World Of Coca Cola

Another big day today. Joe and Tim are going to show me around Underground Atlanta and the World of Coca Cola. Keep in mind this was 2001. Since then The World of Coca Cola has moved to Pemberton Place, Atlanta GA.

We started with a walk-through of Underground Atlanta, an entertainment complex that centers around the Zero Milepost that marked the terminus of the Western & Atlantic Railroad in the 1800’s. It was conceived in 1969 by a group Atlanta Businesspeople. The area had been a bustling center of Atlanta until the early 1900’s when it became so congested that permanent concrete viaducts were constructed over it. This raised the street level and rerouted traffic over a maze of railroad tracks. Businesses closed up their locations below and moved up to the new level. The lower level became storage space and was deserted for most of the 20^th century.

The 1969 entertainment idea was great but the complex declined and closed after about a decade. Then in 1989 the idea was revived and a larger, livelier Underground reopened becoming , once again, a bustling entertainment Mecca and urban market place. Unfortunately, financial problems , lease disputes and management issues all combined to another decline giving the complex a rather seedy reputation.
The Underground occupies 12 acres in the center of downtown Atlanta. There is an outdoor staging area for concerts and performances, and the dancing cascades of the Peachtree Fountain Plaza. Markers throughout the complex indicate historic sites and although the complex has not lived up to it’s promise, it was still worth visiting.

It would be interesting to see how it has changed and developed in the 9 years since I was there.

Exiting the Underground we headed to the World of Coca Cola. This was awesome! Inside were icons and relicts of the Coca Cola empire. Classic bottles, original advertising, the Polar Bear mascot and loads of photo ops. The last part was a soda fountain where you could sample coca cola products from around the world. Believe me, they don’t all taste like the Coke we know. In fact, some were awful to my American taste buds but it was still fun!

From The World of Coca Cola we walked through Centennial Olympic Park. Centennial Olympic Park is a true success story of reclaiming a run down urban area and making it into something wonderful. Atlanta was hosting the 1996 Olympic Games and CEO of the Games Committee was looking out his office window at the multi block eyesore when a light bulb went off. He envisioned reclaiming this area and transforming it into a gathering spot for the Olympic games and the years to follow. Atlanta embraced his vision and the park was created without the use of any public funds!. The estimated $75 million development cost was raised entirely from grants, philanthropic donations, funds raised by the Metro Chamber of Commerce and the sale of commemorative bricks.

The park sponsors a wide range of community events including Forth of July Celebrations and Saturday Family Fun days. The park alone draws and estimated three million visitors each year . Seems like it was a good investment for the folks of Atlanta.

　
Wrapping up the day we decided to find Gladys Knights’ Chicken & Waffles Restaurant to have dinner. I had seen this featured on a Food Network Show. It’s a cozy little restaurant with booths and the signature dish is… chicken and waffles . It wasn’t busy when we were there and when we told the waitress that we’d seen this on Food Network, she brought us a complimentary plate of Fried Green Tomatoes. Not bad, I had never had this southern favorite before.

Satisfied with our southern dinner it was time to call it a night. I was heading back to the Boston Area in the morning, my mini vacation at an end.