It is hard to believe what is happening all around the Urban Oasis. We are ground zero in the most walkable neighborhoods in Atlanta, Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward. I feel like I have dual citizenship in these two neighborhoods and they were already great but they both have just taken off.  A big part of this is due to the Atlanta Beltline.

The Atlanta Beltline trail will eventually go 22.5 miles all the way around the city. At this point the Beltline Eastside Trail starts from the corner near our building at Krog and Lake and is paved for 2.5 miles taking you to Piedmont Park .

The Urban Oasis Bed and Breakfast is right on the Atlanta Beltline and and all around us parks, restaurants and shops are springing up like the wild flowers planted along the trail.

In the Winter and Spring before the trees leaf up we can see people on the trail everyday and night in all types of weather. The fence is louvered so we can see out but they can’t see in. Well they can if they try:-) But we love being on the trail and people watching from the backyard.

 

At one end of  the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline is the Krog Street Market. It is literally two doors down the street from us. The wildly popular Krog Street Market is a high-end Food Hall and Emporium. Many top chefs in the City have opened small food stalls there, Fred’s Meat and Bread, for sandwiches, such as their specialty the Philly Cheese Steak, Yalla for Mediterranean, GC’s Barbecue, Gu’s Dumplings, Spotted Trotter, Little Tart Bakeshop, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.

It also is the home of four sit down restaurants, Luminary, an American brasserie and raw bar with French influence, Seperica for Mexican, Craft Izakaya for Japanese and excellent sushi and Cockentrice for your basic meat fetish.

There are several retail establishments in the Krog Street Market. The Collective is a cute shop in it’s own little cottage at the corner of Lake and Waddell.  Then inside the Krog Street Market you will find Mama Bath and Body, A florist, Nature’s Garden, Inman Park Petworks and the best yet, The Merchant. The Merchant is my favorite store in Atlanta and they are going to open a 3,000 sq. ft. location spitting distance from the Urban Oasis. I can’t wait because until recently our neighborhoods have been sorely lacking for places to shop for cool gifts.

Ponce City Market is located at the other end of the Beltline’s Eastside Trail. The former Sears, Roebuck & Company building on Ponce de Leon was a big, sad building for years. It was abandoned and then it was used City Hall East for the City of Atlanta. Soon this massive building is going to be another mixed-use development with eat, work and shop opportunities galore. We have already seen Anthopologie and West Elm open. Mail Chimp and General Assembly, a technical school have both opened offices there. People are already living in the cool apartment flats. And the many restaurants and top of the line retail establishments are scheduled to open in 2016.

 

When the Ponce City Market opens, watch out!  Things will be buzzing and the throng of folks currently walking and riding on the Beltline who are currently  spilling over Krog Street to the Krog  Market will then have the opportunity to hangout at the other end of the path. We think this will ease the congestion over our way, but it just might double it.