FRIDAY FREE KICK: A new Atlanta resident gets to know the city - and its surroundings

After packing up my things and moving to the northern suburbs of Atlanta, it didn't take long for me to realize that I was no longer in rural South Carolina, my home for the last little while.

Since I've moved to Atlanta, I've seen a Maserati and a Tesla. Safe to say I'm not in Greenwood, South Carolina anymore.

— Sydney Hunte (@sydh) December 17, 2015

It wasn't a huge culture shock for me to adjust from Greenwood, population 23,000, to metro Atlanta, population 5.5 million. I spent five years living and working in Charlotte, where many of my friends remain. But after having lived in Charleston, and then Greenwood, Atlanta's a whole different ballgame.

So far, so good. Apart from a worn tire that I needed to get repaired a few days back, and the crippling commute home (after having grown used to a 20-minute round trip between home and work in South Carolina, I'm fortunate to make it home in under 40 minutes from Duluth to Alpharetta), I've enjoyed it so far. I've done a lot of walking, around Midtown, Downtown, and even Buckhead, a place that I feel too poor to even drive through. But it's been a lot of fun so far. I'm especially looking forward to catching some action at Turner Field when my Mets come to town (and at Suntrust Park starting in 2017) and hope to be in attendance for Atlanta United's first match that same year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown. I consider myself a student of the game that has really become interested in it from a domestic and international standpoint in the past few years; hopefully the learning will become a little more accelerated now that an MLS team is headed here very soon.

I'm still getting used to things around here, so if you have any tips, traffic shortcuts, or spots where I can find the best fried chicken or sweet tea (or any other recommended restaurants), hit me up in the comments or on my Twitter account (@sydh).

And if you own a Tesla or a Maserati, I wouldn't mind a ride, either.