Scott Freeman

2 weeks ago | atlantamagazine.com | Scott Freeman

Chili chicken at Chai PaniPhotograph by Daniel Peach/Chai Pani Restaurant GroupFor many of us, it’s a rite of passage. We graduate high school, strike out for college and, fending for ourselves for the first time on a tight budget, search for cheap places to eat. I evolved from McDonald’s drive-thrus to sit-down meals at Waffle House and meat-and-three places. As my palate expanded, I developed a love affair with foods exotic to my childhood, particularly the spices of Mexican and Asian cuisines.

1 month ago | atlantamagazine.com | Scott Freeman

Sir Elton John competes in the World TeamTennis Smash Hits charity event benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Photograph by Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesI can say with particular pride that I was the first person to play tennis inside State Farm Arena. Elton John staged a tennis benefit for his AIDS Foundation at the newly opened building, then Philips Arena, in 2000, with Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Billie Jean King, and other legendary players on hand.

2 months ago | atlantamagazine.com | Scott Freeman

“I’ll meet you in the lobby at 4:30,” my friend said after we’d checked into our rooms at the fabled Peabody Hotel in Memphis. “We can see the ducks and then get dinner.”I gave him a puzzled look. “The ducks?”He smiled. “You’ll see.”When I came back downstairs, a long red carpet was rolled out in front of the elevator. On either side of the red carpet, velvet ropes hung from metal stands. I was astute enough to understand that all this fuss wasn’t for me.

Feb 13, 2025 | atlantamagazine.com | Scott Freeman

My monthly ritual in college was a drive into Atlanta to make the rounds of the rich array of record stores across the city. My favorite haunt was Peaches, a warehouse-sized store that prided itself on having the back catalog of just about every music artist imaginable. This was long before iTunes and Spotify. There was a sense of exploration and discovery from walking into a record shop that’s sadly absent in the digital age.

Feb 2, 2025 | atlantamagazine.com | Scott Freeman

Back when I was a freelance writer, I got called into the office for a meeting. “We’ve got a fantastic story idea, and you’re the only person who can write it,” I was told. Okay, flattery is always a good start. My editors explained they wanted a story about Willie B., the iconic gorilla at Zoo Atlanta, who was about to reach the age of 40. “We want it written in his voice,” one of them said. “You can make it funny. Have him go to the Cheetah Lounge thinking he can pick up female gorillas.”Willie B.