Our First Progressive Dinner Bicycle Tour

Even though we planned the event, I must admit, I had no idea our culinary partners were going to impress as they did!  We literally had to tell everyone to STOP eating everything on their plate, because there was so much more to come.  We started at Livingston ~ for a little fresh fruit, cheese and a champagne toast on the front terrace overlooking Peachtree and Ponce.

Once on our bikes, we rolled 4 blocks north to Fresh to Order where we had delicious salad, soup and a mini-panini.  Our guests were amazed at this great find.  The Fresh to Order sign DOES NOT tell the whole story of this amazing gourmet eatery!

The group was already enjoying the culinary experience ~ but they could not have imagined what was still in store!

From 8th and Peachtree, we headed south towards “Downtown”.  Yes, Downtown.  For those you who haven’t been downtown lately — you really need to come down and check it out!  It’s a great place AGAIN!

We made our way to Max Lager’s Grill and Brewery. We enjoyed great beer, delicious crab cakes and pizza on the roof-top deck!  Very cool spot if you are looking a place for a private event.

By this time, we really needed a little exercise.  Nothing too strenuous, but a pleasant ride downhill on Baker Street towards Centennial Olympic Park would do nicely.  Our guests commented on how impressed they were with the positive changes throughout the downtown area.  There was plenty going on at the park.  Lots of families picnicking, kids playing, children (and a few adults) frolicking in the dancing fountain!

As we headed to our next dining experience, we stopped for a quick history lesson at the front doors of the Georgia Pacific Building.  Did you know that was the site of the Loews Grand?  Yes, the very spot where “Gone With the Wind” premiered in 1939.  This intersection holds many stories; the start of  a great empire (the Coca-Cola story);  the tragic fire of the Winecoff Hotel in 1946 claiming the lives of 119 people, which at the time was the largest number of deaths worldwide in a hotel fire; the Carnegie Library where Margaret Mitchel spent years researching the Civil War to ensure her novel portrayed an accurate account of the Civil War.  Although our guests have lived here for many years, they all felt like “tourists” in another city for the 10 minutes we shared a small bit of Atlanta’s rich history.

But once we were back on the bikes… everyone seemed happy to start thinking about their next meal!  Ray’s in the City!  YESSS!

The experience at Ray’s was pretty unbelievable.  Swordfish, Seared Tuna and Catfish served with 4 family style side dishes.  PLUS, a dessert sampling of Bread Pudding, Chocolate Cake and Key Lime Pie.  All the time we received VIP treatment in the private Wine Room.  I know it’s all hard to believe, but we have proof…

The evening was amazing!  We are looking forward to doing this all the way through October.  Hope you can join us sometime soon!

Eat well and ride a bike often!!

Rolling into a new Holiday Season!

How does it happen so quickly?  Thanksgiving came and went and now it’s time to get ready for creative gift giving!  We have something for you to consider!

Georgian Terrace before the snow!

Bicycle Tours of Atlanta is teaming up with The Georgian Terrace on Peachtree Street to bring Atlantans and visitors a very unique and fun experience!  Please join us this holiday season for “Holiday Lights Bicycle Tours of Atlanta”!  We’ll see the amazing Christmas lights display of Centennial Park, Woodruff Park, Underground, the decorated storefronts along Peachtree Street, the neighborhoods surrounding Piedmont Park and more!  Don’t be surprised if this turns into a Singing Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour!  That is what spontaneously happened when our crew was out testing our route.  whole lotta of fun!

AND… guess what?  It will be snowing at The Georgian Terrace during our bike tours.  Yes, you read that right.  Snow machines have been addded to the majestic hotel to create a really amazing Christmas atmosphere!  Don’t miss it!  Details on the website on Dec. 4th.  Hope to see you soon — on two wheels, with a big smile on your face! Tours will run from Dec. 16th through Jan. 3rd.  $35 for 2 hour tour.

Bicycle Tours and Happy Marriages – go together!

We had a lot of couples come out for a “Bicycle Date”…  GREAT IDEA by the way!  But one of  the greatest pleasures I’ve had this summer has been meeting so many “happily married couples” while on a BICYCLE DATE!  It’s not surprising to have couples in their 20’s, 30’s with just a few years under their belt acting like “newlyweds” … but it is really awesome to meet couples like Dawn and Bill from Delaware.  They are college sweet-hearts and newly empty nesters in their late 40’s.  I meet lots of couples in my new line of work, and judging from the fondness couples show one another, I often imagine they are under the “7-10 year” mark – maybe on their second marriage.  In Dawn and Bill’s case…  they have had 26 years of practicing a happy and successful marriage!  When we chatted about their years of marriage, they both made admiring comments about each other — Dawn said it has been easy to be good to him.  Isn’t that the sweetest???   I wished them another fabulous 26 years – I have no doubt they will make it… smiling  the whole way!

