Decatur Famous People Sightings
Decatur Metro | March 2, 2011Talking to a friend this past weekend, he recalled how someone on Facebook recently mentioned that they had seen Robert Plant randomly walking down Ponce in downtown Decatur (I may have the location wrong).
Having become a sick blog obsessive, I immediately exclaimed “That would be a great post! Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever seen hanging out in three-double-zero-three-oh?!”
And here it is. That post I first thought of this past weekend, in a momentary blog-obsessive fit of interruption.
Soooo….which celebs have you seen partaking in the various fruits of our little city recently (or long ago)?
Latest from Decaturish
Probably John Mayer back before he was famous … and a douche.
Yep, saw John Mayer before he was famous at Eddie’s Attic. Also, saw Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls at Watershed many years ago.
How many WinnonaMoms can there be on this blog? I think I staked my claim to that name a while ago. Back off, sister!
I never have this problem.
Hah! Hearted, Token.
Good one!
he he
Low and behold, a few months ago while waiting at the W. Ponce/Commerce light, saw Ted Turner walking into Ted’s . . . like he owns the place or something!
Christian Bush and wife enjoying Breakfast with Santa at the Holiday Inn
Robert Plant wasn’t “randomly” walking down Ponce; he and his Band Of Joy played The Fabulous Fox Theatre not long ago.
Can’t say I was attempting to be literal.
My friend is a bartender at Brick Store and he says Tony Gonzalez pops in every once in a while – and knows good beers. I wish I could say I’ve seen him myself – I’m still hoping!
I met Tony G at Steinbeck’s not too long ago.
I’ve seen him and his wife there before. Didn’t know who they were at first, but I could tell he was someone “famous”. Later the bartender told me who he was.
Hubby saw Tony G at Taco Mac hanging out for a Monday Night Football game this past season!
Huey Lewis at Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
And I just missed Alice Cooper at The Vortex (the waitress was all excited, which is how I found out). But I did attend his show that night.
Probably should limit it to Decatur. If we’re opening it up to Hartsfield, I’ve got a list of celebs as long as my arm.
I think I saw Amy Ray at the thai bowl place when it was still Surin’s. Not a big surprise, I guess.
Well, with everyone else saying Emily Saliers is around all the time, it could have been her…it *was* a long time ago.
Not a very famous person (and I think she lives her anyway), but a few months ago I was just about to share my enthusiasm for Natasha Trethewey’s poetry with a fellow customer who had the Pulitzer Prize winning “Native Guard” with them at Dancing Goats, when I realized said customer was Natasha Trethewey.
Natasha is an amazing poet and SUCH a sweetheart.
I used to see her around UGA a lot when I was getting my English degree there in the 90s.
I see Emily Saliers all the time and I recently saw Ted Turner dining at Teds.
Emily Saliers having a beer at Eddie’s. Also, I shook hands with Bill Clinton after he gave a speech at DHS old stadium,
Michael Stipe was there that day, too.
I was wondering whether Stipe ever came back here.
I almost hit Mike Mills with my car (he was jaywalking!), but that was almost 15 years ago in Athens.
He did the introduction of the President.
President Carter headed into Leons late last year.
President Carter at Twain’s, for his grandson’s election night party (Jason Carter is our State Senator).
Am I dreaming or did I see Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle play at the Decatur High School field?
oh yes you did. It was part of our Olympic concert series in 1996
Not to mention Nanci Griffith.
I was at that show!! I was also at the Clinton rally at the High School in ’92.
During Book Festival, I’m always kind of stunned by the number of literary stars that are rambling around Decatur.
Kathy Bates at Java Monkey. And OMG do I have a Ted Turner sighting story — but alas, it wasn’t here, it was NYE in Charleston.
Courteney Cox hanging out on Eddie’s patio years back when she was filming one of the Scream movies at Agnes Scott.
Aw, dang– you got mine! Also saw her with a burly guy who looked to be a bodyguard or suchlike following her into Harvest, a restaurant that used to be in Va-Hi (yeah, yeah, I know it’s not 30030, but…).
There’s a guy here in Decatur who looks just like Elmore Leonard. I always do a double take when I see him.
