Hello!

Welcome to The Epic! I am launching this blog as a manifesto for and a guide to living well. The title and motto of the blog are taken from the Epicureans, at least some of whom believed in the notion that not one minute of the future was guaranteed to them and that as a result they had the duty to live life to its fullest every moment.

I believe in discovering fun and pleasurable things wherever I find myself each day and I am told I have a knack for unearthing them. My hope is that by sharing in my pleasures and some of my ways of finding them you will begin to collect all the riches that lie in the moments of your life. They are there. Take them! All our lives should be.....Epic.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Unexpected Watering Hole

The best discoveries are of the impromptu variety. The sort you might easily walk right by without paying attention. Except you are an Epic. You pay attention. Walking down a side street only to find a little place that has steak frites and a nice glass of beaujolais for a long lunch outdoors. A bookshop almost hidden in a block of industrial supply stores. The little treasure on the back table of the yard sale. A glimpse of black and white polka dot sundress that leads to a chance encounter.

Finding a new saloon by accident is a particular pleasure. So it was as I strolled down the "A" concourse of Hartsfield airport in Atlanta not long ago and came to Gate 1. The end of the line. The end of the universe. Not usually a zone rife with entertainment options. I was entering a state of despair when out of the corner of my eye I saw the sign for "Bar One", a swanky little bar that had not been there before. The charm of the place lies in how small it is. Yet how inviting. How different from the usual airport "slam an overpriced, giant beer" sort of place. See for yourself:


My kind of primitive art.


Who needs phony antique tennis rackets and golf clubs? This is my idea of a wall display.


There are, of course, more bottles up behind the bar as the night goes on...or maybe there are fewer...

The idea of a "cozy" little airport cocktail lounge was an oxymoron in my experience until I came upon Bar One. The service and the drinks were first rate. Give it a try. I think you will agree. One tip. The last time I went by Bar One it was 9:30 in the morning and it was not open. I'll have to speak to the management about that...

1 comment:

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

I would say that somebody should speak to to proprieter(s) of Bar One. He/She/They need to realize that there is somebody in airport who has just arrived from somewhere where it is currently 5:00.