The Olympics: Retro Style

I was in my car when the announcement was made. On my way to a job interview. I knew it wouldn't happen. I mean really, Atlanta? The host of the Olympics? But on that morning of September 18, 1990 - the proclamation was made: "IT'S ATLANTA!" Followed by much screaming. Clapping. And allegations of bribery. Atlanta was to be the host of the Centennial Olympic Games.

There was so much drama surrounding our Olympics. From commercialization. To our mascot. Labeled worst ever. To ticket sales operators declaring that people from New Mexico couldn't buy tickets because they hadn't opened up foreign sales yet.

And then the world arrived on our doorstep. And they were welcomed with open arms and a big glass of sweet tea. Companies gave employees paid days off so they could volunteer. Other companies encouraged people to take vacation days or work from home. And for several weeks at the end of July, there was no traffic in this town. Rush hour was non-existent.

In 1996 I was almost done with school. I was a newlywed. And I was working for a family as a nanny and household manager. And they had ordered lots of tickets to Olympic events. From what I recall, you made your requests. With several choices. And it was done by lottery. So, sometimes you had tickets to events that you weren't that excited about. I suppose that is why I was invited to go to this event:

I can't recall if they were excited about it. I went along. I even brought my camera. Let me set the stage for you. We parked in a gravel parking lot and walked down a path towards the lake. There were metal bleachers set up. And the organizers knew that this would not be a big crowd drawer. There probably weren't any more bleachers than you'd see at a typical little league game. But the Olympic bleachers? Special. Because they were metal. And had been sitting in the sun since "IT'S ATLANTA" was announced. I think I still have burn scars on my bum.

And what is it like to watch rowing? Well...you sit on the bleachers. Watch all the boats (what are they called?!) line up. A gun goes off. And off they go. And you know what? You can't see them rowing anymore. They rowed arond a bend. And completely out of sight. For a really long time. And the rest is blurry. I know we didn't stay long. And I am not sure if we ever saw them come back.

And then for my birthday, they gave me tickets so that Michael and I could go and see some track and field events - and the women's marathon.Do you see the date on this ticket? It is significant because not even twelve hours earlier, the Atlanta Olympics hosted its first tragedy. With a bomb that went off in the park. So this was the first event to take place after that. And the first foray into even more security.

And do you see the time on that ticket? Man, that's early. But, I suppose if you are going to run a marathon. In Atlanta. In July. Earlier is cooler. Here are people walking up the hill to the stadium. With our Capitol building in the back ground. Obviously my date on my camera was a smidge off. While we were walking to the stadium...I noticed all these vans. They were to follow the runners. For security.When we found our seats inside the stadium - we discovered that they were great seats. Up close. And pretty soon after we were seated...the marathoners were off:They ran around the stadium. Once. And then out to the streets. I'm getting a feeling of Déjà vu. Now what? Well, apparently at 7am at the Olympic stadium, I could get a breakfast of beer and a hot dog. Which we did. And we wandered around. And did the wave.Hmmm. Oh, wait. What is that? It's volunteers setting up the hurdles. Yay! Something to watch.I suppose the marathoners weren't anywhere close if hurdles were going to happen. Hey, are hurdles going to happen? After a while. A great while. We got to watch a round of women's qualifying hurdles.And then the hurdles were cleared away. And I think that more snacks were consumed. And we made friends with everyone sitting around us. And we might have done the wave again. And then...a single marathoner re-entered the stadium. It was a photo finish. And Ethiopia won the gold.Not that we got to see her get her medal. Nope, that was reserved for another time. For people that paid more for their tickets. And then. We were told to leave. Everyone was to vacate. Because round two ticket holders needed to get in. And even as we left...Olympians began another event.Discus. Or shot put. Or something.

So, what about you? Have you ever been part of a big event? Did it live up to the hype?

Thursday Thirteen: Oh, the Irony

My favorite kind of humor is found in the ironic. So, imagine my delight when I read this week that Atlanta was selected to be the site for the new National Health museum. Atlanta? A Health museum? Oh, the irony.

