After months of nonstop plans, travel, and wedding prep, having a cozy, low-key weekend around Atlanta was exactly what the doctor ordered. With Luke traveling during the week right now, having uninterrupted time to just hang out at home together felt like the ultimate luxury.

Here is everything we got up to this past weekend, from new neighborhood spots to a very unexpected Sunday morning first!

Friday: PCM Finds, West Midtown Cocktails, & Forza Storico

I kicked off Friday afternoon with some retail therapy at Ponce City Market. Fall is finally creeping into the shops, and they had so many great seasonal pieces on sale. I rounded up all my favorite finds, from cozy layers to transitional staples, over on my ShopMy board:

Later that evening, we met up to kick off the night at Incognito, a brand-new bar tucked into West Midtown. The vibe in here is so unique and relaxed: moody, cool, and effortless. While the drinks definitely come with a West Midtown price tag, it is a fantastic spot to grab a craft cocktail before dinner. (Keep an eye on my Instagram, I’ll have a reel up on this spot soon!)

From there, we headed over to Forza Storico to celebrate my sister’s birthday! Forza is on regular rotation for us because the atmosphere is always electric and the food is consistently amazing.

A few dinner highlights:

The Squash Blossoms: Luke and I are utterly obsessed with these, and we were thrilled to see they are still on the menu. A non-negotiable order.

The Meatballs: Perfectly tender, rich, and delicious.

The Mains: We usually split a pasta and an entrée. This time, we ventured out and tried two dishes we had not ordered before: the veal and the gnocchi. The veal was insane, so tender and flavorful. The gnocchi, however, had an off flavor to me and just did not hit the mark; I probably would not order it again.

The Spritz Dilemma: You know I had to look for a spritz. They had the Sarti Spritz listed on the menu, but sadly, they were out! I have developed a serious obsession with Sarti lately after trying it at Atkins Park, and now I am officially on a mission to track down every spot in Atlanta that pours one. If you know of any, let me know!

We headed back home after dinner, completely stuffed, to wind down for the night.

Saturday: Rainy Couch Day, Silo, & Auburn Game Night

Saturday brought steady, cool rain all day long, and honestly, we could not have asked for better timing.

We stayed curled up on the couch for most of the day and dove into Silo on Apple TV+. I just recently finished reading Wool (the first book in Hugh Howey’s series), and I have been dying to see how the screen adaptation holds up. Luke went into it totally blind with no idea what is coming, which makes watching it together ten times more fun. If you love a dystopian mystery, definitely add it to your watchlist.

Later that evening, we ventured out and headed over to my sister’s house to watch the Auburn game with friends. It was the perfect, cozy way to spend a Saturday night: surrounded by good friends, watching football, and hanging out.

Sunday: A Major Coffee Win, Home Grown Brunch, & NFL Kickoff

Sunday morning featured an event I honestly never thought I would see: Luke voluntarily went to a coffee shop with me!

For years, I have teased him about wanting a coffee date buddy because he simply does not like coffee. But this weekend, he decided he is ready to give it an honest try. We went over to Storyteller Coffee (nestled right inside Home Grown) for our very first official coffee run together.

I ordered the Biscoff Latte (which I have been eyeing forever), and it completely lived up to the hype: rich, spiced, and lightly sweet. Luke actually drank about half of his cup, which I am counting as a massive win and an official starting point! I will definitely be dragging him along to test out more Atlanta cafés soon.

While we were there, we stayed for brunch at Home Grown. You cannot visit without splitting their legendary biscuits and gravy: pure, comforting perfection.

Quick Foodie Note: Do not forget that Home Grown also transforms in the evenings into Wyld Bird, serving up an incredible Miami-style chicken dinner. If you have not read my full breakdown on that dinner concept yet, [check out my Wyld Bird review here]!

Back at home, it was officially the first NFL Sunday of the season, which meant Luke was in his absolute element. Between watching football on the couch, we tackled a bunch of cleaning and chores around the house to reset for the upcoming week.

I wrapped up the entire weekend with a quiet, long evening walk. There is something so peaceful about walking the neighborhood right after dinner as the temperature cools off.

I hope you all had a restful couple of days. Happy Monday, and see you next weekend!