Atlanta

Yeap, this is not Georgia...

This is Georgia. 

Most people, at least in my country, are familiar with Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Not many know about Stone Mountain. It is “Georgia’s number-one tourist attraction, and one of the 10 most-visited paid attractions in the U.S.” if believe Frommer. The world’s largest monolithic gray-granite outcropping carved with a massive monument to the Confederacy. 

The sculpture depicts Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson galloping on horseback throughout eternity. It was conceived by Gutzon Borglum, who started work on it in 1923. Due to technical and financial problems he abandoned it after 10 years. He went to… South Dakota, where he gained fame carving Mount Rushmor[1].

I traveled there by myself. At least I started traveling by myself. A trip from Atlanta to Stone Mountain Village took me about 1,5 hour. Train, bus (and only one bus was going there). No tourists in the village... It was even hard to find a place for breakfast there. The main information points and tourist stores were closed. Locals lived their regular life. Jogging, walking dogs… However, I did not meet many on the streets. 

It was totally different in Stone Mountain Park nearby. Folks were climbing with all families up to the hill to get view of Atlanta, Appalachian Mountains… More convenient “hikers” could always take a cable car.

 

 

I enjoyed a walk. I have not climbed for a long time and this trip helped me realize how much I miss it. I did not expect that I would hike in Atlanta as I did not read my guide book with details. Still, when I started hiking, I judged by crowds trying to reach the peak and their unprofessional shoes that it could not be Mount Everest. Not being prepared myself, I made these 1.3 miles up.

The way back gave me even more pleasure. Walking down from the top I heard folks speaking Russian. I turned back and I greeted them in their language. Inga with her husband Igor and son Cyryl. From Belarus. They came here years ago. Cyryl was a little boy. Now he is 16, he is fluent in few languages (including Russian and English) and soon he will have to decide about his further education field. Whatever he chooses, he will start from high level thanks his upbringing and knowledge gained at home, I guess…

Order, Magda, order… Ordnung muss sein! Cyryl knows German too:).

So… Order. Slavs are known for their hospitality. So maybe I should not be surprised with offering me sightseeing Stone Mountain together, inviting me for a lunch or giving a ride to the city, even though it was not on their way. 

Thanks Inga and Igor I saved time on transport to Atlanta. So I could go to Margaret Mitchell’s house at Peachtree street. Here she wrote most of her novels and lived with her husband for 7 years. According to Margaret’s friends, she disliked living here, but finance left few alternatives. She used to call her place “the dump” (dump motif again:)). I think I would like Margaret. Few quotations found there confirmed me in this conviction. Let’s cite just one: "It stinks, I don't know why I bother with it, but I've got to have something to do with my time" - Margaret Mitchell about “Gone with the Wind”. 

 

 

After visiting Peachtree I strolled to Piedmont Park. A place full of life. 

And new ways of life:).

On the way back home…

 

The oldest strip club in Atlanta

I finished my trip in the evening. It was already getting darker and people were warning “lonely girls” of walking by themselves. Jarrett picked me up close to his place. We were just chilling this night and watching “Family Guy”. OK, OK, before that some more ambitious shows on CBS. By the way – worth recommending “60 Minutes”. CBS has it show only once a week, so they have time to make good movies. In CNN they have too much rush, too many movies at once, around the clock… It may hurt the quality of products. I cannot say who told me that:). 

The next day Jarrett went to work. I went to Little Five Points where I was waiting for my companions to pick me up. Stores were closed (it was around 10 in the morning, Monday). But it was interesting to do window shopping only as most of them were artistic, vintage places. Streets were empty… Completely different view to the one the other night. Some homeless were sleeping by the pubs, theaters. 

In the square I chatted with a barefoot women selling records. She was stoned. Hashish. I learned it from the guy who was also strolling there. He introduced himself as a traveler. He was with two other boys. They all live on the street. Atlanta can be a good place for them. It is warm enough. However, the “traveler” mentioned that he is going to Florida soon and asked for some money for his trip. A policeman was checking the area, surveyor was doing measurements, “clean” people were passing on the way to restaurants for breakfast… They were smiling. “Traveler” and his friends were also smiling. The sun was shining… OK. Stop:).

I walked a little bit more with Gill, Brian and Jenell. Jenell was Gill’s close friend with whom she organized “Food NOT Bombs”. A peaceful anarchist. We dropped him at his place, at a commune, where my companions spent their nights. Nice place. They have chickens, a rabbit, some plants, they use rainwater… They just need some more people to maintain it. Gill says that they need a woman.

Jenell's livestock;)

Time to grow something

It was sad to leave Atlanta. Streets filled with dogwoods, azaleas, magnolias, oaks… City with charm of a little town. I heard that Atlanta is good place to stay, not to visit. Some also say that Atlanta is a city to “come from” not to “go to”. Depends what you are looking for. I could have a longer visit there taking into account coming back to still freezing Chicago. 

 

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[1] No sign of his work remains at Stone Mountain, but it was his vision that inspired the project. Augustus Lukeman took over in 1925, but 3 years later, the work still far from complete, the family that owned the mountain lost patience and reclaimed the property. It was completed in 1970 under Faulkner and W. Kirtland Hancock.