Each hair will be in place

Each hair will be in place, why take a chance, when you get up and dance

Each hair will be in place
I boarded my early morning flight to Atlanta, ready to start the next leg of my travels. I would be staying with my friend George, who I had met several years ago when he was seconded over to the London office of the company I used to work for. We had met at a work LGBT event. A mutual friend Paul had brought George along to meet some of the London gays. Paul had introduced me as Head of Gays as at the time I was in charge of the LGBT network. I had a vague recollection of an evening of ten-pin bowling, before which George, Paul and I had been for several drinks. The drinks did little to improve my bowling skills or make wearing two-tone rented shoes any more bearable.

Atlanta - don't ask for a Pepsi

The short flight from Jacksonville to Atlanta was just long enough for me to fall asleep but not long enough for me to feel rested. If anything the short snooze had made me feel worse. George was waiting for me at the airport and I made my way to where he was parked up. We gave each other a big hug & made our way to George’s car. I worried slightly that my large suitcase would not fit in the boot of George’s BWM. Luckily it did. We drove from the airport to George’s place with the roof down and the music up. It was going to be a hot day in Atlanta.

I had told George that I needed to get my hair cut as it was getting a bit too long and the grey was showing. It also didn’t like the humidity of the south and had a tendency to get a bit too bouffant. As luck would have it George had an appointment to get his hair cut that afternoon so he phoned up to see if they could fit me in too. They could. I would be getting my hair “done” by Jose at Helmet. I couldn’t help but laugh at the name of the hairdressers. On the way home we stopped at a deli to grab a sandwich. George pointed out the local gay bar, handily located only a couple of blocks from his place. A small siesta followed lunch.

After freshening up George & I went for a walk so that I could get my bearings. We made our way to Piedmont Park, the Atlanta equivalent of Central Park. I had noticed that a lot of Americans would compare things to their New York equivalent. Despite it being early evening and the sun going down it was still hot as we walked along. I told George that I might be in need of some liquid refreshment, for rehydrating purposes. We stopped in to a bar called Gilbert's. In deference to our respective origins I had an English Rose martini, George having a Southern Peach martini.

Why take a chance

After the drinks we walked on a bit further to go get some dinner at Joe’s on Juniper. George explained that the place was a must for any visitor seeking to experience gay Atlanta. We got a table outside on the vast patio. The place was pretty full and there was a good buzz to the place. We ordered some beers and some food. The menu was packed full of double entendres, the burger section was subtitled “Between the buns”, the salads “tossed with care”. I liked the place immediately. I went for a salad (tossed) with the buffalo chicken. The waiter asked how I wanted my chicken, the options being mild, medium, hot or FLAMING. I went for hot unable to bring myself to ask for flaming chicken and not wanting to risk it given the disclaimer about how hot it was. The food was good and the venue was great. It was nice being sat outside too, the temperature having finally dropped to something a little more bearable. As George and I finished our beers he asked if I wanted to go out for more drinks. The night before and the early start had caught up with me so I asked if he was ok heading home so I could sleep & be ready for a full day exploring Atlanta in the day & the gay scene at night. He said that was fine. We got the bill and I chuckled to see my order on the receipt was a “Buff Chick Salad, tossed, hot”

The Atlanta Flatiron

The next morning we headed downtown, courtesy of MARTA. George had organised tickets for us to do a tour of the city in an electric car. It was a fun way to see the city. The car could have seated five but there was only me & George for the ride. Our tour guide turned out to be a friend of George’s which made the tour more special. The commentary we got was a special version as we were also given some gay Atlanta history alongside the regular commentary. The tour took in the State Capitol, the house Martin Luther King grew up in, an office building that was Atlanta’s equivalent of the Flatiron in New York, the global HQ of Coca-Cola and the queue for a casting call for the next series of The Biggest Loser.

Lunch was a bison burger at Ted’s Montana Grill downtown, followed by a walk through Centennial Park in a vague attempt to burn off some of the calories from the bison burger. We walked over to where the Atlanta Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola. Both had really long queues, it being the Saturday before all the children went back to school. Instead of visiting either we opted to go for a drink at the Sun Dial bar, located on the 73rd floor of the Westin Hotel. The views from the top were amazing. There was a haze in the distance but we could still see quite far and I got some good photos.

When you get up and dance

After drinks we headed back to George’s. On the way back I stopped to get some cash. My card was declined. I thought it might have just been that one cash machine so I tried at one near George’s that had given me cash the previous day. My card was declined again. I tried to contact my helpful bank but nobody answered. I had a bit of cash on me so I figured I could use my credit card until I could get the situation resolved, keeping my dollars for emergencies. I hoped that they hadn’t cancelled my card as the logistics involved in getting a new card delivered given my schedule of moving cities every few days made my head hurt.

On our way back from the MARTA station we got caught in a rather large thunderstorm. We picked up the pace trying to get home before we were too wet. We power-minced the last couple of blocks. George outlined some possible plans for the evening that would show me the various facets of the Atlanta gay scene. We decided on drinks at the local gay bar, followed by a trip to experience gay line dancing (which would be a first for me) followed by the local dance club. I decided a small siesta was called for so I would be fresh and ready for the big night out.

   

“Each hair will be in place, why take a chance, when you get up and dance” 
Lyrics from (It’s) Hairspray from the musical Hairspray