Saturday, November 6, 2010
Warning: lots of photos
Warning: lots of photos
We awoke to clear blue skies which was much appreciated after rain, fog, sleet and snow the past couple of days. But it was stinkin' COLD! We began our first full day in Atlanta by heading to the Georgia Aquarium which is touted to be the best in the country. A lot of other people must have read that too, because it was very crowded. We saw many interesting exhibits. Jeff touched stingrays, sharks, sea urchins and starfish and I kept my hands clean since I was handling the expensive camera. Fyi: the starfish felt like a rock, the sea urchin felt mushy, the stingray had a layer of mucus covering it and the shark felt like sandpaper.
...mucus and sandpaper...
...rocky and mushy...
Now isn't this the funniest thing!
This turtle played on his swing underwater...I swear he did!
Fancy lion fish...
Vibrant!
This sea dragon was the crowd favorite...
I thought this fish looked rather unfortunate with such a flat face.
Love his expression...
These eels look like something in a cartoon!
Just gives you a headache to look at him...
These little fishies look like future dinner for this big guy to me...
This is one of my favorites because of the pretty background.
The lining of this guy's tank was not a natural habitat, but looked like cracked glass...
...much prettier than the others.
...much prettier than the others.
Natural habitats, bah humbug.
We took a cab to The Varsity which had been recommended by several people and books we had read. It is located on the edge of the Georgia Tech campus. We weren't about to give up our parking place in the $10 lot because we planned to spend the afternoon back in that area which was filling up fast, thus the cab. We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, onion rings, fries and their signature orange slush. The place was filled with hundreds of people of all ages eating the same fare and we never really understood the attraction. The food was "okay" according to Jeff and "not good" according to moi. But it definitely had character...one of those joints where the people taking your order at the counter yell out "What'll ya have? What'll ya have, What'll ya have?" like an auctioneer. Lots of great people-watching here.
Jeff decided we would save the cab fare and walk back (about 1 mile) to the aquarium area, so off we walked in the cold wind. I didn't wear my heavy jacket or coat because I didn't want to burn up in the aquarium, but geez Louise, I longed for my new fuzzy North Face jacket in the car and my ear muffs at home because it was a record-breaking cold...oh, and we walked over a freeway as well as through an underpass which was clearly a home to folks during the night...downright creepy. All to save $10 on a return trip cab ride...hmmm. (Actually, we didn't see a single cab the whole way back, but it makes a better story to say Jeff put us in misery and harm's way to save a few bucks!)
We finally arrived at World of Coca-Cola which is right next to the aquarium and joined several hundred other tourists from all over the world. The museum was interesting and very well done and we enjoyed it. It was fun to taste-test the Coke products from various countries and it was interesting how many of them we didn't like. The worst one was from Italy called Beverly and I can't describe how awful it tasted. The best description I can think of is "punishment in a bottle". It was just terrible and I got a kick out of standing near that sample and watching people's faces as they tried it.
Jeff and I walked through Centennial Park where the 1996 summer Olympics were held. The one where the stupid guy tried to set off a bomb under a park bench. It was a beautiful plaza surrounded by Atlanta's pretty skyscrapers on a gorgeous fall day. It was late in the afternoon by then, so it was really getting cold and my wonderfully warm jacket was still in the car in the coveted parking spot several blocks away.
I had my first Trader Joe's experience and enjoyed visiting this fun little unconventional grocery store. I think they were the first place to sell reusable grocery bags which I have loved using for several years. Now all the stores carry them, but TJ's is special because they were my first. I might have picked up another bag. In fact, I know I did!
After a brief rest (a.k.a. thawing out period), we met M&N and his parents for dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room which is an Atlanta tradition. Although it began as a tea room in 1945, it now is known for hearty home cooking. The meal began with cornbread and pot likker for dippin' and just got better from there: fried chicken, fried okra, cheese grits, collard greens and cinnamon rolls, oh my. Another Southern meal at its finest.
Grease on a paper plate!
Jeff decided we would save the cab fare and walk back (about 1 mile) to the aquarium area, so off we walked in the cold wind. I didn't wear my heavy jacket or coat because I didn't want to burn up in the aquarium, but geez Louise, I longed for my new fuzzy North Face jacket in the car and my ear muffs at home because it was a record-breaking cold...oh, and we walked over a freeway as well as through an underpass which was clearly a home to folks during the night...downright creepy. All to save $10 on a return trip cab ride...hmmm. (Actually, we didn't see a single cab the whole way back, but it makes a better story to say Jeff put us in misery and harm's way to save a few bucks!)
We finally arrived at World of Coca-Cola which is right next to the aquarium and joined several hundred other tourists from all over the world. The museum was interesting and very well done and we enjoyed it. It was fun to taste-test the Coke products from various countries and it was interesting how many of them we didn't like. The worst one was from Italy called Beverly and I can't describe how awful it tasted. The best description I can think of is "punishment in a bottle". It was just terrible and I got a kick out of standing near that sample and watching people's faces as they tried it.
I just fit right in with the Cola ladies of yesteryear, don't you think?
Bah-hahahahaha!
Even without the funky lighting, Jeff was probably turning colors after tasting Beverly!
Wishing we had a Trader Joe's in the Shug...
After a brief rest (a.k.a. thawing out period), we met M&N and his parents for dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room which is an Atlanta tradition. Although it began as a tea room in 1945, it now is known for hearty home cooking. The meal began with cornbread and pot likker for dippin' and just got better from there: fried chicken, fried okra, cheese grits, collard greens and cinnamon rolls, oh my. Another Southern meal at its finest.
Have to admit it felt good to get in a warm bed tonight and rest my weary feet.
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