december-2009

026 LET’S GO
Karen Stripling at
The Georgia Dome
GEORGIA ON HER MIND
CREW CUTS ATLANTA NATIVE KAREN STRIPLING SEEKS OUT FAMILY
ACTIVITIES THAT EMBODY THE TRUE SPIRIT OF HER HOMETOWN.
Atlanta is a city with a spirit all its
own. Just ask Karen Stripling: Born
at downtown’s Grady Memorial
Hospital, the AirTran Airways customer
service manager is now raising her own
kids in the Big Peach—and using her extensive
local knowledge to fi nd the best Atlanta activities
for her family.
Not surprisingly, Stripling has an
abundance of hometown pride. She
oft en visits Centennial Olympic
Park (www.centennialpark.com) so
her two daughters can see where the
world gathered for the 1996 summer
games. She has also introduced
them to Atlanta’s important role in
the Civil Rights movement. “I take
everyone to Th e King Center (www.
thekingcenter.org),” she says. “It helps keep
me grounded.”
Stripling’s love for Atlanta extends to the
local sports teams as well. “We’re huge Falcons,
Th rashers and Hawks fans,” she says. “Whenever
we can get out and root for the home team,
we go.” Stripling and her husband of 22 years
also enjoy cheering for their alma mater, the
GO MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2009
Centennial Olympic Park
University of Georgia Bulldogs, in nearby
Athens. “We met at UGA during the Herschel
Walker, Dominique Wilkins and Vince Dooley
days,” she says.
Atlanta is well known for its focus on the
arts, and Stripling is always looking for ways
to expose her daughters to culture. Th ey oft en
attend shows at the opulent 1920s-era Fox
Th eatre (www.foxtheatre.org) where
they’ve seen performances of Th e
Color Purple and Th e Nutcracker.
And at the Southwest Art Center
(www.fultonarts.org), they see plays
and take music, dance and painting
classes. “It’s a great facility right in our
neighborhood,” Stripling says.
Apart from history, sports and
art, there is one more thing Stripling
wants her kids to know: Locals are good to
one another. “We do a lot of volunteer work
together,” she says. Th is month, they are volunteering
with CHRIS Kids (www.chriskids.org),
which provides resources for strug-
gling children and teens in Atlanta.
To Stripling, improving the city is as
important as enjoying it. —Sarah Gleim
PERSONNEL PICKS
Name: Karen Stripling
Position: Customer
Service Manager
Favorite thing about
Atlanta: “The Southern
charm. Everybody here
treats you like family.”
Best spot for date
night: “Landon’s
Restaurant & Bar (www.
landonsrestaurant.com;
404-472-2424) has live
jazz on the weekends,
and Executive Chef
Donald Wilson makes
the best smoked
salmon in town.”
Coolest mixed-use
development: “Atlantic
Station (www.atlantic
station.com) is like a
city within a city. We
can eat, shop and go to
the movies.”
Best outing for teens:
Philips Arena (www.
philipsarena.com) is
a major tour stop for
many pop artists. Karen
recently attended a
Beyoncé show with
her daughter Alexandria.
“We had a ball,”
she says.
TO LEARN more about what to do, where
to eat and where to shop in Atlanta, turn to
page 117 in the Go Guides.
TOP: TERRI HANSON; BOTTOM: CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK