This week, I visited the Marietta Square for the first time since taking senior pictures there in high school. 

A lot has changed since those days. The square is actually cool. Chic. Hip. I guess you could say, it’s Hip to be Square. (But only if you’re as cheesy as I am.)

I rode the old-timey Historic Marietta Trolley to their vintage gas station-turned adorable trolley stop right off the square. I stepped out to enjoy some delicious fare from Six Beans, which is a healthy, ready-made meal delivery service based here. Amy and Margie, the owners, are the coolest momprenuers and are all about high quality, convenient, nutritious meals for the family. (Shhh! Am probably going to have them do my thanksgiving meal so I look like a kitchen goddess.) They had trays of scrumptious mushroom profiteroles, artichoke bruschetta and my new favorite thing on earth—warm onion and cheese dip. OMG, heaven. I wonder if I can order it in tub size? Anyway, if you’re a foodie, definitely check them out.

We then got to sample cupcakes from Sugar Plum Visions, which apparently is an institution on the square. The wedding cakes in the window were so pretty, they rivaled holiday display cases in NYC’s Herald Square. You could see the hand and nose prints on the glass from jaw dropped, drooling passersby.

After indulging in all these amazing treats, we took the trolley through the autumn air over to Thaicoon Sushi Bar on the other side of the Square. It was packed with regulars, but the gracious owner still found time to come and greet us with Lobster Rolls, Yellow Jacket rolls and a “tuna pizza” roll concoction that was strange and delicious. I was surprised, it easily could hold court with top sushi bars in Atlanta. And at $2 a roll, it’s recession friendly.

After we had filled our bellies, it was on to seeing the shops. We stopped by Doodlebugz, and were happy to hear not only do they carry skirt! there, but they are huge fans of the magazine. They had these gorgeous Sid Dickens memory tiles that I want to fill one of my walls with:

We walked further and stopped into Pink Elephant Boutique which was the cutest little children’s shop. While I don’t have any little ones running around yet, I saw tons of great shower gifts for friends. They carried these blabla dolls that I couldn’t stop squeezing. Stephanie, the owner, told me they’re handmade in Peru. Wish they had them for grown ups.

And on the way back to the trolley I saw the craziest looking store that by this time was closed. It was called Fit for a Queen, and I’ve never seen so many wacky trinkets in one place before. I’ve got to go back and stop in.

The whole evening turned out to be a great progressive dinner/shopping walk.  These days it’s tough to find all those great mom and pop shops in one place, and thankfully not in a strip mall. The Marietta Square has in spades what a homogeneous shopping center only dreams of—ambiance and tradition. I felt like I stepped back in time to when people actually lived in town squares and knew the names of the owners of the stores they patronized. I was half-waiting to pass an old malt shop or a Five and Dime. To wave hi from the window, walk in, sit on a barstool and order a root beer float.