Dixie in December part 1
Having the excuse of a Wedding to attend in Mobile, Michelle and I decided to make a trip out of it and see some things this Idaho Yank had never seen (“Idaho Yank” seems to me to be something of an anachronism since Idaho was admitted to the Union many years after the end of the War of Northern Aggression. Besides, the Mason-Dixon line doesn’t extend nearly that far West geographically or, arguably, culturally. But whatever.).
To begin my virgin journey to the “deep” South, we flew into Atlanta to get a first hand look at the origins of the South’s (and, perhaps the US’s as a whole) greatest contribution to modern society since Mark Twain: Coca-Cola. Despite what prejudice might suggest about a museum devoted to a massive international corporation, the World of Coca-Cola is a pretty interesting place. Its “centerpiece” is a serpentine time line winding around the walls and detailing the evolution of Coke’s place in American life, its Alexandrian international conquest, and the advertising that got it there. Various rooms also hold exhibits on early and modern bottling practices, small theaters showing classic commercials, and displays of Coca-Cola inspired art. At the end of the museum is a tasting room where I was able to try a dozen or so different Coca-Cola owned sodas including some very strange flavors of Fanta and the infamous Beverly. There’s also a gift shop.
In addition to our Coca-Cola pilgrimage, we also visited the Georgia Aquarium, the King Center, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, and Stone Mountain.
The aquarium offered an incredible display of whale sharks (in a 6+ million gallon tank) and a bad-ass video of an octopus squidging itself through a small pipe, but was underwhelming on the whole given the $24 price tag. The King center was much more interesting; visiting gave a good account of the civil right movement and was a pretty powerful experience. The Fernbank had both a display of the world’s largest dinosaur skeletons (making the bus trip out there worthwhile) and a distinct lack of electricity while we were there (making the trip sort of a bust). At Stone Mountain, we saw the talented glass blowers, entertaining blacksmith, and, of course, the vast relief of Davis, Lee and Jackson that defies complete appreciation due to the lack of any way to get a feeling of scale for the immense, three acre carving.
As a native Tennessean [last state out, first back in, birthplace of the clan, go figure] I can tell you on good authority that you most definitely are no Yankee. Even if you were, we wouldn’t hold it against you–much. Not unless you were a land developer.
I was just admiring your photos and the way they are arranged. Mine never look so sharp or so neat. Sigh.
Tsk tsk, Michael… In Georgia, it’s “The Recent Unpleasantness.”
And apparently you got to see a sea turtle at the aquarium! What were the interesting flavors of Fanta? Did you get to try grapefruit?
Not a native of North Cackalacky (North Carolina), but most would say that anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line is considered a Yankee. Since the line doesn’t go past the Mississippi, Idaho wouldn’t be considered Yankee territory. As person born in the mitten state (Michigan), I don’t claim to be a Yankee, only a Mid-Westener.
“At the end of the museum is a tasting room where I was able to try a dozen or so different Coca-Cola owned sodas including some very strange flavors of Fanta and the infamous Beverly”
What an interesting name for a flavor! I wonder what the flavor is? Great pictures!