So Much For the South

So even though the first day was extremely busy, I had like 2 hours lunch time for my second day in Atlanta. My friend and I took MARTA to Centennial Olympic Park where we had this Googie Burgers which was really nice. Sitting next to the big tree outside having that burger was just awesome and it was the one of the best parts of the whole trip-I know I can be easily satisfied.

The weather was perfect and I totally enjoyed my lunch break time. Atlanta was not as big as I expected, and it’s a little hard to imagine how the 1996 Olympic Games was held successfully. I guess the whole city was full of people from all over the world. Speaking of people, it’s so much more diverse in Atlanta and it’s quite different from Cincinnati.  I guess for those who want to experience the diversities of this country, bigger cities are better choices. Maybe it’s just because I was staying in the downtown area where it looks nice, since I heard other places like south part of the city is a little sketchy, but it’s good I didn’t experience that part for my trip.

MARTA was really convenient and it only took me 20 minutes from the airport to my hotel. This city just reminded me of Shanghai on so many levels. Not like Shanghai Metro though whose stops are 3 minutes away from each other, MARTA stops are like 1 or 2 minutes away from each other. So each stop is within walking distance-well, at least it’s the case in the downtown area.

The neighborhood was quite friendly during my short stay, and the dinner at the South City Kitchen was nice where I had this Jambalaya. Later that night, with three bottles of Champaign for the Oscar party at the host’s apartment, my last moment at Atlanta was quite unexpectedly nice. This trip was worthwhile since I got the chance to meet people who are important in our field and of course getting out of town once in a while is always keeping my sanity. It was hard to get up before 8am each morning on the weekend, and I passed out on my bed back in my room in Cincinnati; but somehow it’s both recharging and relaxing my soul to some extent.