Trappeze Pub, Athens GA

My older son has been largely absent from this blog lately, on account of him, miserably, choosing to live with his mother in the end. But before he went up to Kentucky the first time, he and I had a very neat visit to Trappeze Pub on Washington Street in Athens. The wonderful artist Sergio Aragonés, best known for his work in Mad and his lovable character Groo the Wanderer, was in town to receive an award from UGA’s art school, and our friend Patrick gave us a heads-up that he and some of the other local comic artists and cartoonists were hoping to have a beer with him before the ceremony. So my son and I went to Athens early and were at Bizarro Wuxtry when the call came, and, after getting turned around and not knowing where the heck Trappeze was, we found the group, met some new acquaintances and enjoyed Sergio’s company. I had a beer and asked for a Sprite for my son, joking that he was my designated driver. Continue reading “Trappeze Pub, Athens GA” →

Clocked!, Athens GA

This is Marie, contributing an entry about Clocked! in Athens. Every once in a while I take a trip up to the town I lived in longer than anywhere else in my life, and generally any little excuse will do for a visit. Sadly, the arrival of the baby sharply reduced the number of trips, but I still try to make it up when possible. In this particular case, a former neighbor of mine happened to be free, so we had lunch together with her husband and kids before I went and did a little shopping and visiting. Continue reading “Clocked!, Athens GA” →

Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, Jackson, Macon and Athens GA

I’ve been looking forward to sharing a few words with you good readers about Fresh Air for quite some time. If you’re interested in Georgia barbecue, then this is one of the state’s best-known and most beloved old shacks. It’s a very old one, in fact, having opened in 1929 in a small store between Flovilla and Jackson. The original building was almost all pit, a gigantic brick smoker with a curious L-shape that has been intriguing guests and sparking conversations for many years. The faithful have been making pilgrimages to this lovely stretch of road for decades to hear about their history and smell the smoke from this pit. The building has been remodeled and expanded many times over the years. The upstairs dining room now seats about twenty, with another large room just down a short ramp. On Saturday afternoons, this place is packed. Continue reading “Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, Jackson, Macon and Athens GA” →

Barbecue and “Cuppycakes,” Around Athens GA

I’ll try not to get too detailed with silly backstory with this one, but I can tell already that it might be tempting. Y’all bear with me.

I was supposed to go to Athens on Labor Day weekend, but I picked up some extra hours instead. I hadn’t decided where I was going to eat, but I was looking forward to a nice, long, relaxing day. I put it off two weeks. Then we had a daycare crisis. They kind of shut down and moved on us. So my mother volunteered to watch the baby until we found new arrangements. I felt it would be wrong to spend a day playing in Athens while my mother watched the baby, so he needed to come with me. Then he started being a real handful, evidently not enjoying the routine change while simultaneously beginning serious teething. I figured I could use some help, and my daughter had spent four weeks not getting in any trouble, so she could take a hooky day and help out. Continue reading “Barbecue and “Cuppycakes,” Around Athens GA” →

Harry’s Pig Shop (CLOSED) and The Taco Stand, Athens GA

Well, it took me a little while to get over to Harry’s Pig Shop. I had been wanting to visit for quite a while now, but I don’t just go to Athens every day, and when I do, I’d like to occasionally try something other than barbecue. There are quite a few good restaurants around that town, you know. Nevertheless, I moved it up my to-do list a couple of months ago after I read the good writeup at Buster’s BBQ Blog. Continue reading “Harry’s Pig Shop (CLOSED) and The Taco Stand, Athens GA” →

Sr. Sol, Athens GA

Two weeks after he was born, Marie and I took a trip to Athens to show off the baby. A month later, we made a somewhat more low-key trip to just visit a new-to-me restaurant and swing by the place where Marie and I used to work to see some old co-workers and friends. She and I did not start dating until 2006, but we first met around 1995 or so. I left that job in the spring of 2000 and she eight years later. Naturally, darn near all the people that I knew have moved on in the last eleven years since I was there, but I did get to speak with four people from all that time ago. Continue reading “Sr. Sol, Athens GA” →

Jot Em Down Store & BBQ, Athens GA (CLOSED)

This is Marie, contributing an entry about Jot Em Down, a BBQ place I have a particular fondness for more for sentimental reasons than anything else. My most recent visit to Athens was a mom’s day out with friends, and the baby and I made a trip without Grant. I decided to eat at a place that used to be fairly frequently in rotation when Grant used to come up to Athens on the weekends. I had meant to go with him when I collected the place for the blog, but we have so many new places to try out and I am the one who likes to revisit old haunts, so this trip seemed the most sensible opportunity. Continue reading “Jot Em Down Store & BBQ, Athens GA (CLOSED)” →