A couple of weeks ago, we had Jim and Lee schedule a private tour for 20-something anniversary!  They are Atlanta area residents living in Sandy Springs — they were looking for something different, fun and healthy to do for their celebration. Both fit and interested in Atlanta history and the sites — they seemed to really enjoy the day!  This photo was taken inside of Oakland Cemetery and is one of the most wow-inpsiring views of the Atlanta skyline. And one that few people know about.  Jim and Lee are standing at one of the highest points in Atlanta, near the southeast corner of Oakland.  Although difficult to see in the photo – from this point, you can see headstones from one of the Jewish sections, conferderate headstones lined up next, a layer of trees and then the GA Pacific building down to the Suntrust building on Peachtree Street.  Most of our guest leave with this image in their cameras!  When I discovered this view, I completely changed the cemetery route so everyone had a chance to see Atlanta from this vantage point!

So – DATING ON A BICYCLE… that should be the next great craze!  For a really memorable date, come out soon — see the sites with your Sweetie!

Rolling Through Father’s Day

I had the pleasure today to spend Father’s Day with Jenn and her Dad, Jim.  Jennifer Green is a talented jewelry maker, marketing specialists and all-round interesting  young woman. She’s also one of those very fortunate people who can say, “I’m really lucky, I have great parents!”  Yes, Jim…that’s a quote (happened outside Fresh To Order).  I get the feeling that Jenn’s parents must be pretty pleased with their daughter too.  Jenn treated her Dad to a bike tour for Father’s Day and I believe a good time was had by all! Jenn’s parent’s moved to Atlanta  few years ago —  following their Daughter from SanDiego after she moved here to pursue her career.  Ahhh… retirement is a wonderful thing!  Picking up and moving across the country to be able to closer to your daugther.  Yeah, I think Jenn must be pretty special too.

It was really great being able to spend time with a father and daughter today.  It’s Father’s Day and when your own Dad is not around to enjoy, seeing the love I saw today was a little bitter sweet, I must say.  My own father passed away in 1989 with Cancer.  He was only 63.   I was 29 when he died and now at 50, it seems so unbelievable that he left us at such a young age.  “Pops” as I loved to call him, was a quiet man, thoughtful and a kind spirit.  

An amazing thing happened a number of months ago regarding my Father.  After this event, I wrote an email to a small group of friends, and I have decided to share this email with any blog readers tonight… in honor of my Dad on Father’s Day.

Dear Friends,

 

I had a 3rd appointment with a my PT today, his name is Tom.  We were wrapping up and just kind of chit-chatting, and he mentioned something about “model airplanes”. 

 

I said, “oh, you fly model airplanes?”.  here’s the rest of the story…  

 

Tom: oh yeah

Me: oh, my Dad flew model airplanes,  do you fly radio control?

Tom: no, actually I fly control line.

Me: You’re kidding, you still fly control line?  I didn’t know anybody flew control line anymore.

 

…model airplanes were born on a wire (actually 2 wires) – Control line flying is where the pilot stands in one place and circles around with the plane on a wire.  That’s how my Dad did it.  I remember the first time he built a radio control plane, I was probably about 10 or 11 ~~ we went to this big field and his plane took off, flew into the horizon and never came back!   He did fetch it, but it took a long time before we found that sucker! We laughed a lot that day.  Back to the story…. 

 

Tom: Oh yeah, there are still some of us left.  I am actually the US distributor for control line products.

Me: Wow!  How long have you been flying?

Tom: Oh about 50 years.  

 

At that moment, I thought Tom must have known my father, but I figured Tom was still too young and it would just be unlikely.  I asked how old he was; he was 60. … I asked the next question thinking it was almost presumptuous. 

 

Me: Well… I wonder if you might have known my father…  Bob Elliott??

 

Tom smiled

 

Tom:  The 1954 Stunt Flyer National Champion?  

 

… my mouth is open… I am stunned.  I can not even begin to describe the feeling.  

 

Tom: That Bob Elliott?

 

Me:  ahhh, well …I think so… 

 

Somehow, I didn’t know this exact fact about my father. I knew he had won trophies.  They had been everywhere when we were growing up.

 

About now, I’m starting to feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.

 

Tom: The first time I ever saw anyone fly a model airplane, it was your father.  I was 10 years old, it was the summer of 1958 in Athens, GA.  I stood there and watched how your Dad flew that plane, and I said “THAT is what I want to do!”  I’ve been doing it and loving it ever since.  

