifarious group of restaurants, bars and shops roost alongside the old highway. EAV is so near downtown that from a few vantage points, parts of the city skyline are evident. Turner Field is less than a 10-minute drive. East Atlanta Village has a familiar vibe. For anyone who has spent time in the hippest parts of New York City’s Manhattan borough, EAV’s center will feel like much like a smaller, Southern version of Greenwich Village. With its live music, mixed bag of shops, and cool collection of hipsters and coffee-sipping locals, East Atlanta is the West Village with a Southern drawl. Like Manhattan, East Atlanta has seen its share of changes over the past two hundred years. The old building that housed the East Atlanta Banking Company in 1911 is now the Flat Iron Restaurant and Bar with great burgers, pleasingly cheeky bartenders and ice cold beer. Stylish art from the ultra-vibey upstairs tattoo parlor, 13 Roses, adorn the Flat Iron’s walls. The EARL, an acronym for East Atlanta Restaurant & Lounge, has a front section boasting a drool-inducing tofu and goat cheese pita along with wild, colorful decorations that look like they could have been pulled from a Hunter Thompson acid trip. In the back room, a steady flow of indie rock acts keep the 20s and 30s crowd happily cynical. If the Flat Iron and the EARL are East Atlanta’s rock and roll, the Graveyard Tavern is its jazz. Offering its own brand of cool with DJs, deep chocolate leather sofas, soft golden lighting, the Graveyard is where the good looking people hang out and drink beer that is not Pabst Blue Ribbon. Additionally, bunches of new plasma TVs make it a great place to take in a game during the day. At the Southwest corner of the community’s main intersection, is Kasan Red, a family friendly bistro that stays true to EAV’s funky soul with its mod-diner dÊcor and eclectic menu of healthy fare. Breakfast until 3 p.m. gives patrons plenty of menu options. The Village’s clothing shops show that its trendy vibe doesn’t end in its bars and restaurants. Pieces of Adrene is packed with chic shoes, designer tops and skirts at prices that will leave shoppers with plenty of money for a glass of Guinness across the street at the EARL. Sugar Britches is owned by a former Playboy model and offers up loads of trendy, cutting edge clothes and accouterments. City Life Apparel offers stylish urban clothes for both men and women. The area’s cool quotient would take a dramatic hit if its retail spots were limited to clothes, bars and restaurants; but instead of being a poor man’s Buckhead, alternatives abound for shoppers and patrons. Walking up Flat Shoals, you’ll pass a tanning salon, an independent book store, an old barber shop, an ice cream store, a veterinarian, an art gallery and an eyebrow threading salon. East Atlanta Villagers seem to know the golden rule of chic: If you are going to be funky and cool, predictability is a bad philosophy.
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Getting There Flat Iron Restaurant & Bar 520 Flat Shoals Ave. SE Atlanta, GA 30316 404-688-8864
Sugar Britches 491 Flat Shoals Ave Atlanta, GA 30316 (404)522-9098 www.sugarbritchesatl.com
The Earl 488 Flat Shoals Ave. SE Atlanta, GA 30316 (404) 522-3950 www.badearl.com
Pieces of Adrene 493 Flat Shoals Rd. Atlanta, GA 30316 404-525-5222
Graveyard Tavern 1245 Glenwood Ave Atlanta, GA 30316 (404) 622-8686 www.graveyardtavern.com