And I mentioned it here at the time but saw Kid Rock as he headed to his court date at DeKalb County Courthouse.
I waited alongside Kinky Friedman to cross Ponce by CVS before I’d actually moved here when he was here for the Book Festival, and I was interviewing for my current job. I’m also fairly certain I saw Ted Turner getting into an SUV with a young blonde in front of Ted’s Montana Grill.
Not positive about this, but I believe Ted Turner is close friends with the Artisan developer.
I remember taking Kinky to breakfast at Crescent Moon after we did a little spot on Good Day Atlanta. It was about 6am, and there were about 3 people in the place. Kinky was in his full uniform for the tv spot–all black, hat, unlit cigar.
There was one guy sitting at the counter, reading the paper, and he opened to the living section, with a full length portrait of Kinky on the cover, just after we walked in.
The guy’s double take as he looked up was worth gold.
And I have to say that Kinky’s mood brightened considerably seeing that page as well.
It didn’t dawn on me initially that it actually was Kinky Friedman. I went back to Athens where I was living at the time and told my friends that I’d seen a guy that looked like Kinky Friedman crossing the street with me. When I Googled him and Decatur and saw that he was at the Book Festival that weekend I realized it really was him.
I saw Jane Fonda at Mellow Mushroom while waiting on a takeout order a couple years ago. She was doing a pretty good job of keeping on the down low, other than the fact that she had her little white dog in her arms in a restaurant. She was there with what I assume was her grandson’s little league team as she went out on the porch with them. And the dog.
I saw Jeff Vaughan yesterday.
Did you squeal and jump up and down…? He is so HOT!
Naturally.
Oh, and I had some friends who saw Julia Roberts at Watershed two springs ago.
A friend of mine, who is a Jennifer Nettles fan from way back, once spotted her at the mini Kroger. My friend followed her around the store like a stalker, until she finally got up the nerve to say hi in the beer & wine aisle. Apparently, Ms. Nettles was very cordial, but also insistent that she was buying the beer for someone else!
I’ve seen Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Emily Saliers at the big Kroger at various times.
Spotted Jennifer Nettles at Farmstead last summer
Also Luke Perry filming a movie off Columbia near Friends School
I’m not sure we can still technically consider Luke Perry a “celebrity.”
I’ve seen Jennifer Nettles several times in Decatur before she hit it big, both at the Agnes Scott campus and at Eddie’s Attic. I also saw Michael Stipe on Church St. years ago, heading into Java Monkey.
In Atlanta in general, tons of other folks like the Dawson’s Creek cast in Buckhead back in the day and just last night Queen Latifah at the Whole Foods on Ponce!
Didn’t someone here see Ron Jeremy at the BSP a while back?
Oh man, you are just daring me to get put back on moderation. But I will not.
You, sir, are a most cruel tease.
Hillary Clinton at the 2005 commencement ceremony for Agnes Scott (though as an audience at a speech I suppose that doesn’t count), and Jennifer Nettles–when she was a student there!
Tom Berenger and Laura Prepon on Adams Street.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta at Bhojanic.
Naaman Gibbetts at Pinups.
What were you doing there at 1 o’clock on Tuesday?
Business lunch.
B.B. Rebozo at The Decatur Diner.
I used to hang out with Maseo from De la Soul at a basement studio on Pharr. Years ago.
Jesus dragging (pulling?) a giant cross on wheels.
Evander Holyfield (including his entourage) at the Decatur Library. Saw Barbara Walters there too, though not the same day, but also with an entourage.
Saw Darius Rucker (of Hootie & the Blowfish fame) at YDFM a few months back checking out some seafood
Many years ago I saw Martina Navratilova shopping at YDFM.
…. and I saw Martina jogging in Great Lakes neighborhood yrs ago, too.
Martina Navratilova on her motercycle on Clairmont about 8 years ago.
And she went to an Eddie’s show then too (billy pilgrim? john mayer? sugarland? can’t remember)
I see Bill Floyd walking around Decatur quite often.
Awesome!
