You Are Here...

Feeling rather patriotic this morning so thought I'd share with you this photo of the Atlanta, Georgia, and United States flags, an image I shot while in Downtown Atlanta recently.

You are here: United States, Georgia, Atlanta!

My fans and followers know that I like to offer photography tips from time to time, not that I'm a 'professional' photographer, but my work isn't too shabby. The most consistent tip I've offered, when exploring Atlanta, is "Look up!"

I was on the way home when I saw this particular photo op. Walking down Upper Alabama Street through Underground Atlanta I almost passed this by, but so glad I didn't. 

There's a lot going on here. From the bottom up:

There's the home of the Atlanta Visitors Center (building with the purple awnings), which offers lots of information about Atlanta, has a fairly comprehensive exhibit about Atlanta's attractions, and is home of AtlanTix, the place to pick up half-price tickets to shows and attractions in Atlanta.

There's also a 138-foot tower, above Underground Atlanta, where the annual New Year's Peach Drop takes place. And did you know there's a Guided Walking History Tour available all year long at Underground Atlanta? I just learned about it myself and plan on going soon.

Above that there's the State of Georgia Building, which I don't know much about, but you can't miss it. We have our signature skyscrapers, and like any city we have the rest of the buildings that make up our beautiful skyline, but aren't as well known.

And then we have the most eye-catching elements of this photo, the flag of the United States of America, the flag of the State of Georgia, and the flag of the City of Atlanta. 

I'd bet most people don't know the flag of the city where they live, but seeing the flag of Atlanta—at least up close—you much know it's Atlanta...the word "Atlanta" is on it, you see The State of Georgia flag has, over the years, seen many versions—some of those controversial. And we all know the flag of the United States, one I proudly served during my time in the U.S. Navy.

I like how this display of flags also serve as a "You are here" indicator.

So, the point of all this, while sharing a sense of patriotism, was to remind visitors, from out-of-town and resident alike, to look up once and a while...you're likely to discover a fantastic photo-op...from time to time.

ATLANTApix: Birth of Atlanta Monument

Birth of Atlanta Monument

What looks like a unique architectural element at Heritage Row near the Atlanta Visitor Center is actually the Birth of Atlanta Monument. At thirty-two feet tall and forty-five feet long, its seven pair of wings and feathers reference the city's mythological mascot, the Phoenix.

The sculpture was installed in 1996 through the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta (CODA), a public art program and citywide beautification project associated with the 1996 Olympics hosted by Atlanta.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: Cotton

Atlanta Visitor Center (Cotton Display)

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau's Visitor Center near Underground Atlanta does a lot more than pass out brochures for museums and attractions in Atlanta...a lot more! 

The Center is also a mini-museum featuring a cockpit of a Delta airplane, interactive stations (several with video) conveying information about Atlanta's top tourist attractions such as Stone Mountain, and informative displays telling of Georgia's rich history, including cotton production (photo).

On this day in Georgia history, March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney secured a patent for the cotton gin, which he invented the year before while living in Georgia. The cotton gin (short for cotton engine) significantly changed the production rate of cotton eventually making the South a global provider of the staple, which came with pros and cons. 

Today, Georgia continues to produce more cotton than any other state in the U.S., except for Texas.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: What to Do in Atlanta

Atlanta Visitor Center

The Atlanta Visitor Center, part of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a treasure trove of information about places to visit in Atlanta (and Georgia too!). The Visitor Center also houses Atlanta's same-day-half-price tickets, AtlanTIX, and a fantastic city tour via ATL-Cruzers.

Located adjacent to Underground Atlanta, it's easy to get to or if you're not in the downtown area, there's lots of information on their website.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: The Giant Tricycle

The Giant Tricycle

Atlanta has the reputation for being a beautiful city for many reasons. One of those is its public art. Sometimes the subject of that art is elegant and beautiful, sometimes it's totally fun and whimsical. The Giant Tricycle near Underground Atlanta is one of the latter.

I was at this location a few weeks ago with a friend visiting from Washington, D.C. We agreed that the tricycle is more than just fun, it's located at a fantastic vantage point. 

From where I was standing when I took this photo, I could see the tower at Underground Atlanta where on New Year's Eve an 800-pound Peach will descend for a crowd of 175,000 anticipation-filled people to ring in 2011.

Also within sight are the golden dome of the Georgia Capitol Building and the Visitor Center of the Atlanta Convention & Visitor's Bureau.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

Visitor Center: What to Do in Atlanta

Atlanta Visitor Center,
Mary Ann

The day I visited the Visitor Center in the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau turned out a lot better than it began.

My first-choice tour destination for this particular day, which I'd been meaning to visit for a couple of weeks, was not offering tours because they were filming. I wish I had asked what film. Actually, lots of Hollywood movies are filmed in the Atlanta area, including the Oscar-winning The Blind Side and Fried Green Tomatoes…and I'm a huge cinema enthusiast.

