ATLANTA, GEORGIA : APRIL 2011 : LODGING + DINING

Atlanta Accomodations :

We went to Atlanta because my husband was presenting at a conference was held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. With 50 floors it claims to be the largest motel in Atlanta. The photo is looking up at the balconied hallways. It’s probably best that we didn’t stay at this motel as Scott is afraid of heights and wasn’t thrilled about riding in the glass elevator to attend a meeting there.

I however enjoyed riding the glass elevator and walking around one of the floors. While we were up there I noticed this: I think the shadow on the building looks like a man wearing a hat and reading. And since this conference was for college English teachers, I thought it was appropriate.

We actually stayed at the Motel 6 which is catty-corner to the one where the conference was, and there was an entrance on the same side as our motel so we were only half a block away. Our motel had free parking in their underground parking garage and free wireless. It was located less than a mile from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, Inside CNN Studio Tour, World of Coca-Cola and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.

Atlanta Dining :
Because we went to Turner Field one night we didn’t have to get many meals in Atlanta. We had hoped to get something at Underground Atlanta but weren’t in the mood while we were there and instead ended up eating at Gibney’s Pub which we enjoyed (and were able to watch part of the Brave’s first home game of the season).

To read about attractions on Atlanta, click here.
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA : APRIL 2011 : ATTRACTIONS



Part of the Atlanta skyline reflected in the pool at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

We went to Atlanta so my husband could present at a conference there. While he was working, I was able to take in some of the sights. Unlike Louisville, the conference location last year, I didn’t find Atlanta very walkable.

And while there were several attractions less than a mile from our motel, the ones I was interested in were five miles from the motel, so I drove to them. I didn’t really enjoy driving in downtown Atlanta, especially around rush hour, but it wasn’t too bad because I had a GPS system. And although she seemed to misplace me a few times, I always got to where I was going.

Atlanta Botanical Garden : this was by far my favorite place in Atlanta, so much so that I have 72 photos from there (I actually took more than that but I deleted some). I won’t put all of them on this blog but if you like plants or being in nature and you’re going to be close to Atlanta, I’d recommend stopping for a visit.

I was there in early April during their extravaganza of tens of thousands of blooming tulips (one of my favorite flowers).

They have a 600-foot-long canopy walk which is 40 feet high and allows you to walk through a woodland area up in the trees.

The extensive children’s area has lots of hands-on learning areas and when I was there they also had docents doing activities with the kids. Oh how I wished I the 8-year-old me could have experienced this!

The large conservatory was then filled with wonderous plants including some Cissus plants. The "vines" that you see hanging in this photo is actually their aerial roots.

Part of the conservatory has a large area dedicated just to orchids.

I thought that the Japanese Garden was colorful and also peaceful.

Many of the formal garden areas such as the Trustee’s Garden had walls and gazebos that made the gardens even more enjoyable.

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Atlanta History Center : includes the Atlanta History Museum; historic gardens; and two historic houses, the Tullie Smith farm and the Swan House.

The Atlanta History Museum has exhibits about the Civil War, and Atlanta’s role in the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, the Centennial Olympic Games and Southern Folk Art.

The gardens include native plants located in a former quarry on the property, an Asian-American garden, a rhododendron garden, a colonial vegetable garden at the Tullie Smith farm, and formal landscaped gardens around the Swan House (photo above).

The Tullie Smith Farm includes costumed docents and a tour of the house and out buildings.

The Swan House is an elegant mansion built in 1928 for the Inman family who were the only people to live in the house which was donated, along with much of the original furniture, to the History Center. You’re not allowed to take photos inside the Swan House but I got some good shots of the outside.

Tours of both the farm and the Swan House are included in the admission price but you have to schedule your tour when you buy your tickets. The tours fill up quickly so it’s suggested you arrive early. The tours are offered every half hour but each tour also lasts for half an hour (or more) and are about a 5 minute walk from each other so you shouldn’t arrange them back-to-back. I spent several hours at the center and still felt a little rushed.

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High Art Museum : The art museum spans three different buildings that are connected on two of the five levels, which was a little confusing to me. I was mostly interested in the special Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends exhibit, which was on the Skyway (top) level of the Anne Cox Chambers Wing.

