Atlanta!

ATLANTA!!! If you’ve been…you get it. If you haven’t…you have no idea what you are missing! Very very cool, and if for no other reason than the Coca Cola Factory, and if he’s there? THE Coca Cola POLAR BEAR! He’s adorable. I’d marry him if it weren’t for the distance thing! I was in Atlanta maybe an hour before I went to the Factory and did the tour! It was AWESOME!!!! I mean Coke is a household name for certain, but it conjured up childhood memories, and to be fair, there are some great pieces of art in their “museum”! Who cares you say? Where’s the COKE TASTING?! Well…lemme tell you, that ROOM is SWEET! Pace yourselves, there is a lot of sugar going on, sweater teeth and upset tummies are a direct result! You get to try all sorts of different sodas! (“pops” if you are from the Midwest….”cokes” if you are from the south) Different sodas from around the world, some great…..some GROSS! ☺ Now, most cool, is this NEW sort of soda machine, it is TOUCH SCREEN….and it looks like a giant refrigerator. Say you want a Diet Caffeine Free Coke….you push the button, but before you put your cup under? You have to pick WHAT KIND! Like WHAT FLAVOR! Maybe vanilla? Cherry? Hint of Lime!? I mean all these choices for every obscure Coke flavor! They say they are making their way into fast food places, but can you imagine having a bare minimum of 36 choices instead of 4!? Viva Coke! And? Don’t forget to grab your FREE BOTTLE of Coca Cola before leaving the factory and wandering into what seems to be the biggest gift shop EVER!

Now listen…Atlanta offers other things besides sugary goodness, the CNN building really great, and honestly? So is the tour! I was expecting it to be a bit of a yawner….and it wasn’t! They also have a rad food court inside, seems ideal for group travel! Thanks Anderson Cooper for thinking of us!

Martin Luther Kind was born in Atlanta., and it’s where he and his wife are buried. There is a National Historic Park across from his house, and there are even ranger led tours through his birth home if you are interested! Truly a moving place to visit, and certainly ties in nicely to the new memorial in his honor in Washington DC!

Let’s not leave the city without a visit to the Varsity, as it’s a must, if for no other reason than FREE HATS! They’ve been around since 1928, and have a seating capacity of 800! Seriously. 800! And the food is fast, fresh, and delicious. I mean, other than the Coke Factory, you can’t get a more FRESH Coca-Cola! They are well known for their persistent cat-call for you to place your order, “What’ll ya have? What’ll ya have? What’ll ya have? Have your order in your mind and your money in your hand!” Like you’ll hear this over and over! So, I’ll have a “Yellow Dog”, “Strings”, and a Coke! Oh, and I’ll “Walk the Dog”. Translation? I’ll have a hot dog with mustard, fries, and a Coke, TO GO!

Of course that is not ALL Atlanta has to offer, I mean the aquarium is the “world’s largest”, there are plenty of really great museums, a lot of “Gone with the Wind” flare, Stone Mountain is just a hop away, a zoo, the symphony, Fox Theater, but this is simply to create the thirst for Coke! Can’t beat the real thing!