If you're familiar with the story, you'll know that most of the action in GWTW takes place in Atlanta. I spent some time downtown seeing things that Scarlett O'Hara never would have imagined. I began, not far from Five Points (which is mentioned frequently in the book), at Centennial Olympic Park.
As you can see, this set of fountains is fashioned after the five interlocking Olympic rings. When it gets hot, children love to cool down in the water.
In addition to the fountains, the park houses a couple of playgrounds and a series of small waterfalls. All in all, it's a great place to relax.
After hanging around the park, I went over to the Georgia Aquarium. I took this photo especially for Jonathan, who absolutely detests alligators and crocodiles. Truth be told, I'm not crazy about them either.
I was also impressed by the rich colors of the starfish, urchins and whatnot.
The colorful Lionfish is not native to the American seaboard. Since it's natural predators are not in these waters, it's been causing ecological havoc up and down the Atlantic seaboard.
In contrast to the unpleasant story of the Lionfish, I have the heartening story of the Robust Redhorse Sucker, which was believe to have gone extinct in the late 19th century. It was rediscovered in southern US lakes in the early 1990s, and efforts are being made to stabilize the population, as they are still a fairly rare species in danger of extinction.
I have no idea what this one is, but I love the bright colors, so here it is.
Jellyfish are always interesting too.
I'll conclude the photos with some Whalesharks and a Beluga Whale.
In addition to sightseeing, Dave and I have enjoyed some fine dining experiences. One night, we joined a number of his business colleagues for dinner at Twelve, where we both enjoyed very nice beef dinners. On another evening, we joined a handful of his colleagues for dinner at Canoe. Dave ate his rabbit with relish, and I feasted on pheasant.
Thus concludes my account of the first half of our Gone With the Wind vacation. Stay tuned for Part Two, coming soon.
3 comments:
Did you get to the Margaret Mitchell house? When I was in Atlanta last yearI was so disappointed that I did not have a chance to see it.
Unfortunately, I didn't get there. We'll have to come back when it's not so hot (who goes to Atlanta in July?!), and see some of the stuff we missed this time.
I'm with you and Jonathan. I'm not a fan of crocs and alligators either.
It sounds like a great vacation so far. I love your pictures.
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