We are back from Atlanta!
While in Atlanta, I worked…a lot. But to be honest, it didn’t feel much like work because I really loveD this project. I was shooting a pilot, directed by Darren Star, called HR for Lifetime. It was such a fun role to play and I love the ladies who work at Lifetime, so the whole experience was great.
I was also so thrilled to see so many veggish peeps on set! Glenn Porter, the creator of the show, is a pescatarian, the set costumer, Cairo, (She’s a body builder too and is vegan purely for health) and two of the PA’s, Mac and Nubie, are also vegans. And Patricia, our transportation coordinator,  made the entire cast and crew her veggie chili.
The caterer was very thoughtful. Every morning I had some steel cut oats with raisins, some greens on the side, like bok choy, and then I would add flax oil to the greens, toasted sunflowe seeds and chia seed to porridge. Sometimes I’d mix it up with a veggie scramble or breakfast burrito with veggie sausage, tofu, avocado and jalepeno salsa. On the last day of shooting, I was given a dozen Dulce Vegan cupcakes to share with the crew…I ate three (don’t tell anyone!). Yum!
On days that weren’t so crazy on set, Bear would stop by to get some mama time. He remained on west coast time, so even after a long work day, I was able to head back to the hotel to snuggle, play and have a rock concert with rubber duckies in the tub with him before his bed time.
On the weekends, we’d roam around the city and try out some of the restaurants you recommended. We ate at Cafe Sunflower, Healthful Essence, Kale Me Crazy, Dough Bakery, and Soul Vegetarian.
Bear decided to get a “job” at Soul Vegetarian by sweeping the floors and heading back into the kitchen a few times. He even used the calculator to take orders.The food there was pretty yum! We really liked the three salad plate, BBQ cauliflower, and the seitan plate with mac ‘n cheese.

The girls from R. Thomas Deluxe Grill, Bear and me 
We also went to R. Thomas Deluxe Grill at many of your suggestions. Rumor on the street is that the thai bowl is the way to go – I will get that one day – but I went with the strawberry shortcake and it was great! I also had the raw dip and it was good – not my favorite – but nice with the pears for dipping. I especially loved the casual vibe there and the people who work there are sweet and groovy, but I didn’t like that they have birds in cages. That’s a bummer, but at least they have some vegan dishes and a great veggie garden patch out front.
Piedmont Park became Bear’s local hangout during the day (until we found Winn Park).  He loved the sand box and the fountains. We all enjoyed the botanical gardens too. They have an edible garden and outdoor kitchen for people to learn how to make fresh food from the garden, which is such a great idea. And although I’ve heard that the aquarium has a lot of rescued animals, it still feels like there are too many not rescued there, so I didn’t take Bear there. I don’t want him to experience creatures in captivity as something normal and acceptable.
We also went to the Children’s Museum.  There is so much to do there – shopping carts and tractors to play with, balls to watch do all sorts of things, painting, crafts, tap dancing…Bear absolutely loved it!




One weekend we headed out to Lake Claire – thanks Debra Mazar for suggesting. Bear had so much fun feeding the rescued emu that lives there. Emus are being held captive for their natural skin oils to make skincare products and this particular one was saved from slaughter. The ladies that care for him are vegan and veggie and super sweet.
In addition to the work and adventures, we had a quick meet-up with some of the local Atlanta Kind Lifers! I’ll be sharing a little more about that in another post, so stay tuned, but thanks again to all of you who came out for the impromptu event. It’s always great meeting you in person.
Right before we left for our flight home, I had the chance to meet another Kind Lifer at the same hotel I was staying at.  As it turns out, our production coordinator, Paula, met an employee of the hotel, weeks prior to my arrival, who had been telling her to read The Kind Diet. This woman had no idea I was staying at the hotel until the day we finally met.  It was so awesome to see her enthusiasm and love for the book.  Really made my day!
Thanks again for all of your wonderful suggestions! It was a good trip, full of exciting work and good people.
Love,
Alicia