DAY 114, 115 –
Well, here are the high lights from my two days in Atlanta,
GA…
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| Photo- The low profile front of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center. |
The Jimmy Carter Museum and Library with the Carter Center…This
was within a four block walk of my hotel room; I walked over on a bike/walk
path near it to the complex. It was a
low profile type of place with a landscaped stairs leading down to a door area
with a reflection pond in front of the doors.
It was understated and humble. I
walked in and went to the gift shop to purchase a ticket. Unlike the Ronald Regan Library that I was at
earlier on my trip; the Carter Complex didn’t check your bags and you didn’t
have to pre-purchase your tickets with times.
This was much more laid back atmosphere.
It was also a bit smaller than the Regan Library too; but then, there
wasn’t an Air Force One retired in the building either.
It all started with a 10 minute movie about Jimmy Carter
that kind of just hit the highlights of his career and then went on to show
what he did after he left the presidency.
It showed him accepting the Noble Peace Prize. From there you went through to a hallway like
area where you went through his life as he grew and came into politics. It was very interesting watching the films
that they had of his speeches and others in his life talking about parts of his
life that they were involved with. The
most interesting part for me was reading and watching film of the time frame
when his family and friends were helping him to campaign for the
presidency. It had never really been
done like that before and it was ground breaking. Now it has become standard political fare for
almost every politician.
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| Photos- A interesting piece of Presidential artwork done. Look at the close up below... |
The museum showed what the oval office looked like when he
was there. There was also a section that
showed an average working day was like when he was president. He started early and didn’t stop until late
in the night. He has an amazing work
ethic and it just amazes me on how much he has done in his life to affect the
world. The last third of the museum
shows the what, how, and why of the Carter Center which is a wonderful place
where they are trying to eradicate diseases, promote democracy through fair
voting practices, and enabling people equal rights to fundamentals such as
access to clean water, food, and to homes.
It’s wonderful to know that there are people out there doing these
things.
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| Photo- Yummy! A grilled cheese and a bowl of chili! |
The Majestic Diner… I visited the last one of the chain
which is about 3 blocks from where I was staying in Atlanta, GA. The first of this chain was started about a
mile away in 1929 and they were a thriving chain of diners that offered good
food that pleases. The last one that
remains was built in the early 1930’s as part of a Plaza Shopping Center some
of which stands next door. The outside
of it almost looks like an old theater marquee with rows of lights and the neon
like signs announcing its presence to the street. I had a wonderful bowl of chili with a kick
and a grilled cheese on marbled rye. It
was comfort food at its best and rather a treat to sit in a booth behind a row
of chairs along a counter area. I could
just imagine people in years past coming in for lunch or a cup of coffee and
sitting here just like me watching the traffic go by on the street outside
while enjoying the food. It just has
such a history when a place has been open that long. Now I will say that it has been refurbished
but it has the same layout as when it originally opened up in the 1930’s.
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| Photo- The Majestic from outside. |
The Home of the Braves… Turner Field… This was one thing I was REALLY looking
forward. I grew up watching the Braves
games on TBS and I guess you could say I ended up being a fan of them by default. You see there really are not any major
baseball teams in Iowa when I was growing up.
Chicago was as close as you would get but it was much easier watching
the Braves games on TBS. At least it was
until; Turner Broadcast took the Braves games off the air in 1996. After that you had to settle for checking the
scores in the newspaper or on-line. I
took a tour of the stadium; they give tours year round.
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| Photo- I'm just behind home plate at Turner Field. |
We started by going to the top of the stadium to the Sky
Field Area where you could look over the field but you could also overlook the
city skyline of Atlanta; along overlook the parking lot area where the old
stadium used to be. This stadium was
opened up in the 1997 season. It was a
wonderful view of the city and I bet that on a clear Summer evening game it
would be a beautiful scene of lights of Atlanta. The Sky Field Area is open to any ticket
holder but it is a standing only area.
We worked our way down into the “club” level of the stadium. This is where the season ticket holders would
be and they would have to show their ticket to get into the air-conditioned
level; otherwise you would have to make do with a trip to the water misters on
the Sky Filed area. We went into a
private box and saw what they looked like; couches, chairs, bar areas with
serving food areas. All of the food
allowed into this area had to be catered through the Aramark Company that
handles all of the food in the stadium.
Next, we went into the press boxes and got to see where they
worked during a game. The live
organists, which Turner Field is one of few that has one, is placed among the
press box area where the writers are.
The score keeper is also in there too.
Then, we went into the locker room area where the players had their
gear. It was roped off because some of
the players keep their gear there year round; but that was neat to take a peek.
Our tour guide took us to what I would
refer to as the “high rollers” lounge.
It was a nice restaurant area with tables and chairs. These “high rollers” got whatever food they
wanted and even got it served to their cushioned seats which just happened to
be right behind home plate. In fact, the
only other people that had a better view of the action at home plate would be
the umpire and the catcher. These seats
were about 10 to 15ft. away from the action and I guess there was a waiting
list for them but at $20,000 per seat per season that’s too rich for my
blood. Oh, and they require it to be a
set of two at minimum. From there we
walked over to the dug out for a quick look around. Then, it was up through the stands to the
baseball museum which was where we started from. I noticed on the way up that all of the seats
are angled to home plate and our tour guide said that was how this stadium was
designed. I thought that was cool.
I then took the time to go through the baseball museum which
is very impressive. There is even a copy
of a contract signed by Babe Ruth who ended his career with this ball
club. It was interesting going through
the museum and seeing how the game has changed over the years.
The High Museum of Art…
This museum is in the heart of the east side of the downtown area but it
is a gem. But what I was even more
fascinated with was the amazing building.
It was a series of open areas with walk ways and had a large open atrium
that went from the top to the ground floor.
The ceiling on the upper floor was like a series of fluted
skylights. I started with the top floor
after paying the $19 entrance fee which I thought was high. The current exhibition on the top floor is
called “Fast Forward: Modern Moments- 1913 to 2013” and featured 100 years of
modern artworks. There were originals
from Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Rothko, Lichtenstein, and Jeff Coons. The show took the artworks by sections of
time frames and it was very interesting looking at what was going on
politically while they were doing their art.
It was an interesting perspective.
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| Photo- The outside of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. |
Next, I went through another section of the museum that
featured works by Thornton Dial called “Hard Truths” this was a mixed media
large paneled works with a great deal of texture and bold colors. Some of these I liked but some of them I must
admit I really hated. But I think that’s
the thing with art, it’s really very subjective. I wandered around and around from floor to
floor. There were sculptures, paintings,
and furniture all throughout. I ended up
having to pick up my pace. I had only
planned about a two hour time frame and could have used days to see everything. I grabbed a quick bowl of soup and coffee in the
downstairs café before I headed out of the place.
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