But first, there was the ever-delightful (or, you know, "death defying") I-85 Derby to navigate. At least the middle section, which was designated at Derek's Shift, passed amusingly...since he took control of the radio with his own carefully-constructed playlist...of country music. Now, I have nothing against this sort of thing--in theory--but I do tend to be extremely picky about which artists I enjoy in this genre. (Let's just say, "yes" to crossover pop-y, "hard no" to twangy and/or sappy.) So my beloved smart aleck son purposefully selected the first song just for me...a charming little ditty entitled...Shut Up and Fish. Oy. (Needless to say, I HATED it...) After that, though, we played a fun game in which I'd ask "Who sings this" (as there were very few I could identify by myself, based on the voice alone), then rate each one as to whether I liked it, loathed it, or had no opinion one way or the other. Fortunately, my reward for surviving this exercise was his second group of tunes, which ran more along the lines of One-D, Biebs, T-Swift, and Maroon 5. (Whew!)
After making it through the grueling odyssey that is Atlanta traffic--and I'm not even going to bother telling you how long the trip actually took, compared to how long it was supposed to--we arrived in Buckhead, where we would be staying for the duration of our adventures. We'd already determined ahead of time that we wanted to eat dinner at a place we'd discovered on our first sojourn: Farm Burger...or, more accurately "beef (Husband and oldest son) and veggie (younger child) patties, kale salad (me--duh), fries, and onion rings (ALL). As we remembered, it was super-yum. Even better, we were able to shake off our extended day in the car by walking there from our hotel, so by the time we headed back to our suite, we had full bellies, good spirits, and our legs had gotten at least slightly stretched out.
The next day we'd planned a full agenda of storming the city (albeit in a totally friendly fashion), starting with a self-guided tour of the Georgia Institute of Technology...or Georgia Tech, as it's more commonly known...G-Tech, which we lazily began using as the day progressed...or...G-Twizzle, which Derek coined, and we all found ridiculously hilarious, so we adopted it. (I suspect we'll have to rein that in if Riley actually ends up at school here...but for now, it sticks...) As we prepared to depart for our campus constitutional, Derek set the tone for the morning by remarking in a vaguely satisfied tone, "Yep, it's not a family vacation unless the car smells faintly of sunblock!" Well alrighty, then--I guess we're off to a good--UV protected--start!
Okay, without further silliness (for the moment) let's move on to the school itself, which all members of Team WestEnders awarded a hearty thumbs-up. First, we approved of the location, nestled as it is into a corner of Atlanta. However, while the tall buildings of the skyline were clearly visible, and you were aware that you were surrounded by a bustling metropolis, the grounds remained surprisingly and pleasantly quiet, sheltered as they were by copious amounts of trees, wide areas of green space, and a combination of lovely red brick, and modern steel-and-glass buildings.
Speaking of which, while wandering around and exploring, we took note of all the cutting-edge features apparent at the university, such as the high-tech science labs and classrooms, state-of-the-art student rec center...and one of our faves: the roof of the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, which boasts a garden covering its entire surface area, with tables and chairs set amidst the array of decorative, well-manicured plants, for students to study--while also basking in the great outdoors.
After admiring these impressive aspects of the institution, we had worked up an appetite. So it seemed like an ideal opportunity to seek out and evaluate some on-site dining options. We located a food court that--besides Coke, which is apparently the required beverage in Atlanta--contained a variety of other edibles. Better yet, we also stumbled upon a cool hangout spot, with a mini-bowling alley; pool, ping pong, and air hockey tables; a movie theater; and a lounge with a stage for live music. The way his eyes lit up when he took all of this in, I swear Riley was ready to fill out his application for (reeeaalllly) early admission...immediately. Finally, we made the obligatory trek to the stadiums (baseball, football, and soccer), to pay homage to the sports teams...and called it a successful...information-gathering outing.
