As much as we love Auburn and its bubble where everything is great and jolly, sometimes we just have to get away. It’s hard to find a fun place to go for a weekend trip when you’re surrounded by small towns and the same run-of-the-mill shopping areas.
Just 90 minutes down I-85 you’ll find yourself in Atlanta, Georgia. As an out-of-towner, I found myself in a love/hate relationship with Atlanta because the traffic is terrible, one wrong turn and you’re in the “bad side of town” and the roads just don’t make any sense. Aside from the challenges you’ll face getting to your destination on the confusing and overwhelming roadways, the destination is always worth it.
When you cross the threshold into the city, you’re entering a whole new world where an abundance of cultures come together to create a melting pot. One of my latest destinations in Atlanta was The Sweet Auburn Curb Market.
This market has no connection to our beloved Auburn, Alabama (I spoke to a few of the people who work in the food stalls of the market and many of them have never even heard of Auburn University). The market opened its doors in 1924 to become one of the first desegregated market places and is now home to 24 individual businesses.
Lauren Duxbury, a business owner, combined her South African roots with southern soul food to create Panbury’s Double Crust Pies, Lauren says her pies are made “from scratch with all fresh herbs, fresh vegetables and really good quality meats.” Lauren and her husband started the bakery themselves and have moved around from New Orleans and Charleston, only to end up here in Atlanta. They’ve brought together influences from the places they’ve been to create their products, which have been a hit since they opened in 2014.
While Panbury’s Double Crust Pies is considered one of the “newer vendors,” as Lauren mentioned, there are others who are looking to become an addition to the local market. I spoke with a pop-up vendor called “Mama’s Always Rice,” which features homemade Korean cuisine.
Erica and her mom and aunt are originally from Korea and feel that they’d make a great addition to the food-to-table style fare that the Curb Market offers. Erica says her aunt “is a nutritionist from Korea and had the idea to start a Korean-style restaurant,” which they hope to get started here in The Curb Market.
There is no doubt that the food in Atlanta is great no matter which market you go to. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, The Ponce City Market and The Krog Street Market are just a few of choices. There’s more to do than just eat your way through Atlanta, though.
After you stuff yourself with a pie from Panbury’s, or enjoy some bulgogi from Mama’s Always Rice, take a walk down the street and you’ll notice that many of the buildings are covered with street art. I’m not talking about the sloppy graffiti you’ll see on bridges, I’m talking about wall art—art that will make you pause and think.
Local artists have taken time to mark Atlanta’s neighborhoods with beauty in the strangest of places. The contrast of a rundown neighborhood with beautiful portraits that could be found in an art studio have found home to side streets and alleyways. Most of these works are featured on a Pinterest, Facebook and other social media databases.
This goes to show that a little help from Google and Pinterest can go a long way the next time you’re looking to plan an out of town adventure from Auburn. Atlanta is absolutely worth the trip, and I would even recommend an overnight stay if you get the chance—the longer you’re there, the more hidden gems you’re bound to find.
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