“When I lived in Cabbagetown, I would walk to Little Tart in Grant Park every day. The staff is incredibly kind, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I could spend hours here on a day off, taking calls, doing some work. The coffee’s incredible, and all the pastries are delicious. If you like mushrooms, I recommend the mushroom gougères toast they serve.”

“I’ve bought a bunch of music equipment here over the years, including one of my favorite amps ever: a ’60s Fender Champ. They always have great deals, and the staff are amazing. If you need an instrument fixed, they have a fast turnaround. I was really influenced by the Atlanta indie music scene, by bands like Lunar Vacation, and places like this showed me the cool side of Atlanta and got me to really enjoy and embrace living there.”

“Criminal Records is iconic. It’s the record store that I spent the most time in. My friend Maggie worked there as well, so I would go a lot. It’s super charming and in a great neighborhood, in Little Five Points, which is awesome for walking and has a lot of great venues. It has a great vinyl selection and a lot of CDs as well. The last thing I picked up here? I think it was Wilco’s A.M.”

“Go to Ria’s for the best pancakes in the whole world! I’ve tried to figure out their secret recipe, but I still have no idea. I and a lot of the cast of Stranger Things would go here every morning. I lived in Atlanta year-round last year, which was special because you get to see it go through all these fun seasonal changes. Ria’s is very community-oriented, and the staff is just the sweetest.”

“Primo is incredible! It’s so delicious. They only serve rotisserie chicken. You can order a half or a full bird and share with your friends. They give you tortillas so you can make your own tacos. It’s incredibly good.”

“I’ve had so many great movie-going experiences here. They play new movies and classic movies, including some 35-millimeter film, but also weirder art movies and independent films. There was always something playing that I wanted to see. It’s definitely one of my favorite movie theaters in the world! I saw Final Destination here last year on 35 millimeter, which was super fun.”

“This is a great independent video store that has an incredible selection. For a long time, I thought the business hated me because the first thing I rented from there—it was Brian De Palma’s Femme Fatale—I forgot to return. But everything’s cool, and I try to be a lot more tight on my return schedule. The people here are incredibly cool and always have a great recommendation. They keep the love for film alive in Atlanta. They have great merch, too, so drop by and get a T-shirt!”

“I used to live right around the corner from Little’s Food Store in Cabbagetown on the main drag. They have amazing sandwiches and great burgers. I would come here, get a soda, sit at the counter, and watch The Simpsons or whatever they had on a TV above the counter. They have a small amount of grocery stuff, too, but it’s mostly a deli.”

“This was definitely my go-to spot in Atlanta because of how close my house was to it at the time. I would go every day, and it was just a perfect place to meet with friends and sit on the patio outside. If it was cold, you could go inside. The staff all knew us because a lot of the Stranger Things cast lived right in Cabbagetown, and we’d hang out here often. The staff was incredibly kind and made us feel very comfortable.”

“Whoopsie’s is a bar and restaurant. I’d come here with friends after seeing a show or when celebrating birthday dinners. The atmosphere is great, and the food is delicious. It has a sort of dive energy but is also kind of upscale, which makes for a cool hybrid. The menu rotates, so it’s different every time you go.”