Photograph by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Essence

Marburger Atlanta Antique and Design Show
When: July 17-20
Where: Southern Exchange Ballrooms, Downtown
Cost: Free
Details: Head to this Texas favorite—coming to Atlanta for the very first time—for vintage furniture, art, and interior decor ideas from more than 60 top brands and designers. Pieces will range from midcentury antiques to art deco rarities to modern and continental art, with designs inspired from multiple continents.

Titanic: An Immersive Voyage
When: Starting July 19
Where: Exhibition Hub Atlanta Art Center, Doraville
Cost: $30+
Details: Experience the Titanic on dry land with recreations of the original rooms of the ships, artifacts from the time, and 3D animations and videos. The voyage also features a virtual reality tour of the wreck site, so visitors can put on their goggles and be transported two and a half miles beneath the ocean. The experience lasts anywhere from 60-90 minutes and is suitable for all ages.

The Atlanta Open
When: July 20-28
Where: Atlantic Station
Cost: Ticket prices vary by game
Details: Watch the final Atlanta Open at Pinnacle Lot in Atlantic Station for some exciting match-ups. Venus Williams plays against Sloane Stephens on the 21st, and John Isner and Andy Roddic face off against the Bryan Brothers for a doubles match on the 22nd. Tickets are available for individual sessions, but diehard tennis fans can buy weeklong ticket packages to guarantee the same seat at every game.

Janet Jackson: The Together Again Tour
When: July 21
Where: State Farm Arena
Cost: $70+
Details: Janet Jackson extends her Together Again Tour from last year’s run, this time with special guest Nelly. Celebrate her 50th anniversary in entertainment with hits from her three most popular albums: The Velvet Rope, janet, and Rhythm Nation 1814.

Atlanta Peachfest
When: July 21
Where: Peachtree Center, Downtown
Cost: $95+
Details: This Peachtree Center festival celebrates all things peach, featuring bites from several restaurants including Banshee, Wrecking Bar, Bread & Butterfly, and Estrellita, plus peaches from Pearson Farm. Make sure you leave some room for the cocktail and peach-infused beer tastings as well. The day before Peachfest, the center will also host a free Peach Puppy Dog Show and Costume Contest, so get your dog ready in their finest peach-themed attire for a chance to win $1000 and a Kamado Joe Grill.

Sports corner: Atlanta home games

• Atlanta United has two home matches this week, facing off against NYCFC on the 17th and the Columbus Crew on the 20th. Info Here.
• The Braves play a series of six home games against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by the Cincinnati Reds from July 19-24 at Truist Park. Info Here.

The post 5 Atlanta events you won’t want to miss: July 17-23 appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Photograph by Perry Julien

Sammy Hagar, the “Red Rocker,” played to a packed Ameris Bank Amphitheatre on Tuesday night. The former lead vocalist and frontman for Montrose and Van Halen, he has also had a very successful solo career. On this Best Of All Worlds tour, he was joined by former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani, and drummer Jason Bonham, who is the son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

The post Photos: Sammy Hagar performs at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Throughout the South, amusement parks of all shapes and sizes draw visitors in search of classic summer fun. Florida lays claim to many of them, hence its nickname: the Theme Park Capital of the World. Tens of millions of folks from across the globe descend upon the state’s tourism corridor to hang with Harry Potter, mingle with Mickey Mouse, socialize with sea creatures, loll about with Lego, and otherwise have a ball. But thrills, over-the-top shows, and big fun await at plenty of other parks throughout the region.

If you and your gang are looking for white-knuckle, heart-in-your-throat coasters, wacky water slides, and engaging theatrical presentations, you don’t have to go far. We’ve got the lowdown on Southern rides and attractions you’ll want to consider. We also share some can’t-miss park foods, as well as some great places to stay after long days riding the rails. And we’ll let you know what’s new on the midways this year. Buckle up. It’s going to be a wild, but amusing ride.

Scream Machines
Put your hands up high and get ready to rock and roll on these high-speed rides

Iron Gwazi
Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
There are plenty of thrilling coasters to be found in the South, but perhaps none is more intense than Iron Gwazi. The ride (formerly known simply as Gwazi) was a wooden coaster that, as is the case with many “woodies,” had become excessively rough. An innovative manufacturer that specializes in converting aging wooden rides into more hospitable hybrid wooden-steel coasters (which retain their wooden structure but are outfitted with steel tracks) worked its magic. In 2022, the reborn, ultra-smooth beast was unleashed. But the ride surgeons didn’t just keep the original wooden structure: They nearly doubled the height to a potent 206 feet, changed the angle of descent to a beyond-vertical 91 degrees, increased the speed to a harrowing 76 mph, and introduced two upside-down inversions. The result? An out-of-control, hang-on-for-dear-life experience that will leave you wondering what the heck just happened.

Courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Fury 325
Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina
Talk about bragging rights. The South’s tallest coaster, Fury 325, rises a staggering—wait for it—325 feet. From that precarious height, the “giga” coaster drops at a hairy 81-degree angle and accelerates to a breathtaking (literally) 95 mph, making it the fifth-fastest coaster in the world.

Courtesy of Carowinds

Lightning Rod
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Another hybrid wooden-steel roller coaster, the race car–themed Lightning Rod plummets 165 feet and revs up to 73 mph. Later, the train (filled with befuddled passengers) performs a “quadruple down” in which it suddenly drops once, then a second, third, and fourth time in rapid succession. Yowza!

VelociCoaster
Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida
Pursued by Jurassic World dinosaurs projected onto screens, VelociCoaster launches from 0 to 50 mph in 2 seconds, followed by a second magnetic boost that gooses the train to 70 mph and up a 155-foot-tall tower. An unnerving “zero-G stall” then flips passengers upside down and keeps them inverted for what seems like an eternity.

Courtesy of Universal's Island of Adventure

A Whole Other Story
Take off on a flight of fancy at these heart-pounding attractions

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
EPCOT, Orlando, Florida
There’s a new breed of highly themed coaster that not only piles on the thrills but also immerses passengers in fanciful tales. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the first coaster at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, uses a nifty effect to teleport guests to a spaceship orbiting Earth. Things go horribly wrong (which happens a lot during theme park rides), and it somehow is up to EPCOT visitors to join the oddball Marvel superheroes and—no biggie—save the galaxy. Housed in a ginormous show building (Disney says four Spaceship Earths could squeeze into the space), the magnetically launched coaster features large-format media that riders encounter as they whiz past at 60-plus mph. The sophisticated vehicles feature first-of-its-kind “Omnicoaster” technology that enables them to pivot and directs riders’ attention to the show scenes. Befitting the Guardians, onboard audio randomly blasts classic rock tunes such as Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.”

Courtesy of Disney

Verbolten
Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia
Verbolten’s multi-launch coaster takes passengers on an Autobahn race that includes a swooping dive towards Busch Gardens’ Rhine River. But it also sends riders into a show building where they journey through the inky Black Forest where mysterious creatures glow in the dark and the bottom literally drops out.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Coaster
Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida
Set amid the Forbidden Forest in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, muggles encounter magical creatures such as a centaur, Cornish pixies, and an impressive animatronic of the half-giant himself, Hagrid. The action during Hagrid’s Magical Creatures is wild, with seven magnetic launches and a dead-end spike that reverses the train’s direction.

Courtesy of Universal's Island of Adventure

Tron
Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
With its highly stylized depiction of the futuristic Grid, just getting to the motorbike-like “lightcycles” is a mind-bending experience. It’s an actual blast to launch out and soar under Tron’s iridescent, color-shifting canopy and careen back inside, where competing trains battle it out for videogame supremacy.

Stealing the Show
It’s not just the same old song and dance at these impressive theater attractions

The Bourne Stuntacular
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Using all kinds of theme park trickery, attraction designers have long tried to blur the line between virtual and reality. That boundary vanishes altogether at The Bourne Stuntacular. The jaw-dropping show features live actors performing terrifying stunts that are meticulously choreographed with ultra-high-resolution filmed scenes; good luck figuring out which is which. Physical set pieces, including cars, a motorcycle, a helicopter, and—if you can believe it—an entire house, move in tandem with the action on a giant LED screen that envelops the audience with 19 million pixels of eye-popping media. Jason Bourne, the wayward CIA black ops character from the Bourne Identity film series, fights baddies and escapes certain death in Tangier, Dubai, and Washington, D.C. The scale and scope of the production is, er, stuntacular.

Courtesy of Universal Studios

Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Perhaps no park in the world, let alone the South, has more live entertainment than Dollywood. Considering its namesake star, that should come as no surprise. Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends features Dolly Parton’s family—including her niece, Heidi—regaling audiences with music and tales of their famous relative.

Lego City 4D – Officer in Pursuit
Legoland, Winter Haven, Florida
Borrowing some of the style and wit of the Lego movies, Lego City 4D showcases the quirky brick characters as cops chasing down a crook–in 3D, no less. Legoland’s tricked-out theater bombards audiences with synchronized wind blasts, water spritzes, bubbles, and other sensory effects.

Finding Nemo: The Big Blue . . . and Beyond!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
Finding Nemo features performers with fanciful puppets who bring Nemo, Dory, and other characters from the popular Pixar film to the stage. The musical adaptation, which incorporates buoyant songs, condenses the story down to a zippy 25 minutes. Young kids especially will enjoy the fresh take on the beloved fish tale.

