“Nowhere is US history more tangible than in the native town of Martin Luther King. The metropolis surprises – in every respect”.
Even the approach to the capital of the US state of Georgia is gigantic. With over 100 million passengers a year, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world and also the most important hub of the American company Delta Air Lines. In fact, the city in the southeast of the USA offers some surprises when it comes to sheer size, although only half a million people live there.
With CNN, the world’s largest news channel has its home in Atlanta. In addition, Coca-Cola, the most famous soda pop on the planet, was invented here and still shapes the cityscape today. And anyone who wants to flatten their nose at one of the world’s largest aquariums also has to go to the city, which the Indians called “Standing Peachtree”.
Atlanta is also a big player in contemporary history. In the American Civil War, the city was an important railway junction on the east coast and a bloodily contested bridgehead for both parties, Confederate and Union troops. The latter almost completely destroyed Atlanta in 1864 – extensively and movingly put on paper by Margaret Mitchell in her novel “Gone with the Wind” later became a famous film.
And at least as fateful for the history of the metropolis was the life and work of the preacher Martin Luther King, who began a campaign against racial segregation in the country in his native town.
CNN at the amusement park
Like many major American cities, Atlanta’s inner city is clear and concise. Here everything is concentrated around the area of Peachtree Street, the “Broadway” Atlantas. Everything is clean and tidy, well ordered for tourists – all aftereffects of the 1996 Summer Olympics, which took place in the city centre. The major hotel chains connect with several few historic buildings, restaurants, bars and the inevitable mega drugstores of America.
Today, the Olympic Park is the triangle of the local giants. Hundreds of soft drinks can be tasted in the company museum, World of Coca-Cola. So if you want to spoil your stomach with the Fanta version r. with exotic herbs from Sri Lanka, you’ve come to the right place: trendy and colourful, everything to do with the cult drink and its secret recipe..
Right next to it: the Georgia Aquarium, meanwhile no longer the world’s largest fish which are peeking behind a bullet-proof glass establishment, but still the only one with whale sharks. Animal rights activists from all over the world have so far protested in vain against keeping whales in captivity. CNN, which has its headquarters on the other side of the Olympic Park, has to put up with criticism again and again. The world’s largest news channel was founded by Ted Turner in Atlanta and now resides in a complex that used to be an indoor theme park. It’s a good fit, because you can still make tours there and watch the newsreaders reading the news through a panorama window.
In Atlanta, the commemoration of Martin Luther King is handled quite differently. In a city where more colored people live than white people, he has heroic status. April 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of the civil rights activist. A visit to his estate around Auburn Avenue with his birthplace, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached, and the Visitor Center, where a depressing exhibition on the history of racial segregation in America can be seen, is highly recommended.
Sticky bars and the finest Southern cuisine
Modern Atlanta is fortunately far from these dark times. “Little Five Points”, 4 km east of downtown, is a bit like Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Some blocks of anarchy with second-hand shops, tattoo shops, studios, mind readers on the street and very, very cool pubs. You enter the “Vortex” through a huge stylized skull. Inside: a sticky, friendly bar with all kinds of weird characters and spirits from all over the world. And according to the Internet, one of America’s 20 best burgers is served here. Divine – the thing rocks!
Atlanta is also worth a trip in culinary terms. Southern cuisine is just as present as French and Asian influences. Sushi, jambalaya and of course Sunday brunch are the classics here. Max Lager’s” is a truly earthy place. In the old brick building in the city centre there are craft beers from their own production and homemade bread with spinach avocado dip. It’s best to order a “Flight”. These are six home-brewed beers served on a wooden board in small glasses. Another classic on Peachtree Street is “Ray’s in the City“. Medium fine dining with neat tablecloths and ideal for an extended breakfast at the weekend. The “Crab Cakes” are legendary. But anyone hoping for bottomless mimosa or Bloody Mary at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning has to wait until 12.30 o’clock. Georgia’s biblical law keepers don’t like alcoholic sins in the early morning of the day of the Lord. But, fortunately, Atlanta is more than that..
Kai Böcking …
Atlanta was experienced as a big grab bag he had never expected. For sure, though, the USA is more than NYC and LA and something between. And he advises: If you still have some time before or after your business trip – be sure to pull the bleisure card in Atlanta.
Fotos: Kai Böcking, World of Coca-Cola, Giorgia Aquarium
