Atlanta 2006

By next week, I'll have stories about about Vibes and a so called Twister Game, not to mention Bobcheese, so I figured I'd give Atlanta the attention it truly deserves!

I knew last summer that if I were to go back to Atlanta, I had to bring Joe with me. It really is a beautiful city and I wanted to go back this summer and spend some time with my dearest, oldest friend Lori. So we were finally able to make plans to head down there.

Of course, I wanted to take Joe to some of my favorite Atlanta digs, but I was fortunate enough to try some new Atlanta fun this year, like the new Aquarium. It just happens to be the largest aquarium in the world and they've got Whale Sharks and Beluga Whales (the kind that was in the Delaware last year)!! So we spent a day in midtown at the Aquarium, along with Centennial Park from the 1996 Olympics and lunch at the CNN Center.

I surely couldn't go back to Atlanta without heading to my most favorite place, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Fortunately, there was a new sculpture exhibit on display by Niki. The sculptures were larger than life and very fun to play on! Of course, the day was balanced out with a trip to the Sweetwater brewery that night where I got to be the designated driver. Take three people who love beer, one person who doesn't, and 6 extra beers split amongst them from me, and you've got an interesting concoction of total drunks! Take those drunks to a Krispy Kreme, where the Fresh HOT Now light is on and you've got quite an adventure! The night ended with a dip in the rooftop pool, where hijinks ensued, and Joe ended up scraping his face on the bottom of the pool. It surely made for good laughs afterwards.

When we woke up on Thursday, the plan was simple: A leisurely day wandering to various places and heading back to the airport at 2:30 or so for a 3:45 flight. Surely, it wasn't that simple. Thankful for a phone call from Joe's mother telling us about the glorious terror plot, we knew our plans were changing. We took Joe to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see the grand Skeksis from the Dark Crystal and the amazing Gumby Exhibit! Then we headed off to Mellow mushroom for a great lunch before heading into the airport for the disaster of a lifetime!

Overall, it was a fantastic trip! Joe loved Atlanta, as I knew he would. Hopefully we'll be back soon!