Artmore Hotel Atlanta: Slightly Worn Shabby Chic
May 23, 2017
The Artmore is generally speaking right down the middle of the Bell curve of what NPS looks for in a hotel. Small. Boutique. Independent. Slightly hip. Art The property is nicely manicured and if it were not raining, I’m sure the courtyard would rock and roll.
Lobby @ArtmoreHotel Atlanta pic.twitter.com/xT6t7WoO3f
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) May 22, 2017
NPS was assigned 225.
225 has a bar, which is cool, but it is completely barren which is lame
Imagine being able to mix a real cocktail for yourself. What is required? A real booze selection. Oh well. Why is this bar here?
Comfy bed in 225
The bathroom is slightly too large with a shower designed for giants. There is a bench, but the water does not reach the bench. Close but no cigar design-wise.
BIG shower
Other design elements like this crazy sink are quirky and interesting.
This will do
But in final analysis, what we have is a hamster cage bed-dominated room with a noisy A/C unit and a little desk.
Desk
Net? Good. Water? Costs money. Note? None.
Shabby? Way too much. Rooms need attention.
A drink at Grain was the great way to wind down from a good day at work. Grain would be much cooler if they would turn down their music. But they did have the real 2016 Stagg.
Cocktail hour @GrainBarAtl pic.twitter.com/xkLgWFHZG6
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) May 22, 2017
Chicken at Gus’s was delicious but did not really mix well with cocktails! LOL.
Four showerheads for the Artmore in Atlanta. Time for some care here at this property.
I am Not a Number, I am a Free Man: Not Puttin’ on the Ritz Carlton Atlanta
September 30, 2013
If you are a careful reader of noplasticshowers, you may recall the very first blog entry ever (October 21, 2009). Way back when! What were we whining about then? A Marriott property foist on us by the Kilbourne. You see, some people will do most anything for points. Some people, but not us some people.
Here at the Ritz Carlton you might expect a glass shower, right? Like the ones in Charlotte. Sadly, Atlanta appears to be a hotel desert. And as such, even the Ritz (the Ritz!!) has plastic showers. Alas.
I do not like plastic showers. Really.
A good start in the tiny bathroom, but is that a plastic shower?!
Queue YES Close to the Edge (yeah I know the title referenced Rush, what can I say?!)
I get up.
I get down.
Ah the high life in a high end hamster cage.
Never fear, there is an amenity that arrived as this diatribe was under construction. Did I say hamster? Eat up little hamster.
All your bar foods are come in BIG BIG bag. With coke.
Of course, Atlanta is a big city and there are plenty of great places to go. Dinner at South City Kitchen was relaxed and very nice with a supremely delicious pork BBQ appetizer. Drinks at 4th and Swift were surprisingly well-crafted by Gabriel. The only fly in the ointment is that Gabriel needs to relax about recipes and understand that every great drink will survive on its own in the light of day. Gabriel was fun at first, and then just plain green.
We concocted a Berryville Passage with Batavia Arrack (which I still need to procure for my bar), some homemade black walnut bitters, and an overly-smokey scotch. The new recipe is called the Peachtree Passage:
1.5 Batavia Arrack
.5 Dolin’s sweet vermouth
.5 Dolin’s dry vermouth
.5 Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash House Black Walnut bitters from 4th and Swift
1 dash Angustora
Wash a cocktail glass with smokey scotch. Shake. Flame a lemon peel over the drink. Drop in peel.
The next day started out right with a quick trip to dancing goats coffee (which would even meet jS criteria) on the way to Krispy Kreme!
The ultimate doughnut.
No calories whatsoever.
The famous hot doughnuts now sign is on and the factory is running.
Proof that the cigital offices actually exist!
Cigital Atlanta
Night two was even better than the first with a superb dinner at Ecco where they have outstanding charcuterie and a great winelist. After dinner we went to Seven Lamps for the best mixology in Atlanta. Master barman Kevin Bragg created a trio of outstanding drinks, including this experimental beverage which we will call the Georgia Liberal:
2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
.5 Punt et mes
.5 Kronan Swedish Punsch
.5 Amaro Cio Ciaro
1 dash hopped grapefruit bitters
orange peel
We will leave the Ritz in Atlanta with three showerheads, despair that Atlanta just can’t rise to the occasion, and this snippet of YES.
Down at the edge, close by a river.
Close to the edge, round by the corner.
Close to the end, down by the corner.
Down at the edge, round by the river.
Gorgeous ceiling in the Biltmore ballroom.
Delta Net and other Wonders
September 30, 2013
Since cigital is opening an office in Atlanta, it looks like I will be flying down there more often. Flying to Atlanta is best accomplished on delta of course. So we left United at the gate, and here we are in the air.
So what do we think? Well for starters, Terminal B at IAD beats the bejesus out of Terminal A (which I call the “walmart terminal.”) It is modern, spacious, and has restaurants designed by something other than a chimpanzee.
IAD Terminal B != Walmart Terminal A
Second of all, the delta flight left a bit early (better than on time) and has wifi available. (This is the first noplasticshowers entry posted from 35,000 feet.) I did have to pay to get moved into “economy comfort” or whatever they call this, and net costs $14 for this 90 minute flight.
Delta wifi.
All in all, things seem pretty similar to a United flight on an A320, but there’s net. I think that is good. Right?!
Omni in Atlanta, bleh
February 16, 2010
Long ago when I was a little boy I stayed at the Omni in Atlanta during a tour with suzuki violin kids. The hotel has not changed much since. Pretty dang cool in 1976 when I was 10. But last I checked it’s 2010 and I’m almost 44.
Though the Omni does have a very cool balcony thing overlooking CNN plaza.
The bathroom is, well, a generic chain hotel bathroom. Here is a picture of the kind of shower we’ve all spent too much time in.
And the same old same old sink. With a bonus $6 bottle of water to boot. Next time I come to Atlanta I need to find a real hotel!
The omni gets a (pathetic) 1 showerhead rating.
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