Courtesy of Disney

Water You Waiting For?
Make a splash at these wet, wild attractions

Kaleidoscope Kavern Lazy River
Wilderness at the Smokies, Sevierville, Tennessee
Lazy rivers are a water park staple. Folks meander downstream in inner tubes and encounter diversions, such as fountains, along the way. The indoor water park at Wilderness at the Smokies amps up the experience at Kaleidoscope Kavern, thanks to an extraordinary display of trippy colors and a captivating soundscape. Folks enter a long tunnel that completely envelops them with flitting fireflies, falling leaves, the aurora borealis, and swirls of kaleidoscopic patterns. Taking inspiration from the Great Smoky Mountains, the visuals are paired with the sounds of waterfalls, burbling brooks, and chirping birds. Because the show scenes constantly change, no two rides are likely to be the same.

Photo by Moment Factory

Deep Water Dive
Kentucky Kingdom’s Hurricane Bay, Louisville, Kentucky
Can you handle one of the world’s tallest water slides? First, you’ll have to tackle 12 flights of stairs to reach the top of Deep Water Dive. Then you’ll have to work up the nerve to enter a launch capsule. After a “3, 2, 1” countdown, the floor will drop out, and you’ll plummet 121 feet at a 70-degree angle.

Cutback Water Coaster
Water Country USA, Williamsburg, Virginia
Cutback’s unique RocketBLAST water coaster sends four-passenger rafts soaring uphill using a water jet propulsion system, then shooting downhill through enclosed tubes. Saucer-shaped elements with highly banked curves reverse the rafts’ direction. It’s the only ride of its kind in the country, and it’s an actual blast.

Reef Plunge
Aquatica Orlando, Orlando, Florida
As riders descend Reef Plunge’s twisty-turny body slide, images of fanciful sea creatures greet them. Then, for the finale, they zip alongside actual dolphins, sharks, and other fish. (Which makes sense, considering it’s operated by SeaWorld Orlando next door.)

Night Visions
End your day with a bang at these spectacular evening shows

Astra Lumina
Anakeesta, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
By day, Anakeesta’s adventure park offers attractions that incorporate and celebrate its lovely, forested setting in the Great Smoky Mountains. At night, it dials up the natural immersion in a wholly unpredictable way. Astra Lumina is not a show so much as an interactive experience. As guests amble through the woods, they encounter a series of scenes created by programmable LED lights, videos, lasers, projection mapping, and ultra-crisp sound.  The trees, rocks, ground, and night sky become tableaus for an astral journey through the cosmos. It is an otherworldly experience that is stunning to behold. Astra Lumina purports to pay homage to the stars and our connection to the celestial bodies, but it’s more like going on an enchanting, psychedelic trip without hallucinogens. The 2024 season introduces a new zone, Nebular Waves, that features undulating cascades of light.

Courtesy of Anakeesta

Luminous: the Symphony of Us
EPCOT, Orlando, Florida
Unveiled in December, Luminous brings grand-scale razzle-dazzle to the World Showcase Lagoon with synchronized fireworks, brightly lit fountains, lasers, and soaring searchlights. The soundtrack features both familiar and lesser-known songs from the Disney library, as well as two lovely original tunes.

Sweet Summer Nights
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Yes, there are fireworks, but colorful drones are the real stars of Sweet Summer Nights, which runs from June 15 to August 11. They assemble to form butterflies (Dolly’s favorite creatures), stars, and other whimsical shapes that move in three dimensions. On the soundtrack, Ms. Parton accompanies the show with narration and songs.

Courtesy of Dollywood

Ignite
SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida
The park’s Bayside Stadium erupts on select evenings with pyrotechnics, lasers, colorful fountains, and heat-emitting blasts of fire all synced up to a rousing symphonic score. For Ignite’s hyperactive finale, SeaWorld Orlando cranks everything up to 11 and lets loose with a wild volley of fireworks.

Book It!
Check in at these over-the-top theme park hotels

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
The Jungle Cruise’s animatronic animals and the fanciful creatures in Pandora – The World of Avatar are great, but there’s nothing quite like walking out on your balcony with your morning coffee and seeing a real giraffe looking back at you. A whole menagerie roams the savanna outside the Animal Kingdom Lodge, providing a hotel experience unlike any other. Specialists are on hand to answer questions about the wandering hoofed animals, which also include gazelles and zebras. The soaring lobby has a massive window overlooking the animal reserve and is loaded with African art. A trio of on-site restaurants are among the finest at Disney World: The upscale Jiko – The Cooking Place features exquisite African fare, while Boma – Flavors of Africa serves an astonishing bounty of African and American dishes buffet-style; Sanaa’s mashup menu borrows from both Indian and African cuisines.

Courtesy of Disney

Dollywood’s Heartsong Lodge & Resort
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Opened in late 2023, Dollywood’s newest on-property hotel celebrates both the Smoky Mountains and the theme park’s namesake. Photos and artifacts from the multi-hyphenate celebrity abound throughout the warm and inviting resort, which is fashioned to resemble a national park lodge. Live music and kid-friendly pool parties are among Heartsong’s many amenities.

Legoland Hotel
Legoland, Winter Haven, Florida
At the whimsical Legoland Hotel, you’ll never forget where you are: Nearly everything appears to be Lego-made, and guests can play with the colorful bricks both in the lobby and in their themed rooms. Even a ride in the elevator morphs into a silly disco dance party.

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
Universal, Orlando, Florida
Universal’s most upscale resort transports guests to an Italian seaside village that feels hushed—even though fire-breathing dragons and vengeful mummies are just around the bend. (It’s a lovely walk or a short boat ride to the parks.) A spa, high-end dining, private pool cabanas, and personal concierge service are among Portofino Bay’s exclusive amenities.

Courtesy of Universal

Icing on the Cake
Complete your theme-park fun with these pie-in-the-sky treats

Great fare abounds at Dollywood, including the park’s to-die-for cinnamon bread. Served hot and slathered in gooey apple butter or buttercream icing, it’s heavenly and addictive.

Illustration by Amber Day

Butterbeer, the cream soda–like drink available at Universal’s Harry Potter lands, is famously delicious. But the lesser-known butterbeer soft-serve at Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour will cast a spell on you with its creaminess.

Illustration by Amber Day

Is it weird to eat seafood at SeaWorld Orlando? Maybe. Especially at Shark’s Underwater Grill, where an enormous fish tank lines one wall. Still, the miso roasted salmon is delectable.

Illustration by Amber Day

Can’t decide whether to go with the Italian ice or the frozen custard at Rita’s Italian Ice in Carowinds? Combine them for “gelati,” a flavor bomb of a cool treat.

Illustration by Amber Day

When you hit the bricks at Legoland, indulge in Granny’s Apple Fries. The yummy, warm apple morsels are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and served with whipped cream.

Illustration by Amber Day

As if the strawberry-cheesecake ice cream, strawberry swirl, and chocolate-covered strawberry in the Berry Berry Cheesecake shake at Busch Gardens Tampa wasn’t already sinful, it’s topped with a slice of cheesecake.

Illustration by Amber Day

Pretty much everything at Tiffin’s Restaurant, the exquisite, fine-dining eatery in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is wonderful. But the tamarind-braised short rib, which is served with medjool date–bacon jam, is especially sublime.

Illustration by Amber Day

For Dole Whip diehards, no visit to the Magic Kingdom is complete without scarfing the frozen treat. It comes in vanilla, but purists know pineapple is the only way to go.

Illustration by Amber Day

What’s New?

Everything old will be new again at the Magic Kingdom when Splash Mountain gets transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the Country Bears star in a rejiggered Musical Jamboree. Both are expected to open this summer.

It’s a coaster. It’s a water ride. It’s the Georgia Surfer, a Six Flags Over Georgia attraction opening this summer that launches passengers 60 mph back and forth as they get soaked by water features.

Riders aboard SeaWorld Orlando’s new Penguin Trek coaster will hop into snowmobile-style vehicles, embark on a thrilling ride, and end with a chilly finale inside the park’s crazy-cold penguin habitat.

On the new Phoenix Rising inverted coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, the cars will be suspended beneath the track with passengers’ legs dangling, ski lift-style, as they swoop through dives, twists, and highly banked turns.

At Dollywood’s newly opened Dolly Parton Experience, you’ll discover the family history, seminal career moments, and the inimitable glitzy style that define the adored star.

The Trolls Trollercoaster, Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp, Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres, and other kid-friendly rides and attractions based on popular animated films await in DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios, opening this summer.

Craft your own race car out of bricks, see how it performs on test tracks, then enter it into a digital race at Legoland’s new Lego Ferrari Build & Race.

When Universal’s third theme park, Epic Universe, opens in 2025, it will bring Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, Universal’s classic monsters (Frankenstein and Dracula among them), and Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic to life.

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Southbound.

The post Discover rides, slides, and fun besides at these parks around the South appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Photograph by Audra Melton

Cari Moskow was 36 years old when a doctor told her quietly that they were going to have to order more tests. Moskow was a busy working actor, juggling film bookings with jobs as a server and a yoga instructor. She ate healthy food and got plenty of exercise, and above all, she was so young—how could she have breast cancer? “Never in a million years did I think I would get cancer,” says Moskow.

She learned her diagnosis in June 2018, and overnight her life turned upside down, as audition tapings and yoga clients were pushed aside for blood draws and oncology appointments. Within months of her diagnosis, she’d had a double mastectomy. She endured grueling chemotherapy treatments in between researching remedies for nail loss and mouth ulcers, and icing her fingers and toes to prevent nerve damage. Testing revealed that her breast cancer was triple negative, an aggressive type that spreads faster and is harder to treat. Doctors squeezed her in for appointments, knowing that time was the best weapon they had against her disease.

