ATLANTA - HOTLANTA

Atlanta is the capital of Georgia and the largest city in the South. Burnt to the ground during the Civil War, Atlanta has rebuilt itself over the years and is now one of the country's more dynamic cities. Several international businesses began here, including CNN and Coca-Cola, and Atlanta is also home to the Center for Disease Control. A number of famous Americans are also Atlanta natives, most notable among them would be Martin Luther King, Jr. and Margaret Mitchell, author of "Gone With The Wind".

Atlanta is located in northwest Georgia at the crossroads of three major interstates: I-75, I-85, and I-20. The city itself is not that big, ranking only 39th in population according to the 2000 census, but with plenty of affluent suburbs, the population is more than enough to support pro teams in each of the four major sports leagues, including the Atlanta Thrashers who joined the NHL in 1999.

Of course, Atlanta's most important sports event was the 1996 Summer Olympics - a great spectacle that has left its legacy in the Centennial Olympic Park as well as Turner Field. Yet another Atlanta contribution to the sports world is the now-closed Gold Club, something that may not go down in history as favourably as the Olympics.

Centennial Olympic Park

Atlanta has a couple of nicknames, including Hotlanta due to both its weather and interesting nightlife, Empire and White City, a rather ironic moniker given that the city is home to MLK and his fight for equal rights. Andrew Young was the first black mayor in America and Atlanta has often led the way in civil rights legislation. 

Our impressions: Atlanta is not easy to get around in. The streets are narrow and it is a difficult city to drive in, especially in the downtown area, where there is no grid system and street names change every few blocks. Although the transit system, MARTA, is very good, it is expensive at $1.75. There are no day passes for individuals, so you may not want to use it to go just one stop. At any rate, walking around downtown is no problem at all as everything is close together, MARTA is generally used to get to and from downtown. It is best to avoid looking for parking downtown, it seemed tough to find and expensive if you managed to get a space. However, a car comes in handy for heading to suburban attractions such as Stone Mountain.

The downtown core is at Five Points, where 5 different streets meet at one intersection. The MARTA transfer station is here, as is Underground Atlanta, an interesting and lively shopping center that has been built under old railway tracks. The State Capitol and Coca-Cola's Museum are nearby as well.

Weather here was great - sunny and clear, but not humid. It cools down in the evening, but was never cold enough to require a jacket.

The people here are very outgoing and a lot of fun. As you walk around, people will actually say hi to you, and they seem like they actually mean it. There are exceptions of course, but I found service here at restaurants and other places to be very good. There is definitely truth to the term Southern Hospitality - it takes some getting used to.

Near Five Points

Overall, Atlanta is a city of contrasts. The old style charm merges with the new style of business. World headquarters stand on narrow streets that are the same as they were years ago. The city was once segregated and it maintains some level of racially divided neighborhoods, even though it is the home of the father of the African-American civil rights movement. But all of these contrasts make Atlanta an interesting city that should be visited for longer than just 3 days. There is so much to do here, and a lot to learn; Atlanta is living up to it's new nickname: the Next Great International City.