Luxuriate in the middle of the action with a stay overlooking Ponce City Market
STORY: Jennifer Bradley Franklin
Photos Courtesy of Atlanta Luxury Rentals
My husband and I have had the same conversation at least 50 times in the five years since we built our home near Brookhaven. “I love our house, but would you ever want to live more in town? Like, in a loft on the BeltLine?” he’ll ask. “It sounds nice, but I love our house,” I’ll respond as if reading from a script. “I do too, but it would be cool to be able to walk to everything and never have yard work,” he’ll counter. So when I learned that Atlanta Luxury Rentals offers stays in their units at the Flats at Ponce City Market, I knew it would be a chance to experience the high points of true intown living.
I checked in on a drizzly Sunday and felt like a VIP as Atlanta Luxury Rentals CEO Chad Salenius welcomed me and handed over the keys to the 725-square-foot Jade Loft, its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the PCM sign. He told me that the modern, industrially designed units have been a hit with guests in town for long-term projects. Several Avengers cast members even called the units home during filming. The apartments range from a loft to a three bedroom, and all come with homey comforts such as fully equipped kitchens (including Vitamix blenders and Keurig coffeemakers) and a washer and dryer. However, the crisp Italian linens, super-HD televisions and Molton Brown bath products felt plucked from a posh hotel.
On a normal visit to Ponce City Market, I’d have to struggle to find a spot and pay to park, but this time my car was already safely in the attached garage, so I simply took an elevator down to the ground level and started wandering. Botiwalla’s chicken tikka roll and masala smashed potatoes fueled my afternoon.
As I walked toward the BeltLine, the hardest decision was whether to head north toward Piedmont Park or south toward Inman Park. I set out to the north, stopping to explore the newly reconfigured Paris on Ponce market. Vintage cocktails shakers, kitschy art with local neighborhood names and a particularly bright Japanese kimono caught my eye, but my only purchase was a latte from Three Heart Roastery (in warm weather, the walk-up window serves shaved-to order frozen watermelon). Walking south, I enjoyed art installations and skateboarders defying gravity at the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. It didn’t exactly feel like my home neighborhood, but the lack of a timeline or need to monitor traffic to my next destination let me pretend for a day.
After freshening up back at the Flats, I walked down for dinner at Bellina Alimentari. I’d stopped by for a quick bite a few times before, but this visit was a leisurely tour of the menu, from the salt-flecked focaccia to the tagliatelle made with East Pole Coffee’s locally roasted espresso. Plus, it was easy to say yes to a second glass of wine since I was just steps away from a cozy bed.
After a night of blissful sleep in the Jade Loft, aided by full-length blackout curtains, I picked up one last bite before heading back to my real home. Strong coffee and Root Baking Co.’s flaky croissant stuffed with sorghum glazed ham, cheddar and mustard greens were the perfect send-off. While the grass in my own yard a few miles north is still as green as ever, this intown staycation reminded me I don’t have to travel far to feel like I’ve gotten away.
Book your own staycation at the Flats at Ponce City Market through atlantaluxuryrentals.com; three-night minimum stay required.
