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Nicknamed "Hot-Lanta", the city of
Atlanta was like an oasis, it just kinda popped out of nowhere. Georgia is a land filled
with Adult Entertainment, pecans and peaches, yet no one we asked had seen a peach tree in
the state. Billboards lined the highways advertising pecan plantations, which even we got
suckered into buying. By the time we got to
Atlanta, we were well in need of rest and relaxation, but instead were greeted by crazy
drivers, most of whom sported around in high-class cars with cell phones glued to their
ears.
Nonetheless, we took in the city with open arms and made
the most of our time. Kristine Borden, Ellen's long-time high school friend, put us up for
a few nights in her apartment in northeast Atlanta. It was the perfect location because
the following morning, we headed out for our first triathlon
race just outside the city.
Day three we took in the new box-office hit Spiderman,
which we'd both give great reviews and two-thumbs up. That night, we made up a recipe for
baked rigatoni with chicken and veggies and served it to Ellen's cousin Sarah who also
lives in Atlanta. Having missed her at the Easter family gathering, it was great to have some quiet time to catch up. Sarah, in turn, invited us out the
following night to the local yuppie hangout area called Virginia Highlands. A personal
highlight for the Frankster was a close encounter with an old Hokie, Mike O'Neill (always
a pleasure catching up with Mikey).
The last day there was by far the most productive as we
headed out for the Coca-Cola Company headquarters in the downtown region. Complete with an
all-you-can-drink sampling of Coke's 46 flavors (23 American and 23 International), the
tour offered great insight into the 128 year old bottling company's history.
Unfortunately, we missed the unveiling of the new Vanilla Flavored Coke by a few days :(
After the soda tour we headed for Turner Field, part of
the 1996 Olympic park, where the Atlanta Braves beatup on the San Diego Padres (6-1). We
had the privilege of seeing a grandslam, followed by the very next pitch being a homerun
by the pitcher (unheard of)! Whatever you do, don't try to hop-seats like we did, cause
the "authorities" are like hound-dogs ... ha ha ha.
 Atlanta, as
we were told, wouldn't be complete without a stop at "America's first fast-food
restaurant" named Varsity. So, just
before skipping town, we filled our bellies with greasy burgers and dripping onion rings.
Special thanks to Kristine for hosting us :)
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