Developer and author Gene Kansas's Best Day Ever in Atlanta
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Gene Kansas
For Gene Kansas — an Atlanta historic preservationist and commercial real estate developer and author of the recently released Civil Sights — the perfect day is powered by curiosity, coffee, family and a little time in the woods.
Morning: Kansas, who grew up in 1970s New Orleans in a lively household filled with "ballet dancers, federal court judges, alligator wrestlers, artists [and] painters," treasures a quiet start. He's up at 6:15am and chasing the day's first cup of coffee.
- He'll drive across town for the right brew — an iced latte (no espresso shot) at Opo Coffee in Decatur or Chrome Yellow in Old Fourth Ward. Or maybe a nitro cold brew at Refuge Coffee in Clarkston. "I'll pretty much pound it," he says.
- Then he's off to wander. "I want to wander around the city until I bump into the next thing that's compelling and fascinating, or some kind of connection point for a good conversation."
- That might mean walking the Freedom Park Trail — "somewhere that's expansive but there are things to see along the way."
Lunch: Fishmonger in Poncey-Highland. "It reminds me of home in New Orleans in that it doesn't have to be fancy to be incredible," Kansas says. "There's a bunch of fish on ice, it's tiny, it's not even comfortable. I like the colors, the human scale — it's real city stuff."
- The afternoon's for a "field trip" — exploring a neighborhood or catching a film at Plaza or Tara, especially if it's raining.
- Later, it's family time. Kansas, his wife DeAnna and their son Levi might throw a frisbee in the park or search for millipedes.
Dinner: "Glide or Antico if it were just up to me," Kansas said. He's also been a regular at Jalisco for 29 of his 30 years in Atlanta. "I don't want to do the math on the number of chips [I've eaten]," he said.
- Other picks: Lan Zhou on Buford Highway for handmade noodles, or for something elevated, Umi — "a little bit of a scene," but a great spot for sushi and conversation.
Night: Kansas says he loves Atlanta but occasionally has to leave and restore his mind, body and soul. He would wrap up the day in Suches, Georgia, beside a cold, rushing stream — not a lake (too high a chance of bullfrogs).
- "Jump in the freezing cold water, go on a walk and get lost, and find your way back," said the developer, who attended survival camps as a kid. "The whole thing of setting up your tent. It's the adventure."