From The Bean to ATL Inaugural Reunion Weekend

The Arrival

Before the official Meet & Greet even started, From the Bean to ATL was already announcing itself.

Driving through downtown, there it was a huge From the Bean to ATL billboard sitting out in the city like a welcome sign for everybody coming down from Boston. Seeing the event blown up that big immediately made the weekend feel lit.

We stayed at the Reverb Hard Rock Hotel in downtown Atlanta, and the hotel fit the mood perfectly. The lobby felt more like a radio station or music studio than a traditional hotel, with guitars on the walls, glowing “On Air” signs, an open bar, dark seating, and little design details that gave the whole space a creative, music driven feel. It felt like a place made for people to gather. And that’s exactly what happened.

Before the official Meet & Greet, people were already coming through the lobby, checking in, hugging, taking selfies, standing around talking, and recognizing faces they hadn’t seen in years. Luggage was still sitting beside people while conversations had already started.

It wasn’t just arriving at a hotel. It felt like everyone was slowly arriving back into the same circle. Boston people were reconnecting in Atlanta, new introductions were happening right beside old friendships, and the lobby naturally became the first gathering spot of the weekend.

Then the From the Bean to ATL backdrop went up, and there was no question about it anymore. The reunion had officially begun.

The Meet & Greet

Once the evening settled in, the lobby changed completely. What had started as people arriving with luggage and catching up slowly turned into the actual From the Bean to ATL Meet & Greet. The backdrop was up, the crowd had filled in, the music was going, and the space finally felt like an event instead of just a hotel lobby.

Food was set out buffet style with bruschetta, meatballs, wings, and shrimp that people could grab while moving around and talking. It wasn’t one of those sit down situations where everybody gets a table. People were eating, standing, laughing, circling back to people they knew, and meeting people they didn’t.

The DJ kept music running through the lobby, giving the whole thing more of a party feel without making it feel like a club. It was still relaxed enough to talk, but lively enough that you knew the weekend had officially started.

Right outside the hotel, Mercedes-Benz Stadium sat across the street, completely lit up once night came. During the day it was already an impressive view, but at night the purple and blue lights changed everything and gave the outside patio its own atmosphere.

Inside, Boston was reconnecting. Outside, Atlanta was glowing. People gathered around the From the Bean to ATL backdrop for pictures, posed with friends, and moved in and out of conversations across the lobby. There was even a ring light photo setup that gave people another excuse to stop and capture the moment.

The organizers eventually came together, spoke to the crowd, and helped put some faces to the weekend. Up until then, it had mostly been hugs, food, drinks, music, and catching up. That moment gave the room a focal point.

By then, people weren’t just standing around anymore. The room had movement. People were talking louder, laughing more, and drifting between the seating areas, backdrop, bar, and DJ booth. What I liked most was that it never felt too formal. The room had an easy, relaxed energy, and that carried into the way everyone showed up. Some people were dressed up, some kept it casual, and somehow it all worked because nobody seemed out of place.

You could take pictures, grab food, sit down for a minute, talk to somebody you hadn’t seen in years, or just stand back and watch everything happening around you. The Meet & Greet wasn’t really about one big moment. It was a collection of small ones, a familiar face across the room, a picture in front of the backdrop, a song that caught your attention, a conversation with someone new, or a laugh with someone from home even though home was hundreds of miles away.

A lot of the people in the room had originally come from Boston, but over the years some had moved down to Atlanta and built lives there. So for many people, this weekend wasn’t just about traveling for an event. It was about reconnecting with people they hadn’t seen in years. There were long hugs, surprised reactions, old stories coming back up, and those moments when somebody recognized a face they hadn’t seen in forever. By the end of the night, it didn’t really feel like a Meet & Greet anymore. It felt like one big family reunion, like an extension of home.

The Reunion Party

Day two had a completely different feel. The Meet & Greet was about reconnecting. The reunion party at Westside Motor Lounge felt more like everybody had settled in and was ready to actually enjoy Atlanta.

The venue had an industrial, laid-back look that worked perfectly for a daytime crowd. Inside, there were exposed ceilings, metal ductwork, oversized garage-style windows, colorful hanging lights, disco balls, long wooden tables, and a full bar stretching across the room.

Nothing about it felt overly polished, and that was part of the charm. It had that warehouse meets neighborhood hangout feel.

