Photo Tour: Why You Must Check Out Atlanta’s Thriving West Midtown Now

Oh, YEAH! Great burgers at Shaun Doty’s Yeah! Burger. (Don’t forget the one in Virginia-Highland.)

First a Yeah burger, then some Jeni’s. (Sometimes I skip the burger…)

A light lunch at Bartaco

Scroll over a pic for caption; click to make it bigger. More pics below.

Bacchanalia’s a focal point.

Like all great cities, Atlanta is a collection of great, distinct neighborhoods.

West Midtown (or Westside) has exploded over the last several years into one of the most vibrant and engaging around town. West of Midtown across the I-75/I-85 Connector is home to hundreds of new apartments, stylish boutiques, trendy restaurants and nightclubs, art galleries and performance venues. They populate the area around anchors like Atlantic Station, Ikea, Georgia Tech and the railroad tracks that don’t so much cut through the area as give it earthy character to balance all the fab renovations.

Plenty of coffee shops have popped up, including Urban Grind.

Some of my favorites spots in the city are there: Yeah! Burger; Jeni’s Ice Cream; Actor’s Express theater; Nebo digital marketing agency; West Egg eatery; Room & Board; Taqueria del Sol (except for that tiresome lunchtime line out the door); and all the old-school furniture and decor shops that were there even before the place got hot. More are in the photos below.

The neighborhood shows its richly funky roots, swapping sometimes on the same block — industrial/warehouse; and high-tech, with a college touch (Georgia Tech); and high-end/smartly offbeat. West Midtown rewards exploration, so get out of the car and walk around, off Marietta and Northside, and see what you can find.

And eat. And drink.

Fun stuff.

Atlanta or Southern California? Lunch at Bartaco. Scroll down for more pics.

Mouse over a pic for the caption. Click on a pic to make it bigger.

Bacchanalia has been rated as the city’s best restaurant for years.

Also at the Star Provisions complex is my favorite place on earth, Jeni’s Ice Cream.

Snappin’ on the bridge over the railroad tracks

I dig this new apartment complex, at least the outside look.

The area has lots of high-end retail shops, including a few with famous names.

Miller Union restaurant made a splash when it opened a few years ago and draws a nice lunchtime crowd.

The Westside Cultural Arts Center opened about a year ago to display fine art and host community events.

Not a bad way to wait for the bus.

The Atlanta Humane Society is a mainstay.

Westside has plenty left of its industrial past mixed in with the new stuff.

I like this suit, and a lot more, at Tweeds shop for men.

Lots of new apartments have sprouted up recently, a nice commingling with old lofts and refurbished warehouses.

Keepin’ it real.

Shiny storefronts.

A little Little Italy has formed at Ethel Street and Hemphill Avenue.

Fella on the left said he makes a point of always bringing out-of-town visitors to Antico Pizza.

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