Atlanta, GA

Ice storms in the Midwest end up as trouble for everyone. I got stranded in Atlanta.

The Atlanta airport has a majorly big ant problem.

Luckily, MY GODSISTER LIVES IN GEORGIA!

She was such a sweetie. She and her boyfriend drove an hour to meet me at the airport, so I could stay with them. It was great seeing her and even her boyfriend, too, and talking about all the things we used to do as kids.

One view of Downtown Atlanta

When you drive past downtown, you can see the Olympic torch still there.

Atlanta has changed a lot since I was last here. It’s bigger. And my godsister’s boyfriend complained that mass transportation is never going to happen because people in the suburbs don’t want the riffraff of the city taking it into their neighborhoods.

He also mentioned that the sewer system is archaic because its connected to the street gutter drainage which dumps into the river. (Ew.) That is probably not going to change anytime soon, either, he says.

Politics aside, Atlanta was far too big and sprawly for my liking.

And the AIRPORT IS REALLY MESSED UP. It tells you that you can’t get off the tram at baggage claim because it doesn’t have an elevator. So I got off at terminal D, and then had to walk really far in un-seasoned new high heels (my only dry ones after slushing through sleet in Bloomington, IL) to the baggage claim. However, although the Baggage Claim terminal doesn’t have an elevator, YOU CAN USE THE ESCALATOR!!!! (if you’re not in a wheelchair, that is.) So don’t follow the signs. Just go straight to baggage claim. It’ll be okay. . . .

Also, if you’re in Atlanta, try to find that restaurant with the fried cheese grits. My godsister is really into them, but the restaurant that has them was closed when I got to Atlanta.