After viewing that I followed the skyway into the other two buildings which, luckily for me, featured contemporary art, modern art and folk art, all of which I enjoy. As I descended in levels, I moved back through art history, which was less interesting to me. I was a little pressed for time so I didn’t spend as much time in these levels.

Their website stresses the importance of reserving tickets and that special exhibits are timed so you can only enter during the time on your ticket, although I must have gone at a slow time because I didn’t have any problem getting in and no one checked the time on my ticket.

And while they allow photography of some exhibits with special permissions, they don’t allow those photos to be used in blogs or other on-line places so I didn’t take any photos of the art inside the buildings.

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Turner Field : This year one of the conference vendors hosted a party at Turner Field, so Scott was able to go visit this attraction, which was on the top of his list of things to see. There wasn’t a game that night (and actually the party was the night before their first home game of the season) but we got to eat and drink in one of the VIP boxes overlooking the field.

They also had the batting cages and pitching games open so Scott took several turns at bat hitting baseballs and also throwing pitches to measure your throwing speed (didn’t care about accuracy) which he seemed to really enjoy.

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Centennial Park : You might remember a few years back that Atlanta hosted the Centennial Olympics. Part of the area has been turned into Centennial Park. The evening we were there they had a free concert in the park and there were lots of families enjoying the park. There were several fountains, sculptures and public art in the park.

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Folk Art Park : Courtland St. bridge over I-75 near Ralph McGill Blvd. (no relation). This was very close to our motel and we stumbled upon this intersection that had several pieces of public folk art.

The first permanent outdoor tribute to folk art, the park was completed for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

It currently seem to be in a state of disrepair and also a place where some homeless people hang out, although it seems that there are a few groups who want to make some improvements to the park, so hopefully that will happen.

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Underground Atlanta : this area was inadvertently created during the 1920s when construction of concrete viaducts elevated the street system one level to permit a better flow of traffic. Merchants moved their operations to the second floor, leaving the old store fronts for storage and service.

In 1968 the five-block area was declared an historic site. Many significant architectural features survived from original storefronts. One year later, Underground Atlanta opened as a retail and entertainment center. In 1980, the it was closed due to construction of the rapid transit but was reopened in 1989 and aimed at preserving and revitalizing the center of Atlanta.

Back in the 1990s my one and only business trip was to Atlanta for computer training and I remember going to a comedy club in Underground Atlanta and I really liked the architecture.

Unfortunately it seems that Underground Atlanta is yet another victim of the economic downturn and while we were still able to enjoy the unique atmosphere, many of the shops were closed and the ones that were open seemed to sell a lot of trinkets. Hopefully it will turn around in the future.

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A short trip outside of Atlanta :

Arabia Mountain Heritage Area : located 20 miles east of Atlanta and features some large rock outcrops and is also home to several rare plants that are unique to these granite outcrop environments. In the spring, pools of red plants called Diamorpha can be seen for great distances.

We arrived early and parked in the small south parking lot, which was full by the time we left. The rock outcrops start right beyond the parking lot. The best time to go is when it’s overcast because there isn’t much shade.

There are rock cairns (piles of stones) that mark the path. The elevation doesn’t seem that high but there was a nice view from the top of Bradley Mountain.

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Marietta Square : Marietta is located 20 miles north of Atlanta just of I-75. Marietta Square is a quaint little downtown area with unique shops and restaurants, and on Saturday mornings from April through November they have a farmer’s market.

The highlight of this detour was eating at the Australian Bakery where they feature Aussie Meat Pies. I had the chicken vegetable pie and Scott ate a spinach and feta breakfast pie, which was similar to quiche and we shared an apple slice (a pastry) that was very yummy!

If you want to see more photos, you can do so by clicking here.

To read about some Atlanta accomodations and dining, click here.
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KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE : APRIL 2011 : ATTRACTIONS

World's Fair Park : On our way to Atlanta (post to come), we decided to stop in Knoxville overnight and check out some of the sights. Way back in 1982, my sister’s gymnastic group was invited to perform for almost a week at the World’s Fair which was held in Knoxville that year. I had hoped that when we visited the World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville I’d actually recognize some of the places. With the exception of the Sunsphere which was used in most of the promotion materials, I didn’t recognize anything.

