Before we get to the fun stuff we have to eat our vegetables- a real quick Georgia civics lesson! Monday was Crossover Day for the Georgia state legislature, which means it’s the last day this legislative session a bill can be sent to the other legislative chamber to be able to become a law in the current legislative session. Ugh!! That was exhausting to even type. Now the fun stuff! The Georgia Senate sent to the house a bill to allow to-go cocktails throughout the state. Many cities have already made it legal to take drinks to go in hopes of boosting local restaurants’ patronage during the pandemic. This bill would make it state-wide and permanent. The Senate also sent a bill to make sports betting legal in the state of Georgia. It would create an estimated $80 million in tax revenue that would go to HOPE and pre-k programs. It is also estimated to increase the amount of yelling at TVs by 31% in the state. In the most assuming bill passages the state House passed a bill to observe daylight savings time year-round BUT the Senate passed a bill to observe standard time year-round. So they compromised and changed nothing. Kidding. Both chambers appear to agree that we should stop changing our clocks twice a year. There is actually a lot of scientific evidence that changing the time drastically results in increased deaths. Seriously. More than likely we will stop changing our clocks in Georgia soon. My vote would be for daylight saving time year-round. What do you think?

As I’ve gotten older and developed a more refined and dignified pallet there is one staple of childhood I’ve never moved away from. Hotdogs. I could eat hotdogs every day. This is why I’m excited that the popular East Atlanta cocktail bar and restaurant is starting a hot dog stand. Screamin’ Weenies will open March 25th. The hot dogs will be locally sourced from Fripper's, an Atlanta-based sausage maker. Of course, you’ll have the option of loading them with classic toppings made in-house like chili, slaw, and kraut. They will also have veggie dogs. Screamin’ Weenies (can you just take a moment to admire that incredible name) will be starting by offering lunch services but looks to quickly expand into more hours and online ordering. Be sure to head down to East Atlanta to get a delicious meal adults and picky kids can agree on.

Stonecrest officials announced an exciting repurposing of an old vacant Target. The 125,000 square foot building will be renovated to house more than 100 businesses with the hopes of becoming a “New Black Wall Street Marketplace”. Once finished, the development will be filled with a variety of businesses from black and woman entrepreneurs. The market already is slated to host gourmet grocery stores and plans to have 12 restaurants, as well as several other retail shops. It is the hopes of the developers that the central location makes it easier for customers to find and support minority-owned stores and restaurants. The market should be opening by Memorial Day.

Now that the weather is cooperating and making it pleasant to spend time outside you should take one of Atlanta Street Art Map’s self guided tours. The tours guide you past street art and murals in some of Atlanta’s most popular neighborhoods like Cabbagetown, Old Fourth Ward, and the Eastside Trail. The guides are updated frequently so you won’t miss any of the murals that seem to be popping up everyday. For most artworks it provides the artist name and a link to their website. Which is great if you’ve ever passed a mural and wanted to know if you could purchase work by the artist. So put on some SPF 30, comfortable shoes, sunglasses and pack a cooler or grab drinks and food at one of the many restaurants you could pass. As you might remember from earlier- Atlanta allows to go drinks for now.

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Atlanta's New “Black Wallstreet”

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