Moskow was lucky: Screening had caught her cancer early. By that December, she was in remission, and today she’s past the five-year mark, a key measure of recovery. She got married—she’s Cari Moskow Beegle now—and, though oncologists warned her it probably wasn’t possible, conceived naturally and had a baby. Her son, Ben, turned two in March. “Every year is a celebration,” says Moskow. “I just feel so grateful to be here.”

Every year, there are around 310,000 new cases of breast cancer in American women and people assigned female at birth. Death rates are going down—the five-year survival rate among all breast cancer patients is over 91 percent—but new diagnoses, after falling sharply in the early 2000s, are now climbing slowly. One contributor to that upward trend is cases in younger women: For reasons researchers are still struggling to understand, rates of breast cancer in women 20 to 49 years old have increased over the last 20 years. A study published this year in The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open found that in 2000, there were 64 cases per 100,000 women in that age group. By 2019, that rate had climbed to 74 per 100,000. “We are hopeful this study will offer clues to prevention strategies that will be effective in younger women,” study coauthor Adetunji T. Toriola said in a press release.

These troubling increases have shifted the medical community’s approach to the disease. In April, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the age women should begin regular mammogram screening for breast cancer, from 50 to 40. Researchers are diving into the data to better understand what is causing higher rates of breast cancer in young women, analyzing contributors like genetics, life history, and environmental factors. At the same time, health equity advocates are working to address alarming racial disparities around breast cancer, including higher rates in young Black women than in their non-Black peers, and the fact that Black American women with breast cancer are 40 percent more likely to die of the disease than White women.

The problem is complex, but the answer to many of these questions lies in better screening. Catching breast cancer early can make all the difference: In localized cases where the cancer has not spread beyond the breast (also known as stage 1), the five-year survival rate for most breast cancers is 99 percent. But as researchers learn more about who gets breast cancer, when they get it, and why, it’s becoming clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to screening won’t be enough. It will take more than a general recommendation for regular mammograms to drive down breast cancer rates: We’ll need methods that help women understand their individual risk, access the preventive measures they need, and get the healthcare they deserve—regardless of how old they are, where they get their care, or the color of their skin.

• • •

When the recommended age for mammogram screenings was lowered to 40 this year, it was to return to earlier guidance that had been replaced over a decade ago. In 2009, the task force—a volunteer panel of doctors and disease experts, supported by the federal government, that is considered the leading authority on preventive healthcare in the U.S.—raised the recommended screening age to 50. The research, the task force said at the time, showed that the benefits of screening women in their 40s didn’t outweigh risks like unnecessary biopsies and exposure to low-dose radiation.

For many experts, the task force’s reversal was a long-overdue catch-up to the rest of the breast cancer treatment community. “I’m happy they’ve finally recognized how important this is,” says Lea Gilliland, a radiologist and breast imaging specialist at
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Gilliland is a member of the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, both of which, along with many other major breast cancer medical associations, have always recommended screenings beginning at age 40. “One in six breast cancers occurs in women in their 40s,” she says.

The task force guidelines have added weight because they help dictate which preventive procedures health insurance must cover; after the group raised the recommended screening age, breast cancer organizations lobbied Congress to intervene, and in 2016, legislators passed a law mandating that insurers cover annual screenings beginning at 40. “Especially for patients with [the government-funded insurance] Medicare and Medicaid, your care is really tied to the government, so we were pleased that that didn’t change,” Gilliland says.

Though insurers must cover annual mammograms, the updated task force guidelines recommend screening only every other year. But many breast cancer experts argue that annual mammograms give women the best chance of catching cancer early. “Going two years between mammograms can be a deal-breaker,” says Gilliland. “Generally, the younger you are diagnosed with breast cancer, the more aggressive your cancer is. So if you get a mammogram every year, you’re going to find a smaller breast cancer.”

But what about women younger than 40? Moskow, diagnosed in her mid-30s, was several years away from beginning annual mammograms: It was genetic testing that led to her diagnosis. Moskow is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent on her father’s side, an ethnic group with a high incidence of a specific gene mutation that increases risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Normally, the breast cancer 1 and breast cancer 2 genes—called BRCA for short and pronounced “braka”—protect against these cancers. But the mutation, which is inherited from parents, eliminates that protection. One in 40 women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent has a BRCA mutation, compared with one in 500 in the general population.

Moskow knew that her aunt, a breast cancer survivor, had tested positive for a BRCA mutation. “But I didn’t know what the mutation was or what it meant,” she says. “No doctor really sat me down and said, ‘This is important.’” Instead, Moskow asked her doctor for the test on something of a whim. “There weren’t any particular symptoms or anything, I just remember having this feeling, almost of darkness. And I heard this little voice in my head that said, get the BRCA test.”

Photograph by Audra Melton

When it came back positive for the mutation, the genetic counselor referred Moskow to an oncologist, who found a lump on her first visit. “It was in a really weird place, closer to my armpit,” Moskow says. “It wasn’t something that would have been easy to find.” Moskow’s sister and two female cousins also tested positive for the mutation; one cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s as well. (She’s in remission and doing well.) “Getting tested is definitely the number one importance,” Moskow says.

Having the BRCA mutation isn’t the only factor that increases risk of breast cancer. Other common risk factors include having close relatives who have had breast cancer, being treated with chest radiation for other diseases, and having dense breast tissue. Other genetic mutations can also increase risk for women and men. (While it’s rare, about one percent of all breast cancer diagnoses worldwide are found in men). These risk factors don’t fully explain why more young women are getting breast cancer, but they can help providers pinpoint who should be getting additional screening.

“Someone with a gene mutation, we might start screening as early as age 25,” says Erin Bowman, a breast surgical oncologist and managing partner of Atlanta Breast Care. “But not everyone needs genetic testing—what needs to be talked about more is understanding whether you are high risk or not.” Bowman explains that the first preventive measures begin with primary care providers and OBGYNs, who can help patients understand their risk level.

“Gynecologists [and other primary care providers] are really the gatekeepers for all of this,” says Gilliland of Emory Winship. “Just making sure they take a thorough history and tease out who may be at increased risk.” In 2019, the task force issued a recommendation that primary care providers talk about genetic testing with patients who have a personal or family history of breast or several other cancers, or who have an ancestry associated with the BRCA gene mutations.

The agency hasn’t issued specific recommendations for women with dense breast tissue—a risk factor both in developing cancer and in receiving a late-stage diagnosis—but says more research is needed to determine the best preventive measures for this group, including whether to use more intensive MRI screenings, which can pick up certain cancer indicators missed by traditional mammograms. Whatever the risk factors, medical experts say primary care providers should start the conversation when patients are young and healthy to help them make informed decisions about their care.

“We need to figure out who needs to be in this high-risk pool,” says Gilliland. “And start this conversation before they’re actually of screening age.”

• • •

At the same time researchers are developing precision prevention for high-risk patients, health equity advocates are working to ensure that prevention is accessible to everyone in the first place. Just five decades ago, breast cancer was far deadlier than it is today, killing nearly twice as many women in 1975 as it did in 2019. Improved treatment is keeping more patients alive, but the biggest difference has been from screening: Research shows that mammograms have reduced breast cancer mortality by nearly 40 percent since 1990. Screenings save lives—but that doesn’t mean everyone gets the screening they need.

Over the last few decades, rates of screening have gone up across the board, but low-income women of color and women living in rural communities still face barriers in accessing regular mammograms. An intensive effort to raise screening access and awareness has helped to close racial gaps, especially between Black and White women, and recent data suggests that screening levels in both groups are now roughly equal.

But lurking behind that statistic are lingering disparities, including the number of missed appointments, the time it takes to receive a diagnosis, and access to follow-up treatment. Black women are also more likely to be uninsured than White women—especially in states like Georgia that have refused to expand Medicaid—and for them, finding a free mammogram may not seem worth it if there’s no way to pay for the cancer treatment that might follow.

These inequities don’t fully explain why Black women die of breast cancer at much higher rates than other American women. Research suggests there are multiple contributors to this alarming statistic, including higher rates of more aggressive breast cancer types, more underlying health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and poorer access to quality health insurance and medical care. But barriers to screening are part of a complex matrix of racism and poverty that, overall, makes low-income Americans of color sicker than their neighbors, and more likely to die of the things that make them sick.

Photograph by Audra Melton

Addressing that matrix is something of a calling for Yolanda Wimberly. A pediatrician by specialty, Wimberly has spent the last few years building an ambitious health equity program for Grady Memorial Hospital. As Grady’s inaugural chief health equity officer, Wimberly’s mission is to close healthcare disparities around metro Atlanta using a community-driven, “whatever-it-takes” approach to get people the care they need.
“Our approach is about bringing the healthcare to the community where they are, versus having them come to us,” says Wimberly.

When it came to improving access to mammogram screenings, that meant putting the machine on wheels. In October 2023, with funding support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Grady launched a mobile mammogram screening service, all housed on a custom-outfitted RV, which rotates to different community health centers throughout the week.

The hospital isn’t the first to do screening on wheels: The first mobile “mammovans” were introduced in the 1970s, and the practice grew popular during the Covid-19 pandemic to continue screenings through shutdowns. But for Grady, it was an opportunity to bring preventive care services directly to places in Atlanta where the inequality matrix is most stubbornly entrenched.

