Thursday March 30, 2023

I have enjoyed a varied three days in Atlanta with Rita and Christian. We lucked out with a downtown condo rental that is easy walking distance to most of the main attractions and some of the city’s top restaurants. Here is a very quick summary of the things we have been doing.

On Tuesday Rita and Christian walked to the Dr, Martin Luther King National Historical Park and the King Center to learn more about the background, history, activism and goals of his life. He was born, grew up and preached in the same small area for much of his life.

As I mentioned before, I stayed at the condo while they were enjoying MLK and, in the late afternoon, we found an Irish Pub for a light lunch to which we returned for drinks before eating at Alma Cocino, one of the top Mexican restaurants in town. Compared with Washington, great food is very reasonably priced in Atlanta.

On Wednesday we decided to take the Atlanta Street Car. This is a hop-on, hop-off tram service that runs in a loop around the top tourist attractions and we went to Centennial Olympic Park. Little was going on in the middle of the week but the park is attractive and, of course, commemorates the bombing that took place there during the 1996 summer Olympics.

In the afternoon we visited The High Museum of Art which has significant collections from Africa, The Americas, Europe as well as sections on photography, modern art and folk art. There are many interesting pieces on display but a piece by Anish Kapoor that caught my attention was a huge fractal mirror.

In the evening we visited the blues club with the best reputation in the city, Blind Willies, where we were treated to over two hours of entertainment ranging from blues songs I had never previously heard to classics from the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and Wilson Pickett along with a touch of jazz, rock ‘n roll and country. The lead singer was 80 year old George Hughley and it was obvious he had been doing this forever. He had a few singles in the 60’s and early 70’s. He was great and kept the crowd entertained while belting out the songs. The video below will give you a little taste but cannot convey the full experience (video courtesy of Christian).

Thursday was time to get out of town to nearby Stone Mountain which is the most visited tourist attraction in Georgia. We decided to hike to the top of the 1,686 ft (514 m) peak and then relaxed over snacks in the delightful sunshine and cool breeze. The weather was perfect.

This evening we had dinner back at Ray’s in the City with live jazz accompanying delicious food in a wonderful atmosphere.

We only have one more full day here but have enjoyed exploring the city. It is a lively place, with a vibrant, diverse population and a good vibe.