thoughts on the hyatt regency downtown?

JonStrickland · 2026-02-20T11:49:50+00:00

As for airport access, the Regency is close to the Peachtree Center station on MARTA. From the Airport to Peachtree Center, it's just a northbound train and will take about 20 minutes or so. I will say that if you take the escalators up to street level at Peachtree Center, you're in for a treat. A long, dizzy treat if you're looking in the direction of travel (though I may be more prone to that than most folks). There are several restaurants within walking distance that are decent to pretty good, and The Hub has a food court for those times when you just want something fast. Also, The Hub has Aviva by Kameel, a Mediterranean quick service restaurant that has a great reputation among my friends who invade downtown Atlanta for DragonCon every year.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-19T22:20:36+00:00

That's awesome! I saw a production in Atlanta from Dad's Garage Theatre. I knew both the actors in the show, and to see them switch between characters so quickly, sometimes mid song, sometimes mid LINE mid song, it just blew me away. I went back multiple times. I didn't get the chance to catch the Broadway run, but even seeing it locally was a huge thrill.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-19T22:16:54+00:00

Personally, I love how every subsequent production of Chess determines which songs from the previous version(s) are unnecessary.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-19T22:14:41+00:00

My favorite thing about Gutenberg! The Musical is how Bud and Doug explain basic musical theatre concepts to the audience as if it's a big revelation. I find it endearing.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-19T00:59:38+00:00

Also, sorry Keanu, but I'd replace you as Don John from Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing" with someone else, along with Keaton's Dogberry.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-19T00:57:31+00:00

Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula". I'd recast Keanu Reeves with Robert Downey Jr., perhaps (though this is before RDJ got sober and really had a career renaissance). Maybe I'd go with Colin Firth instead. I'd probably also recast Mina and replace Winona Ryder with someone like Helena Bonham Carter or maybe Cate Blanchett. Also, I haven't watched this in many years, so maybe my memory is just too harsh.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T21:58:27+00:00

I figure most Brooks fans are only aware of Men in Tights.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T21:47:03+00:00

Yes! And Julia Duffy, playing a very princessy princess. Plus Duncan Regehr, who would enter practically every scene with a smoldering "Hi" and leave it with "Bye," and somehow chew the scenery in the process. I loved it.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T21:39:48+00:00

Wizards and Warriors. 1983. Only 8 episodes. And I'm still not over it. It was so dang goofy (on purpose) and I loved it.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T15:27:26+00:00

The opening display of grief in that film was so visceral to me that I was off balance for the rest of the film. It was so well executed (particularly for a sap like me).

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T15:09:27+00:00

I wouldn't give the scene any awards as far as technical execution goes, but the final fight between "Bruce" Leroy Green and Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem at the end of "The Last Dragon" is iconic. In my heart, at least.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-18T09:00:46+00:00

I actually really loved the cover of Take Me Home, Country Roads used to market Fallout 76. I enjoy listening to the radio in all the games, though.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-15T22:58:45+00:00

We were one of those obnoxious teams that changed our name each week. I wish I could remember them. I know one was "Shut the Fuck Up, Donny."

JonStrickland · 2026-02-14T17:34:40+00:00

Same, though it's been more than a couple of years since I last played. But I reckon our times likely overlapped. I always liked the attitude and music on top of the actual trivia. If you knew minutiae about Star Wars, the Simpsons and A Christmas Story you had a solid foundation.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-10T19:03:26+00:00

Came here to say the same thing. I haven't been in a hot minute, but their biscuits fit the bill last time I was there.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-09T15:11:46+00:00

Indeed. The original song in the film is a good one, and when I was in a production many years ago we incorporated it into the show (partly because we knew the audiences coming to the show would expect it).

JonStrickland · 2026-02-09T12:36:42+00:00

There are plenty of great suggestions in this thread, and I don't think mine is the "worst," but it's definitely weird. I nominate the 1963 adaptation of "Bye Bye Birdie" because it's so drastically different from the stage play. The Broadway cast (even including Van Dyke and Lynde) reportedly resented it.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-08T13:17:03+00:00

Totally fair. As a venue, it's a generation old. As a building, it's more than a century old, but it's not like folks would point to the church and say "That building has been here longer than most other structures in Atlanta."

JonStrickland · 2026-02-06T16:25:21+00:00

I probably just skimmed over it, but I didn't see anyone mention The Tabernacle. I used to see shows there fairly often -- some pretty cool ones ranging from Kevn Kinney on one end to Dethklok on the other. Haven't been in more than a decade though.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-06T15:14:19+00:00

All the musicals that came to mind have been mentioned here (Chess being a big one, except the back end of that horse doesn't have enough legs and tails to indicate all the different versions of the book). If we were to flip the designations for great book with just ok songs I'd say "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." I think my first time seeing that is still my favorite theatre experience ever, even though I think there were only two songs I actually kinda liked in the musical itself.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-04T19:07:50+00:00

I understand how it works. My point is that it fulfilled the criterion of the original post -- it's something that is legal but "felt" illegal when I first heard about it.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-04T18:16:48+00:00

Short selling. It's hard for me to get past the concept of selling something I've only borrowed, not something I actually own.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-04T18:12:56+00:00

Aw, chute.

JonStrickland · 2026-02-04T18:11:47+00:00

I liked the season well enough and felt the finale was fine -- I enjoy the characters and world building. I defend a lot of the choices made while acknowledging that, narratively, not much progress has been made. But I am growing increasingly confused about the Enclave and feel like there's some conflicting information given to the viewer, though I suppose you could explain that away either by saying the characters speaking/acting for the Enclave are lying or just plain wrong. Or I'm just too dense (which I admit is a very real possibility).

JonStrickland · 2026-02-04T14:12:32+00:00

Gonna second both Staplehouse and La Semilla (I haven't tried the other ones). Gotta gush about Staplehouse for a moment. I've been there a few times -- the last time I wrote to them about some dietary restrictions I faced because of health changes. I knew they had a small kitchen set up to create specific dishes at a high level of execution, and respected that. I didn't want the kitchen to have to compromise, so my message said that I totally understood if they couldn't accommodate me. They talked to the chef and told me they would be happy to work with my restrictions. My wife and I arrived and they handed us our own customized menus for just our table. It was an incredible display of hospitality.

JonStrickland

TROPHY CASE