“Our program is really intentional to reach people in zip codes with a life expectancy of 73 or below,” explains Wimberly. Her team analyzed piles of data to build “community profiles” for five low-income zip codes around metro Atlanta, compiling granular information on everything from employment rates to levels of high blood pressure. “We look at all the chronic illness rates so we can say, ‘Okay, there are these specific inequities within this particular zip code,’” Wimberly says. “We’re able to really tailor what we do to what the community actually needs.”

The mobile bus features the same technology as Grady’s permanent screening center downtown; bringing the service directly to community health centers means providers can refer patients for a mammogram down the hall, not across the city. “You don’t have to worry about getting downtown, paying for parking, things that hinder people from going to get screened,” says Stephanie Wilkes, manager of mobile screening services at Grady.

Photograph by Audra Melton

A dedicated staff member manages follow-up for patients with positive screens, ensuring they connect with the care they need next. To prevent cost from being a barrier, Grady partners with the state-funded Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, which covers breast and cervical cancer screenings and follow-ups for eligible uninsured or underinsured women in Georgia. And while the mobile program isn’t specifically targeted to younger women, Grady has always recommended patients begin screening at age 40. “The patients we are privileged to serve are a higher-risk population, so even regardless of specific risk factors, we have always started at 40,” says Wimberly.

Since the mobile mammogram program launched last fall, Wilkes and her team have screened over 1,500 patients. They’ve added cervical cancer screening to their repertoire. “We’re working to be a one-stop shop for women’s cancer screenings,” says Wilkes. In addition to their rotating clinic schedule, the mobile screening team will often partner with churches or sororities in target zip codes to host a screening day for members and nearby residents. The program has been so successful that some community healths centers have mammograms booked out for months; Grady plans to add a second bus for primary care services.

By bringing the service directly to patients’ communities, the mobile program reduces the number of steps required to access preventive care—and the number of opportunities for someone to fall through the cracks en route to treatment. “If I have a job where I work 12 hours a day and only get 30 minutes for lunch, I don’t really have time to sit on the phone making an appointment,” says Wimberly. “We’ve got to make it so easy for people that when they’ve decided they want to do it, it’s real easy-peasy to do.”

• • •

There’s no single explanation for why more young women are getting breast cancer. Changes in hormones may be a factor, as American women on average are having children later and getting their periods earlier. Some research indicates this longer exposure to reproductive hormones could contribute to breast cancer risk.

Smoking, obesity, lack of regular exercise, never giving birth, and not breastfeeding after birth may also contribute to higher rates of breast cancer in women under 45. Black women under 30 seem to be at greater risk than their peers, another complicated statistic that needs deeper study. “We need more research to tease apart what’s biology, what’s lifestyle, and other factors,” says Emory Winship’s Gilliland.

While researchers are working to better understand breast cancer in younger women, medical providers are adapting to the realities of treating young patients. Bowman, of Atlanta Breast Care, has seen the number of younger women with breast cancer go up in the decade she’s been in practice. “The youngest patient I’ve treated was 23,” she says. “Treating someone with breast cancer who’s young is a very different dynamic.”

Fertility, for instance, is an important concern for younger patients. Many opt to freeze their eggs before undergoing chemotherapy, since the treatment can contribute to infertility. Luckily, pregnant women can be safely treated for cancer, though oncologists work closely with the obstetrics team to ensure mother and baby are healthy throughout. Bowman, who has treated at least eight pregnant women with breast cancer, says they are some of her most complicated and emotional cases.

“It’s this duality, where you’re so happy you’re bringing a life into the world,” says Bowman. “But at the same time you’re thinking, What if I’m not here for this child?” Happily, all the women she’s treated during pregnancy have survived and are doing well. Bowman says meeting their kids, and those of other women she’s treated, is one of the biggest rewards of her job. “I love when they come back to the office with their babies, and seeing their families growing and that there is life after cancer,” she says.

For Moskow, life after cancer has been full. She froze her eggs before chemotherapy, but she and her husband conceived their baby naturally, to the happy surprise of her cancer team. Since her treatment, meditation, exercise, and a nourishing diet have all helped her fully recover her health. “I feel great,” she says. “I really think I feel better than I did before I had cancer.”

She recorded informational videos throughout her diagnosis and treatment, which she shares with other women who have breast cancer, and she’s working on creating more resources to help other moms live a healthier life, with or without a cancer diagnosis. “Whether you’re healing from something or preventing it, I think healthy living is something that’s good for all of us,” she says. Most of all, she’s enjoying being a mom, and everything else in life that a breast cancer diagnosis at 36 seemed to put in jeopardy.

Surviving breast cancer will always be a part of her story. Because BRCA gene mutations can also cause ovarian cancer, and make cancer likelier to recur, Moskow still goes in for regular blood tests throughout the year to ensure any changes are caught early. Every time she takes her shirt off and sees her scars, she remembers what she went through. She never expected to get cancer in her 30s. But learning about her individual risk caught her cancer early—something for which she’ll forever be grateful.

“If I had never been tested for BRCA, I would have found my cancer at a later stage,” she says. “Getting tested, getting screened—that’s everything. That saved my life.”

This article appears in our July 2024 issue.

The post Younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer. But better screening practices can save more lives. appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Here, we’ve spotlighted nearly two dozen randomly selected physicians from our Top Doctors 2024 list. We asked each of them to tell their own stories about their journey as a doctor. Several said they decided to enter the profession because one or both of their parents were doctors; one mentioned that as a child, she went on weekend hospital rounds with her father. One of our favorite responses came from a neurosurgeon, Dr. Tyler J. Kenning, who said that being a physician and caring for patients embodies Theodore Roosevelt’s sentiment that “the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Pavna K. Brahma, MD
reproductive endocrinologist and IVF director
Shady Grove Fertility

You’re holding a very cute baby on the cover [of our July 2024 issue]; what’s her story?
Getting to hold Lucy is incredibly special to me. It was a true honor to have been a part of the journey that led to her arrival. Her parents are among the most committed and dedicated people I have met. It was not an easy path, and there were many unexpected hurdles. Lucy’s mother endured surgeries and treatments with perseverance and bravery. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was a helpful tool to find the healthiest embryo through preimplantation genetic testing. Achieving a successful outcome and seeing Lucy’s smile inspires me beyond words.

What real-life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
As a teenager, one of my first experiences in medicine was at a small hospital in the town I grew up in. I volunteered on weekends, getting water for patients and reading books to some of the elderly patients. I was inspired by a doctor who worked on the heart telemetry floor. He treated patients with such humanity. He explained things to his patients, often drawing out anatomy to help them visualize. He respected their autonomy, and this left patients feeling empowered despite going through such hardship.

I definitely try to emulate these characteristics when I care for patients. In the field of infertility, patients endure many physical and emotional hardships. My goal is to help them feel supported and empowered. I aim to bring positivity and hope to them, and I let them know that we will get through the ups and downs together. I am inspired by my patients every day, and I am humbled to have the privilege of being a part of their lives.

What led you to your interest in endocrinology and fertility?
In medical school, my interest in women’s health flourished. I was particularly interested in hormonal regulation and endocrinology. I also enjoyed performing surgeries and procedures. During residency, I was moved by the close relationships I was able to develop with patients in the field of fertility. It is exciting to practice medicine in a field that has gone through incredible scientific advancement over the past few decades. Helping couples achieve their dreams of parenthood is such a sincere passion of mine. I am grateful that all of these reasons led me to become a reproductive endocrinologist.

The IVF journey is as much an emotional journey as it is a physical one. After being by a patient’s side through IVF treatment, it is very humbling to call them with their positive pregnancy test. I feel lucky to have a profession that feels more like a mission than a job.

What medical breakthroughs do you anticipate over the next 10 to 20 years?
In 2023, the world was changed forever when gene editing technology was used to treat sickle cell anemia. It is remarkable that this biotech advancement is allowing us to treat a previously incurable disease. My hope is that continued progress with gene editing will allow us to reach many more diseases—both common and rare.

I sincerely hope that genome editing will help create targeted immunotherapy to treat cancer. In addition, advances in regenerative medicine could change life as we know it. Tissue engineering is evolving significantly and may become even more efficient at building human tissue to replace body parts.

In my field of reproductive medicine, tissue engineering could potentially reverse the impact of ovarian aging, or even the adverse consequences of cancer treatments on ovarian reserve.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Alia Sampson Brown, MD
dermatologist
Georgia Dermatology Partners

Is there a patient who stands out because they reminded you of why you wanted to become a doctor?
I had a patient who had a catastrophic injury at his home with a propane tank. It opened in his face, burning 50 percent of his body. He had devastating injuries to his head, neck, chest, hands, and arms. After life-saving heroics and multiple surgeries by his local hospital burn unit, he was alive but disfigured and unrecognizable when he looked in the mirror.
He found me in hopes that he could restore some of his original appearance. His burn left him with extensive scarring on both the face and the hands. His original complexion was that of a brown-skinned Black man. But after multiple skin grafts, he was left with no pigment on his face. His face did not match the rest of his body. He also had extensive scarring on his hands, which kept him from enjoying the most basic of activities, such as working in the yard or on his car.

He drove from Florida to see me, sometimes weekly, for over two years. We were able to restore his original pigment in his face, as well as improve the scarring in his hands so that he could grip and hold things. This patient showed me how things can change in an instant. He also taught me to be grateful for the small things and that you don’t realize what you have until you lose them.

