I am Grateful for ART and for the City of Atlanta that Loves It!

    People think that New York City and Paris are the artists' cities, and perhaps that is why they are my two favorite cities in the world.  But, I believe that Atlanta is more of an artists' city than people give it credit for, especially if you visit the Little Five Points and Decatur areas.  My first favorite outing of fall was walking to the Candler Park Festival with my friend Melissa, where we met up with my friend Beth and some of her friends.  The leaves were multi-colored, and I felt like I was inside of a Van Gogh painting.  We could walk outside with t-shirts and sweaters tied around our waists for when the breeze got just a little nippy.  Local artists were selling their trinkets, purses, and paintings.  I bought the one small piece that was within my budget.  And where else besides Atlanta festivals can an up and coming teenage band play at the same concert as experienced musicians closer to my age?  I love festivals like this because experienced musicians have a chance to shine while up and coming ones have a chance to spread their wings.  And when the weather is perfect and some of your favorite friends are with you, it's one of those moments you wish you could trap in a bottle and relive over and over again.  

      My other favorite fall outing was the Decatur Wine Festival weekend.  It kicked off with the Decatur Art Walk, sponsored by the Decatur Arts Alliance.  My friends and I went to Little Shop of Stories to see a children's author's new story unfold amid a series of paintings and captions.  It was a touching story about overcoming phobias, and we could experience it while enjoying refreshments.  We also went to a nearby jewelry store and viewed paintings created by water color and wine.  I viewed beautiful paintings and bought myself a new bracelet of turquoise and tiger eye for a very reasonable price.  I applaud these independent businesses for helping local artists share their work.  And to top it all off, I had classic Italian pizza for dinner with my friends that night, where we could bond over what we saw.  The next day, I went to the wine festival itself with my cousin Kris and one of our other friends.  Between this event and having dinner at Cindy and Kris's house these past six months, I have learned that cooking truly is a form of art.  Local Atlanta restaurants had food for us to sample, everything from potatoes au gratin to boiled shrimp to meatloaf.  I had a delightful day and got to sample wines from across the country and even different parts of the world.  

     People do not always credit Atlanta for being an artist's city, yet it is the home of the Decatur Book Festival, the Candler Park Festival, the Inman Park Festival, the Dragon Con Convention, and the Decatur Art Walk, and the Decatur Wine Festival, among other artist-friendly events.  I believe there is an artistic community in my home city if you are willing to seek it out.