"Vibrant Capitol in the Deep South" a Atlanta Travel Page by atufft

When Sherman's Union armies burned Atlanta, the city was obviously forced to start over. Most of the old brick buildings date from the reconstruction era, and so very little, notably a couple of churches, from the pre-Civil War exists today. At the time of my arrival, I was on business and had just one evening to scout out the urban core of this great city. I hitched a ride with the hotel shuttle back to the airport where the last station in one of two MARTA metro lines is located. I purchased a four dollar ticket, good enough for a round trip fare between the airport station and the intersection of the two MARTA train lines at Five Points in downtown. Taking my camera with me, I hoped to shoot some pictures of Atlanta, old and new, with the remaining daylight.

During the civil rights era, Atlanta claimed to be the city "Too busy to hate". While segregation was a problem, the city certainly has a progressive attitude about it. Downtown has many civil rights era memorials, particularly around the popular shopping and bar hopping Underground mall. Atlanta is one of three cities in the USA to host the summer Olympics (St. Louis and LA being the other cities). Olympic park, the most visible remains of the Olympics within central Atlanta is a pleasant place to stroll or toss a frizbee, and along its perimeter are many museums and family related activies.

Atlanta has just under 500 thousand residents, and is the hub for several global giants in the corporate world, including Ted Turner's CNN media empire and Coca Cola. The presence of Bank of America and AT&T are also very evident within the skyscraper skyline. Beyond downtown are numerous suburban communities, a few of which can be accessed by the MARTA train system. Unfortunately, Atlanta's growth has created a major water shortage. The city has overtapped it's main reservoir during the current drought, and my most recent visit, the Atlanta Constitution headlined an article about a US Army Corps of Engineers error during repair of equipment related to measuring the water supply. While Atlanta's core district doesn't really compare with New York, San Francisco, or New Orleans for urban fun, it does merit a visit during a stop over at the very busy airport.