The garage doors and large windows let the late afternoon sun in, giving the whole space a warm golden light. Outside, Westside opened up even more with tents, string lights, umbrellas, tables, vendors, and gravel underfoot. It all added to the laid back, backyard party feel of the space, although the gravel definitely made heels a little difficult to walk. Still, the atmosphere made it easy to overlook the small inconvenience. Wear heels at your own risk. There were little pockets everywhere where people could sit, stand, talk, eat, or just watch everything going on around them, which made the space feel like a backyard party mixed with a small outdoor market.

The vendors added another layer to the day. There were small businesses offering everything from body products to children’s books and clothing. You could walk around, support a business, grab a drink, and then wander right back into the crowd.

The Boston presence was still everywhere. People were wearing Boston hats and From the Bean to ATL shirts and jerseys. So even though we were in Atlanta, there was still that reminder of where everybody came from. What I liked most was how easy the whole thing felt. There wasn’t one area where you had to be. Some people stayed near the bar. Some hung outside under the tents. Others moved between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

As the afternoon kept moving, I noticed the personality of Westside Motor Lounge started showing itself even more. There were murals, neon, artwork, quirky signs, and colorful little details everywhere. It didn’t feel overly designed or like it was trying too hard. It felt creative, lived in, and unmistakably Atlanta. Then the sun started going down.

The light became softer, the string lights stood out more, and the outdoor space took on that warm early evening feeling that makes you want to stay longer than you planned. Eventually the energy shifted toward the stage.

People started gathering in front of the outdoor performance area, and the crowd tightened up. The space that had felt scattered and relaxed earlier suddenly had a center. There were hosts on the mic, DJs behind the setup, and performers stepping up one after another. Some moments felt playful, some nostalgic, and some had the whole crowd locked in. That’s when the reunion energy really turned into a party.

People who had spent the earlier part of the day walking around, shopping with vendors, sitting under tents, or hanging near the bar were now standing closer together, dancing, singing along, recording, laughing, and hyping up whoever was on stage. As it got darker, Westside Motor Lounge became even more atmospheric.

The vendor tents glowed under warm string lights. The stage lights became brighter against the night sky. The orange shipping containers, green turf, gravel, and neon lighting all blended together into a backdrop.

By the end of the night, what started as a relaxed afternoon had turned into music, performances, dancing, laughter, and people lingering under the lights long after the sun disappeared. And just like the Meet & Greet, the strongest part of the weekend wasn’t really the venue or even the entertainment. It was the people.

The Last Day: Patriots Game Day Takeover

On the last day of From the Bean to ATL, we headed to Hudson Grille for a Patriots game day takeover. The place had a cool sports bar feel, with team décor that made it look like they switched things up depending on who was playing. For us, it was a little piece of home in Atlanta.

And we were deep in there. Everywhere you looked, there was somebody from our weekend crew. With the Patriots gear and familiar faces filling the space, it felt like our own party. We didn’t just pull up to watch the game—we took over the grill.

There were also raffles and prizes, giving us something else to get excited about besides the game. Between the giveaways, food, drinks, and everybody taking pictures, it felt like a Sunday party with football in the background.

I had my Patriots shirt on, too. Football isn’t usually my thing, but representing Boston? I could do that. Then the Patriots lost, and some of us were a little embarrassed. Even I felt some type of way. Apparently, wearing the shirt came with feelings. 😂

Still, there was too much good company to let the score ruin the afternoon. Spending a Sunday in Atlanta with people who shared a connection to home was a mood all by itself.

That feeling carried through the entire weekend. People who had moved to Atlanta years ago were swapping stories with those still living in Boston. Friendships that went back decades picked up where they left off, while new connections found their place in the mix. By day three, the line between the visitors and the locals had started to fade. We were all part of the same gathering.

What began with hugs in a hotel lobby became a weekend of music, laughter, and moments we’d be talking about long after the trip. That was the real mood of From the Bean to ATL.

A reunion. A homecoming. And a whole lot of good times.

If it returns next year, I’d gladly make the trip again. There were more conversations to finish, more memories to make, and plenty of reasons to come back.

P.S. 

The scheduled events weren’t the end of the story. Some of us headed out into the Atlanta nightlife, hitting lounges and late-night spots where the DJs kept us moving. Others followed the vibe wherever it led. There was a little more Atlanta to experience before heading home, and a few of those moments deserve an entry of their own.

IT. HAD. A. MOOD.

To be continued next year… 😉