Things I like in Decatur (so far)

Rebecca and I have now been officially living in the town of Decatur for over a month and have discovered some pretty neat stuff going on here. For those who don't know, Decatur is an individual town, with its own government, police force, tax structure, etc located six miles directly east of downtown Atlanta on Interstate 20. The story goes that Decatur was actually founded before the city of Atlanta, but the town fathers, when offered the opportunity to have the railroad run through their town, refused because the railroad would bring about vagabonds and crime and such. Atlanta, however, accepted the offer, and you see what has happened as a result. Decatur folks, however, sometimes joke that Atlanta is really a suburb of their town, since they are indeed older.

Now for things I like:

#1 Figo Restaurant. A small Italian restaurant. Had GREAT ravioli here.

#2 Java Monkey Coffee. Java Monkey sells organic coffees and has a great indoor/outdoor atmosphere, located in the heart of downtown Decatur.
#3 Raging Burrito. This Mexican restaurant pushes the envelope with some of their offerings. I had a pineapple jerk burrito there, yummy!
#4 Crescent Moon. This restaurant we found on a request from some friends in Knoxville who lived in Decatur while one of them went through seminary. They got us a gift card, so we took advantage. HUGE breakfasts that mix potatoes, eggs, bacon, and cheese and bring it to you in a skillet.
#5 Sweet Melissa's. Located on the Decatur square, this restaurant serves breakfast and lunch only. We stopped by for a late lunch last weekend. Really neat atmosphere and very eclectic artwork on the walls, plus delicious food!
#6 Decatur Presbyterian Church. We've made three Sunday visits to this church and have enjoyed it each time. We met very friendly members in the congregation, have heard both the senior pastor and interns preach, and I have accepted a position as a staff singer in the choir (which a really good choir, particularly to be a church choir). In addition to being a wonderful place to grow in faith and make and develop new friendships, Decatur Pres is in downtown Decatur, within walking distance of many of the restaurants mentioned above!Decatur REALLY supports local business. Last Saturday Rebecca and I spent the entire afternoon milling through little boutiques and home stores along with restaurants and coffee shops. There are a couple of great local bookstores in the area too, but we have yet to purchase anything from them. While it is exciting to have unique places to shop and great things to eat, locally owned stuff is always more expensive, so we have to be selective about when we choose to support our local businesses. So far it is a wonderful place to live, and if you ever get tired of the "small town" feel of Decatur, you can always head to Atlanta!