What real-life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
When thinking about this question, I realized that there was no fictional movie or TV depiction of a powerful Black woman physician. I think that the lack of representation is what may have inspired me to want to become a physician. I didn’t want to be in the stereotypical societal norms of what women were supposed to become. I wanted to be a wife and mother, but I also wanted to be a physician. One of the reasons that I wanted to go into dermatology was that Black doctors represent three percent of all dermatologists, and representation is important in both clinical medicine and research.

What’s the one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
I wish that people would take better care of their mental health. Despite my being in the business of skin, I feel that so many things manifest as a result of mental health, mood, and self-esteem. People, especially teenagers, are putting a lot of undue pressure on themselves as well as setting unrealistic expectations, and when things do not work out, there can be devastating effects. I want patients to be kinder to themselves.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Anil O. Thomas, MD
orthopedic surgeon
Peachtree Orthopedics

Is there a case you’ve handled that stands out as a reminder of why you wanted to become a doctor?
Recently, I had the prestigious and exciting honor of performing the first AI-assisted surgery in the state of Georgia. Despite my now-long career in medicine, this case stood out to me as a visceral moment where I got to be part of a rapid advance in technology, and a clear moment that reminded me of why I became a doctor.

The world of medicine is constantly evolving, and it is really fun to be at the forefront of that. The field of total joint replacement surgery is evolving right in step with this evolution. In the early years of this procedure, hospital stays numbered in the weeks. As techniques improved, this was reduced to days, and now, in many cases, hours. The way hip replacements are performed has also benefited from the vast knowledge gained over the years. One new and exciting lane of technology propelling hip replacement surgery into the future is augmented reality.

Traditionally, doctors plan a patient’s hip replacement surgery and implants by using X-rays of the patient, and size the implants based on these images. Although this is still an effective way to predict and plan a surgery, it is centered around studying a two-dimensional depiction of their three-dimensional body. Augmented reality in a hip replacement takes a CT scan of a patient’s hip and creates a three-dimensional model of it. With that, specifically designed implants are applied to this model, producing a better fit for each patient’s individual anatomy.

The future of medicine is no longer in a galaxy far, far away: It’s here and now.

What’s one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
One of the best things for your body is regular exercise. Obviously, this is something many healthcare providers emphasize to improve cardiovascular health, decrease risk of diabetes, improve mood, and the list continues. From an orthopedic perspective, regular exercise maintains muscle condition and strength, helps bone density, promotes healthy weight loss, maintains joint function, and can even decrease risk of symptomatic arthritis. Humans are meant to move. Unfortunately, today’s pace of life makes this difficult. Therefore, we all should make it a point to carve out time for regular exercise for our health and well-being.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Shatul L. Parikh, MD
otolaryngologist
Northwest ENT and Allergy Center

Is there a case that stands out because it reminded you of why you wanted to become a doctor?
I enjoy all facets of being a physician, but the aspect that really drives me is my medical mission work in developing countries. I do cleft lip and palate surgery in Peru and have been on many missions there. One patient in particular really resonated with me, and to this day is one of the most memorable surgeries and outcomes: A three-month-old baby had a cleft lip from birth. The mother was forced to feed the baby breast milk by a spoon. After we performed the surgery, we immediately handed the baby to the mother in recovery. She was instantaneously able to nurse the child, and the mother broke into tears. In fact, everyone in the recovery room was in tears.

Have you had an unexpected emergency situation outside the office that you dealt with?
While on the tennis courts here in Atlanta, a friend had a cardiac arrest. I had to perform CPR and provide cardiac shock, which was able to resuscitate him.

Have you solved a “medical mystery” involving a patient with symptoms that didn’t suggest an obvious diagnosis?
An 18-year-old female had a thyroid mass . . . She was referred for surgery. When I did an ultrasound, I found that her carotid artery was running in the middle of her thyroid mass. This was incredibly unusual. I ended up repeating the biopsy and found out she had lymphoma. If we had done surgery, which was what was recommended, it could have been devastating for her. We made the correct diagnosis; she is cured and went on to live a great life.

In your field, what’s the one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
Avoidance of toxic substances like nicotine, alcohol, and sugars. Patients with significant comorbidities, like obesity, can make their surgeries so much more difficult.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Scott Miller, MD
urologist
Wellstar Urology

Have you solved a “medical mystery” involving a patient with symptoms that didn’t suggest an obvious diagnosis?
On just an average day in the office, I saw a new patient who was found to have an incidental, small “kidney lesion.” Like many patients, cancer was at the top of her list of concerns. When I reviewed the CT scan, the lesion did not appear to be cancerous, but something just did not appear right. A more detailed CT scan revealed a small infarction, a condition that occurs when a small blood vessel branch becomes blocked by a blood clot.
Although this ailment requires no treatment, I had to ask why this would occur in such a healthy young woman. I ordered an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) that revealed a rare condition—a hole in the septum (the wall separating the right and left chambers of the heart). This defect can lead to blood clots forming in the heart and traveling to other areas of the body. The interventional cardiologist subsequently fixed the hole by passing a minimally invasive device to her heart through an artery in her groin. Without this procedure, the next blood clot could have traveled to her brain, causing a devastating stroke.

What real-life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
My answer is not glamorous, but it runs deep. My older sister was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was four, and Dr. Moskowitz was her rheumatologist. He was our family’s “Marcus Welby”—with the same compassion, sense of humor, and communication skills. I was the tagalong little brother, but I felt like part of the treatment team. I not only wanted to become a doctor, but I also wanted to emulate the kind of doctor that he was. My favorite pastime back then was “treating” my family members with my toy doctor’s kit. Along the way, I have had many great mentors who have led by example, but Dr. Moskowitz was the first. To honor his legacy, I treat every patient as I would a family member or close friend, and I try to make every surgery better than the last.

What medical breakthrough do you anticipate over the next 10 to 20 years that could change life as we now know it?
Artificial intelligence is already transforming many fields, including medicine. However, the real breakthrough will occur when we truly connect AI with the human factor. Machine learning will not replace a patient’s need for understanding the full picture of their medical condition and treatment options. Natural language processing will not replace the comforting words of a physician. The holy grail of AI is not to replace the doctor–patient relationship but rather to enhance it.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Jayanthi Srinivasiah, MD
oncologist and hematologist
Georgia Cancer Specialists with Northside Cancer Institute

Is there a patient who stands out because they reminded you of why you wanted to become a doctor?
I am an oncologist treating aggressive cancers, and I have several patients that fit into that category. One case was a woman who was 33 and [diagnosed] with breast cancer. She had just had a child and also had very extensive cancer.

Her first question was whether she could see her child graduate. I felt that this was an impossible task with her metastatic disease. But the science showed newer and newer drugs that she was eligible for, and I was able to get her through multiple lines of therapy. I was able to keep her alive beyond her child’s graduation, and this is something that I am proud of. I have several patients in a similar situation and feel satisfied and also touched by how much these patients put into the fight against their illness.

What real-life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
It was my grandfather, who was a doctor, and a different type of doctor, back home in India. He had thousands of patients and had a great touch and healed many patients. They admired him. He was the person who influenced me, and also has influenced me in terms of how he approached patients, through his care and love for every patient. The second person who influenced me was one of my teachers in residency, who was also an oncologist and took excellent care of her patients. She was my mentor.

What medical breakthrough do you anticipate over the next 10 to 20 years that could change life as we now know it?
I think we will have multiple new drugs available for cancer, and hopefully we will be able to give way better quality, and more numbers of patients surviving and coexisting with cancer treatment. I have multiple patients who I thought would not be alive and, in fact, are in complete response due to the newer drugs and breakthroughs.

In your field, what is the one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
I treat patients with cancer, who come to me most of the time after their diagnosis. I wish that they would go in for their screening studies and avoid cancer altogether. I feel that a colonoscopy to prevent colon cancer is probably one of the most important tests that they need to undergo. Breast cancer screening with mammography is also equally important. In addition to screening, patients need to follow a good diet and lower their metabolic risk, which is probably one of the most important things in preventing cancer.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Mark D. Moncino, MD
developmental pediatrician
Georgia Center for Autism and Developmental Pediatrics

Why did you become a doctor?
My practice in developmental-behavioral pediatrics follows a high-intensity, low-volume model. Some think I am crazy to work 40 to 50 hours a week and call this my “retirement gig,” but that is what it is—that is how rewarding it is.

Many of the parents I work with have been told about their child’s weaknesses or challenges but haven’t received much guidance on how to address them. Whether it’s from organizations like early intervention programs, the public and private education systems, or from pediatricians who are stretched super thin and not paid for their expertise and the time it takes to support these youngest kids, the support often falls short. That is why I’ve structured my practice to dedicate the time needed to truly understand each child, gathering a comprehensive history, observing them closely, and collaborating with their parents to develop strategies for their success.

The most fulfilling moments come during follow-up visits when parents share how their children are exceeding their expectations—they are doing “fabulous!” Seeing these toddlers and young school-aged kids thrive, overcoming their previous behavioral challenges, and no longer facing the threat of expulsion from preschool or kindergarten, fills me with immense joy.

