i had to go to a conference in macon this weekend. now usually, when i go to this conference, i basically spend my time griping about how much i can’t stand macon, going to the meetings and getting out as quick as possible.

this time however, i asked myself, could there be more to this sleepy little city than i have given it credit for. while there for the meeting, i decided to try out some local flavor and see what i came up with.

first and foremost, driving parts of macon other than where the meetings were, i realized it’s a beautiful old southern town. amazing architecture, gorgeous churches and houses are everywhere. the downtown has been fixes up and has many streets with large roadways lined with cherry trees and small parks in the middle.

i tried three ‘local’ place while i was there. i ate lunch at a place called the market city cafe and had an excellent grilled cheese with homemade potato chips. my friend that i was with had a sandwich that she described as “thanksgiving on bread” with turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce. the place was absurd inexpensive.

later that evening three of us went to lemongrass thai bistro in downtown macon for dinner. the place truly did have some of the most amazing thai food, well prepared and presented and very tasty. pricey, but good, and shockingly good for what i expect from macon.

final place was joshua cup coffee which is one of the neatest coffee shops i have been in. great spacious place with lots of art on the walls and amazing deserts.

so i gotta say, i think i need to give macon a little credit. i would like to organize a road trip down there when i don’t have meetings and actually check out what the city has to offer from a cultural standpoint. it looked like a lot of live music for sure, and the georgia music hall of fame which i think i would like to see.

okay, macon. i apologize and am now willing to give you a shot.