World’s Fair Park is a nice little area downtown where they have a pond, an amphitheater, walking paths and the Sunsphere, which has been reopened. It’s open daily April-October from 9 am-10 pm and November-March from 11 am-6 pm and it’s free to go up. We went up during the day and then went back at night to see the city in the dark but unfortunately there are several lights on inside the observation deck so we didn’t really see much at night.

One memory I have from the World’s Fair was that they had a "new technology" that allowed them to put on a Laser Light Show every night. I also remember there was a 4-foot tall ketchup bottle that passed out pickle-shaped pins. We didn't see any laser lights or robotic ketchup bottles on this trip, but I still have my pickle pin.

The Knoxville Museum of Art : is a small but nice art museum with some permanent collections and several rotating exhibits. I was fortunate that the Knoxville Watercolor Society was exhibiting there during our visit as I really like watercolors.

The museum literally looks over World’s Fair Park and is open Tues.-Sat. from 10 am-5 pm and Sun. 1-5 pm. Admission is free but donations are welcome.

Market Square : is a little area in downtown Knoxville with a closed street that has several restaurants and shops.

Market Square is adjacent to a nice little green space named Krutch Park which boasts a pond and some water play fountains.

There are several public art pieces located in Krutch Park including this red piece which I didn't get the title of.

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum : this little gem sits on a ridge-top 5 minutes from downtown Knoxville surrounded by an urban community. Since it is April and has been a pretty cold winter in Ohio, visiting the gardens was very relaxing.

The gardens are a magical place with whimsical round stone buildings, stone-sided greenhouses and secret garden paths and alleys and features distinctive stone walls and buildings. The buildings even had curved doors. I'd love one of these for a painting studio.

The site is located on the former property of the Joe N. Howell Nursery and the C.B. Howell Nursery and features distinctive stone walls and buildings constructed by Joe Howell's employees. The Howell family's nursery business was originally established in 1786 and the Gardens represent a significant cultural landscape in Knoxville's history. They even have an area where they are growing bamboo which was neat to see.

Knoxville Botanical Garden is open to the public from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. Admission is free.

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE : APRIL 2011 : LODGING AND DINING

There are several motels in downtown Knoxville and many more a few miles out. There are several at exit 108 on I-75 just north of downtown and at exit 378 on I-75/I-40 east of downtown.

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Patrick Sullivan's Steak House in Old City...we didn't eat here but I liked the photos of the "ladies" in the upstairs window.

Old City : There were two areas where we ate. The first was in the historic Old City which is in downtown Knoxville. This is where the nightlife and there are several clubs and restaurants (some which don’t open until late so check hours before you go). We got New Jersey style pizza at DaVinci’s Pizzeria and Calzones. We asked what makes a pizza New Jersey style and were told that it was the owner’s mother’s recipe and she lives in New Jersey. It was good no matter what state you’re in or from. Old City is located near the intersection of N. Central St. and W. Jackson Ave.

Market Square : The other area we ate in was in Market Square in downtown Knoxville. There is a little area with a closed street that has several restaurants and shops. We ate wonderful lunch at the Market Square Kitchen which sadly will be closing at the end of this month.

Reminders of our trip to the west coast

One of the 10 waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon.

At the beginning of this year, when I took down the mini-calendar we had on the fridge, I noticed that the photo for Dec. was one of the waterfalls in Silver Falls State Park. The photo on the calendar was the same waterfall as the photo I took this summer when we were at Silver Falls State Park, although the photo on the calendar was taken during the winter.

I flipped to the front of the calendar and it's titled "Scenic Landscapes." As I looked through it, three of the other months used photos of places we were at this summer! There were photos from Crater Lake, Cannon Beach and the coast of northern California. When I picked the calendar last year I had no idea that we'd be going to California and Oregon that summer.

The calendar for 2011 has roosters on it...I wonder if that means something?

CALIFORNIA / OREGON RECAP

Pam and Scott with a redwood tree in "Avenue of the Giants" in nothern California

If you’ve been reading the posts as I’ve posted them, then consider this the epilogue. If you’re just now finding this blog and plan to read the entries below, consider this the prologue.

