Have a Coke and a Smile

 I am condensing two days into a single blog, as we have had a hectic couple of days.  We arrived in the nick of time (after forgetting we would lose the hour we gained coming from Birmingham to Atlanta) for a 2:30 campus tour of Emory (actually we arrived just past the nick of time, at 2:35, but were able to join the tour), exploring the campus and surrounding areas just long enough to fall in love with this wonderful school.

Olivia, our guide, explained how the new student center was built AROUND the historic building within.

Unfortunately, that was also long enough to get ourselves into a mess of rush hour traffic coupled with a construction nightmare surrounding our hotel that has all of the most accessible streets blocked off.  We finally found our way to the hotel to check in, then had to work our way back through the construction and traffic to meet Clay, Alex, Sophia and Fiona for dinner in Buckhead.  Since they are staying about 20 minutes from us, we finally found a nice little space to visit after dinner for a few minutes before retiring to our respective hotels.

Today was equally hectic - and rewarding.  We started the day off with a visit to the Martin Luther King memorial, which is located on the same street where he was born and raised for his first 12 years.  The street has been preserved just as it was when he lived there.  The exhibits were powerful and interesting, and we easily spent a couple of hours exploring the area before realizing it was time to meet Clay and the girls for lunch and a visit to the World of Coca Cola.   I was also quite moved to see two large groups (unrelated to one another) of black family members who appeared to be making this spot a highlight of their trip together.  I was perusing the exhibits at about the same speed as a handful of adult members of the group outfitted in t-shirts that read "Reunion of Cousins: Las Vegas 2011, Bahamas 2012, Atlanta 2013."  1) I want such a reunion and such a t-shirt and 2) I wish I'd thought to ask them what 2014's location will be!

Daniel reads about the eternal flame, across from the King tomb

"Shotgun" houses preserved as they were when MLK lived there

You can see some of the reuniting cousins across the street as Daniel waits for us to cross to MLK's house

Though tickets to tour the interior of the house were gone when we arrived, we still got a glimpse of MLK's childhood.

Once we finished touring the historic site, since parking is such a premium, we decided to return our car to the hotel and walk - in the notorious Atlanta heat and humidity - to the restaurant.  Needless to say, we were a bit wilted when we arrived.  Luckily, the air conditioning was working well and the food was delicious.   And we knew we had lots of icy beverages awaiting us ;)

Next stop - the World of Coca Cola, where the lines were long and the place was hopping.  Still, we were enjoying each other's company, so we didn't mind waiting in the lines so much.  Once inside, we enjoyed exhibits on "pop culture" (such as the Norman Rockwell paintings depicting Coke), a look into the "secret recipe" for coke, which is kept in a vault (or so they claim), and, of course, the tasting room, where one can taste up to 62 varieties of Coke products from around the world.  I believe Dana tried them all!  The ones we liked best were Ice from Korea and Inca Kola from Peru.

The girls compare Cokes

Clay checks out the bottling process

Daniel and Sophia make Coke art

Sophie, Clay and Maddie appreciate the Rockwell paintings.

The kids search for the secret recipe - and make cools shadows :)

Waiting in line was a family affair

With all the unexpected crowds and lines, we found ourselves in the gift shop getting ready to exit at just after 6:15, when I casually decided to check (on my phone, as the tickets were back in the hotel room) what time the concert started.  Lo and behold - it started at 7:00 rather than 8:00.   Since it was 20 minutes away, and we were still a good 15 minute walk away from our hotel and car, it was time to bolt.  And bolt we did.

We made it to the hotel, picked up the tickets, got the car, navigated around the construction, started driving (with the light indicating we needed gas already on!) and made it to the venue, found a parking spot and started booking into the amphitheater by 7:15, just as Guster took the stage.  It was a comical drive to the concert, to say the very least, but I'm home safe and sound at 1:13 AM happy to report that the concert was wonderful, the car is filled with gas, and we are all ready to retire for the night.

The boys are ready to rock!

Ben Folds was terrific, though the audience a bit too chatty!

Tomorrow morning, we meet Jessica for breakfast at Rise N Dine (which I keep calling "rise n shine," ironic given the late hour we're all getting to bed; Jessica also attended a different concert tonight!) and then it's off to Gainesville for a reunion with Kerrie and Heather!