Brookhaven
{ Friday, June 17th, 2011 }
Emily Giffen’s Brookhaven Manor
Taking a break from articles about economic implosion in Greece and political instability in Syria, I spotted an interesting tidbit on Atlanta real estate in today’s Wall Street Journal. Evidently Emily Giffen, one of the world’s most successful “chick-lit” authors, is selling her Brookhaven home.
According to the WSJ:
The owners say that visitors to this traditional looking brick home in the historic Brookhaven neighborhood often ask when it was built, and are surprised to hear that the house only dates back to 2000. The original owners built the house to look like the older homes in the area and thus chose a slate roof, mature landscaping and antique doorknobs from a Chicago hotel. The owners, who were expecting twins when house hunting, also liked that the house needed little work. The family room opens onto a garden with a plunge pool, an outdoor fireplace, a grill area and a one-bedroom guest cottage with a bath. There is guest suite over the garage.
Read the home profile in its entirity
Browse the FMLS Listing For this 6 br, 5.5 ba Brookhaven home
Photo Credit: Jamey Guy/Wall Street Journal
{ Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 }
Ashley Hesseltine, Hesseltime
Candace Bushnell’s perspective on New York in the ’90′s was enough to launch a global phenomenon. Ashley Hesseltine’s take on life in Atlanta is enough to fuel a very funny blog… for now. Before her semi-eponymous blog blows up- Carrie Bradshaw style- it’s time for Ashley to channel all that is Hesseltime in to five questions…
The Rodeo Drive of the South, where constructions cranes meet... crab shacks.
Q. The Streets of Buckhead’s mission to become “The Rodeo Drive of the South” stalled somewhere at “The”. If you could wave a magic wand and remake that part of town, what would it look like?
A: Well, I’d scrap the whole “Rodeo Drive” idea in the first place. Who thought that up anyway? That’s what we have Phipps Plaza for. If my wand was REALLY magic, I would stick a body of water in the middle of Buckhead (a mini-ocean perhaps?) and make that area of town reminiscent of my favorite beach towns: Dewey Beach, Delaware and Folly Beach, Charleston, SC. A chill, laid-back scene with beach bars, crab shacks and surf shops: the kind of place where you walk around in your bathing suit with salty hair and a tan and say “dude” a lot. I can hear the seagulls already…
Q. It’s your last day in Atlanta- where are you going, and what are you eating?
A: I’m getting ALL my friends together, renting a party bus (ok, ok, I’ll give the Fur Bus a shameless plug here), and doing the biggest and best bar/restaurant crawl Atlanta has ever seen, including all my favorite spots: Park Bench and Fado in Buckhead, Ormsby’s on the Westside, Loca Luna (for a quick salsa dance) and Park Tavern in Midtown, Atkins Park and Dark Horse in the Highlands, P’Cheen and Star Bar in Inman Park/Little 5 and WetBar (W hotel) and the new Meehan’s in Downtown.
As for food during the crawl, I’d have to fit in the best salsa and chicken mole tacos in the world from Nuevo Laredo, shrimp and grits from JCT Kitchen, the goat cheese and bread deliciousness they serve at Pricci, and something special whipped up by my fave badass chef, Paul Luna. And hopefully, after all that, I’ll still be able to (just barely) fit out the door of the bus.
Q. Favorite neighborhood(s)?
A: Currently, I live in Brookhaven and have really enjoyed it for the past couple years, but it’s time for me to move out of my perfectly polished neighborhood to be closer to Downtown. I am much more suited to Virginia-Highlands and Inman Park, which I would call my favorite ‘hoods at this point in my life. I want to walk out my front door and see lots of people around, walking their dogs, biking and running, etc., then walk down the street to a restaurant or bar or boutique. Walk-ability is huge for me, and so is the energy that you get in the Highlands and Inman Park. I’m a single girl originally from the North and those two ‘hoods are much more my speed. Wish me luck in the apartment search!
The color palette of Lily's spring collection, mixing it up with the enthusiasm of a Dawgs fan
Q. The producers of MTV’s Jersey Shore call and ask you to be the Atlanta location scout for an upcoming season. Where are you suggesting they film?
A: The heart of Buckhead! I want to see the spray-tanned clan of Ed Hardy shirts and barely-there tube tops roll up into 5 Paces or Pool Hall amongst the Polo shirt and Lily Pulitzer wearing UGA grads while a local singer-songwriter plays “Sweet Home Alabama” in the background. Take a moment and picture it. And by “it”, I mean fist-pumping to Lynyrd Skynyrd. I’d also like their house to be one of the lavish mansions on Tuxedo Drive. I think they’d fit RIGHT in with the neighbors.
Q. You’re building your dream house- what does it look like?
A: I picture it like the house my family used to vacation in every summer at the beach: three stories, very open, and with the master suite on the third story with rooftop deck. I will need a large front porch AND a back deck in my dream house (so, is that three decks now?) and a hammock or two. Oh, and a tiki bar, of course – fully stocked and playing Bob Marley at all times.
BONUS QUESTION: What is Hesseltime, and why is it awesome?
