For the Progressive Dinner Tour, the bikers all met at the fabulous Georgian Terrace Hotel…

After some fresh fruit and cheese in a side lobby, we walked through the Georgian Terrace to the Livingston for a champagne toast!

Robyn provides the bikes and helmets for all of the tour participants, which is great for someone like me who hadn’t been on a bike since I was in high school!  At first I was REALLY nervous to be on a bike in the middle of Peachtree Street, but after only a few blocks I felt like an old pro.  :)

We stopped in at Fresh 2 Order for DELICIOUS salads, paninis, and homemade soups!  The corn chowder was to die for!

Our tour group:

Next we biked over to Max Lager’s for crab cakes, pizza, and beer tasting!  The outdoor patio was wonderful, and the upstairs event area at Max Lager’s looked like the perfect spot for a private party.

Next we rode over to Centennial Olympic Park…

…then to Ray’s in the City for delicious seafood and family style sides, including THE BEST mashed potatoes I’d ever had!

This tour has me yearning for MORE from Bicycle Tours of Atlanta!  I can’t wait to put a group together for a History Tour, especially since I got a small taste of one when we biked past the old Winecoff Hotel downtown and learned about the 1946 fire that claimed 119 lives in the brick “fire proof” hotel.  I’ve lived here my whole life and didn’t know that story!

Check out BikeToursATL.com to book your own bicycle tour!

Itan and his sister…

Itan’s mom…

Itan’s uncle…

These scrumptious cookies are Sara’s grandmother’s recipe!

Sara and her dad…

Sara and Itan shared a slideshow of photos of them through the years.  These were the reactions to those photos…

Last but not least, we finish with a shot of Sara’s favorite: Ms. Pac-Man.  ;)

Wedding day photographs coming SOON!

Itan’s sister…

Sara…

Sara shared the most lovely little speech thanking everyone for being in Savannah.  She has such a fabulous support group of ladies around her!

One of Sara’s aunts gave her a stack of old family cookbooks.

After seeing the photo of this salad this morning, I had to go out and get a salad for lunch.  YUM!

I think I know Sara well enough now to know that this is a classic Sara face:

This is Aunt Evelyn, the cookbook giver:

This chocolate cake was the gooiest, chocolatiest, deliciousest ever! (I don’t eat chocolate, but Dan told me after eating the piece that Sara sent back for him!)

Sara’s mom…

Itan’s mom…

The little nieces sharing a sweater…

I love reliving these kinds of days!  :D

I got started with Amir at his loft at 8am, where he was typing away at e-mails.

The “At Large” position means anyone who lives in Fulton County will have the opportunity to vote for him in November.  Whatever your political affiliation, get out and VOTE in your state and local elections!

Amir and a few team members walk to the Martin Luther King MARTA station.

Seeing improvement to Atlanta’s public transit system is hugely important to Amir.  Our city is already suffering under a huge traffic burden, and it will only get worse unless we act now to improve transportation options for residents and visitors in Atlanta.

These two little kids on the train were pretty fascinated by my camera.  They wanted to know why I was taking pictures of Amir, so he stopped to chat with them and their mom.

First stop: West End MARTA station, 9:00 a.m.

Amir visits with a local West End banker about the financial issues currently facing this neighborhood.

You just can’t walk the city of Atlanta and not stop at Krispy Kreme!

We checked in at this AWESOME West End coffee shop, The Grounds.  Get a cup of the African Red Bush tea (caffeine free!), and leave a dollar in the Good Karma Jar.  :)

Second stop: Radial Cafe in Candler Park, 11:30 a.m.

Supporters review the schedule over lunch at one of my favorite Candler Park lunch spots.

Third stop: Buckhead via the Lindbergh MARTA station, 1:00 p.m.

Amir answers a question from the audience about fiscal accountability…

…and visits with a local man about keeping our city safe for pedestrians.

Amir checks in with team members at the next stop before hopping onto the train to Midtown.

Fourth stop: Outwrite Bookstore in Midtown, 2:45 p.m.

Amir took a moment to rehydrate and rest before speaking to a small crowd at Outwrite.  He’d been walking through the city for nearly 7 hours at this point!  (If his feet weren’t sore, mine sure were!)

Just down the street, we stopped to chat with fellow photographer Louis Foster, who owns a thriving portrait studio in Midtown.  I first met Louis in 2005 when I worked for SimplePhoto’s support team, so it was fun to see him again.

Fifth stop: Downtown, City Hall, 5:00 p.m.

Amir takes the stairs toward the front of City Hall.

Announcing his candidacy on the steps of City Hall…

Last but not least, we hopped on the bus back to home and our sixth stop: Grant Park, 7:00 p.m.

At this point I have to note that at EVERY SINGLE STOP we arrived faster than the team traveling by car — even when we took the bus!

At The Standard, Amir’s campaign manager, Howard Franklin, speaks to a packed room of supporters, including another of our wonderful neighbors and political activists, Tom Houck.

Tom…

State Legislator Margaret Kaiser gives Amir a hug after announcing her endorsement.

Amir visited with locals late into the evening.

We love our neighborhood!  Nothing better than getting to walk home after chowing down at The Standard.

Amir, THANK YOU for such a wonderful experience!  You know you have our support!

**Update: Learn more about Amir’s campaign at www.amirfarokhi.com

The dinner took place in one of the beautiful rooms at Atlanta’s Cherokee Town and Country Club. Each retiring partner received a small gift from Tiffany & Co. …

…and dinner guests wrote notes to each partner on personalized note cards.

A new partner gets a squeeze…

When cocktail hour was over, a wonderful man in a tuxedo walked through playing a dinnertime tune on a little gold xylophone:

Some laughs during the speeches…

This was the first course of the night: DELICIOUS crab cakes!  A little table was set up for us by the bar, and we were fed like queens!

Here is Chris, my PWC contact and the lady who made sure I got to partake in the amazing food!

More speeches…

THANK YOU, PWC for letting me share this evening with you!  

And a big, fat thanks to my friend Lauren Wright, who came along to keep me company and share in the scrumptious food.  You’re the best!