Winery in Napa Valley

We went to the west coast back in July. We flew from Dayton to Chicago to San Francisco, rented a car and drove north to Seattle, and almost three weeks after we left, we got on the plane in Seattle and our first layover was back in…San Francisco.

Here are some random notes and photos that didn’t really fit in the other posts.

Public artwork in downtown Seattle

Airplanes and Horoscopes : I’m not a big fan of flying, and the last time we’d flown was before 9/11, so taking off our shoes and opening up the carry-on with the laptop was new for us. While sitting in the Dayton airport waiting for the first leg of our trip, I was trying to distract myself by doing the crossword puzzle. Scott pointed out that my horoscope read “Get out of town with a favorite person. You both need time off to rejuvenate and refresh. Spending time outdoors replenishes your spirit.”

My ginger ale can on the flight to San Francisco. At least I hope it's ginger ale.

Local Pronunciation : Apparently we’ve been mispronouncing “Oregon” all of our lives. People who live there pronounce it “OreyGun.” I was corrected by Oregonians more than once. (And for those of you who live in the Dayton area, how do you pronounce the historic area downtown near 5th Street? Say it without thinking and you probably call it the "OreyGun" District.)

Also the river that runs through Portland is “Willamette” and rhymes with dammit, and the nice little park on the west side of Portland is “Couch” and rhymes with “pooch.”

View of the Columbia River at Bridal Veil Falls in Oregon, looking across to Washington.

Gasoline : Oregon is one of two states (that I know of) that don’t allow you to pump your own gas. The other state is New Jersey. Scott really prefers to pump his own gas, so when we visited the Columbia River Gorge area and crossed over to Washington to see Beacon Rock, we made sure to fill up the gas tank before returning to Oregon.

Does anyone know what time is it? I don't...the motel in Portland didn't have a clock.

Clocks : Maybe we’re just not that hip and maybe most travelers have cell phones or other devices that they use as alarm clocks. Two of the motels we stayed at (both in Oregon) didn’t have clocks in the room.

A few of the thousands of windmills we saw driving from
San Francisco to Yosemite.

GPS : When we reserved the rental car, there was an option to also rent a GPS unit. Since we were going to be gone for almost 3 weeks, it was cheaper to just buy a GPS unit, which I wanted anyway. We got it before we left on our trip, took it out for some test drives, and then programmed the locations of the motels we were staying in.

When we got off the plane in San Francisco and turned it on, it took about 15 minutes before it finally realized that we weren’t in Ohio anymore. I had expected this since other people have mentioned it. What I didn’t expect was that it was speaking in another language! Something screwy in the programming, or some baggage handler playing a joke?

Overall we were really glad to have the GPS, although I did still pack some state maps, which we used on occasion. The GPS had some trouble knowing exactly where we were when we were in downtown in San Francisco and when we were outside of Silver Falls she wanted us to turn on a road that was market “No Outlet.”

And as much as we loved Portland, I do wonder about the bridges. There are several bridges that cross the Willamette River which runs through downtown Portland, but there are only TWO bridges that cross the Columbia River which separates Oregon from Washington. When we were driving north to Seattle, there was an accident and traffic was backed up at one of the bridges. The GPS suggested an alternate route crossing the other bridge, but everyone else was doing that also, so that bridge was also backed up. I pulled out the state maps and the next closest bridges are 30 miles east or 30 miles northwest.

All in all it was a good trip, but it's always good to be home again.

CORVALLIS OREGON : JULY 2010 : DA VINCI DAYS

Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Graand Kinetic Challenge entrant

When we started planning this trip, it was because I wanted to be in Sisters, Oregon on July 10 for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. We also wanted to go to San Francisco, see the redwoods and the coast, and also go to Portland. While researching, I discovered DaVinci Days, a festival held in Corvallis that honors Leonardo DaVinci. And part of this festival includes a Kinetic Sculpture Race called the "Graand Kinetic Challenge" (yes, 2 'A's in Graand). This sounded intriguing and it was held the weekend after the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, so we decided to extend the trip a few days and check this out.

