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How Atlanta shaped Star Trek: Section 31 star Omari Hardwick

It just takes one mention of Atlanta for Omari Hardwick to start beaming about his hometown. “I’ll always give Atlanta credit for shaping who I am,” he says. “There’s a quality to Atlanta that allows black people to be unapologetic and gives them permission to try something that’s interesting and true.” Even now, at the age of 51, Hardwick (known for his roles in Starz’s Power, Army of The Dead, and most recently, Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount+), says he remains “unapologetically confident” whenever he walks into a meeting or audition.
Robert Kim

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because singing at a Kroger can land you in a Francis Ford Coppola movie

It only took 45 minutes to change Robert Kim’s life. One day, the retired Elvis impersonator took a karaoke machine to the nearby Kroger. He didn’t know how the Peachtree City suburbanites would react to, as he puts it, “a 74-year-old Asian guy singing Frank Sinatra in the parking lot.” But the audience stuffed his tip jar in less than an hour.
Evergreen Butcher Baker burger

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because Evergreen Butcher & Baker’s burgers are so popular that a scalper set up shop outside

When Sean Schacke stepped out to confront the burger hustler, he peeled off in a Porsche SUV. The controversy increased demand, so much so that Evergreen Butcher and Baker had to pause the entire operation in late July, after other businesses on the block began complaining about the line.
Jere Chang

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because one of our TikTok stars is the lesbian Mr. Rogers

It was fall 2020 and Jere Chang was stuck at home when she downloaded TikTok on a whim. An Atlanta public school teacher, Chang soon found herself on “TeacherTok” and decided to start creating her own classroom-themed videos. Six months later, she had reached 190,000 followers and secured her first brand deal.
The Boot Girls

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because when car booting became an epidemic, the Boot Girls of Buckhead created a cure

By some estimates, approximately 100,000 boots are placed on cars in Georgia each year, rendering them immobile until a $75 fine is paid. In 2023, two entrepreneurial women created a workaround—The Boot Girls.
Lemon Pepper Wet from American Deli

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because lemon pepper wet is still the king of wings

It’s kinda funny how something like lemon pepper wet chicken wings are as synonymous with Atlanta as the Braves, Tyler Perry, or CNN. The flavorful bites have been the subject of rap songs like “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” by Lizzo and Rick Ross—and who can forget the classic scene from Atlanta when Paper Boi gets the wings hookup at J.R. Crickets with the off-menu item.
Colonnade restaurant sign

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because The Colonnade, 98, will live to sling fried chicken another day

Atlantans panicked last summer, when The Colonnade, the city’s second-longest running restaurant, went up for sale. After many decades, owners Jodi and David Stallings had decided to retire. The beloved 98-year-old Cheshire Bridge Road institution, famed for its meat-and-threes, had just crept out of the pandemic when a pair of road closures caused by bridge fires threatened to collapse the iconic eatery’s business for good.
Blondie

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because Blondie can still crush beer cans and write poetry

The 67-year-old Blondie is best known for her supreme ability to crush beer cans with her breasts. She’s been doing it since 1979 at Clermont Lounge, where she still dances a few nights a week. “I’ve gotten bruises on my breasts from doing certain cans, so I only do Pabst Blue Ribbon now,” says Blondie. But she also taps into another creative side: that of a poet.
Spiller Park Coffee

21 Reasons We Love Atlanta: Because Spiller Park Coffee is honoring one of Atlanta’s oldest buildings in South Downtown

Amid the relentless razing and redefining of Atlanta’s never-ending transformation, a few glimpses of the past remain intact thanks to history enthusiasts and preservationist-minded business owners. This includes Dale Donchey, owner of Spiller Park Coffee, whose respect for old Atlanta is reflected in Spiller Park Coffee No. 4 on Mitchell Street downtown.

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