Got on a United Airlines flight towards Atlanta. At the last minute, I opted to change flights and layed over in George Bush Intercontinental Airport. I was upgraded already on the second leg and became doubtful I would make the cut on the first leg. I saw myself get jumped by two other people and bumped down to number 3 on the list. In the end, I should have waited but a midnight flight and a drink in me made me reckless! Fortunately, the upgrade fee wasn't terrible but it still smarts. The downside of going through Houston also means the airport is a maze and the United Club difficult to find within Terminal B. Since it is a small plane, I was banished to the small plane gates which meant a 20 minute walk to both gate and the very small United Club.
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Westin Peachtree Plaza King Room
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Since
MARTA is the easiest line to get directly into downtown and the
Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta sits right in front of a stop, I opted to take mass transit. It was an easy 20 minute ride. I ended up renting a Zipcar for a few hours after checking into the hotel. I had forgotten some toiletries and also wanted to try
B's Cracklin BBQ. The nearest Target to downtown was about 3 miles away and the restaurant was 20 miles away. I tried the 2 meat combo at B's and really enjoyed the brisket. The ribs were fine but I liked my order of chicken wings and brisket more. If you do a Yelp check in, you can get appetizers half off.
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| B's Cracklin BBQ Brisket |
I opted to only stay at the Westin for one night since the
Atlanta Marriott Marquis was cheaper the next two nights. Comparing the two hotels with the platinum benefits, I liked the Westin's breakfast buffet at their restaurant (it was a very good selection and I was surprised to see the restaurant quarter full), the discounts at all the eateries and half off at Starbucks in the late afternoon. At the Marriott, I liked that my laptop was happier with the internet accessibility, bigger room sizes, and lounge (although continental breakfast at the lounge compared to a restaurant breakfast buffet is not going to win). I was a little disappointed that the breakfast option for platinum was a $10 credit at the restaurant, the breakfast buffet at the restaurant is $26. Compared to the Westin, that's a definite thumbs down. On a side note, the lunch buffet on Fridays is $17 and is more seafood oriented. Now how does that make sense? Another thing I didn't like is that they shut the lounge on Friday evenings, you can't go in to get water or drinks. At both hotels, I was not given a suite upgrade except Marriott put me at their highest floor and Westin put me on SPG floors. Overall, I would stay at the Marriott only because my laptop would stay connected to the internet better than the Westin. Otherwise, for leisure, I would definitely opt for the Westin. It isn't too often I can compare an SPG hotel with a Marriott side by side. I'm also beginning to miss Starwood....
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| Atlanta Marriott Marquis King Room |
For meals, I went to JCT Kitchen, PokeSpot and Holeman and Finch Public House. At
JCT Kitchen, I enjoyed my deviled eggs appetizer and North George Trout entrée. For dessert, I went next door to
Jeni's for ice cream. It was a little too sweet for me but I found the quality of ice cream good. I tried the sweet potato, brambleberry, banana brulee and buttercake flavors.
PokeSpot is your typical make your own poke bowl chain that has been popping up everywhere. It was fast and easy and portable enough to carry into a meeting. Mental note, the packaging is very very secure and will make noise when you try to pry it apart.
Holeman and Finch Public House is a tiny restaurant with a straightforward menu. I enjoyed an appetizer of deviled eggs, shared a number of small plates - yeast rolls (no free bread at this restaurant), foie gras, popcorn - and enjoyed my entrée of johnny cakes.
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