Road Trip: Southeast
Day 6: Monday, September 26, 2022 - Atlanta, GA
Day's statistics:
Weather:
Steps: Steve 12,597; Linda 10,382
Drove: 265 miles
Our first capitol! Of this trip... And it only took SIX DAYS to get here!
This city skyline on approach.
The capitol from the parking lot where we left our car for a couple hours while we toured.
Our capitol selfie.
A statue on the capitol grounds.
We got our stamp.
The capitol is four floors. This is one of the atria.
There is a "museum" on the fourth floor. It was display cases in the halls rather than a dedicated room.
These Georgia-mined marble pillars date as far back as pre-1909. Other Georgia-mined marble includes that used
for the Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial, Minnesota State House in St. Paul, the east front of the U.S.
Capitol in D.C., and the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta.
All 50 states were given tiny fragments of moon rock by President Nixon. A handfull of states had their's lost
or stolen. Here is Georgia's, along with the small flag that was also on the Apollo 11 rocket.
Along with the museum, we captured some architecture and fixtures pictures.
A look across the rotunda.
This flag is probably from about the 1860's, and was used by the Richomond Hussars cavalry militia.
In the corner, adjacent to the stairwell, was this meeting room.
On top of the dome is Miss Freedom, which is sometimes mistaken for the Statue of Liberty. The torch has a
330 watt bulb in it that is changed with a long rod that extends from below the statue within the capitol, all the
way up to the torch. This is a smaller replica.
The Senate gallery was locked, so we got the pictures we could through the glass doors including
some of the chamber, the president's chair, the gallery, and the chandelier.
The chandelier and ceiling.
The House gallery was also locked, becase it was "closed for renovations", but we still got pictures from outside
the gallery of the chamber, the speaker's chair, and the gallery.
The chandelier and ceiling.
We were done on the fourth floor and walked down to the third.
There was a model of the construction of the dome.
There was a sign outside the Senate chamber that read: "Senate Chamber Open 9:00AM - 4:30PM".
But the Senate was locked, so I stuck my head into an office across the hall from the Senate to ask about
it, and the woman there sent me to the Secretary for the Sargent at Arms' office. Cheree checked the
schedule and said that it SHOULD be unlocked. So she unlocked it for us! Never hurts to ask, right?
So here are some more pictures of the Senate, but this time from the floor of the Senate rather than outside the gallery.
A bust of Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind, one of Oglethorpe, and one of
Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts.
We came across what we can only think was an old bank of booths that once housed things called "pay phones".
A portrait of Andrew Jackson, and one of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Governor's Office.
We were done on the third floor and walked down to the second.
Looking up at the rotunda.
Around the rotunda are portraits of important figures in history, such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lafayette.
Separately, a portrait of President-to-be Governor Jimmy Carter.
Another very old flag.
The first floor is where the entrance and exit are. So it was time to depart the capitol.
We were done inside, and headed toward the parking lot and our car.
On the way out, we passed what we assume is the Supreme Court.
A couple sunlit shots of the dome on departure; one with the flags furling.
There were a group of plaques dedicated to the war and the evacuation of Atlanta. Rather than rewrite all the
text, here it is in case you want to read it.
In one corner of the outside of the capitol, there was a memorial / dedication to President Jimmy Carter.
In addition to a statue, the benches were engraved.
After crossing the street, we came across this replica of the Statue Of Liberty dedicated by the Boy Scouts of America.
And next to the statue was this "Constitution Park", we're calling it, because it has a plaque referencing
Georgia's ratification of the consitution, and there are 13 flags representing the original 13 colonies
(Georgia was the fourth), as well as this replica of the Liberty Bell (that each state has - and we've now
seen about a half dozen [or more, we're not really "tracking" the bells we see]).
And the best shot we have of our state flag blowing in the wind - it was either this, most of the design and
none of the date below it (which IS part of the DE state flag); or more of the date and less design.
After the capitol, it was too early for lunch, so we headed toward Centennial Olympic Park to see some of the
sights we missed last time we visited, such as the Olympic rings.
En route, we came across this highway pan (and no, it is not the rings we were seeking).
We pulled into a lot with pay-at-a-kiosk parking. Something felt off in this lot for some reason. Then a space on
the streen opened up just outside the lot, so we took that one instead. We paid for some parking, and started our walk.
A shop or two down on the right was a small gift shop, so we stopped for our shot glass.
And then contunued our walk to the park.
Near the far end of the park (from where we were) was this statue and quote.
At the farthest end (from where we were) of the park were these rings (I captured them without people in the
frame, but they were about twelve feet tall).
And a fountain.
And a ferris wheel.
Some flags.
A large torch.
And a kids' play fountain(?).
Linda is a big fan of Gone With The Wind - it is one of her favorite movies. And we were going to go to Margaret
Mitchell's House (the author of GWTW) for a tour. While sitting in the park to get the address to see where it was
in relation to where we were and were going to go for lunch... we find the MM's House was temporarily closed.
So we didn't go there.
After the park, we headed to Thumb's Up Diner for lunch.
There were no printed menus, one had to use their phone to scan a QR code. I wonder what the small percent
of people that don't have smart phone or any cell phone whatsoever do.
Linda had the Greek Stuffed omelet.
I had the Hamburger Melt on pumpernickel with fries.
We were planning on going to the Piedmont Park and Botanical Garden in the afternoon. But the Botanical
Gardens were closed (it was Monday, after all...).
But we were still able to sit on the bench swing for a bit, as well as walk around the rest of the park some.
There was an "activity field", as well as a pool and a pond, tennis courts, and some trails.
The city skyline (stitched) from the park, and some pond images including some fowl.
After we were done in the park, we started to walk back up the incline toward where the car was parked.
We spied this sculpture in the rear portion of the Botanical Garden, behind a fence.
We also saw this tree that grew around the fence post. It was, shall we said, wierd.
We were done in Atlanta, and, Georgia, for that matter.
So it was time to head to South Carolina.
On the way, of course, a state line.
Before making our way to the hotel, we stopped by a grocery store called Lowes (similar to the hardware store,
but spelled without the apostrophe; and they sell groceries).
Since lunch was a little heavy, we shared more of a snack than a meal, and it consisted of five chicken wings
and a chef salad. Normally we would have also shared some wine, but, you know, illness.