Witnessing the happiness in the children and the relief in their parents, who no longer feel overwhelmed by the system, reignites my passion for this work. This sense of fulfillment is priceless to me, and I would not trade it for anything.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Lori Desoutter, MD
pediatrician
Pediatric Associates of North Atlanta

What has surprised you as you practice your specialty?
I knew what to expect as a new pediatrician, almost 30 years ago: caring for fragile and healthy newborns; following developmental milestones closely to get the children with delays into therapies and treatments as early as possible; diagnosing and treating a multitude of infectious diseases; treating chronic diseases like asthma, obesity, diabetes, and ADHD; diagnosing injuries and surgical emergencies quickly and correctly; and teaching parents how to cope with the endless challenges parenthood offers. It was a lot. But this is what we sign up for.

In the mid 2010s, we as pediatricians saw an uptick in mental health concerns. More and more patients were coming in to the office with a chief complaint of sadness, anxiety, low performance at school, withdrawal, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts. The problem we ran into immediately was that there were very few pediatric psychiatrists in the Atlanta area, and even fewer with availability to see new patients within a reasonable amount of time, or at all.

I enrolled in an anxiety and depression class at Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to increase my knowledge base and improve my ability to provide pediatric mental healthcare. Our patients couldn’t wait. The following year, I retook the six-month course to learn even more. Project ECHO, which includes current patient cases, meets remotely every other week for an hour, and we are guided by a pediatric psychiatrist.

Fast-forward to 2022: All of our physicians, as well as our nurse practitioner, are certified through an intensive pediatric psychiatry course for primary care physicians.

Thirty years ago, I saw a lot of what the general public thinks of as “pediatric care.” Over the last 10 years, things have shifted, from 10 percent of my patients with mental health concerns to now, on any given day, 30 percent or more. We as physicians are lifelong learners, and will continue to pivot as our patients’ needs change. And I for one will encourage medical students to go into pediatrics or pediatric psychiatry.

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Maneesha Agarwal, MD
pediatric emergency medicine
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

What real-life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
My childhood pediatrician’s name was also Dr. Agarwal.

She was a calm and warm Indian woman, always dressed in a sari, and amazing with children. At five years old, I knew I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. And, while I work with kids in a busy emergency department instead of a primary care office, and wear scrubs instead of a sari, I still try to exemplify her calm and warm demeanor amid the chaos of the busy pediatric emergency department.

In your field, what’s the one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
Injuries, like car crashes and drownings, are the leading cause of death in children in the U.S., and these injuries are preventable. I see this every shift I work in the pediatric emergency department. I wish parents, grandparents, and everyone that cares for children would remember this and take the steps to prevent these injuries.

Make sure your kids are in appropriately fitting car seats and booster seats. Help them learn to swim. Store potentially dangerous items, like medicines and guns, away from children. And role-model the safe behaviors you want your child to engage in. Wear your helmet, buckle your seat belt. Your kids are always watching!

Photograph by Ben Rollins

Alejandro Shepard, MD
pediatrician
Morehouse Healthcare

Is there a patient who stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
It seems simple, but the perceived ease of a suspected diagnosis brings me joy, and this particular patient situation confirmed that all those hours of study, missed events, and sleepless nights were worth it. He was a teenager who just was not feeling at his best. He was excessively tired and did not have the energy to do more than barely eat and watch TV.

After taking his history and doing a focused exam, I considered the possibilities. From the most grave to relatively benign, I meticulously scrolled through a rank-order list as I verbalized the supporting and contrary evidence for the diagnoses I was considering. I took a deep breath and said, “You know what? I know it sounds weird, but you look like you have mono.”

He had never heard of it, and Mom gave me a sly look, as if to ask, “Who’s he been kissing?” I smiled and told them about how mono is not just acquired from kissing, although it is very effectively spread that way. We did an in-house mono-spot test, and when it came back positive, Mom was astounded. She couldn’t believe that I had made an accurate diagnosis from the story and exam. The synergy of patient listening and clinical acumen that leads to diagnosis and education about prognosis/treatment is one of the things that first drew me to medicine.

What’s the one way you wish patients would take better care of themselves?
As a pediatrician, my patients are obviously the children I serve. But I also take care of their parents and families. I wish both groups would have more grace for themselves and try to avoid the comparison game that robs them of so many wonderful moments happening right now. That’s not to say to ignore concerns that get raised, but the mere fact that there are so many different opinions on how, when, or what to do is evidence that there are many safe and edifying ways to accomplish the goals we share: a healthy, happy, and well-loved child.

Erin Bowman, MD
breast surgeon
Atlanta Breast Care

Is there a patient or case that stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
The patient who reaffirmed my passion for my work was the first pregnant woman I diagnosed with breast cancer. At just 30 years old, she was juggling motherhood with a one-and-a-half-year-old son while carrying another child at 18 weeks. Following the biopsy, imaging scans revealed she had advanced stage IV breast cancer, a diagnosis with no surgical recourse, and only medical treatment. Seven years later, she is thriving and relishing motherhood. It is truly a testament to resilience and the power of science, and my work.

The convergence of two life-altering events—pregnancy and cancer—elicits a complex array of emotions. The diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy intertwines the joy of impending motherhood with the fear of a life-threatening illness. Witnessing this delicate balance of hope and despair ignites a sense of purpose. Last year, I had the incredible task of treating three remarkable expectant mothers within a span of six months, and we fought together to succeed with their treatment. One of those incredible women honored me by naming her son after me. These patients have etched an indelible mark on my heart, forever reminding me of the profound impact of my profession. In these pivotal encounters, the true essence of being a breast surgeon is revealed—not merely as a practitioner of medicine, but as a guardian of hope, healing, and humanity.

Tyler J. Kenning, MD
neurosurgeon
Piedmont Physicians Neurosurgery Atlanta

What real life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
While I was discussing a research project with a prominent academic neurosurgeon by phone, he paused mid-sentence. He asked if I was any relation to a neurosurgeon of the same last name that he had known from his training. I answered that it was, in fact, my father. Expressing surprise, he said, “I can barely get my kids to talk to me . . . there’s not a chance that they would’ve gone into neurosurgery.”

Growing up, I watched my father work tirelessly, and I quickly realized that his was “work worth doing.” In the early years of my medical training, I often wondered if I pursued the practice of neurosurgery because I wanted to be a neurosurgeon or if I simply wanted to emulate my father. With time, I realized that the two were nearly synonymous—much of what defined him in his professional and personal life was dictated by his occupation. I have modeled my work ethic and my family life after my father. He has served as my greatest mentor in every aspect of my life. When balanced properly with life, neurosurgery is an enviable profession and can be a positive influence on one’s children. It truly embodies the virtues of Theodore Roosevelt’s sentiment that, “The best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Michelle Juneau, MD
dermatologist
Dermatology Consultants

What real life or fictional doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
I grew up in a medical family in New Orleans. I was always in awe of how passionate my parents were about their jobs and patients. I enjoyed going to the hospital on the weekends with my father to make rounds. My own medical career started with the unexpected. I was an intern in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The medical infrastructure was devastated. I was fortunate to learn how to be resourceful and best care for patients during a crisis, with limited supplies.

Every day is a medical mystery. I love piecing the puzzle together. The skin shows outward signs of systemic disease. It is an exciting time in all fields of medicine as research and technology seem to be growing exponentially. The ability to treat patients based on their personal genetic make up and truly customized treatments has already begun. This will continue to grow, and I believe will be the mainstream approach to patient care and treatment that will optimize patient outcomes and decrease morbidity and mortality.

Julie Fogarty McGill, MD
general surgeon
Atlanta Endocrine Surgery

Have you solved a “medical mystery” involving a patient with symptoms that didn’t suggest an obvious diagnosis?
Last fall I met a sweet young woman who had recently had a baby. During her postpartum period she had severe issues with blood pressure and she was having migraines, palpitations and episodes of sweating. She started also having chest pain and had a heart attack. She was admitted to the hospital, and during her stay, a CT scan was done. The scan showed a large tumor in her adrenal gland. I was consulted to help sort out this issue.

We suspected that she might have a rare adrenal tumor that produces adrenaline. This would explain her blood pressure, recent heart issues, sweating, and migraines. We coordinated with her cardiology team and her endocrinologist to prepare her for surgery to remove the tumor. Last month I performed a laparoscopic adrenalectomy. She immediately had complete resolution of her hypertension. She no longer has the other symptoms of sweating and migraines. She is recovering well from surgery and getting back to being able to take care of her new baby. The final pathology did show a pheochromocytoma—it was a benign version—and her labs now show normal levels.

Cathy L. Graham, MD
breast surgeon
Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital

Have you had an unexpected emergency situation outside the office that you dealt with?
Yes, I was the patient though, not the doctor. I was heading to work. Traffic slowed to a stop on I-75. The driver behind me hit my stopped car going 40 mph. Needless to say, it was a devastating crash. I suffered a life threatening closed head injury, facial injuries, spine fracture, and other complications. When I awoke in the trauma ICU, I encountered many nameless physicians, nurses, and medical professionals who had already spent weeks trying to save my life. When I was transferred to the Shepherd Center, I was told that I would likely never return to my life’s work, but that there was hope for me to function independently if I worked hard. Over the next six months there were dozens of physicians and therapists who worked with me to regain function and mental capacity.

Today, two years later, I am again a fully functioning surgical oncologist. I returned to the operating room six months after my injury. Some say my recovery was a miracle but to me, it was the dedicated hard work of so many unnamed and often unrecognized members of the greater Atlanta medical community who saved my life, supported my recovery, and have returned me to my life’s work. They are the real Top Docs of Atlanta.

