Greetings from Atlanta, where I have wrapped up my crazy conference and we are currently traveling through the giant metro area. This conference was insane - I presented a paper, discussed three papers (some of which I read here!!), interviewed 14 people, judged 8 projects, and went to 4 business meetings. Whew!
While I was busy conferencing, Will and the kids had all kinds of fun in Atlanta. They purchased a CityPass and were able to see all kinds of attractions. I am typing this on my phone as we drive back, so some of the pictures may not load properly, but here are some highlights from our time in Atlanta!
Sunday - Centennial Olympic Park. This was very close to our hotel and the kids and Will walked over.
Sunday afternoon, they checked out the World of Coca Cola. Will said later he thought this was his favorite attraction since it was a unique Atlanta place.
Getting ready for the movie. They also enjoyed a fun 4-D movie with glasses.
Everyone loved trying all of the different products from around the world. Pictured below, the favorite (Mezzo Mix) and least favorite (Beverly, described as "Evil").
Cheers!
The kids loved exploring the hotel. We were on the 31st floor and right across from Emory Hospital (although we later learned from my friend B that the doctors being treated for Ebola were at a different branch).
Monday - headed out to the famous Georgia Aquarium.
Petting sting rays.
Annika's favorite part of our whole Atlanta trip was interacting with these Beluga whales. Will has a great video on his Facebook page of her holding a mirror up to the glass and the whales moving around.
Inside of sea animals.
More interaction with sea animals.
Annika with something. Something cool? Something. :)
Posing with the dolphin. D later said his favorite part of the aquarium was the gift shop, go figure.
Monday night, I are dinner with some of my conference besties at a really cool Japanese restaurant. The chef even made the heart below look like it was beating.
Meanwhile, Will and the kids hung out on Peachtree Street at a really cool Mexican restaurant.
Tuesday morning, the gang headed to the Museum of Natural History.
Bobcat! Poor bobcat.
Lots of fun with bubbles.
Daniel absolutely loved this indoor playground.
Tuesday afternoon, they headed over to a CNN tour. The kids did not really know what CNN was, and probably still don't, but loved riding the world's longest free-standing escalator.
The newsroom! Will says he no longer respects CNN as a news organization, so we will call this the "News and Views Room."
Bored and tired kids were revitalized by playing in the fountains after the tour.
Wednesday (yesterday) was Zoo Atlanta! Checking out the flamingos.
Very exhausted meercat. Many have commented that he does not quite look alive, but Will assured me he was just having a rough day.
Georgia statue. There were also super cute (real) baby gorillas.
Rock climbing! The City Pass came with unlimited rides at the zoo. I understand that Annika was the real fan.
Late afternoon, I finally finished all of my conference obligations!! And even better, my super cool WM friend Briana came with her two sweet boys to hang out with uscatvthe hotel! Everyone hit it off and her D and my D are truly two peas in a pod. So great to see you again, B!
Will convinced me that I needed to celebrate being finished, and we headed out for outdoor Mexican food and a Sangria bomb. We "split" this drink, meaning that I had maybe 10% and still felt more affected.
Back at the hotel, we all took advantage of the indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub.
View from the pool chair.
And finally, in the spirit of Keeping it Real, the picture below shows what travel is truly like.
We are driving back home as I type. We had yet another late start and would not have been able to hit Mammoth Cave again as was our original plan, so hoping to have a long day of driving and get home late tonight. Cheers!!
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