And then, it was straight on to the next endeavor, otherwise known as the Atlanta Aquarium. It was awesome to escape the muggy heat for a few hours and ogle a plethora of underwater species..es...in their (generally) peaceful, soothing habitats. From the playful, adorable penguins and otters, to the hypnotically captivating jellyfish, to the creepy-crawly eels and snakes, it was all fascinating. But the absolute best part had to be the walk-through tunnel, where you could stand and watch ENORMOUS creatures glide above or beside you--like an 8-foot (not even full-grown) grouper, manta rays with 5-yard wingspans, and the most astonishing to me, whale sharks weighing several tons each. Seriously, an employee actually laughed at me and made a teasing "pick your mouth up off the floor" motion while I was frozen in place, gaping at the spectacle. Worth the price of admission, I tell ya.
Once we'd had our share of frolicking with the fishes, we got a reprieve for a few hours, before our final activity of the evening--a baseball game at SunTrust Park, the new home of the Braves (Ha! Sorry. And can I just add: corporate naming rights result in such booooring monikers...), where they would be hosting our own Baltimore Orioles. Since it would be our first foray to the field, I opted for the pre-paid parking...and we did not regret this, once we had safely stowed our vehicle at a nearby mall, in an underground lot, a short walk away from the action. It allowed us to approach the scene by strolling through what can only be described as a full-on party atmosphere. Bars, restaurants, and shops open to the sidewalk, crowds of people milling about, loud music and conversation--Derek described it as "like a baseball...frat!" (As if he would know...yet somehow, he was not wrong...)
Until you got close to the entrance gate, that is...then you came to a screeching halt while you waited for the strictest security check I've ever experienced outside of an airport. No kidding--they poke into every corner of your bag, scan your cell phone, and direct you through an honest-to-goodness metal detector on your way in. I have to wonder what the HECK Atlanta's crime rate looks like, with those kinds of precautionary measures! At least they were thoughtful enough to install a gigantic television screen next to the line-up, so you can watch what's going on inside until you're able to join in the festivities.
Once we did make it in the front door, as it were, we found that our seats afforded us a sweeping view of the diamond, the Jumbotron, and the scoreboard. And everything was...nice. Don't get me wrong, it was all sparkly and polished (like a toy that just came out of the box) and a perfectly fine place to see a ballgame...it just didn't thrill me. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say it seemed cold, and lacked a certain amount of charm that even Turner Field managed to exude, in my opinion. But we were obviously there for the 9-innings (or so we thought...more on that later); thus we settled in to watch the contest. It was 1-0 in our favor for quite a while--which was somewhat shocking, given the pitching performances put forth by the Orioles lately. Eventually, though, the Braves struck back, going ahead 3-1 in the 8th.
And then...the 9th frame happened...starting with the Os plating 6 runs in their half. So, that should be it, right? All the visitors needed was THREE MEASLY OUTS to secure the victory...and allow Team WestEnders to pack it in for the night and go to bed content. Also I could finally stop hearing the annoying tomahawk chop that fans do incessantly--and which is cool to witness once or twice, because sometimes the Braves' powers-that-be turn out the lights in the stadium, and folks wave their phone flashlights while making the eerie "ohhhh, ohhh, ohhh" noise--but trust me, it gets super-old after the 8th...or millionth...time.
But noooo...the Birds' bullpen promptly imploded, giving 4 runs right back in the bottom of the 9th, and for those of you scoring at home, that left us all tied up at the end of regulation, as they say. At this point it had been a 4-hour shindig, at the end of an already looooong day, and the clock was pushing 11:30...so those of us who were old(er) and (more) tired decreed that we'd be leaving after the Orioles batted in the 10th...regardless of whether anyone had won.
Aaand, they had NOT. We trudged back to the garage...drove all the way to the hotel while listening to the game-broadcast on the radio...took showers and got ready for bed with ESPN on in the background so we could continue to monitor the nonsense...and when we finally hit the sheets at 12:45 a.m., there was still no decision. As it turns out, we checked first thing in the morning and learned that Manny Machado had ended the ridiculous affair in the 15th, with a 2-run homer. Ay yi yi. Nice going, Manny--we were totally with you...in spirit!
And there you have it: a jam-packed day o'gallivanting in Atlanta. For now, we rest...and tomorrow, we tackle all the history...and whatnot!
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