The Day we saw the Van Gogh Exhibit - The Firefly at Madison

We saw the Van Gogh Exhibit at one point. We typically steer clear of Atlanta, because some of us need the country. But, there are times that we have to deal with it. Like all cities, there is some good and some not really all that good. This time it was all good, as it usually is.

This doesn’t really qualify as Backroad Travel, and is just the opposite of Human Scale Living, but we are not asking for intellectual purity.

Directions

At the end of the driveway turn right. When you get to I-20, turn right again, and stay on it for about 45 minutes. Follow the signs. Atlanta wants you to visit it. Where specifically within Atlanta you want to go is up to you I suppose. We had a mission all laid out, and that is probably the best way to efficiently deal with a Day Off in Atlanta so as to not get bogged down in traffic,

Atlanta History

Atlanta has a connection with the little southern towns we normally hang out in, due to the railroad origin. The city was originally a railroad hub that connected the ports along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast to the manufacturing places that used to be in the north.

Now, it is still a big transportation and warehousing center in addition to the airport.

After its establishment, practically nothing happened, including sacking and burning during the civil war, reconstruction, racial issues, the birth of CNN and the center of the Cartoon Network. Critically, there are Real Housewives here, but we chose not to look them up.

The Olympics happened here too, and there are plenty of remnants of the construction, which provided a boost to the local economy.

We will do the “Driving Miss Daisy” tour at some point. A lot of those nice old homes are not far from downtown.

The Achilles Heel of this place is the traffic.

Traffic

We can fill up a couple of books talking about the traffic here. Instead, suffice it to say that you can learn to deal with it. Your day off in Atlanta needs not be spent in a car. “Rush hour” runs from 7 to 9 AM and from 4 to 7 PM and the places where it bottles up the worst are the interstate interchanges. So you can plan your trip to avoid those places and times and you can make it tolerable.

For visitors that are arriving at the Firefly, unique Bed and Breakfast near Atlanta, coming down I-75 from Cincinnati, it means that you are going to have to go over or through at least 3 of these places, therefore if you are rolling into town at about 4, you’re better off stopping for dinner someplace around Marietta and letting the traffic die down.

Entertainment and/or Hospitality

In a five mile radius, in addition to the Dome where they have the big football games, there are two other NCAA division 1 football stadiums, the main basketball arena, two smaller arenas for the colleges, and several museums, including the Art, Football and Soft Drinks. We’ll museum-surf at some point in the future. Some other Day Off in Atlanta might be to do one or more of these things, including the famous civil rights tour.

In fact, the plan for the day was to get some entertainment and then go to the airport, and this must be a pretty typical story. We’re invoking the Prime Directive here, and not asking how the local school systems are doing.

Stop 1: The Folk Art Cafe

AFter waiting until 9:30 and heading downtown, we found ourselves at the Folk Art Cafe, since this trip was going to be art-infused. Feast of the morning was Eggs Benedict, made by someone else, and an Omelet. This was a pleasant place in downtown Decatur, which is a little southern railroad town that is in an “urban bubble” of pleasantness. It was beautifully served by hippies in a place with a little decor.

Our Day Off in Atlanta was about Van Gogh

Stop 2: Pullman Yards/Van Gogh Exhibit

Here is the railroad connection: To “their” credit, someone is trying to refurbish the old Pullman Yards. This was the place in Atlanta where all of the Pullman cars were built, 100 years ago. “They” are turning the whole thing into condos and (wait for it) a huge entertainment place.

“They” are Atomic Entertainment Company, which has produced a lot of very famous TV shows, including “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Brain Games.”

The Van Gogh immersive experience is nice enough that it deserves its own article.

Stop 3: Sky View Atlanta

There is a big Ferris wheel in downtown Atlanta, like they have in some places. This particular ferris wheel overlooks the stadiums and museums, and Olympic Park, which is a big park downtown. There isn’t an ocean here, for those of you Europeans and Californians that expect one. Your day off in Atlanta will not involve sand and sun. Wear good walking shoes.