Maybe this is for another post/day, but how about a famous Decatur person seen somewhere else? We were at a music festival in Florida about a year ago, standing in line before a performance to buy a glass of wine. My friend started chatting with the woman in line ahead of her, asking her where she’s from, etc. She ALMOST asked her if she was there to see Shawn Mullins (big favorite of hers) but didn’t. Turned out it was Emily Saliers, who was performing later that evening.
Use to see DeForest Kelley (DHS Class of 36) on Star Trek.
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston shopping on Ponce while on break from one of his court appearances a few years back.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at my son’s graduation from Decatur High. His granddaughter, Chip’s girl, was also graduating. My Republican parents from Ohio were distinctly uncomfortable in the presence of the Great Satan, which I found quite amusing.
Emily Saliers on the corner of Church and Ponce a few months ago, and at the Farmers’ Market about a year ago (my brother was visiting from out of town, so he got to experience a Local Celebrity Sighting with us). And we saw Ty Greenstein of now-local band Girlyman with her gf at Leon’s a few months ago.
Denzel Washington filming “Remember the Titans” on my street in Great Lakes.
I think we’ve reached our quota of Emily Saliers sightings. She lives here. She has a restaurant here. She’s very active in the community. We love her. And we’ve all seen her (I’ve seen her like 8 times, and not just at Watershed and exclusive of times when I paid to see her perform). So let’s just assume from here on out that this particular sighting is not big news.
Yeah, but how many have had Emily carry a case of wine to their car — performing her store clerk duties at Watershed — I wasn’t sure about tipping.
I discovered Christian Amanpour snooping around my studio behind the Marlay ( when it was Ya Ya’s Cajun cusine ). I think she used to live in Decatur.
Also , there is a famous professional wrestler ( enough to have her own action figure ) that lives on Ponce de Leon Court. And don’t forget Ryan Gainey!
Bono from U2 back in October of 2009.
Came into Decatur the day of their concert, picked some items for what was then Decatur Music Store on Clairemont and then left.
He was in Decatur all of about 20 minutes, but he was here.
Amazingly, he was using (or renting) Usher’s Black Maybach. It stood out but literally almost no one even turned a head when he got out of the back and walked in.
Kid Rock as he was leaving Raging Burrito.
Saw Robin Roberts (then of ESPN, now of Good Morning America, formerly of channel 5) at Watershed the weekend of the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Tyler Perry has scenes in 2 movies filmed at The Marlay.
In the mind-blowing synchronicity department… I was celebrating my birthday at Cafe Istanbul seated on pillows with friends. Now, it’s time to open presents. Off comes the wrapping paper; it’s a new book by Jimmy Carter. At that very moment, in comes the Secret Service followed by Chip, Amy, Rosalyn and the ex-Prez himself. They sat across from us. And, of course, I got the book signed. But I never read it.
Did they sit on pillows? Smoke the hookah?
I saw Condoleeza Rice in Watershed. My husband nearly ran one of her body gaurds down in the parking lot because the dude was standing in the one remaining parking spot. It was fun. She was shorter (sitting down) than I thought she would be.
David Spade, hanging out at The Marley about a year ago. I could never confirm that it was him. He had a full beard and he was hanging out with a group of about 7 good looking men. Can anyone confirm?
Vern Yip at a Kristian Bush writers in the round night a year or so ago. Guess that doesn’t really count as Vern is an Atlanta resident too. I think the more appropriate question might have been how many celebrities have you seen that have no everyday life ties to Decatur?!
I saw Emmanuel “Webster” Lewis playing pool at Eddie’s Attic on evening.
This one falls in the long ago category. In 1965 I attended a world premiere of a Disney movie, Those Calloways, at the Suburban Plaza theater. All the actors were there complete with search lights, red carpet, long dresses and tuxedos. Brian Keith was there along with Vera Miles and a new young star in her second role, Linda Evans. The other stars were Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn and Brandon de Wilde. Imagine that, at Suburban Plaza.
Wow, that’s is hard to imagine. The last movie I can remember seeing at Suburban Plaza is Meatballs.
Saw Kip Purdue from Remember the Titans @ Leon’s a while back… and Ron Livingston @ Radial Cafe *not Decatur, but close…
Luke Perry @ Sage on Sycamore