NHL All-Star Weekend in ATL

Downtown ATL as seen from the Renaissance on Linden and Peachtree. Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

This weekend I had the luxury of attending or should I say working the NHL All-Star events with the VzW Street Team. My temporary partner Chauncey and the other crew from the South plus me attended a most awesome evening with Wyclef Jean at the Tabernacle to kick things off. The day was a bit light and hectic as we had to setup at the Phillips arena first and then at the Tabernacle, but after the general admission was in and everyone in the V.I.P. rooms were full of their brew we were granted permission to enjoy the rest of the night in the VIP section. Now some of you know that Carnival is quickly approaching in the islands and so you must also know that Wyclef surely made this known and took it up one level after another. On a regular day I would have preferred being downstairs in the pit with everyone gettin’ gully and wavin’ their flags, but I managed to work up a massive sweat upstairs all the same. I was jumpin’ and wavin’ so hard that my glasses flew from my shirt two rows back. I didn’t even notice until the show was over and it was time to call it a night. Luckily, one of my co-workers found them in one piece within moments before I broke into a complete panic. Thanks Wyclef for the incredible performance.

Manning the VzW V.I.P. table before I started jumping around during the show. Photo: My Coordinator

Day two of the NHL All-Star weekend was broken into two parts. The first in the morning was the Verizon Wireless/NHL Rockin’ Skate. Um, many screaming tweens. Translation: Lots of screaming young girls from across the globe ready to see the Jonas Brothers. I don’t think I even knew of the Jonas Brothers before this event, but that’s what these things are all about – exposure and staying in the know. So for the most part our job was to pump the fans up by showing them how to download Jonas Brothers ringtones, wallpapers, etc onto their phones. Another big thing was sending text messages to screen. We had several girls spilling out their undying love for Kevin – one of the members in the band and finally a small handful who thought Nick was the hottest. Who are these boys again? Who are they that they can win the ooh’s of young blossoming girls and the aah’s of fully bloomed women (i.e. my coordinator)? Oh, here they are. Part two of day two was when the real hockey fans started rolling in for the skills competition. During both events I stole a peek inside the arena to see some of the action and listen for the blades slicing into the ice, but as fast as I had popped my head in I popped it back out. If it wasn’t the wind pipes of the Jonas Bro fans it was the chill from the rink that told my inner voice I had seen enough. This by far was the longest day of the entire weekend.

On the final day I had the chance to meet up briefly with a friend of mine before the work day started. She picked me up at my hotel with her three kiddies and she gave me a quick tour of the historic area in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born and the National Historic site dedicated to him.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

I’m certain I probably missed some of the big events surrounding the MLK Jr. holiday in ATL, but a visit anytime of the year can give anyone a glimpse of how far we have come with the help and life of Dr. Martin Luther King and how far we’ve got to push ourselves to continue to go. I’d like to visit again when I have more time, but I’m hoping to visit some other historic sites when I reach Alabama that tie into this one.

With my friend Reshelle and her three children. Photo: Someone passing by.

Back to the NHL madness – So day three was game day. East vs. West and the place was packed. Several attendees came over to the VzW area to get their hockey videos made on the green screen, collect their free souvenir goodies and sign up to win the new LG Voyager. We had quite a crowd and before the game could end I was whisked away with Molly from the other south team to Stats, a sports bar where the V.I.P. party was being held. I had to work the party for two hours before I was free to go. Considering I don’t follow a whole lot of hockey (Go Lightning) I really hadn’t the slightest clue who was who in the bar, but even if I had I probably wouldn’t have made a big fuss over it anyway. At this point I was too exhausted from the action packed weekend and when asked whether I wanted to go back to the hotel, change clothes and come back to the party I declined. I knew once I got back to the hotel, once I saw the soft white sheets and fluffy pillows calling my name it would be a tough sell for me to come back out of my shell to rub elbows with a bunch of hockey stars. I probably wasted some sort of opportunity, but it sure feels good being well rested again.

While I was going to use that as an exit op to get more zzz’s starting now I do have to make two last notes on some restaurants I dined in while in the peachy city. First is Rare. My buddy Teal put Rare on my radar and it worked out that it was within walking distance of my hotel so I checked it out and loved every nibble and bit. The food was too delicious for me to take too much notice of the seductive and trendy atmosphere. On my way in I glanced at a picture of Josephine Baker and a painting on the wall to my right begged to be snatched and taken home, but once my little soul food tapas arrived all my senses were commanded to pay attention. Yum. Yum. Yum. Absolutely, incredibly mouthwatering… When can we get a rarity like Rare in Tampa? Will this be one of my reasons to come back to ATL in the future? (So you know, I ordered the following: Pomgnac cocktail, Bitter Greens Salad, Collard Green Pot Stickers, Chicken & Waffles, and the Fried Calamari Escovitch. And yes, I ate it all on my own.)

Next up is Ted’s Montana Grill which is actually a chain it seems, but I’ve never heard of them or been. I had lunch with the VzW crew and loved the decor of the downtown Atlanta location. The food was pretty filling. I ordered a bison burger with cheddar cheese, bbq sauce and bacon with a side of fries that I couldn’t finish. What I loved most was the sliced pickle sampling at the table when you are seated. I don’t think I have hard a fresh tasting pickle like that in the longest.

But enough about pickles, soul tapas and hockey. Time for some shut eye. It has been a pleasure.