If you go on Saturday you might have some competition for parking and wait in line. If you go on Wednesday at 2, there is less competition for parking, and no line at all.

They don’t let you go around a few extra times though. Hey, who knew that you could get a groupon deal on this? I’ve put a link down below.

Hey,this thing also overlooks the Tabernacle, which is an old church that was converted into a fun concert venue if you are inclined to go down there at night.

View of the Tabernacle from the Sky View

Stop 4: The Sundial (not really)

At the top of the Hyatt hotel there is one of those big rotating restaurants where you can have a beverage, and go around town in an hour. Now, unfortunately, it is no longer rotating, the View and the Bar are closed, but you can still go up there for “upscale dining”, whatever that means.

This place was built in the early 70’s and since then a few of the other buildings around it are higher.

Stop 5: The Park

We sat by the reflecting pool, and watched some Atlanta Cops in a little golf cart chase some kids that were riding around on some of those rental scooters. At that same time, some helicopters started hovering over the highway and we later found out that there was a traffic incident, and they had the whole place shut down.

Stop 6: The Original Chick Fil A (Not really)

We cleared out of downtown in plenty of time for a 6 PM boarding, and were going to go to the Original Chick Fil A. Chick Fil A, for you Europeans and Californians, is the fast food place with the highest customer satisfaction in the US due to their hiring of adorable workers, and simple menu.

The original Chick Fil A location is in Hapeville, not too far from the Porsche test track. Will we do the Porsche Test Track at some point? That one is unlikely but it is not too far from us. One of the other things we will have to do is the original Waffle House, which is in Avondale Estates.

As for the original Chick Fil A, they’ve flattened the whole thing, and are rebuilding it to be a better tourist attraction, because that is what they do.

We’ll go back at some point when “they” are done.

Stop 7: The Corner Tavern

We’re big fans of an open, inviting space, and a place with a friendly buzz on a Wednesday. A pre-flight snack of bar food, namely a portobello sandwich and bar fries, along with margaritas was in order.

A guest at the Firefly is probably not going to head down there for any other reason than to get on the plane, but that is a good reason. There was some fun, in the form of bocce and cornhole.

Stop 8: The Airport

Here is the cheapest way to get out of Atlanta to somewhere in the US Northeast: The thriftiest flights are Spirit Air, which leaves out of the North Terminal. Someone knowledgeable can dump you off at the door. It takes a few minutes to get through the security line, but once you’re beyond that, there are cushy places by the gate. Allow about 90 minutes before your flight time because you never know

The airport and the rest of the transportation system is still in the Post-Covid recovery period, so conditions may change at some point.

A book may be written on how to navigate the Atlanta airport.

The Walking Dead

Atlanta and the surrounding area was the filming location for episodes of “The Walking Dead” but that is not what I am talking about. In fact, if you are into this, I’ve attached a link to 55 filming locations, in case that floats your boat.

Atlanta is one of those places in the country where the most prosperous and least prosperous parts of the population are trying to occupy the same physical space at the same time. This has led to pretty high property crime and violence. I have to say, though, that usually these people are violent to each other.

We didn’t have any trouble at all, and the place was well patrolled, up to and including chasing the brats out of the park. Enough has been said about the homeless situation nationwide, and this spot is no different. Out of respect for the Prime Directive we will leave that to the professionals to solve.

Day Off in Atlanta: Fun Road Trip

So, on our day off in Atlanta, we did the tourist stuff, and parked in the most convenient place possible, and got in our 8 stops. The zombies did not eat our brains, and we had a pleasant customer experience.

There is a more frugal road trip which would have had us take Marta and do more walking, and that would not have been terrible. It would have been easy to focus on the problems of a place, glaring as they are, but it is just as well we didn’t do so. We focused on the fun.

Are we ready to give guided tours? Yeah, but not of Atlanta. We’ll stick with the small town environment for now.