Staycation in Marietta

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