Monday, July 3, 2006

ITP/OTP

If you've been to Atlanta, you know that our city is encircled by the busy I-285 expressway, affectionately known to us locals as "The Perimeter". As you approach Atlanta from I-75, you'll see signs referring to it as "Atlanta Bypass", which is really quite humorous, since it goes through some very heavily traveled areas..."bypass" is a true misnomer!

Anyway, as of late, we have new terms describing where one lives, i. e. "ITP" or inside the Perimeter, or "OTP", outside the Perimeter. Think of it as Atlanta's version of Washington's Beltway. If you're ITP, you have trendy restaurants, charming neighborhoods, and high real estate prices. If you're OTP, you have mega-shopping, mega-neighborhoods, and more reasonable real estate prices (although they're still up there). We live OTP, but we do lots of stuff ITP, and there's a truly different mindset to each TP. It's fun to see where you end up.

This past weekend, from Friday night until Sunday night, I calculated that I had made no less than six trips ITP:

1. Dinner at La Tavola in Virginia-Highland with cousins.
2. Walking in Chastain Park, coffee at Caribou on Roswell Road.
3. Trip to water garden store on Cheshire Bridge Road to buy plants.
4. Evening cruise on Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Peachtree Street.
5. Crosstown cruise from Chastain Park to Avondale Estates.
6. Picnic and hiking at Murphey Candler Park.

Hmmm...perhaps this says something. Yes, it does! It says that I'm using lots of gasoline. But I'm also having fun. And note that at least two of the above activities involved exercise. There...now I feel better. Ciao!