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Explore Atlanta's cozy intown neighborhood
By
Hillary Meister

If Little Five Points is Atlanta's East Village, then Virginia-Highland is Atlanta's SoHo or Tribeca. While Little Five Points in Atlanta shows off the cities wild wigged-out youth and Buckhead showcases the carefully-coiffed trust-fund kids, Virginia-Highland resonates comfort -- affluent to a degree, a touch trendy, but not oppressingly so. One of the city's oldest intown neighborhoods is home to a quirky but cozy mix of bars, shops, restaurants and galleries. The folks that stroll the sidewalks along Highland Avenue are a diverse mix of college students, yuppies, young urban pioneers and 20-somethings looking for a good time.

What makes the area special and much more relaxed are the family owned businesses. Sit and sip a beer at George's or browse locally produced art in the galleries. Each shop, restaurant and bar has its own personality and many have regular customers that add to that unique sense of old world charm.

But like most neighborhoods, Virginia-Highland, so named for the two roads that intersect -- Virginia and Highland Avenue, has changed over the years. What once used to be a haven for older people sizzles with young adults beginning careers and lives who want to dwell close to where the action is. And that action spans both north and south from the main intersection.

On the far southern end, nicknamed Poncey Highlands, is Cafe Diem, an eclectic coffee shop and restaurant that features poetry readings. Nearby is Manuel's Tavern, an established bar and grill that has played host to political figures, journalists and other assorted patrons over its 40 years.

Move up the street a little and you'll come across Atkin's Park, a pub and eatery always jammed with a zillion people. The Highland Tap serves up some of the city's best martinis and steaks in a cellar-like atmosphere. The Dark Horse features and posh upstairs bar and a dark dive of a club downstairs that hosts local and regional bands. Blind Willie's is one of the more established blues clubs in Atlanta.

Head north a few blocks and you'll reach the heart of Virginia-Highland. Murphy's restaurant and a used book store flank one side and art shops line the other. This area features the older, established bars such as George's, and Moe's and Joe's.

Keep heading north and the neighborhood of Morningside unfurls in front of you. Restaurants, barber shops and a pet store, featuring dog training, are part of a small shopping area including patio dining and a used men's clothing shop. Continue a little further north to the end of Highland Avenue and another little variety of shops and restaurants appears. Here you'll find the Indigo Coastal Grill, known for its seafood dishes; Modern Primitive, where you can browse folk art for sale; and the Natural Body Spatique, where celebrities such as Courtney Love and Spalding Grey have gone for massages while visiting Atlanta (but not together...).

After wining and dining, walk around the neighborhoods of Virginia-Highland. As young working adults (pseudo-yups) move into the neighborhood, more and more homes are being refurbished. The cozy bungalows of Virginia-Highland proper give way to the stately tudor homes of Morningside. Some homes look as if they were taken straight from an English storybook. The area is fairly affluent but not pretentiously so. And there are still plenty of homes available as rentals that lure an assortment of people from college students to transients.

Don't feel like you have to dress in your designer jeans to walk the streets in Virginia-Highland, though, people will stare if you walk around in tattered pants and a nose ring. Best don those duds for Little Five Points.

A visit to Virginia-Highland wouldn't be complete without a stop at Moe's and Joe's, a mainstay of the neighborhood since 1947.(Photo by Hillary Meister.)


Exploring Virginia-Highland

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