I was pleasantly surprised at what a beautiful city Atlanta is! I rode the Hound from Savannah to Atlanta, a ride that took about 4.5 hours. The Greyhound terminal in Atlanta was a bit sketchy, but I got out of there quickly and went to my hotel.
I had dinner at a restaurant attached to the hotel called Paschal's. The food was incredible! It was delivered by robot.
I got chicken wings, and they were enormous - they were more like eagle wings. I also had rice and gravy and brussels sprouts. They were delicious as well - the sprouts were balsamic roasted and then tossed in sweet chili sauce.
The next day, of course I took a five-hour bus tour. This is what I wore - dress by J Crew Mercantile topped with a cardigan by Worthington. It rained a little bit this day.
This is the Atlanta skyline.
Our first stop was the Martin Luther King National Historical Park.
They had a Walk of Fame with many famous figures' footprints.
Magic Johnson
Sammy Davis Jr.
Lyndon B Johnson
Bill Clinton
Stevie Wonder
There was a statue of Mahatma Gandhi - he worked closely with MLK.
This amazing sculpture was called Striding For Freedom. It depicts the famous march to Selma, Alabama. It is life-sized.
Strange sign from the 60s. Black people and white people had access to the zoo on separate days.
They had a beautiful rose garden. It is called the MLK "I Have a Dream" World Peace Rose Garden.
This statue depicts the African tradition of holding up a baby to thank the gods. This was depicted in the Lion King Franchise.
This is the infinity pool which contains the tomb of MLK and Coretta Scott King.
Here is the tomb.
This is the Eternal Flame - The Dream Lives. The Legacy Continues.
A closer look at the inscriptions on the steps of the pool.
We all found these quaint little houses very charming.
An antique fire engine.
The birthplace of MLK. It is currently being renovated on the exterior.
This is how it will look once completed.
The kitchen.
One of the antebellum houses in the charming Fourth Ward.
Ponce City Market - this is an enclosed three-story shopping and dining attraction.
I went to this French patisserie. I got three chocolates - Blackberry vodka, Salted orange caramel, and passion fruit ganache. They were unbelievably good.
I liked this bird book.
My spirit bird - the snowy egret.
Then we drove through the Tuxedo Hills area, where all the celebrities and extremely wealthy live.
The famous Swan House.
The interior of the Hyatt Regency. These elevators have been used in many movies.
There is a beautiful 26-mile-long paved trail called the Belt Line. It takes you through many parks and to almost every area of the city. I walked on it three times to see various parts of the city. It is well-used, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Another view of the skyline.
Graffiti is a form of art that is encouraged and celebrated in Atlanta.
A sculpture at the entrance to the soccer field.
The next day, I went to the CDC. I wore this colorful outfit that I got from Temu.
Here is the exterior of the CDC building. I went to the David J Sencer CDC Museum.
This is the entrance to the museum. I had to go through a metal detector and my bag was x-rayed. You also provide a picture ID - then they take your live picture, it is compared, and your criminal record is run before you can go in.
A display showing the homeless counts conducted by the CDC. It is used to allocate benefits and funding.
There was a display about the polio epidemic. Pictures from Rancho Los Amigos were used - this hospital is located in LA.
Another funny sign - during the 30s and 40s, sanitation of outhouses was a major focus due to the burden of disease caused by diarrheal illness.
There was an interesting display about venereal disease.
Wellbee was an advertising figure used to educate children. He provided the name for Marcus Welby, MD.
A cartoon encouraging vaccination of children. This was a major focus of the CDC in the 50s and 60s.
A smallpox vaccination gun. The CDC was behind the worldwide eradication of this deadly disease.
The Hindu goddess of smallpox - Shitala Mata.
The CDC has published its weekly bulletin, the MMWR, since 1961.
The Legionnaire's Disease display was very interesting. I have seen the hotel where it occurred in Philadelphia.
Good old COVID 19. Very underwhelming display.
This electron microscope had a feature where you could sit at it and move the slides and see how many different viruses appear when magnified 500,000 times.
An artwork showing many microorganisms.
The exterior again.
The guardhouse.
The next day, I walked the Belt Line to the Krog District. I wore pants from Temu and a white T shirt top.
There were a lot of sculptures made of reclaimed metal on the Belt Line there.
At one point, the Belt Line went through a long graffitied tunnel under the freeway and train tracks.
More artwork lined the walls once you exited the tunnel.
The Stumpery Garden - the logs used are naturally felled by fungi as part of the forest's rejuvenation.
A sculpture that reminded me of a stegosaurus.
The path took me through Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown.
Then it was back to Krog Street Market, an outdoor shopping and dining area.
I liked this sculpture of a coyote pack.
The Belt Line leads you through the Atlanta Botanical Garden - it is extremely green and dense.
I took two books from this Little Free Library.
The reflection pool looks out over a different view of the Atlanta Skyline.
My entire trip was wonderful! Not a single bad experience except for the brief stay at the bus station. I flew American, and the flights were on time and perfect.
I did buy a few souvenirs. First, a big scarf from Charleston.
Then five tops from two different thrift shops in Savannah.
A jeweled cardigan.
An Indian embroidered top.
A top with silver beading trim from J Crew.
A mixed media tank.
A knit top with chiffon trim.
A Chocolate lab T shirt from the waterfront in Savannah.
A squirrel coin purse from Charleston.
Perfume from Ponce City Market in Atlanta.
Ritual candles also from Ponce City Market.
I went to Trader Joe's in both Charleston and Atlanta and got their shopping bags.
Then I flew home - I wore this dress from St Tropez West. Glad to be back to my little life!