Jacqueline Green, MD
neurologist
Laureate Medical Group

What real life or fictional (TV, film, book) doctor inspired you to become a doctor?
A television program about phantom pain was one of my first inspirations to become a doctor. I was fascinated by how the brain could “trick us” into feeling bodily sensations in limbs that had been amputated.

Is there a patient/case that stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
I met a patient who had been having multiple daily seizures for decades and did not have access to appropriate care. I was able to coordinate a referral to epilepsy surgeons. Through my persistence and not accepting “no” for an answer, he was able to have an appropriate surgery. His family reports he is participating in life for the first time in years and is not having seizures. I wanted to be a doctor to use my enthusiasm for medical science as a bridge to make connections with patients and their families and work together to improve their quality of life.

Amar Patel, MD
interventional cardiologist
Wellstar Cardiovascular Medicine

What inspired you to become a doctor?
I’ve always been compelled by subsets of humanity whom I feel modern medicine may tend to neglect. I used to run a nightclub, and saw how the service industry was always thrown by the wayside due to lack of insurance or funding as money tended to be transitional. I was fortunate enough to matriculate in medical school, and my whole impetus was to help those less fortunate—as my focus lies with the service industry and immigrants. I don’t believe people should be slighted from healthcare and mental healthcare due to semantics out of their control. I will always be their pundit and biggest advocate.

Mary Alice Mina, MD
dermatologist
Baucom & Mina Derm Surgery

Have you solved a “medical mystery” involving a patient with symptoms that didn’t suggest an obvious diagnosis?
One of my favorite things about dermatology is that it is often a window into the inner workings of our body. Sometimes skin manifestations are the first sign of an internal problem. I once saw a woman in her 20s; I removed an abnormal mole on her scalp. When I was treating her, I couldn’t help but notice that her skin on the neck looked very sun damaged and aged with thickening and wrinkling. This seemed out of place in someone of her age. I knew there was a genetic condition called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) where people had abnormal elastin in the skin leading to what is called “chicken skin” where the skin looked more aged than expected. Elastin is also important in our blood vessels and eyes, and when PXE is advanced, patients can get retinal hemorrhages, heart attacks, strokes, and valve problems. Being able to identify this condition before these problems arise is critical. I did a biopsy on my patient, and it did turn out to be PXE. Thankfully this young woman was able to get plugged in with an eye and heart doctor. So oftentimes, what we see on the skin’s surface is more than skin deep.

Monica Best, MD
reproductive endocrinology and infertility
Reproductive Biology Associates

Is there a patient who stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
I was a year into my practice when I treated an athletic and energetic young woman in her early 20s named Maggie. Unfortunately, Maggie had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Maggie was referred to me by her oncologist to discuss fertility preservation prior to undergoing the recommended chemotherapy that would accelerate loss of healthy eggs and could prevent Maggie from being able to conceive using her own eggs in the future. Unlike the dark cloud of the looming cancer diagnosis, discussion of the hope egg freezing would bring once cancer was behind her provided a glimmer of light in the darkness for Maggie. There are few things that match the importance and joy of helping patients safeguard their ability to build families. This moment, early in my career, confirmed I had chosen a field of medicine in which I could be passionate about the ability to connect intimately with patients and help them navigate barriers to infertility that can sometimes be daunting but also inspire hope.

Keisha Dennard-Hall, MD
OB/GYN
Obstetrics and Gynecology of Atlanta

Is there a patient who stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
As a third year medical student, I hopped on the hospital elevator one day in an incredible hurry. From behind me, I heard one of the young girls who was already on the elevator say to her friend, “That’s the doctor who delivered my baby.” I looked around and surprisingly realized that she was pointing at me. She was excited to have bumped into me and had a brightness of familiarity in her eyes as she gazed into mine. It was immediately clear that I held a special presence in her memory, but there were a few things that she didn’t realize. I was just a medical student and it had been eight months since I had done that OB/GYN rotation where I had probably just “observed” and not actually performed her delivery.

What she also would never know is that that moment in the elevator was a life-changing moment for me. It was that encounter that confirmed my decision to pursue a career as an OB/GYN. I was driven by the opportunity to guide life safely into this world, the pure honor of having someone place their faith and trust in you during such a vulnerable time, and the ability to make a memorable impact in such a special period of a woman’s life. For someone like me, who was a first generation college student and the first in her family to have the opportunity to attend medical school, this was an incredible feeling. I have now been in practice for over 22 years, having cared for a multitude of women and delivered thousands of babies. I have never lost sight, however, of what a privilege it is to have the trust of a patient just like that one in the elevator that day.

Brittani L. Barrett Harlow, MD
urologist
Georgia Urology

Is there a patient who stands out because you were reminded of why you wanted to become a doctor?
In urology, we often deal with a lot of intimate issues that patients are too embarrassed to talk about or to seek help for. One particular patient had undergone treatment for prostate cancer by one of my colleagues. One of the side effects from radiation can be difficulties with erections. The fact that he came with his wife is unique because oftentimes men will show up alone. They don’t want their spouse to know their shortcomings or their insecurities regarding their erections, and they’re too embarrassed or ashamed to have anyone else there with them. He kept saying how he felt that he was less of a man as he wasn’t able to be intimate like he used to. His wife kept saying that although she missed the intimate portions, she didn’t love him less and didn’t change her desire to be with him.

We went through different treatment options, one of which is a penile implant. He underwent surgery, had a great outcome, and when I saw them back at three months, you could really tell that it changed their life. His wife actually stopped me in the middle of the hallway before I even got into the exam room and gave me a huge hug and, teary-eyed, said that she was so grateful that they had undergone the procedure. And I say, “they.” Yes, he had the surgery, but intimacy is a couples disease. When one person is suffering, the couple suffers. She told me that it rekindled a spark in their marriage that she did not think would ever come back. So it’s times like that that make me appreciate the training I’ve undergone to offer patients these breakthrough therapeutic options that allow them to gain back some quality of life.

This article appears in our July 2024 issue.

The post Atlanta’s Top Docs in their own words: Why they went into medicine, the patients that inspired them, and more appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Photograph by Perry Julien

Chris Brown closed out three dates of his 11:11 tour to another packed crowd at State Farm Arena on Sunday night. One of the most popular R&B singers, he has had 117 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2005. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

Photograph by Perry Julien

The post Photos: Chris Brown performs at State Farm Arena appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Photograph courtesy of Wax & Wane

In January 2023, Atlanta filmmaker Madison Hatfield performed a reading of her raunchy rom-com short, I Could Dom, at RoleCall Theater. Afterward, four producers approached her, interested in helping her make the film; among them was Rocco Shapiro, a producer, director, and writer at Wax & Wane Films. He was a familiar face: They had already worked together years before, when he was assistant camera operator on another one of her shorts. “He was now a producer, and I was ready to direct again,” Hatfield says. “I really liked the idea of working with someone just like me, who had been learning and building things in Atlanta.”

For Shapiro, the connection also felt right. “If we like a creator and can see their vision, we are interested because we feed on other people’s passion for projects,” Shapiro says. Cristian Bernal, a cinematographer at Wax & Wane, was so inspired by Hatfield’s screenplay, he offered to be cinematographer—his first time working in narrative film.

After a spring crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $11,000, a three-day shoot in June, and eight months of editing, I Could Dom premiered this April at Aspen Shortsfest, an Oscar-qualifying festival for short films.

Shapiro and Bernal started Wax & Wane with Tré Loren and Sean Valdivieso in 2022, but the group has been working together for longer. In 2015, Bernal and Valdivieso started No Usual, a filming and equipment rental company that creates commercials for clients like Nike and Mercedes. Loren joined in 2016, with Shapiro following two years later. While running No Usual, they developed Wax & Wane as a creative parent company to write, produce, and direct everything from commercials to films, while still supplying all the gear—a boon for indie filmmakers. “Most of [our] money goes to cameras, lights, etc., but they had all of it,” Hatfield says. “It was pretty world-changing.”

This unique blend of commercial and narrative work has allowed the Atlanta production company to make a name for itself in just two years. The company has only four people on staff, but they regularly work with up to 40 local crew members on their productions. While a short film can let someone flex their creative muscles, a commercial production, like a recent one for Grammarly, can pay full rates and keeps collaborators coming back. Wax & Wane has so far produced 10 shorts and plans to expand to features next.

“What makes a Wax & Wane set unique is the crew and the diverse kind of talent we have,” says Shapiro. “We treat our sets like a party. Everybody is open to collaboration; there’s no ego or hierarchy.” They bring the same sensibility to monthly screenings of cult classics like Twilight at the Plaza Theatre. The films are accompanied by what Shapiro calls a “vaudeville” atmosphere of Q&As, costume contests, trivia, and live music: “I wanted to relive the excitement of going and seeing something for the first time.”

This collective work environment sets Wax & Wane apart in an industry mostly composed of freelancers. But that congenial, ensemble approach has drawn admiration throughout the film community in Atlanta. “We developed the company structure we wanted to see,” Bernal says. “We create a community of film lovers, and that helps create a vessel for us and other filmmakers to have a better shot at creating their art.”

This photograph appears in our July 2024 issue.

