W and I went to Atlanta over the holiday weekend and had a blast. Who knew Atlanta is so, well, gay. Or maybe it was just us.
We were warned not to breach the Perimeter.
When we asked some locals about where to go and what to do, a very nice lesbian couple advised us to stay within the perimeter and all would be well. We thought this was general advice, such as don’t stray too far outside the city limits. We later learned that the Perimeter is an actual road that encircles Atlanta. It was all very Hunger Games (Catching Fire was actually filmed there) from then on.
Anyway, here are some highlights from our trip:
Decatur — I immediately fell in love with this little town filled with lesbians. W and I took in an arts festival and browsed the shops. The Indigo Girls hail from Decatur, but we did not run into Amy or Emily. True fact: Decatur is nicknamed “Dick Hater” because of its lesbian population.
Selfie: Me and W acting silly at the World of Coke
The World of Coca-Cola — Sure, it’s one big advertisement for Coke, but we were able to get our picture taken with the Coke polar bear and drink Coke beverages from around the globe.
BBQ — When in Georgia, you have to get your fingers sticky with BBQ sauce. “The wetter the better” we were told. I had some finger-lickin’ ribs with a side of collard greens. Ya gotta love a BBQ joint with vinyl tablecloths and rolls of paper towels right on the table.
Kids — None. For. Three. Days.
Gay steak — We dined at a place in Midtown called Cowtippers. It was a cross between an Outback steakhouse and a gay pride float. W enjoyed the armadillo eggs (jalapeño poppers back north), and our waiter, the fabulous Q, was a lot of fun.
And the butch gets extra screening.
Airport security — W got us routed into the quicker security line where we didn’t have to take off our shoes or open our bags. I got pulled aside both times (arriving and departing) for extra screening. The TSA agents used wipes on my hands to search for chemical residue. (Apparently, it’s a fact that trans people are subjected to extra screening because they look different.) I wanted to point out that W was more likely to build a bomb based on hours spent watching The Big Bang Theory, but I didn’t think that was a good idea.
I’ll be writing up our adventures in an e-book that I plan on selling on eBay.
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Have you been to Atlanta? What’s your favorite attraction?
Are you visiting a particular city this summer?
The Flannel Files 
Dike-atur, another affectionate nickname Decatur has received. Lived their for over 8 years and loved it (for the most part). Very gay friendly, never had any “issues”. I loved your description of Cowtippers! And breaching the Perimeter isn’t as bad as it sounds (although I’m sure someone will disagree) – Georgia is quite a beautiful state!
Ah, “Dike-atur.” Who knew there were towns filled to the brim with lesbians? Cowtippers was an experience. And, yeah, we would have breached the Perimeter if we would have had time.
Currently in Otranto, Italy near the heel of the boot. Italians are lovely and no problems here being visibly butch/masculine. Flying out of JFK I got put through the TSA machine as male and then had to be re-assessed by the grumpy agent. Transferring in Rome I got screened by a dyke with a Gothuge visible tattoo up her arm and around her neck and no attitude at all.
Enjoy! Traveling through security as a butch sure makes for interesting stories. The security officer in Atlanta said I got pulled over for wearing a Phillies cap. He was joking. Phils are in last place in their division, so no threat to anyone these days. Safe and happy travels! Can’t wait to hear about your trip upon your return.
Re screening at the airport, I have a hoodie with a silver ring on the inside of the pocket area where it used to have a string to pull it tight. On my way through my local airport, I was searched, screened, searched again and finally pulled aside until they found exactly what this was; at my destination airport, on the way back, I expected the same thing to happen; it did not. That fact did not make me feel comfortable with that particular airport. What if I DID HAVE a bomb coming back?? Egad. Glad you had a great time!
I didn’t mind being singled out for extra screening. It’s a system run by humans and therefore imperfect. They are doing the best that they can. I would rather submit to extra screening and hopefully have safer air transportation as a result.
Agreed completely.
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I love Georgia–even the parts where they play the banjos. My grandparents lived in the mountains north of Atlanta and there is no better Southern food than there…
W is the adventurer. She was ready to breach the perimeter (we were told by many folks that it was fine). Maybe next time we will have an opportunity to explore more. We did enjoy the southern food — sweet tea, grits, tater salad, cornbread ….
The Georgia Aquarium is awesome, if you like that sort of thing. I like driving around Buckhead just to look at the ridiculous houses. It’s astonishing. Oh and the Flying Biscuit! I love that restaurant.
Some people said the aquarium is a must see, others said it is overrated. We decided to dodge the controversy and spend our time elsewhere. I read about the Flying Biscuit. That makes the list for next time.
Ah, I live in Decatur and love it! Sounds like you hit the right places – which BBQ place did you end up?
We ate at a place called Pig-N-Chick — not fancy but really good.