Urban Oasis Bed and Breakfast

An Urban Atlanta Loft Experience

UrbanOasis-660w-HeaderRight

Spring Wedding Bells at the Urban Oasis

By Leave a Comment

We had a beautiful spring wedding here a couple of weeks ago at the Urban Oasis. Here is a video of photos from Megan and Tim’s wedding that was just held here on March 12, 2011. Note the  Weeping Ornamental Cherry Tree in full, glorious bloom. Also the Tulip Magnolia and the Redbud Tree were at their best. The wedding day was almost 70 degrees, but the bride and groom were very lucky. It has been cold and rainy for the two weeks since.

 

Tim and Megan had about 80 guests at their wedding. I like to cap our weddings here with the guest list of 125 people. That way when some can’t come we end up with about a hundred. If they were able to come that wouldn’t be a problem since we can hold more than that, it is just more complicated when the numbers get really big and I don’t think they are as much fin for anyone.

Join Us For The Unconventional Book Tour with Chris Guillebeau

By Leave a Comment

On October 28th at 7:00

The Urban Oasis will host Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Book Tours Atlanta Stop. Chris is a traveler, a writer, and a darn good businessman, and does it all in his very own special non-conforming, unconventional way. In fact he is the author of the Blog, The Art of Non Conformity and book of the same name.

For those of you who do not know, Urban Oasis is a bed and breakfast by night and New Tricks World Headquarters by day. My business, Urban Oasis found out about Chris Guillebeau through my other business, New Tricks, where we do web design and social media marketing for small biz. When I discovered Chris’s Art of Non Conformity blog a year or so ago, it made me smile and was right up my ally. I went to Berkeley, if you didn’t know. Urban Oasis and New Tricks are both very glad that Atlanta book stores are very small and we have such a large, cool space. Just the unconventional setting for an Unconventional Book Tour for a bunch of cool unconventional people in the best neighborhood in town.

Chris had set a goal of visiting every country in the world by the time he was 35.  In an effort to achieve this goal, Chris visits about 20 countries a year and has made a huge dent in his endeavor. Recently, upon the release of his book, Chris  set that  goal aside for the year in order  to visit every state in the US plus a bunch of Canada on a self-funded,  Unconventional Book Tour. He will have traveled to 63 cities at the end of these shenanigans.

The Art of Non-Conformity is all about world domination, setting your own rules, and making a lasting difference. Be sure to check out the free download of Chris’s personal Manifesto, 279 Days to Overnight Success.

The event is free of charge and all royalties that Chris earns from the sales of his book he has pledged to will go to Water Partnership a charity he has committed to raising $500,000 for wells in two Ethiopian Communities.

We hope to see you here. It will be a blast!

For Food’s Sake: Secret Supper for 50 at the Urban Oasis

By Leave a Comment

Esther Andrew’s secret supper club, For Food’s Sake, held its April dinner here at Urban Oasis last night. The evening was beautiful and we had a dinner for fifty seated family style outside on the back landing. This five course meal was prepared to perfection by Chefs, Stephen Herman and Matt Swickerath of  the Brookhaven restaurant, Haven.

Vegetables from Doug Dillard’s, Dillwood Farms were showcased and Doug praised the job, Master Gardener, Cindy Harris, is doing for him and for all of us who eat their produce.

Urban Oasis has our garden going growing five types of lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, kale and chard and squash. We really have worked hard to get the garden all mulched, the party lights up and the new patio poured by the time of this event. It is always great to have a deadline to make sure everything looks so good all at one time! Here are the photos I took.

Prepping for an Atlanta Wedding at the Urban Oasis B and B

By Leave a Comment

It was a great weekend for a wedding and the Urban Oasis is a wonderful spot for a wedding of less than 125 people. This video shows a behind the scenes look at some of the set up involved. I was just trying out the new video camera and so forgive the jumbly videography. If you would like to set up an appointment to visit this awesome event space just give me a  call  at 770-714-8618.

Memorial for Bernie Andrews

By Leave a Comment

Today we had a memorial service for one of our dear friends and dog walker, Bernie Andrews. This is the third memorial service we’ve had at the Urban Oasis this year and it always seems to lift people’s spirits to be here with their friends and family to celebrate the life of one who has left this world. Here are some photos from the day.

Note the dog watching from the window above.

Craig was feeling very sad today.

Jackie and Mickey Tie the Knot

By Leave a Comment

Jackie wanted to have her wedding her but when her mom came to town to check out locations and Jackie told her she wanted to get married in a warehouse her mom didn’t seem very excited. The Urban Oasis was the last place they visited that day. When Jackie’s mom stepped inside she knew they had come to the right place. You see Jackie had been to many parties here and knew how wonderful it was. Well her mom got the vision. Jackie and Mickey got married here and her family stayed with us for the weekend. It was great.

Recipe for a Luau.

By Leave a Comment

A last minute Luau over Thanksgiving weekend? Crazy? Yes but Crazy good. One week and an half before the date, goaded on by my sister Linda, I decided to have a birthday party on November 28th the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and I decided I would have a luau. This started when I noticed one of my favorite bands, Tongo Hiti was available that night. Once that was confirmed I set about inviting people through Facebook and one e-mail invite list.

Linda and I went to Sam’s Club and got three packages of chicken tenderloins ( 18 pounds) and four double packages of pork tenderloins. We found skewers for the chicken and drink umbrellas at Richard’s Variety Store. Linda brought home bunches of tropical flowers and made them into fantastic arrangements and I changed a recipe of Mai Tais from ounces to gallons.

We froze the chicken and thawed it the day before we needed it. It was still a bit frosty and easier to handle the morning of the party when I cut each of the tenderloin pieces into two and threaded them onto the skewers. My good friend Joe, whipped up a lime marinade and cooked them on the grill that morning. Here is his recipe:

Joey’s Fit to be Thai’d Satay Marinade

  • 1 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup stinky asian fish sauce
  • 4 oz chopped garlic
  • 4 oz grated fresh ginger
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 8 chopped serano chilies seeds and all..
  • 2 bunches chopped green onions…

And Mai Tai in Memory of Charlie Knight

  • (2) 1.75 liter bottles of Dark Rum
  • (4) 1.75 liter bottles of Gold Rum
  • (3) bottles of Roses Lime Juice
  • (3) bottles of Orange Curasau
  • (3) bottles of Orangeat Syrup
  • (1 1/2) bottles of simple syrup

    • Mix together and garnish with cherries, pineapple and paper umbrellas.

    Word of warning. Do not try to make peanut sauce from scratch. Just buy it at whole foods.

    For a bit of entertaining eye candy, our 20 something daughters dressed in lava lavas and bikini tops that we sewed with fringe and they danced to the Tunes of Tongo Hiti. In face after a snoot full of Mai Tais, everyone danced.

Angie and Jim Get Married

By Leave a Comment

We had a beautiful evening for Angie and Jim’s reception at the Urban Oasis B and B. Here are some photos of the set up. I have some movie footage from my new flip camera if I ever get it together I will post the video from the reception when it was in full swing! Angie and Jim actually had their marriage ceremony at a park in Ansley where they use to spend a lot of time when they first started dating.  After the ceremony they saw a couple siting on a bench who it turns out got married in that same park thirty years before.

The guests got to Krog Street about 6:30 where their was a pasta bar buffet and the SANA Blues Band waiting to party. The weather was divine just perfect for leaving the doors wide open and guests wandering in and out. The brides whole family stayed here with us and were delightful. I think they had a great time being here all together. We served them and the newly married couple a brunch of Shrimp and Grits on Sunday morning which was a nice end to a great weekend.