PRELUDE: IN THE KNOW

1. Best Brunch

Join chef Robert Gerstenecker for Atlanta’s best brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel’s prestigious, award-winning Park 75 restaurant. Each Sunday, from 11am to 2pm, Gerstenecker creates a unique “Artful Tastes” menu, based on the freshest seasonal ingredients. Not available on the restaurant’s breakfast or lunch menus, the special brunch dishes range from the expected (pancakes) to the exotic (shrimp and calamari Thai salad with peanuts and Kaffir lime leaves, venison and Bay scallops.) Choose from 11 courses; $36 per person. www.fourseasons.com

2. Tea Time

Want to hang out with the beautiful people? Head down to Tracy Stern’s Salon Tea venue in New York’s City Club Hotel for a cup of tea. Every weekend, socialites and stars turn up to sip fine teas in the exquisite setting. Choose from such blends as “Society Hostess,” “Fashionable Dandy” and “Romantic” (Chur She green tea with jasmine flowers). Be sure to try some of the fresh-baked scones, delicious canapés or decadent imported chocolate truffles. Stern’s fans include Oprah, Kim Cattrall and Jessica Simpson, so what are you waiting for? www.salonteas.com

3. Posh Pets

Animal lovers rejoice… Atlanta’s hippest new boutique hotel is pet friendly. The ultra-stylish Hotel Indigo has created a pet-friendly floor for guests traveling with their furry friends. Every Tuesday from 5pm to 8:30pm “canine cocktails” are served on the patio, so puppies can mingle over complimentary biscuits and water. There’s even a dog-sized menu if your pet wants something more substantial. When you’re done spoiling Fido, be sure to enjoy the hotel’s excellent dining, exercise and business amenities. www.hotelindigo.com

4. Go All In

If this month’s poker feature (see pg. 70) has inspired you to try your luck, now is the perfect time to book a trip to Sin City. Starting on September 5, internet travel booker and AirTran Airways’ partner WOW Travel Deals hosts the Plaza Hotel and Casino’s weekly poker tournament in Las Vegas. Held every subsequent Monday, tournaments will have a $500 buy-in with a $50 entry fee. The top 10 finishers at each tournament will be paid, and the first- and second-place finishers will be invited back for the Grand Finals Championship next August with no buy-in cost and a $50,000 first prize. Call 817-735-1783. www.wowtraveldeals.com