The news would have you believe that Georgia is open and operating just like normal. The news is wrong. Anything remotely touristy and even the majority of restaurants (even though allowed for a few weeks) to open have chosen to remain closed or operational only for take-out/delivery. Having just visited Phoenix and Nashville that were open, this came as a huge shock to travelers hoping to engage in activities circa February 2020.
After traveling from Nashville to Atlanta, I was excited to pick up Grant from the airport and begin our adventure in Atlanta together. Our flights were a little more than a day off as I had just spent about 36 hours in Nashville prior. About an hour before his arrival the weather shifted. This should have been an indicator as to what was about to come as it started to pour and lightning zigzagged through the sky. This ominous sign was completely ignored by me as I was more focused on trying to navigate the airport. Eventually, Grant found his way out and the rain subsided.
He was on California time and I was on Tennessee time, which means he wanted to go out and I wanted to go in. I relented and went out with him touring a mostly closed Midtown Atlanta. After about an hour the excitement for him wore off and we decided to check into our hotel — Crown Plaza. At about 2:15am, we were awoken by sirens going off notifying us that a potential fire was happening in the building. At first, Grant and I just laid there and did nothing…hoping that it would go away. Eventually, we got dressed and grabbed our valuables. As soon as we walked toward the door the PA went off letting everyone know it was a false alarm. We did open the door and the entire floor smelled like marijuana so we are pretty sure someone lit up in one of the neighboring rooms and set off a smoke detector.
With very little sleep in our systems, we woke up with a spring in our step to go explore. Our spring quickly got sprung when we found that most of the city's iconic tourist spots including the World of Coca-Cola, CNN tour, Aquarium …were all closed. We made the best of it and walked through the Centennial Park commemorating the 1996 Olympics. We did stop at the giant CNN sign, which made a great photo opportunity. Even though the signs clearly say— No climbing….Grant decided to do just that and even got inside the C. When it was my turn to take a photo— the security guard rushed out scolding me. I guess being a security guard is essential to guard against heathens such as Grant and I. We did get a few fun photos that we probably would not have been able to if the city was open.
Knowing that there were going to be unexpected closures we paused to do a little bit of research on places that actually would be open. The first place on our list was the Junkman’s Daughter. A weird hippy shop that is known to have a good assortment of vintage and new items to peruse. When we arrived we knew something was off. The store was dark and alas they were closed. While the website reflected “open” the newly printed sign on their door told a different story. So we did a quick circle around the block and wandered over to our next stop the Krogg Street Market. This time the market was open, but when we went inside there were only 3 or 4 vendors who decided to offer items for sale. There was really nothing of interest.
At the point it came clear that we needed to change our approach. We were not going to be able to go into anything, but we could see things that we would not normally see. This led us to drive to the Tyler Perry Studio. Then we went to the original Chick-Fil-A known as the Dwarf House that was open and operational. On our way back, we saw quite a few people on an overpass taking photos. As we went to see what was occurring, I quickly realized that this was the iconic shot from the Walking Dead series that is filmed in Atlanta. We stopped and got our version of the shot, which came out great! Finally, we stopped at our intended destination the Ponce City Market. This place was an old factory that they repurposed for mixed residential and commercial use. People were out in full force walking around, eating, and shopping. This was by far the most people we saw in one location and probably about 2/3 of them were not wearing masks.
What we did find in doing our research earlier that day was the one attraction that was open for visitors was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This is not normally something Grant and I would flock to, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point. I am particularly fond of sculptures and to see the Alice and Wonderland sculptures made from plants was of particular interest to me. We snapped a few photos and is it got toasty we decided to vacate before we needed to be hosed off.
Having eaten fried chicken every day so far on this trip-- I wanted anything besides fried chicken for dinner. While I was thinking Italian, Grant who hadn’t eaten anything southern wanted to eat some local cuisine. So I found a place that was open for dine-in and looked like it had a good mix of non-friend chicken items. Upon arrival, I quickly noticed that the menu they had to order from was different than the one online. In fact, the main protein in 95% of the entrees was….you guessed it…fried chicken. When in Rome….I mean when in the South! After eating this hardy meal and exploring all we could— the bed was calling.
Right before we were going to turn out the lights, Grant received an emergency text from one of his staff about a situation that needed his immediate attention. Of course, due to the severity and sensitivity, he took the call and tried to ameliorate the situation the best he could from far away. Due to him dealing with this issue— neither of us was able to get a good night's sleep. In the morning, Grant checked out and I went to get the car. Without even noticing I drove right through the gate to get out without paying. In looking in the rearview mirror, I realized someone had just driven right through the bar and it laid in several broken pieces behind me. With parking being $36 a night I said—WOOOHOO and kept driving.
I dropped Grant off at the airport for the second part of his trip (Miami) and I drove back to Nashville to get home to San Diego. For a city that houses CNN you would think that the news would accurately depict the city being open. What we learned and what we are taking from this trip is even though something says open-- call just to be sure.