AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER

Ponce City Market

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT ON ATLANTA’S BELTLINE

Many will remember the old Sears building turned City Hall East where the echoes and rats could be a very scary thing! Now Ponce City Market, it is one of the best examples of mixed use redevelopments in the country.

Flats, office space, retail shops and food hall all come together with event spaces in a sustainable fashion that visitors can easily scooter or bicycle around from Krog City Market to the Ponce stop on Atlanta’s Beltline.

CROWDS, TRAFFIC AND PARKING

We decided to venture out on a recent Saturday and since we hadn’t been to the market we had heard so much about-off we went in search of Bloody Mary’s, a little shopping, fun on a pretty day and great views of Atlanta.

Even though the crowds were thick and traffic was heavy it was easy to get into the lower parking lot and find a spot quickly. A glance around assured us that we needed to pay and we found a machine next to the door to pop in our license plate tag and grab a ticket for $1 an hour.

We followed signs and other peeps up the stairs to the food hall where it opened up to the loud crazy mix of people all looking for the same entertainment! Where to start as we turned in circles trying to get the lay of the land.

RETAIL WALKABOUT

I decided to take a retail walkabout and photograph some things before we settled in anywhere. West Elm holds down one end of the hall and Williams-Sonoma the other. I popped in to take a look around in both to see what was trendy and happening in the home goods section of retail.

They were well designed in clean modern fashion; WS sporting a gray, black and white motif while WE offered a muted pale pink with a little bling in the mix. I spotted a nifty sous vide that turns any pot into the trendiest “I got to have it” at Sonoma for $150. A fabulous textured pillow at West Elm was callin’ my name too.

WEST ELM SHOUT OUT

On another note, I wanted to give West Elm a shout out for their front window display. I thought it was timely and would make anyone want to shop with them for the welcoming message that obviously speaks to their corporate brand and image. Bravo!

Other shops we wondered in and out of included Anthropologie, Alex and Ani (whose bracelets I collect and adore), Archer Paper Goods (…sucker for journals), Goorin Brothers Hat Shop (cause who doesn’t like a good hat), JJ’s Flower Shop (handy) and Sustainable (cute homegoods).

All offered nice little finds for the day and enough bags for us to haul to the car before moving on to Bloody Mary time.

ROOFTOPS, RESTAURANTS, REVIEWS

Surprisingly, a Bloody was not as easy to find as you would have thought. First bar stop was out of mix and next three restaurant stops didn’t even offer them though one had bottles of Bloody Mix on the shelf-only for decoration I suppose!

Finally found one at Jia, the Szechuan inspired Chinese place; which was quite spicy I might add! My husband likes things that make his head sweat. While he sucked it down I took a look across the way at St. Germain to buy Austrian and French desserts and pastries for later. BTW, AWESOME!

I took a buzz through Farm to Ladle cause I thought it was just such a clever name; beautiful European foods and farm stand. Since I know Chef Linton Hopkins from helping to open his first location, Restaurant Eugene, I walked down to have a look at the menu for his wonderful burger spot, H&F Burger. The line to get into this cozy little spot was down the hall and the burgers coming out showed me why. Oh, and the kids can get a pretty mean hot dog too!

THE ITALIANS ARE COMING

What appeared to be the two most popular spots for brunch on this fine Saturday afternoon were Brezza Cucina and Bellina Alimentari, both Italian.

While Brezza is just a restaurant, the atmosphere was casual and the bar was full with no spots to fit in. A nice seated area to the side offered high tops and bar menu which was where we squeezed in for a delicious small plate. A noisy group on the restaurant side were enjoying bottles of wine at large windows with nice views.

Bellina, offers some small tables with good bar seating in the back. The rest is given up to market space where we picked up some fantastic salami, cheeses and desserts for another meal later. Many shoppers were browsing the stacked shelves filled with beautiful Italian sourced goods to buy.

YOUR CHOICE OF BARS AND ROOFTOP FUN

There are any number of bars you can hit at the Market. The Tap will get you all kinds of craft beers to try with selections you can take home with you as well. Biltong Bar boasts beef jerky and booze with South African flare. BTW, there was not a seat to be had most the afternoon!

Miso Ko will get you handmade sushi rolls and sake and City Winery just opened a tasting room too. The Roof is where it is really at though. A short ride up the elevator for $10 a head (kids at $7) gets you panoramic views of the Atlanta skyline, drinks, eats, rides and games not to mention the planned special events that happen routinely.

CONCLUSION

As crowded and loud as the market was on a Saturday, it was a great place to hang out, people watch and have some super food and drinks while doing it. The shops are terrific and I can only imagine what it must be like to be young, have a flat there and be able to take advantage of it all.

Put that together with ease of parking and the Beltline and it just makes it pretty much perfect. I have only mentioned a small portion of the businesses within the complex. Their website gives you a true understanding of just how much this mixed use development offers its tenants and visitors every day.

You might enjoy this article on the 7 Best Stops on Atlanta’s Beltline and you might also enjoy other blogs under Explore the World and Edible Fare. Hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me hear from ya on any input for this blog and if you like Ponce City Market. Let me know what else you might enjoy OK? Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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