Meda and I left Honolulu late last night on a United flight to Denver, connecting to Atlanta, the site of this year’s annual conference of the American Society of Criminology. It’s Meda’s biggest professional conference each year. She’s has four official appearances on the program, and her schedule is full of meetings with co-authors and colleagues, editorial boards of journals, book publishers, special interest divisions within ASC (including the Division on Women & Crime, and Division on Critical Criminology),and so on. She’s usually conferencing from early morning to early evening.
While she’s working, I’ll be trying to relax. I’ve got one real hardcover book, several digital books, my laptop and iPad. Lots of ways to keep busy. Or not busy at all, as the case may be.
Atlanta is definitely not our favorite conference city. The conference hotels are right downtown. Not much else is right downtown. We’re told that the sprawling Atlanta suburbs have lots of attractions. Perhaps, but there’s never been time to explore them.
I would welcome any suggestions of interesting things to see in Atlanta.
But don’t worry. I’ve got a thumb drive with this week’s Feline Friday photos ready for processing, and even a few sunrise pics. About the cats–Duke was dropped off at VCA in Kaneohe this morning, but the other six cats are at home, watched over by their favorite cat sitter.
Did I mention that Atlanta has a “frost alert” over the weekend? Yikes.
In any case, stay tuned.
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Have you been to CNN or Coca-Cola?
Or MLK’s house or the Jimmy Carter library…
Both the botanical garden and the aquarium are fantastic!
If you’ve been similarly situated in Atlanta previously you may already have done this – take the tour of CNN.
Also, the Georgia Aquarium – Bruce Carlson went from Director at the UH Waikiki Aquarium to Atlanta, but not sure if he’s still there.
I lived in Atlanta in the 1970s while teaching at Emory, and enjoyed Underground Atlanta for its restaurants and folksong bars. The “Burning of Atlanta” bar had drinks like the “Rhett Butler” and “General Sherman”, while the decor was crepe paper walls with rotating lights behind them making it look like the place was burning down.” I remember a great downtown restaurant for Southern-style food, called “Miss Pittypat’s Porch.” If you have time for a road trip, don’t miss Stone Mountain (the Mount Rushmore of the Confederacy).
Georgia Aquarium – hand’s down.
You might want to read Tom Wolfe’s excellent book “A Man In Full” while you’re there- the book gives the flavor of Atlanta.
A 2 hour drive will take you to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail- that would be at the top of my list!
Atlanta Hawks basketball game. They play the Pistons, Celtics, and Orlando Magic in the next week.
Atlanta is served by the MARTA rail transit system. You could take the train up to the Arts Center Station and catch the free shuttle to Atlantic Station, a nationally renowned Transit Oriented Development built primarily with private funds.
The house in which Martin Luther King Jr. grew up is quite close to the downtown area and is definitely worth seeing. Piedmont Park is not far, either; it’s like the Central Park of the South (although less than one-quarter the size) and very well used.
Little Five Points (and surrounding areas) is the closest thing Atlanta has to a Bohemian neighborhood.
The truth is, though, that Atlanta has a very low sights/population ratio. Really, the most interesting thing to do is to tour the neighborhoods, many of which are very different from anything to be found on O‘ahu.
Ideally, you need a geographically knowledgeable local, who is familiar with both black and white neighborhoods and with neighborhoods of all economic classes, to take you around in his or her car.
Here’s an idea. Georgia is a huge corn producing state. It produces about 362 bushels of corn per acre (GMO seeds, of course). You could go tell the farmers that Hawaii has had enough. They can get their seeds from Puerto Rico from now on.
I remember my husband and I enjoyed the American & Canadian Bar Assoc. annual meeting in Atlanta in the 70’s. While he attended meetings, I walked Peach Street. We rented a car and visited surrounding small historic communities. MLK’s church was a high light.
For a Media guy the CNN Center is a must. Pitty Pats Pourch for fine southern dining is also dowtown. From time to time the Fernbank museum has some good exhibits. The best food in town is Greenswoods on Green st all from scratch but may have a long wait to get in & no reservations taken (not downtown). Of course the world of Coca- Cola museum is downtown & a good way to pass a few hours. Enjoy !