Love perusing through social media to find out what your favorite influencers are up to? Get a closer glimpse into how they spend their time in Atlanta with “ATL Closeup,” an AJC feature that explores the leisure lives of some of the city’s most notable personalities as they go from work to play mode over the course of a typical weekend — from the places they dine to the little-known spots where they find retreat.
On any given day in Atlanta, you can walk into a bistro, boutique or bar and come up close and personal with your favorite influencers. That’s why this year we decided to offer a closer look at how the city’s A-listers spend their time in the A.
» RELATED: ATL Closeup: Your inside look at Atlanta influencers' lives
Throughout 2019, we talked to entrepreneurs, fitness experts, social media stars, musicians and actors.
From the restaurants they enjoy to the little-know hideouts where they wind down, we learned intimate details about their personal lives.
"I love the grapefruit candle that [Candlefish] has. Anything with mahogany teak wood ... That's when I got that stuff for that man or I'm trying to make my ex-boyfriend jealous," Danni Rose, of Stove Top Kisses, joked back in July.
The more people we talked to, the more we realized how much they all had in common. There were a few places that received high praise more than once.
The Gathering Spot co-founder Ryan Wilson and fashion blogger Mattie James both named Barcelona as one of their go-to eateries, while celebrity makeup artist Akil McCoy and music executive Dina Marto are both fans of the Trap Music Museum.
They didn’t just tell us about their top spots though. They showed us around.
Fiskani Kaira gave us a tour of her business, The Ivy Showroom, and Gymnetics owner Lana Ector took us took us to Kale Me Crazy for a round of smoothies.
And many of them have been reaching new heights since we last talked.
Artist Melissa Mitchell recently partnered with Spanx for a special collection, and Slutty Vegan owner Pinky Cole is collaborating with RapSnacks for a line of potato chips.
But no matter how much success they find, they’ve vowed to never forget how much Atlanta means to them.
Want to see more? Fresh episodes of “ATL Closeup” are returning in January 2020.
» RELATED: New Year's Eve 2019: Alternatives to the Peach Drop in metro Atlanta
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