For the Days I Spent with MLK Jr., Scarlett O'Hara, and Atlanta, Georgia on My Mind............What Remains to be Seen
Georgia
is known as the Peach State for the obvious reason but during my research I
discovered that it is also known as the Empire State of the South. How ironic.
I am from the Empire State (of the North) New York, and I am writing about my
visit to the one down South! What are the odds?
After
re-watching parts of “Gone with the Wind” and thinking about the city I visited
it is hard to remember they were once one in the same. Of course time and
history has changed much more than the landscape but the heart of the city
remains. That is the part that drew me to want to visit Atlanta in the first
place.
Now
having gotten just a sample of what this metropolis has to offer I have BIG
plans for when I go back. Here is just a sample of what I hope that will look
like.
The very
first thing I am going to do when I land is what I wanted to do this time
although that struggle became a bit too real as you read.
The
Georgia Aquarium is the largest is the world and has one of just about every
creature from the sea you can imagine. I have yearned to visit for many years
and even more so since actually being in Atlanta and missing my chance.
To get a
good idea of how special this place is you should watch this video.
I figure
I will need a couple of hours to be able to see all that this one of kind
aquarium has to offer.
Another
top item on my next Atlanta itinerary will be the Atlanta History Center. This
facility is located close to Margaret Mitchell’s house but the museum would
have taken more time to visit than I had to truly see all of the exhibits. I
know they have an amazing Civil War display and one on Margaret Mitchell as
well. They also give tours of historic homes and many other cultural sites in
Atlanta. I will need at least half a day for this.
Additionally
I plan on a nighttime visit to SkyView Atlanta, a Ferris wheel over two hundred
feet in the air above Centennial Olympic Park, where the Summer Olympics were
held in 1996. I have a fondness for such experiences. My first was in London
back in 2009 when I visited the London Eye. My second was in Chicago on more
than one occasion at their Navy Pier (http://bit.ly/2jT9pL7).
There is nothing like seeing a city from above. Sometime this year a Ferris
wheel six hundred feet in the air is set to open near my hometown in Staten
Island, New York. I don’t have much use for that borough but I suppose will
have to check it out for research purposes.
It’s not
a must but if I have time on my next trip to Atlanta I would love to tour the
CNN studios. It is my favorite network and news media and I wouldn’t mind a
behind the scenes peek. I toured the BBC Center when I was in London and that
was cool but knowing the shows on the air more closely I feel will make the
experience that much better.
But sight
seeing is not all I have planned. Eating is plenty important to me too. Gus’s
Fried Chicken (http://bit.ly/2koK8Jz) a
place I LOVED in Memphis and they have an outpost in Atlanta so I must go on my
return, probably right after the Georgia Aquarium.
I also
want to visit Gladys Knight’ s Chicken and Waffles. Clearly I have a thing for
fried chicken. I actually almost went during my time in Atlanta but I heard it
had been temporarily closed by the Health Department and that there had been
some disputes between the family and the leasing landlord. Perhaps I won’t eat
here next time but just stop by for a photo and to see if Ms. Gladys is in.
During my
time in here I learned that Birmingham, Alabama, a place I have always wanted
to visit and now has a brand new National Historical Landmark, is only a
two-hour drive from Atlanta. My hope is that I could fly into Atlanta and spend
a few days there sightseeing and eating all that remains on my list. From there
I would rent a car to visit some other Georgia sites I have my eye on, on the
way out of town. The most important to me are the Whistle Stop Café, famed from
the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes”, and to the Little White House in Warm Springs
Georgia. Warm Springs is said to have such therapeutic natural waters that have
healing abilities. It is the home F.D.R. went to as a way to recuperate from
polio and help others afflicted by the same illness.
Since my
return visit seems to be all laid out I just hope it happens as soon as
physically possible.
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