So…why is this ironic? Let me count the ways:

1. Guess where the museum will be located? It will be downtown. Right in the hub of activity by Centennial Olympic Park and the Aquarium. And what else is right there? Why the new Health museum will be right next door to the Coke Museum. You know, just in case you need to taste a variety of high fructose corn syrup from all over the world.

2. Oh, and who is funding this museum? It’s our friend Coca-Cola…providing 100 million dollars in seed money. Do you think that the museum will declare Coke healthy?

3. What is one of the healthiest and easiest activities for you to do? Walking (Well, unless you are like me and have heel spurs, then it’s not so fun). And do people in Atlanta walk? Ummm…no. This is a city of cars. Where the average household has more than two cars. Where sidewalks are not really for people to walk, but are referred to by the Department of Transportation as “vehicle recovery zones.” You know, just in case you might have to dodge someone going slowly…or a dropped ladder in the road…you might need to swerve onto that sidewalk. Pedestrians beware! Maybe the new museum will have moving sidewalks so that Atlantans will not have to do the unthinkable: walk.

4. And what does all that driving do for us? Atlanta, according to Forbes Magazine, ranks number one in the nation for the worst traffic …and quite high for road rage. That is how we increase our heart rate here in metro Atlanta…we don’t need to walk or exercise.

5. And even the state government doesn’t advocate walking or exercise – because they know that traffic will solve all your problems. So, what did they do? Why in April of 2000, the Georgia Legislature passed House Bill 1187, which removed the Physical Education requirement from Georgia's public school systems.

6. And if you insist that driving in traffic will not meet your exercise/heart rate needs, you surely don’t want to be outside. Atlanta is ranked as the worst cities for allergy and asthma sufferers. We have that trifecta of pollen, mold and pollution.

7. So all this traffic leads to yet another health issue for Atlanta – smog. Over half the days this month have smog alerts in the “red zone.” Which means that it is not healthy to breathe the outside air. For everyone…not just those asthma sufferers.

8. One of the explanations given for locating the National Health museum here in Atlanta is that Atlanta is also home to the CDC. The same CDC that made headlines this week for containing bioterror bacteria with duct tape. Yes, duct tape. Is that part of the OSHA and CDC protocol?

9. Speaking of diseases…Georgia is home of the West Nile virus and the syphilis capitol. Many people saw the documentary and Frontline special on the Atlanta suburb of Conyers – and know that they are infamous for a syphilis epidemic among teens. And even today, Atlanta is ranked number two in the nation for syphilis cases. (And a total side note – one of my college courses for my major was Physical Anthropology. We learned a lot about how you can tell gender from looking at bones; some hints that bones can give about race; and clear indicators of age. Many of the bones that we had were from people that had syphilis. You can tell because the bones have small holes that look like someone drove a nail all the way through them. Can you imagine the pain of having all those holes in your bones?)

10. Do you think the Health Museum might have a food court? With true Southern specialties of sweet tea, fried chicken, and gravy? Atlanta is home to the largest drive-in restaurant in the world – The Varsity – with its yummy, greasy, artery clogging goodness. And the best onion rings in the world.

11. New York might have the Empire State building; Seattle has the Space Needle; Chicago has the Sears Tower – and what does Atlanta have? The Big Chicken, of course.

12. No list of health ironies would be complete without the mention of a creation by Mulligan’s restaurant in Decatur: The Luther Burger. It is a half pound bacon cheese burger – with a Krispy Krème donut as the bun.

13. And that same eatery created this other chest clutching concoction: The Hamdog. Which is a hot dog, wrapped with ground beef – then deep fried – and placed in a hoagie roll – then covered with chili, onions, a fried egg, and two handfuls of French fries. In the south, it’s a rule that you criticize with love and affection. So, Atlanta, bless its heart, is getting a health museum. Ya’ll come visit!