A: Hesseltime.com is my blog and it’s awesome because it makes people laugh (or so I’ve heard). I like to think that sometimes when people are feeling down, they can go to my blog and feel better about themselves by knowing that at least, they’re not as much of a hot mess as I am. So, check it out if you haven’t already. If you don’t get a laugh, you can have your money back. And by that, I mean, you can just close the window on your computer.
The Relevant Linkage
Luxe Buckhead condo and townhouse digs for the Jersey Shore kids
Some day soon, Atlanta is getting a massive new body of water
For those of you that like Nuevo Laredo’s mole, a recommendation for your next destination
{ Thursday, June 25th, 2009 }
Mike Jordan, Thrillist Atlanta
Thrillist is a daily newsletter that scours Atlanta for the latest and greatest happenings, hot spots and stuff. Sort of a Daily Candy for dudes, if you will. So there was no doubt in my mind that Mike Jordan, Editor of Thrillist Atlanta, would knock his Five Questions With… out of the park.
There are still no doubts in my mind. This man knows his ATL…A. First, I’d get them rooms at Hotel Palomar, and tell them I’d be there around 4pm with the limo (or my Buick). For clothes, I’d take them to Ken Barber; he always has a great collection of top-end garments at great prices, plus his boutique is very “grown man”. For food, I’d say Abattoir, because dudes over 6 feet are most likely serious carnivores. For music, I’d try to take them to a small spot like Northside Tavern or MJQ — for obvious reasons — and definitely Apache; I just saw Devin the Dude last Friday, and he killed it, but it’s crazy hot in there, so they’d probably veto it. For something more their speed, there’s absolutely nothing like Chastain Park in the summer. I saw Earth, Wind & Fire there almost a year ago, and it was almost like being baptized again. And then, we’d probably have to hit Oasis, Cheetah, or Pink Pony, since I’m sure they’ll ask what happened to The Gold Club. It’s only right.
Q. Favorite neighborhood(s)?
A. Decatur has become super cool since I moved here in ‘95. Stone Mountain was probably my favorite place to live; there’s something about the noiselessness and distance from traffic that I love. But there’s honestly no competition for Virginia Highland. The westside is nearest to my heart, because I went to Morehouse and remember back in 1995 how it was a total wasteland, and now Castleberry Hill’s booming.
Q. If you’ve got one meal left in Atlanta, where are you going and what are you eating?
A. As of today, it’d have to be PARISH. I’m a big fan of authentic Cajun food, and nobody hits it on the head like PARISH since they’ve hired a new chef. The New Orleans BBQ shrimp appetizer is ridiculously good, and the Crawfish Remoulade is almost sinful, and I’m usually against eating anything with a cream base. Definitely try those, and the Roasted Gulf Fish Panzanella.
A. Not only are we extremely creative, intelligent, and culturally aware, but we’re very cool. Even with all the new development, constant flow of new residents, and growing cost of living, Atlanta has a natural cool that no other city has been able to attain. Here you see celebrities mingling with the crowd, millionaires openly fraternizing with all classes of people, and women… lots and lots of single, eligible bachelorettes.
Most overrated thing about Atlanta?
The music industry. I’ve either interned or worked for most of the major companies here that service the music business, and you can definitely say that LaFace was the pinnacle. Since L.A. Reid left to run Arista (and now Def Jam), the local game has suffered severely. I always tell budding artists that they’d be much better off looking for a record deal in NY, LA, or even Chicago; ATL is all about creative collaboration, but the checks don’t come from here. And you have to keep in mind that not only are there signed artists waiting their turns, but there are natives already in line, as well as people moving here every day with the intention of taking the business by storm. With that much competition, it just seems like a better idea to use Atlanta to find your voice and creative footing, then go where the money moves.
BONUS QUESTION: What is Thrillist, and why is awesome?
Thrillist is a daily web publication that caters to local guys who don’t have time to find great events, fashion, restaurants, services, or other fun things just under their noses. We’re awesome because we charge ourselves with finding the hottest stories before anyone else, and we don’t inject our opinion into what we cover (no food tastings; no “reviews”); we simply use our voice to reach the post-college, pre-marriage dude, and recommend to him what he needs to know to have the best week ever in Atlanta. And every city editor, from myself to the guys in NY, LA, Vegas, Chicago, DC, Dallas, San Francisco, the Hamptons, Miami, Boston, our Nation edition, and Philly (and more on the way) is willing to go to wild extremes to find the story every weekday.
Relevant Linkage:
{ Friday, April 3rd, 2009 }
Brookhaven Open House
What: Open House
When: This Sunday, April 5, 2-4 p.m.
Where: 1424 Cartecay Drive, Atlanta GA
How: Click here for directions
Who: New home seekers, Brookhaven lovers, AisForAtlanta Fanatics
Why: Too many reasons to list, but for starters: location (awesome neighborhood, great proximity to major roads/MARTA), contemporary style (not your typical Atlanta home- check out some of the pix below), plenty of room and lots o’ luxury.
More: Click here for more information and get the full 411 on this fantastic house.
