In the summer of 2008, I got the chance to revisit my second
home, New Orleans, for the Essence Festival. THAT was a vacation that I needed
a vacation from. In fact, between the increasing responsibilities at work and
other travels, I may not have fully recovered by the time the next year’s
Essence Festival arrived. By spring of 2009, I was answering my personal phone
“Phipps Auto Sales.” My friends and family couldn’t talk to me on the phone
without constant work interruptions no matter what time of day it was. A few of
my friends thought I was paid far better than I actually was because I was so
busy selling cars all the time. I definitely needed another vacation. The only
problem was, business had slowed so much that my trip to New Orleans was in
jeopardy. I was very low on cash.
I was already granted the time off, and I was determined to
take it. I used my high power phone/internet networking skills to work any
angle I could to get to New Orleans. Eventually, I just wanted to get away. By
the time the Fourth of July weekend rolled around, I had gotten as far as
Marietta Georgia. I would find out that was more than far enough away.
I lived and worked in the neighboring cities of Stone
Mountain and Lithonia. Marietta might have been where I should have lived when
I moved to the Atlanta Metro Area. It was 25 minutes northwest of Stone
Mountain, which in the south was far enough to be another state. It would be
perfect for my Staycation. It was quiet, clean, and home to one of the two
Fatburger restaurants in the Atlanta area. I packed my bags, one small carryon.
I told no one at work. Not even my cousin who both lived and worked with me
knew I was staying in Georgia. Everyone believed I would be in New Orleans for
the Fourth of July. I drove to the Extended Stay America and parked my car for
the rest of the weekend. I set up my room and prepared to relax alone for the
next three days.
Extended Stay was perfect. I was on a budget. The room was
clean and had everything I would need for the weekend, a bed and a kitchenette
to store my food and drink. Since the majority of the customers were staying a
lot longer than I was, the staff had a more familiar vibe. The Extended Stay
was within walking distance of Houstons, Fatburger, Panda Express, Pappadeux
Seafood Kitchen, Fuddruckers, Sal Grosso and two local bars. For the purposes
of this trip, all I needed was the Fatburgers. My mission was to not be spotted
anywhere in Georgia. My Georgia friends were unfamiliar with Fatburger. Hell,
even the Fatburger employees seemed unfamiliar with Fatburger.
Marrieta is small by big city standards but is a large part
of one of the largest metropolitan areas in America and part of the third
largest metro area in the southeast. At around 50,000 citizens Marietta is one
of Georgia’s most populous cities. It was named one of the top 25 places in the
United States to retire in 2011. It’s older than Atlanta and holds onto that
distinction well. The city holds on to many of the battlefields from the Civil
War.
It was just my luck that a couple of college friends, my
true travel/drinking partners, were in town for a wedding. So my weekend began
with a bachelor party in the city of Atlanta. The beauty of Marrieta is that it
maintains its charm and heritage while remaining a large part of the Atlanta
Metro Area. It was only a ten minute drive to Buckhead penthouse where the
bachelor party was. I dared to go to the city. The risk would be minimal since
nearly everyone was from out of town. Party on!
The bachelor party was as remarkable as any other; rooms
were devoid of anything but chairs, mattresses and the kitchen bar. Aside from
some men breaking their banks before the better looking dancers arrived, the
night went off without a hitch. I took advantage of having a designated driver
while I appreciated nighttime views of downtown Atlanta from the balcony of the
apartment we were in. That was my lone foray into the city that weekend. I
would stay local the rest of the time. As it turned out, I would be very local
after losing my car keys.
Fortunately, I had made friends with the young lady at the
front desk. Unfortunately, she liked to hang out on my side of town in Stone
Mountain. So I was on my own. It didn’t take more than a day to unwind. I had
to relearn sleeping in and staying the bed. I’m a fast learner.
The laying low aspect of my Staycation meant no internet,
particularly no Facebook. I couldn’t have anyone in Lithonia catching on that I
wasn’t in New Orleans. I have had my boss and co workers try to call me on
other vacations. The legend of New Orleans was strong enough to hold them at
bay for a weekend. Or, I could just not answer the phone and they would
understand. So it was true relaxation. I read. I drank. I practiced a long
forgotten travel pastime, hotel wandering. That’s when you walk the halls
randomly, taking the elevator to each floor ending up at the front desk if you
don’t encounter and new friends before that.
As I would learn from my wanderings, Marietta is an
extremely quiet town. That belies its proximity to the lively Atlanta. A wild
night out in Marietta resembles the scene from the movie Hallpass where the
only place the men could come up with to meet women was Applebee’s/Chiles. In
my area of Marietta, the option was Fridays. There is an Applebee’s. The rest
of Marietta is a smattering of neighborhood bars. I had my own bottle.
My stay came to an end as I had to deal with my lost car
key. That meant finally calling someone from the lot. My cover story was that I
parked the car there and discovered that I lost my key upon returning from New
Orleans. They may have bought it, until now.
My stay in Marietta was primarily about rest. I accomplished
that. I channeled my inner “Office Space” and did absolutely nothing for once.
And it turned out to be everything I thought it would be. A small misfortune
turned into an opportunity to get what I really needed. I owe it all to the
wonderful city of Marietta and Extended Stay America