 

He started telling me about the Black Tiger airplane plans that my father designed and that he (Tom) still sells those plans today.  Apparently Dad sold the plans to a model airplane plan company (probably for next to nothing).  He was telling me all sort of things I never knew about my own father.  It was like he was telling me who my Dad was out there in the world.  Tom said, “you could say that I am like the offspring of your Dad.  Seeing him fly, not just that day, but all the times I saw him fly, was the reason why I do what do. He made a huge contribution to model airplane flying.”  

 

Me:  Do you think we’ve got the right Bob Elliott?

Tom:  Is your mother’s name Sara?

 

About 10 years ago, he met Mom.  The Model Airplane Association (or whatever they are called) had their big Southeastern annual competition in Tifton, GA and invited Mom, David, Paul and Betsy (I was living in Boston at the time).  At the end of the competition when the trophies were handed out, they presented (for the first time) the Bob Elliott Award, a stunt pilot trophy.  Tom officiated the event.  

 

Tom said, “everybody who has been flying for any amount of years, knew who your Dad was. Your Dad was big deal.”  My Dad is a legend and I didn’t even know it! Now granted, this was a small group of people, but to watch Tom talk about this, you would have thought my Dad was a super hero. How cool was that?

 

It was an amazing discovery to learn more about my Father after he has been gone for 20 years. If our parents only knew how much we really want to know about them, not so much as our parents, but for who they were out there in “their” world, they would be surprised.  

 

I know I went a little “off topic” from cycling on this blog, but again the time I spent with Jenn and Jim made me remember him and want to honor him.  

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Father’s Day! Thanks for reading.   

 

BIKE ON!

Robyn 

 

Stan from Australia, the Royal Peacock and the Joys of leading tours!

The most amazing thing about leading tours are days like the one I had with Stan from Australia!  Stan was in town for the BioTechnology Convention and my experience with him makes me so happy I decided to lead tours of Atlanta!  Stan had a private bike tour and requested some very specific stops.  He asked for the Martin Luther King Historic District, Piedmont Park, Stephan’s Vintage clothing store in Little Five Points, the Fox Theater and the High Museum of Art.  The Super Loop (15 miles) our Downtown to Midtown tour included all of these stops, and a few other great places too.  

Before his tour Monday morning, Stan walked down from the Omni Hotel to Ria’s Blue Bird next to Grant Park for breakfast. He invited me to join him there.  Over oatmeal and omelettes, he started telling me about the Royal Peacock.   

The Royal Peacock is located in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn historic district, and was once one of the city’s premier African American music venues early in the twentieth century. Originally named The Top Hat Club, when it opened in 1938, the Royal Peacock Club hosted local and national talent.  You could see entertainers like Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong,  B.B. King, the Four Tops, Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cook,  Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina and Atlanta’s own Gladys Knight, all at the Royal Peacock. Stan is a musician, plays in a band back home in Austrialia and loves the blues. He spoke of the Royal Peacock in this amazing romantic way… He said, “I just walked up to the building and stood there in awe.  I just imagined Sam Cook and James Brown coming out  front on the sidewalk between sets for a smoke!”  

Our tours included Little Five Points because it is just SO COOL!  But we usually don’t stop in Stefan’s, one of the best vintage clothing stores in Atlanta. Stan was looking for something “70’s with ruffles”, something for him to wear when he performs.

Have you ever heard the saying “the thing that makes a person interesting, is that they are interested”?  Well that’s Stan.  He took pictures non-stop, asked lots of questions, took his own turns on some roadways because he spotted something he wanted to see (I lost control of my tour a few times) …  and kept me smiling the entire time!  Stan, thanks for making my day!  Come back soon!

BikeFest

Bikefest took place in Woodruff Park on Wednesday and many cyclists and non-cyclists came out for the fun!  Mike Gerke and I rode the pedicabs into Atlanta from Decatur!  I have a new appreciation for Mike and Pam — those pedicabs require a great deal energy to move about.

We met many great folks involved in promoting cycling!  I really enjoyed meeting Ken Rosskopf, PC.  He specializes in providing legal services to cyclists due to the negligence of motorists, manufacturers producing defective products, etc…  very facinating! His website will be up and running by the middle of May, check it out…  www.kenbikelaw.com.  You can reach him at ken@kenbikelaw.com. 

