Two Days in Atlanta

I recently spent a couple of days in Atlanta, enjoying unseasonably cool weather for late May. I arrived in the late afternoon and checked into the 4-star Starling Atlanta Midtown Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. There were a couple of issues with my room, but it was overall a good stay.

The main perk of this hotel is that it’s right next door to midtown’s Colony Square, where people sit outdoors or eat at any number of nice restaurants. My first night, I had a lovely meal at Colony Square’s Italian restaurant, Serena Pacificio. Since it was early in the evening, my friend and I were able to get a table without a reservation.

We both chose to eat light, but everything was delicious. The service was also terrific. I had the Insalata Italiana with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, Cerignola olives, peperoncini, and sunflower seeds. My companion had the caprese appetizer with charred mozzarella, grilled heirloom tomato, lemon-basil emulsion, and ciabatta crostini. We also shared a side of scrumptious fingerling potatoes with garlic and parsley, and we each had a refreshing sangria with our meal.

For dessert, we stopped by Colony Square’s Cupcakin’ for peach bourbon cupcakes. Delectible!

The next day, we set out in the morning for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which was only a 15-20-minute walk from my hotel if we went through Piedmont Park. I had never been to this garden, and I was very impressed. It’s large with an extensive conservatory that houses one of the best orchid collections I’ve ever seen.

Through January 11, 2026, there is an art installation at the Garden called “Enchanted Trees” by Poetic Kinetics. There is also a permanent Chihuly glass sculpture on the grounds.

Through September 14, 2025, the Garden has an Alice’s Wonderland exhibit of 38 plant sculptures depicting characters from the books. The sculptures are “mosaiculture,” which were popular in 16th century Europe.

That evening, we had dinner at another Colony Square restaurant that I’d heard a lot about – Saints + Council. This lovely place has a beautiful outdoor dining area, but it was unusually windy the night we were there. So we chose to sit inside. I have to call out our server, Emma Kate, and her trainee, Patrick, who were not only very attentive to us but also lots of fun.

We both ordered the duck confit with braised red cabbage, roasted acorn squash, and dark cherry molasses. We were stunned by the size of the dish, which consisted of two full duck legs with thighs. It was very well-prepared and plated. For dessert, we shared the Bick’s famous peanut butter pie, which delivered a light but huge slice of heaven.

We were even given a postcard that we could write to someone and give to the restaurant to stamp and mail for us. I’d never heard of that kind of thing, but it was a nice touch.

Afterwards, we took in a world premiere musical at the Alliance Theatre, which shares the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center with the Atlanta Symphony Hall. This regional theatre has won a Tony Award and often attracts Broadway talent. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the restaurant and next to the High Museum of Art.

My last afternoon, we had brunch at the European cafe, Apres Diem, also in midtown a short drive from my hotel. We ate al fresco, and everything was very tasty, whether the Napa cabbage salad, the salad niçoise, the crab cakes, or the Belgian waffles made with orange zest and covered with fruit. We were also served Monster Mimosas in large wine glasses that were only $1 more than the version served in champagne flutes. Highly recommended.

Of course, since I’ve been to Atlanta before, I also highly recommend visits to the Georgia Aquarium and the Carter Center. But my two days fit in plenty of nice experiences and good food.