How should I say goodbye to the East Coast?

June 15, 2009 11:29 AM

So I'm moving from Baltimore to Atlanta for work - yay, new job! Boo, leaving the East Coast! I've got a month remaining, so in the time between finishing my business here and taking deep breaths, what should I do here that I won't be able to do in the south?

I've been here for two years and haven't really explored the area much at all. I'll definitely spend at least one more day in DC and maybe go for a weekend in New York. Any other awesome places I should visit? Are there regional delicacies I won't be able to find in Atlanta? Non-perishable consumer goods? Basically: what should I buy, eat, see, and do? Money's not an issue... just time.

posted by susoka to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

You do realize, right, that Atlanta is in Georgia, which is on the East Coast? I mean, the city itself is a ways inland, but it's not as though you're moving to, say, Wichita.

Anyway, I think you definitely need to have a crab feast, since that's what Maryland is known for. Other than that, I doubt there's a whole lot you can't get in Atlanta.
posted by cerebus19 at 11:36 AM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

Eat crab cakes. Lots of crab cakes. (and crab chowder, and soft shell crab sandwiches, yum)

Drive down the length of the Chesapeake.

Head up to Philly to explore too.

Stock up on Old Bay.

Listen to people say the word house like hawoos.

Get the Wire box set for days when you miss crab cakes and people saying house like hawoos. (Ace of Cakes just won't do it for you)
posted by Pollomacho at 11:40 AM on June 15

Seconding cerebus19. I grew up in ATL and can safely attest that whatever it is you're looking for foodwise, you can pretty much find it there: ethnic, greasy spoon, fusion, upper-end and everything in between.

If you're allergy-prone, you might want to prepare yourself for Atlanta's springtime. The springtime pollen counts are legendary.
posted by jquinby at 11:42 AM on June 15

You do realize, right, that Atlanta is in Georgia, which is on the East Coast?

No, no, no. You wouldn't call Chatanooga "East Coast" would you? Atlanta is way more Chatanooga than it is Savannah or Charleston.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:43 AM on June 15

Atlanta is SO an East Coast city - if only by virtue of all the Northeasterners like myself who've moved here over the last 15-20 years.
posted by deadmessenger at 11:51 AM on June 15

Eat all the steamed seafood you stand. Down here they boil seafood, and the taste difference is dramatic if you're on steamed, like normal people.

Head over to Lexington market and eat some Berger Cookies and Utz potato chips.

Not sure about Italian Cheesesteaks in Atlanta, but here in Savannah, they don't taste as good as Baltimore, different cut of meat. Do they have red hots in Atlanta? If not, bring jars.

Brush up on your civil war history, you'll need it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:05 PM on June 15

You should be more club.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:10 PM on June 15

I moved to Charletson recently after living in Philadelphia. (A similar transition, I think.)
Things I miss:
Awesome pizza.
Awesome Asian food.

Brush up on your civil war history, you'll need it.
Yeah. Be careful. Everyone here thinks it was a draw.

The upside is that barbecue is everywhere and it makes up for everything you'll miss.
You can fill up on all of your hometown favorites, but make sure you purge before you come down here to make room for cue.
posted by Jon-o at 12:37 PM on June 15

Everyone here thinks it was a draw.

A draw? Them's fightin' words Yankee boy!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:52 PM on June 15

Atlanta has awesome Asian food (you just have to go up Bufurd Highway). One thing I get every time I go back to Virginia is good country ham, not sure how applicable that is to Baltimore though.
posted by trox at 12:58 PM on June 15

I meant Buford Hwy.
posted by trox at 12:59 PM on June 15

I was SHOCKED to find after I moved from Baltimore that, aside from pockets of Louisiana, you can't find snowballs outside of Maryland. That's probably what I miss most about Charm City, next to the crabs which everyone has rightly mentioned. I recommend skylite with marshmallow.

Oh, and you can never, ever, go wrong with pit beef. If you leave Baltimore without trying this uniquely local tradition, your entire time there has been a waste.
posted by dhammond at 1:22 PM on June 15

If you drive to NYC find a way to stop at the Jersey Shore. Yes, there are beautiful beaches up and down the eastern seaboard (and on the West Coast, too) but the Jersey Shore is its own cultural experience.
posted by Breav at 1:42 PM on June 15

We have snowballs in Atlanta at Just Loafin, but they will put condensed milk not a marshmellow on top. I skip the dairy and the tackiest beach ever can be reached by noon.

If I was leaving Baltimore I would take time to appreiate the topograpy. It may be weird, but the flatness of the land and water is really interesting and Georgia rolls for many miles on any side of Atlanta. I am so used to having rolling land around me that being out on the plains can be overwhelming. I , also, think Baltimore smells good, in a weird way, like the way New Orleans has a smell. Atlanta just smells really hot right now.

If you like fresh seafood, it really will be a different world for you. If you have something you really enjoy find a source for it now before you are gone, it'll be easier.
posted by stormygrey at 1:45 PM on June 15

I , also, think Baltimore smells good, in a weird way

Seriously? I have to roll up the windows and put the A/C on recirculate whenever I'm driving through on I-95.
posted by cerebus19 at 1:49 PM on June 15

Ditto the seafood. I live in the south now and that's the #1 thing I miss. Mmmm.. legal seafood and annapolis seafood market.

Also stock up on quality ocean/Chesapeake Bay time. There's lakes and stuff here, but it's not the same.

Ironically, I've seen snowball-esque things around (although not as much as when I lived in Annapolis), but I've found italian ices (sold at southern little league ballparks everywhere!) a tasty enough substitute.
posted by finitejest at 2:08 PM on June 15

Vaccaro's. Oh how I miss Vaccaro's.
posted by ihadapony at 5:04 PM on June 15

If you live the city proper, walk around town and all the neat Baltimore neighborhoods as much as you can. Atlanta has great neighborhoods too but it's very difficult to get from one to another without driving. I really miss getting dessert at Vaccaro's and then walking around Harbor East and Fell's, especially when random street festival were happening.

If you haven't been to the Walters or the BMA, definitely go. They are both free and are both excellent museums. I also really enjoyed the Evergreen Mansion near Loyola College on Charles. In DC I like the new Capital Visitor's Center and the National Archives. The Museum of the American Indian is a beautiful building and has the best food court on the mall. Enjoy riding the Metro when you're in DC. You'll be in a car once you get to Atlanta!

Take in an O's game if you can. The "thank god I'm a country boy" during the 7th inning stretch is as country as anything you'll find in the south.

Eat as many crab cakes and as much steamed crab as you can stand. Seconding Berger's cookies (they go great with a strong cup of coffee).

Pizza is something I miss terribly. You can find artisan, California-style pizza easily, but not a good greasy slice. Get that at Angelo's in Hampden or in New York if you like pizza.

When I lived in Baltimore and would come home to Atlanta, I always had to remind myself not to get wary if strangers try to talk to me. People are pretty friendly and like to randomly strike up conversation.

As someone who was born in Alabama, grew up in Atlanta, moved to Baltimore for a few years, and now lives in Canada, I have to say that I would not consider Atlanta part of the "east coast". Atlanta is in the "south". It is technically on the eastern side of the United States. But I do agree with deadmessenger- you're just as likely to run into someone from Michigan, Ohio, NY, etc as a true southerner.
posted by betsybetsy at 5:23 PM on June 15