The post Wax & Wane is ushering in a new model, using commercial work to fund narrative film appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Courtesy of Block & Drum

Atlantan Justin Staples worked for Bacardi and consulted for other spirit companies and vineyards. He admired the way Napa Valley vineyards invite visitors into their space and walk them through the wine-making process from grape to drink. In contrast, he noticed that distilleries used most of their space for production, saving only about 15 percent for tasting and sales. He’s set to offer a different take on a distillery with the opening of Block & Drum in Chamblee in the fall. The consumer-focused space will feature a hydroponic farm for growing produce to use in the alcohol, a music-themed tasting room, courtyard with a stage for live music, and three container kitchens providing a changing lineup of food offerings. A coffee bar opened in December 2023.

“We want this to be a place really focused on the community with a high-quality audio/music culture. We hope the tasting room will be something people haven’t seen a lot of here,” says Staples, the founder. He named the venue “Block & Drum” as a double entendre referring to the drummers’ blocks and distillers’ pot stills and fermenters, which are shaped like blocks and drums.

Read on for a tour of the space.

Courtesy of Block & Drum

Cafe Studio

Those interested in getting a first look at Block & Drum can stop by the Cafe Studio on weekends between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. for caffeinated drinks made from Chrome Yellow and Portrait Coffee. Inside, the intimate 400-square-foot space is decorated with slotted audio panels and vintage speakers. Outside, guests can relax on the expansive patio overlooking the Chamblee Rail Trail and order lattes, cappuccinos, and Best Bread and the Buttery breakfast pastries from a roll-up window. Staples says he expects the menu and hours to expand when the rest of Block & Drum officially opens.

Courtesy of Block & Drum

Hydroponic Farm
Located in a 40-foot shipping container, the hydroponic farm embraces urban farming and sustainable agriculture techniques such as rainwater harvesting to grow up to three acres of produce. Block & Drum visitors will be able to visit the farm, smell the fresh botanicals (mint, basil, dandelion, honeysuckle), and even pick some to create a custom bottle of liquor (think honeysuckle vodka).

“We wanted to connect people to the raw natural product,” Staples explains.

Distillery
Staples is hiring a master distiller to lead the spirit-making utilizing a vacuum system that enables distilling at a lower boiling point, thus amplifying the natural botanical flavors. Visitors will be able to watch mint, for example, be macerated and its essence extracted into the vacuum, then distilled into liquor.

Though Block & Drum will serve as an incubator lab for different flavors, Staples says they will start with five or six spirits, including whiskey, rum, and vodka, all botanically flavored.  Custom bottles, like basil-mint vodka, will range from $65 to $75.

Courtesy of Block & Drum

Vinyl Room
From flights to cocktails, the Vinyl Room is the place to sip and sample Block & Drum offerings. “Upbeat but chill, this is where the magic will happen seeing the spirits in action,” Staples says. He’s currently hiring a mixologist to create six to 10 seasonal cocktails.

The 21-and-up venue is also musically themed with a state-of-the-art sound system and large library of vinyl records displayed behind a big bar. Lounge-y with leather couches, it will seat 100 guests.

“Bacardi was always sponsoring musicians like the Black Eyed Peas,” Staples says of his previous job. “Music and booze go so well together.”

Wednesday and Thursday nights will be “open vinyl,” meaning guests are invited to bring their own records to play. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, DJs and “professional selectors” will choose the tunes.

Courtyard
In the rear of Block & Drum, an 8,000-square-foot courtyard will feature a covered stage for live music, comedians, and poets. Launching after Labor Day, it will host both complimentary and ticketed acts, inviting guests to hang out at picnic tables and on Adirondacks along the turf. Staples says the area will be family-friendly.

“There’s not a lot of live music in Chamblee,” he says. “It’ll be like an oasis for live music events.”

Container Kitchens
Everyone needs to eat, right? That’s the thought behind the container kitchens, coming January 2025. Block & Drum will invite up-and-coming culinarians to apply for short-term leases to test out their business offerings, providing guests a chance to sample innovative flavors. While this program is getting up and running, a few food trucks will be onsite to provide nourishment.

The post What to expect from distillery and music venue Block & Drum, opening in Chamblee in the fall appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Courtesy of Areas

Atlanta’s first legal distillery since 1906, Old Fourth launched in 2014 distilling vodka, gin, and bourbon. Despite winning numerous awards, it shuttered its Edgewood Avenue distillery and tasting room in December 2022. Next year, a new bar and eatery will open under the name—this time in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Old Fourth Distillery + Kitchen will launch in Terminal E in spring 2025, featuring cocktails, local beer on tap, and small plates that reflect the seasonality of the South.

The new location reflects a partnership between Areas, a company that runs retail and dining establishments in transit spaces, and the new owners of Old Fourth Distillery, Shortbarrel whiskey founders Clinton Dugan, Patrick Lemmond, and Adam Dorfman. The Shortbarrel guys had heard Old Fourth was for sale and sought to capitalize on the synergies between the home-grown brands. They moved both companies to Norcross in 2023, establishing it as the new operational headquarters. However, it lacks space for a full-fledged tasting room.

With Old Fourth Distillery + Kitchen, the team hopes to recreate some of the charm of the Edgewood location. It will be designed with an industrial feel—rustic with warm wood, exposed brick, and a 32-seat, U-shaped bar. There will be tinted glass, pendant lamps, a mural on the wall, and a large projector for streaming sports. A stage in the center will host entertainment, such as jazz or comedy.

Courtesy of Areas

“We tried the spirits, and they were spectacular! We felt like this was the spirit of Atlanta,” says Sal Mendola III, Areas director of brands. “We wanted something approachable that blends with the sophisticated vibe of a bourbon bar and having an elevated cocktail, with a food program that complements it.”

Located behind One Flew South, the 2,800-square-foot restaurant and bar will feature drinks like Short Barrel bourbon old fashioned, Old Fourth vodka espresso martini, BBQ Bloody Mary made with Old Fourth vodka, and a mango martini. Michael Hanley, formerly of Tavistock Restaurants (Atlas, the Garden Room), will serve as beverage director, highlighting local breweries such as Creature Comforts, Round Trip, Best End, Orpheus, and SweetWater. Clinton adds that they’re considering batched cocktails—think French 75—and a slushie machine.

“Think of the stress that comes with traveling. We wanted to create an oasis that feels like you’re not in an airport anymore,” Mendola says.

The food falls under the theme “from Georgia to table” and will be categorized as “land,” “sea,” “field,” or “naughty bits.” A sit-down restaurant, Old Fourth Distillery + Kitchen will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Expect shrimp and grits, braised short rib with polenta,
brussels sprouts with balsamic, crispy salmon bites, pork potstickers, vegan tuna salad, skillet mussels with pecorino toast, and spicy shishito peppers. In classic Atlanta style, there will be peach cobbler for dessert. In a rush? Grab-and-go sandwiches will also be available.

The post Old Fourth Distillery returns with an airport location, opening spring 2025 appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Courtesy of the Savannah Philharmonic

Keitaro Harada, the music and artistic director of the Savannah Philharmonic, spends a lot of time on the road. Awarded the 2023 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, the charismatic conductor serves as associate conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in his native Japan and also as guest conductor with other orchestras. But all that travel only makes him appreciate his adopted home that much more. Here he shares his perfect day in Savannah.

Joe on the Go
“I like to grab coffee at Cup to Cup Cafe, a small, local take-out coffee shop. The service is extremely fast—you order and then you’re out of there. I order the Black & Tan Nitro Brew. They have pastries, too; I like the apple fritter.”

Morning Walk
“I try to get 10,000 steps a day, and I like to do laps around Forsyth Park. You will see the famous fountain and the amphitheater where the Savannah Philharmonic performs for 25,000 people every October. On Saturdays, the park hosts the Forsyth Farmers Market with close to 60 vendors. My go-to is Isreally Hummus. The owner, Assaf Gleizner, is a fantastic musician from Israel.”

Power Lunch
“Collins Quarter is a hot spot, and both locations are always packed—I highly recommend making a reservation. The owner is from Australia but used to live in Osaka, Japan. His experience there really influenced his taste. The Swine Time Beni is a signature dish at the downtown flagship. It’s a take on eggs Benedict with a bit of funkiness to it.”

Retail Therapy
“I like to go shopping on Broughton Street. At the Paris Market & Brocante, almost everything in the store is from France. The owners travel there frequently to buy things, so every time you walk in, you’re going to find something different. At Savannah Bee Company, I get the signature raw honeycomb. It’s what they’re known for, and it’s the best thing in the world. They serve it at every party in Savannah.”

Courtesy of the Paris Market

Riverside Retreat
“Take a walk along the river and visit the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. It’s a wonderful venue with great food and an eclectic vibe. In the hotel lobby there is a huge collection of crystals and quartz, along with a gigantic chrome dinosaur replica hung from the ceiling.”

Moss and Magic
“Wormsloe State Historic Site is the most magical place on earth. It was part of Wormsloe Plantation, the colonial estate of Noble Jones from the 1700s. There’s a museum and a 1.5-mile walk through beautiful Spanish moss and live oak trees. I love going there because time just stops.”

Art Deco Dining
“Dinner options are endless in Savannah, but my favorite is the Grey. Johno Morisano and Chef Mashama Bailey have done a marvelous job with the revival of the 1938 art deco Greyhound Bus Terminal and the creation of seasonal dishes that are meaningful to the location’s history.”

Photography by Chia Chong

High Bar
“Savoy Society is where the cool kids hang out, and it has the best mixologists in town. My favorite drinks are Shower Me In Luxury (Angel’s Envy bourbon, bitters, apricot, and bubbly) and Running on Ice (tequila, agave liqueur, chili pepper, cacao, and cold brew).”

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Southbound.

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