On Friday, I spent the day with two friends, driving around the Atlanta metro area and having a great (and mostly healthy) day. 

Our first stop was Life Grocery in Marietta, which is a fantastic health food store that has a lot of raw items, supplements, traditional health foods, and a cafe. I picked up some delicious coconut cream pie Larabars, four new supplements (MSM, Hawaiian spirulina, Klamath Lake blue green algae, and zeolites), a copy of Get Fresh! magazine, and the best Kombucha I’ve ever had. I opted for High Country’s goji berry flavor, and it was very palatable: not too vinegary, and no strands of Kombucha floating around. Plus, it comes in an amber jar, to further protect the living cultures from light damage.

Our next stop was Phoenix and Dragon Metaphysical Bookstore in Sandy Springs. This has been one of my favorite stores for years; it’s packed to the brim with all sorts of cool stuff: cards, stickers, books, herbs, crystals, calendars, tarot cards, figurines, statues, pagan tools, essential oils, jewelry, and more. There are also psychic readings, a Japanese garden, and two store cats, Amber and Sage. We stopped there because my Wiccan friend needed to pick up some supplies, and while I was there I browsed chakra decals, mala beads and bracelets, yoga clothes, and Buddhist and Hindu statuary. It’s always fun to hang out at P&D.

After the bookstore, we made a quick detour to the mall (which included an unfortunate stop at Starbucks; I can’t resist the pumpkin bread!) and then headed to dinner in Buckhead, at a neat restaurant called R. Thomas Deluxe Grill. R. Thomas has a really varied menu: there’s traditional diner fare like waffles and eggs, but there are also raw food and vegan selections. I tried the Crazy Trails Salad, which turned out to not be my cup of tea. I didn’t care for the dressing, so it wasn’t a good choice. However, my friend really liked it and took it home, so at least it didn’t go to waste. I’m still proud of myself for trying something new, and I definitely want to go back (for the fresh juices and raw truffles if nothing else)! 

Our final stop of the day was supposed to be Sevananda, a health food co-op in Little Five Points. Sevanada is a really neat little store and has great prices. Unfortunately, by the time we finished eating, it was dark and we were sleepy, so we decided to postpone that excursion for another day. All in all, we had a great time, and even though we drove all over the city, it was worth it. Next time you’re in the Atlanta area, check out some of these great spots.