I tried a second destination, but it was too early to catch its lively hustle and bustle, so in fairness to that site, I decided that I'll return another time to garner the words to describe its festive nightlife.

While in the downtown area (and out of curiosity), I ventured into the Atlanta Visitor Center, part of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and found a treasure trove of future tour and event possibilities. I know Atlanta quite well, but this place is opening up a lot of new doors.

Serendipity at its finest, I was in the right place at the right time and received exactly what I was looking for—the best city tour I've been on in years. Fortunately for visitors, the same tour is regularly available via ATL-Cruzers.

The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau is a mega-win for locals and tourists alike, as well as event planners, meeting planners, conventioneers…basically anyone who is looking for even a sliver of what Atlanta has to offer.

For this installment I'm going to focus on what's available for visitors, or I'll end up writing a record-length blog post…there's really that much!

The Visitor Center

Atlanta Visitor Center

I'd actually forgotten where the Visitor Center is, so when I happened upon it, I was excited to learn what it had to offer. When you're looking for it, keep an eye out for the purple awnings…when you see those, you're there.

As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted with smile and handshake by Mary Ann. She very charmingly offered to assist me, but I returned an "I'm just looking around." After several minutes at one of the information stations and a handful of pamphlets later, I realized that there was a lot more to this place than most visitor centers.

I started talking with Mary Ann again, told her about my morning misfortune of a tour being preempted by a film crew. She very keenly picked up on the fact that I am indeed a tourism enthusiast and I also shared that I author "tourATLANTA."

Matching my excitement of the newly discovered fountain of information, Mary Ann toured me around the Visitor Center and introduced me to others who were working there, including the managers of the ATL-Cruzers (the city tour company) and AtlanTIX.

The City Tour

ATL-Cruzers,
Stephen

Stephen, the manager of ATL-Cruzers, was quite pleasant upon introduction, as well as professional and enthusiastic. When he noticed that my tour with Mary Ann was near conclusion, he offered to take me on a city tour.

Anxious to explore, I graciously accepted the offer and in a matter of minutes we were off to see historic downtown and midtown Atlanta.

The tours are conducted in brand new, sleek, modern, eco-friendly electric cars that seat six people...the tour guide and five guests. They're much more intimate than the people-mover tour buses I've been on before.

The tour vehicles are quite comfortable. Although modern, they don't make you feel like George Jetson time-traveling through historic Atlanta. You actually feel like you're visiting a friend who just happens to be telling you about a magical land that rose from the ashes that has a rich history and exciting people.

My expectations were incredibly surpassed. The abbreviated version of the tour that I was treated to was super-packed with information and I learned a lot about my home town…the kind of information that I think a visitor would find quite fascinating.

The usual 10-mile, 1-hour and 15-minute tour takes visitors to sights throughout downtown and midtown, including:

• Centennial Olympic Park
• Georgia Aquarium
• World of Coke
• CNN Center
• Piedmont Park
• Underground Atlanta
• Georgia Tech Football Stadium
• Fox Theatre
• Margaret Mitchell House
• Woodruff Arts Center

When I have visitors in town that I can't cart around for whatever reason, I will definitely send them to ATL-Cruzers. Actually, I will likely do the same even if I do have time…the tour is that good.

The Same-day, Half-price Tickets

AtlanTIX

I've been to TKTS in Times Square in New York City and to the Ticket Place in Washington, D.C., but I had not yet discovered Atlanta's half-price ticket venue, AtlanTIX, which is part of Atlanta Performs.

I met Marc, the manager of AtlanTIX, who was very nice and explained how the same-day, half-price ticketing works and that tickets are available for a wide range of performances, attractions and events.

I actually returned the very next day to buy tickets to Synchronicity Theatre's production of "The Storytelling Ability of a Boy," which was performed at 7 Stages Theatre. The performance was heart-pounding and the venue is very much in tune with its neighborhood, Little Five Points.

The Exhibits

Delta Plane Cockpit

The Visitor Center is considerably larger than what I expected. Similar to an actual museum, the Center has an array of exhibits featuring Atlanta's most popular attractions (Stone Mountain Park, Georgia Aquarium, the Fox Theatre, and others). They even have a cockpit of a Delta airplane!

Additionally, there are photographs and artifacts that share tidbits about Atlanta's vibrant history…but not so much that it keeps you from wanting to immediately head out to explore the city—very well done, I think.

The Return

Will I return to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau? I gave the answer away telling you about returning the next day to buy tickets to performance. This place is a cornucopia of tourist information, great ticket deals and the tours are the best! I'm looking forward to going back, with great anticipation, to see what's new.

Touring the Atlanta Visitor Center

Date toured: Thursday, November 19, 2010
Location: 65 Upper Alabama (near Underground Atlanta)
Cost: Free (see ATL-Cruzers for tour cost)
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.atlanta.net/

Atlanta Visitor Center