Life is Full of Choices: Oh Atlanta, I Hear You Calling...

Atlanta! You are glorious in so many ways and absolutely reckless in other ways.

We loved the beauty of Atlanta and the outskirts of this city, but were impatient with the horrible traffic and lack of mask-wearers during Covid-19. But that's just me, or us, or me.

Vaccinated and ready to roam the country - we used up the last of our United Airlines $$$ that had been held in reserve from previously cancelled vacations.

First Class is a Dream that I could totally get used to.

Our Stay at the Glenn Hotel/Autograph Collection by Marriott in downtown Atlanta was absolutely lovely. I cannot recommend this gracious historic site enough. Warm and inviting, super friendly and clean beyond description. Their 24-hour valet service was pretty terrific and those guys not only hustled, but were happy with their jobs. I love it when people act like they love what they are doing, even if they don't! This hotel was a great location for us and made walking around downtown an absolute breeze. Mind you, it is an historic building and situated on a thoroughfare, so there was some late night road noise. I haven't heard that kind of road-race noise in quite a while!

What kind of shenanigans did we get into in Atlanta??

Olympic Park - A gorgeous city park, lush and green, right in downtown!

We also stopped into Georgia Aquarium where we fell in love with their sweet belugas.

When the family next to us started singing "Baby Beluga" I just melted.

It was hard to get a picture of them through the plexiglass, but boy were they adorable!

The Georgia Aquarium is one of the best we have ever seen,

second only to the New England Aquarium, IMHO.

We also visited the National Center for Civil Rights - all of these were walking distance from our hotel and just steps from each other. Such a well-planned museum set-up.

The National Center for Civil Rights was a terrific stop, set up as a self-guided walk-through museum with one interactive encounter that set me to crying.

I cannot believe nor fathom the pain, the hurt, the intolerance, and the ugly bigotry.

Visit for yourself and learn.

Mary Mac's Tea Room

Have y'all heard of the Atlanta Tearooms? Well there were originally 20 or so tearooms throughout the Atlanta area, run by women. Respectable women, earning a respectable living providing meals that were homey and delicious.

Mary Mac's is the last remaining of those tearooms and wow - absolutely delicious!

We started this trip hoping for delectable fried chicken and we were well-rewarded.

Crispy, tender, juicy, moist (all those words!) and seasoned beautifully - just plain yummy.

Sides were also so good - chicken and dumplings, cornbread stuffing, yams, and green beans.

Whew. I am glad we were out walking because we needed to work that off!

This Gorgeous Lion King

Oh how we loved Zoo Atlanta!

Such a great space, not too big and the animals (once they woke up) were visible and out for viewing.

This lovely lady was my primary goal for heading to Zoo Atlanta. She just sat there chomping down on her bamboo sticks and enjoying every moment. I could have watched her for hours. So precious.

Zoo Atlanta has a well-respected program for preservation and it is evident everywhere you wander.

Have you ever? I mean ever? This gorgeous white peacock was absolutely glorious. My only disappointment was he never opened up his tail feathers. Wouldn't that be a sight??

Zoo Atlanta is about 40 acres in size and we wandered peacefully for almost 2 hours -

perfect for any attention span.

I can't forget my beloved giraffes, now can I?

Quite close to Zoo Atlanta is the Old Fourth Ward and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site.

The above photo is the family home from when he was a young child. This home was just steps away from the Ebenezer Baptist Church where his father and he both made their mark as preachers.

Be Love.

The burial site and memorial gardens for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr

and Coretta Scott King.

Just hearing the charismatic voiceovers sent chills all the way to my toes.

Sidebar here in the Old Fourth Ward ~

We saw first hand why Defunding the Police and bringing Alternate Resources to the forefront is essential. I may catch flack for this bit here, but I have to be who I am.

A middle-aged man of color with very obvious mental health issues was dropping his pants and and yelling at himself, while smacking himself around his hips and legs. People walking nearby were frightened of his behavior, and someone called '911'. Luckily, the paramedics arrived and helped this man into their rig and probably removed him to a hospital or care center. A couple of police officers stood by, but NO guns were drawn, and no shooting was necessary! I will pray for this man and others like him who need the resources that Mental Health Professionals can offer,

if only we make it available to them.

This dude - sitting on his tomb. Incredible.

~ Oakland Cemetery Atlanta ~

The Cemetery itself was segregated, separating Jews and People of Color.

This kind of thing is always disappointing to see in real life.

But, the property was almost like a botanical garden.

It was one of the most well-cared for cemeteries I have ever seen.

Yes, I have read the book 'Gone With the Wind' and seen the movie dozens of times. I had to photograph Margaret Mitchell's headstone because of her historical purview, though I understand and agree that racism and racist views are virulent and damaging.

No pics of all the great food we ate, but here are some delicious memories.

New Realm Brewing, located near Ponce City Market, and right on the Highline.

Great beer, friendly helpful service, and live music on a sunny afternoon. Sublime.

We wandered through both Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market.

We preferred Krog Street Market and had some of the best bao buns and ramen ever at

Suzy-Siu's Bao Buns.

There was also a Xocolatl (Chocolate) Bar with hot cocoa and bars of yummmmm.

Parking was pretty rough at both places on a Saturday afternoon, but hey, do what you can.

One of the biggest surprises was the Park Bar.

We stopped in here for lunch one day and their burgers were amazing.

Onion rings were crispy and perfect, and the sweet potato fries... best ever.

There was a bit of Yuengling Beer around at some of these stops and thank goodness -

so refreshing and you can't find that here in Arizona.

This lovely piece of Persian Art was by far my favorite from the

High Museum of Art.

This museum had a seriously diverse collection.

We saw some gorgeous African and African-American art, the Persian collection noted above, an assemblage of female artistry, and just a well-rounded display throughout the museum.