Atlanta trip report - Thanks to everyone who gave advice
So in spite of the heat and a couple of 2 hour downpours, we had a great trip to Atlanta Georgia.
It started with some bad luck and a delay. We boarded the plane and were told after a few minutes to return to the terminal. The official word was that the plane was mechanically unsound to fly, no details given. I'm glad they figured it out before we took off lol. It took approximately 3 hours before a new plane was available and ready, but that actually seems like good flexibility to me. It could have been much worse.
I want to thank @eve, @stu2b50 and @oracle who encouraged me to see the aquarium. The sea life there was spectacular. The jellyfish and the live coral were beautiful and relaxing to watch. The balugas were funny. The hammerhead, the rays, the whale sharks and the sea turtles were all impressive. My regional aquarium in Monterey California has more science education incorporated into the exhibits, but the Atlanta collection is amazing to see. Also Atlanta has long steps that can be used as benches if you are tired or want to just sit and contemplate for a while. It was not cheap and there were a lot of people but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A couple of highlights.
https://i.imgur.com/jdnyu6d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3lSY78s.jpg
We visited the Fernbank Museum of natural history. I have seen larger collections in other cities but I really appreciated a couple of things. One is that in the exhibit on culture, western european and anglosphere cultural artifacts were on display alongside artifacts from indigenous and nonwestern cultures that I am more used to see in museums. So a clerical collar was in the display case alongside religious regalia from around the world. High heeled shoes were in the same display case as foot binding shoes from China.
The other fun thing about the Fernbank was that we arrived early and got into the interactive exhibits before the kids arrived. So I got to use compressed air to launch a rocket. I got to turn a crank on a sand table and simulate an earthquake. I got to play with electricity in a controlled, safe way. https://i.imgur.com/AjLkRsb.jpg
The sight I had been planning to see from the moment I started planning this trip was the Carter Presidential library. I wanted to see the Carter Center also where they organize their humanitarian work but it isn't open to the public as far as I could tell. I had already read a biography of Carter, and what I learned about him on this trip did not seem surprising or noteworthy although still cool to learn. However I learned that his wife first lady Rosalynn Carter, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalynn_Carter, made mental health her issue while in the White House and after. Thanks in large part to her political efforts, US health insurance companies were subjected to standards of 'parity' with regard to health care coverage of mental illness. Before this time, they were not required to cover mental health issues. I'm not saying they fully live up to what they should provide but it used to be worse and legal to just not offer coverage for mental health care.
There is a farmers market right by the presidential library, so that was fun. I bought a small pastry with peach filling, like a turnover, that was quite good.
The High museum happened to have a samurai exhibit which was large, diverse and interesting. It was a popular exhibit and I suspect it brought visitors to the museum who might not go just for the art. We saw some cool art and photography, but the samurai artifacts were the highlight for me. I took a lot of photos, but here are a couple.
https://i.imgur.com/lHeAnez.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MvsjzB0.jpg
We also visited the Atlanta history center which is large and interesting. They currently have an exhibit on Emmett Till. Although I knew the basic story, seeing the film with interviews from family members and seeing the difference between the story as reported by mainstream (white) newspapers and as reported by black newspapers at the time was sad and educational. In the Jim Crow South, one wolf whistle at a white woman by a black teenage boy could be and was in this case punished with death. He was visiting from Chicago. He had been told the rules, but hadn't been raised with them and probably didn't even realize that he was being reckless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till
One piece of Till's story I did not know was that his mother insisted on returning his body to Chicago and having an open casket funeral which was attended by a lot of people. This may have been one of the catalysts for the Civil Rights movement.
The other noteworthy thing we saw at the Atlanta History Center was the Cyclorama, a huge painting in the round, depicting the battle for Atlanta. If you are interested in military history, I recommend it. It vividly conveys the experience.
Re food, we found some excellent icecream at a shop off the Beltline called Jenni's, part of Krog st. Market. Also I ate the best biscuit of my life and was initiated into the grits breakfast experience at the Flying Biscuit. https://i.imgur.com/go9M5BW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RyVbDGF.jpg
The city itself is full of trees, which is pleasant. Aside from the heat, very good experience. Thanks again to everyone who gave advice.
I concur with your impressions of the aquarium. The exhibits themselves were spectacular but I found the almost total lack of accompanying science education frustrating. Sometimes I didn't even know what I was looking at! I found I had to sort of turn off my brain and just treat it like Disney World, just go with the flow.
Next time you're in ATL I highly recommend the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, right near the aquarium. It's a small (2-3 hr visit) yet extremely well done and impactful museum that covers both the Civil Rights moement in the Atlanta area and on-going global rights movements. Very high production values, very interesting, and it really sticks with you.
I prefer the Tennessee Aquarium for this reason. It's much more satisfying if you are interested in biology.
It's a shame because the Georgia Aquarium is really a lot more interesting than they reveal to the public. I find that the normal tourist experience of the aquarium is fairly forgettable, but I once got to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium as part of an ichthyology class, and it is one of my most treasured memories. Not only did we learn tons of things about the sea life from a science perspective, such as the complexities of their diets and environment requirements, but we also got to interact with the sea life in a far more intimate way.
A lot of the fish are extremely friendly (my personal favorite was a particular puffer fish who kept following us as we walked around the catwalks above one of the giant tanks, desperately trying to get our attention so we would pet it), and many are rescues with interesting back stories. For example, one of the sea turtles was a victim of smuggling; it had been sedated and strapped to a woman's leg under her clothes, but it was discovered when it spontaneously woke up at the Atlanta airport and created a big scene. It had to be rushed to the Georgia Aquarium to save its life and has lived there ever since.
I wish the Georgia Aquarium was managed a little more like Zoo Atlanta, where visitors learn more about the animals from both a science perspective and an individual perspective (e.g., the animals' names, personalities, and history). It's way more interesting for visitors, and I think it also helps people feel more personally invested in protecting wildlife.
Thank you for a fascinating story! : )
Thank you. I will check out the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
So bizarrely enough, we both probably crossed paths at some point on our Atlanta, GA journeys this past week.
I spent the whole time working at the new Winship Cancer Institute, but did fit in a couple of great dinners at El Viñedo Local and Bon Ton.
Local ATLien here! So sorry I missed your original post, but so glad you enjoyed your trip! This summer has been brutally hot, but if you're ever planning another trip, I can't recommend coming in the fall enough. It's the most beautiful time of the year when all the trees are changing. In any case, thanks for stopping by!
I was visiting an old friend who migrated to your neck of the woods. So, yes, as we find ways to see each other from time to time, I could definitely see myself coming back. Thanks for the advice!
Yay! Glad you had a great time on your vacation and that you enjoyed the aquarium. They have some really cool exhibits. My boss and I got lucky, as we were looking at the beluga tank, a volunteer came up and told us all about the different whales. It was wonderful but it was also late in the day and there weren't a lot of people there, so like I said we got lucky.