I also had the privilege of meeting Lisa Campbell at Bikefest!  Among many other things… she’s a strong supporter of women cyclists! I’m looking forward to combining our efforts to get more women on bikes throughout Atlanta!  What an amazing woman!   She has been in the Atlanta Media scene for years, writing, producing, and anchoring the evening news at WSB. But if you think THAT is interesting… check out what she is up to THESE days… CHECK OUT HER SITE: LisaCampbellMedia.com. – Lisa,  so glad our paths have crossed!

The SUPER Tour!

We had a great tour on Saturday morning! Normally we ride the Heart of City tour on Saturday mornings.  However we had 8 cyclists all in great shape and very familiar with cycling… so I we decided to do the 15 mile SUPER TOUR which is called Downtown to Midtown on our website.  We usually run this tour on Sunday mornings.  

We had guest from Athens, GA join us:  Teresa, Bob and Andrew.  They said they felt they were able to see ALL OF ATLANTA by doing the 15 mile loop.  The Super Tour really does show off about as much of Atlanta as you can see in 3 hours!  They also felt they got a work out, which they enjoyed.  

We stopped in Inman Park to see some of the many beautiful Victorial Homes built in the early 1900’s.  However, there is one stop in Inman Park that seems to impress most of our guests!  It’s the “Old Police Lock-up” which is single-person cell, called an “iron maiden.” The iron maiden was used by foot patorlmen in the early 1900’s to hold prisioners until the paddy wagon stopped to pick them up.  It’s an interesting little structure and can be found at Delta Park along Edgewood Avenue.  

Thank you Bob, Teresa and Andrew for coming over from Athens and enjoying our tour!  We loved having you!  

Conference or Bike Ride… What would you do?

Do you ever find yourself attending a conference in some city and just start thinking about how great it would be to BUST OUT? Playing hooky never felt so good!  Sue Kloster arrived in Atlanta Saturday evening before a 3-day conference kicked-off on Monday.  She took our bike tour on Sunday morning… but it just wasn’t enough.  She came back for more today.  I wouldn’t say she really played hooky… it was just an extended lunchhour.  She rides 3-4 times a week in Milwaukee and made cycling a part of her life years ago!  She invited her friend from Seattle, Jeannett to join us!  

 It was such a wonderful ride.  The weather wasn’t too warm – a little southern breeze blowing most of the time.  Sue didn’t mind going back to Virginia Highlands, Piedmont and Ansley Parks so Jeannett could see some of our great neighborhoods.  

Thank you Sue and Jeannett for coming out and riding today!  …and Jeannett, you just let me know when you’re ready to open that bike touring business in Seattle!  

And Sue, don’t forget to check out Andrew Prescott at UrbanAdentours when you visit Boston!

It was a wonderful day to be on a bike!

Inman Park Festival Parade

We made it to the parade!  With the help of friends and family, BTA made a big splash as we wheeled down Edgewood Avenue and introduced this great new way of seeing Atlanta to the crowd!  I was pleased to see so many people yelling and clapping at just the word “Bicycle”… it was great!  They would see our sign, and they would smile and yell..”Yeah, bicycles!”  It was very cool!

I want to thank everyone who came out and marched with Bicycle Tours of Atlanta!  Our musical talent included, Maureen and Larry, Sandra and David!  Special thanks also to Wayne, Suzette, Blake, Paula, Daniel, Cintia, Carlos, Alejo, Dwayne, my brother David and his lovely wife Betsy!  Mike Gerke and Pam Aerts were atop their pedicabs pulling up the rear and making sure everyone knew who we were!  It was a great day!  Thanks to all of you for your continued support!

Hybrid Event with the Girlscouts!

We had the pleasure of having a group of young ladies on a “hybrid event” this week.  A “hybrid event” is one where we combine bicycle education and Atlanta history on two wheels!  Five 14-year old girls and 6 parents came in the from the burbs to explore gorgeous Inman Park, funky Little Five Points and Cabbagetown! 

 Since we spent some time on the Freedom Parkway multi-use trail, we took time to explain the many dangers of path riding.  It’s surprsing for most people to learn that bicycle accidents occur more on multi-use paths than any other place.  It a dangerous place for pedestrians too when you have bikes speeding by, often with little or no warning. 

It’s important to keep in mind that people are not looking for bikes and it is the complete responsibility of the cyclist to communicate clearly that they are approaching walkers.  It’s not just enough to say “coming up on your left”… it’s important that you know they have heard you before you pass.  Between the strollers, children, dogs and ipods, a cyclists MUST practice great caution while path riding.  Just another reason why we are such advocates of learning how to safely ride on the roads. 

All in all the girls and the parents seemed to have a great time!  We enjoyed having them and showing them some interesting and beautiful sites of intown Atlanta.