Scott with some "interactive" intergalactic artwork

This was a really fun event (although I might be a little bias as the weather was really nice). In some ways it seemed like a science fair for college students and you could say that it was a festival for geeks, but it was really entertaining.

The event is held on the campus of Oregon State University. Most of the events took place inside the green space that is between 14th St., Monroe Ave., 11th St., and Jefferson Ave. The performances, food, and exhibits were all here, and there is an admission charge.

This is "Astro Chicken" (I'm not sure what all the sparkles are, but the automatic focus on the camera seemed distracted by them) part of the community art section that was located outside the festival area, in the green space just east of the main area.

The community art was made by individuals and groups before the festival and then displayed during the weekend. The theme for this year was “Space Odyssey.”

Unlike the community art, the sidewalk chalk art was created on Saturday while we watched. It was amazing how deep some of the colors were.

Registered participants are given a box of chalk and a concrete square and have three hours to create a sidewalk masterpiece.

West of the main area was the Grand Prix Electrathon. Electrathon race vehicles run on standard car batteries. The competition is based on speed and energy use.

Racers compete for the greatest number of laps around the 0.8 mile racecourse in one hour without recharging. There are specific specs the cars and the batteries have to meet in order to compete.

They had several hands-on exhibits geared towards kids that allowed them to learn that science can be fun, and there were exhibits promoting eco-friendly building, composting and alternative-fuel vehicles. There were several places at the festival that had trash bins, and also recycle bins and composting bins. Volunteers were there to teach you what can be recycled and what can be composted. The food vendors used plant-based plastics that will eventually compost.

There were also several performers including Rhys Thomas, a comedian and juggler who uses humor and juggling to explain gravity, centripetal force and air resistance.

The Main Event : The Graand Kinetic Challenge

Black Tie Affair, 2010 Grand Champions

A Kinetic Scupture is defined human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. It’s art on wheels.

Zorba the Zuke, won 1st place in the time category (2 hrs, 1 min) and 1st place in the engineering category

And the race is much more than a race. It is an unusual art show, a presentation of a team song, a parade and pageantry.

Blue and Fuchsia Giraffe, won 3rd place in the time category (3 hr, 44 min) and 3rd place in the engineering category

The race itself is run in different legs but requires racers to ride over 10 miles of city streets, over a man-made sand dune, across 3000 feet of sun-dried, clay pasture, through 200 feet of deep, thick, sticky mud, and down 2 miles of the Willamette River. All of this under pedal power, and usually in costumes.

Lobster Claus, won 3rd place in the pageantry category, top judges favorite, and best bribe

Of the 22 plus entrants, only 8 of them actually finished the race. Why do they do this? “For the glory!”

Kozmik Karavan

References :

To see more of my photos of DaVinci Days, go here: Corvallis and DaVinci Days on Flickr.

If you're interested in how some of the Kinetic Sculptures are put together, with comments on their construction, go to FiddlesWithBikes on Flickr. He is also the creator of the Kinetic Sculpture "Visualize Whirled Peas" which took 3rd Place in artistry.

Some other Kinetic Sculpture Races :

The annual World Grand Championship is held in Humboldt County, CA (Ferndale) on the last weekend of May.

The East Coast Championship takes place in Baltimore, MD in May.

The Kinetic SkulPTure Race is held in Port Townsend in October.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race takes place in Ventura, CA in October

The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby happens in Philadelphia, PA in May.


Corvallis Lodging and Dining :

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn in downtown Corvallis and again we were in a great location. Since we were in Corvallis for the DaVinci Days Festival, we wanted a motel within walking distance and the one we stayed at was .75 of a mile away. The back of the motel faces the Willamette River and the Riverfront Commemorative City Park which runs along the river. Had we been able to stay the whole weekend and saw the river part of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, they would have gone down the river right across from the motel.

This is also where you can find the funky boutiques, upscale restaurants and bars, and the Saturday Farmer’s Market.

The Farmer’s Market didn’t just have the locally-grown produce you’d expect, you could also get crepes and pancakes. We got some tayberries, which are a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and very yummy.

We also ate at the DaVinci Festival, and it wasn’t your standard food fair, there was ethnic food and also a salad with chicken, strawberries, cranberries and nuts.