- white chocolate mocha: this is from Starbucks. Not an Atlanta-specific thing, so maybe not the best one to start off with, but this is what started me off in the morning, and it tasted extra special because of the Atlanta air, and when I think of waking up in Atlanta and walking down the avenue before our hotel, spring trees just beginning to bloom, I think of this mocha.
- tulips: tulips, and also orchids. The botanical garden has roomfuls, gardenfuls, fieldfuls of those, growing all bright under the sun. They also have a quaint hidden library with books about vines and gardening tools and fern pictures. They also have a fountain with a duck swimming around in it, and if you say quack, it will greet you back.
- matcha ice cream: from Matcha Tea Cafe. It has bamboo doorframes, matcha green wallpaper behind the counter, and little plushies. Their ice cream cones are slim and dainty.
- “how many?”: at Han Il Kwan, food is 10/10 if you’re looking for any dish between LA ribs and tteokbokki, or even barley tea. They will, however, demand how many people are in your party IN KOREAN the moment you step inside. If you don’t speak Korean, they’ll amend with “how many people?” So I’d suggest learning Korean numbers from one to ten; it might be fun to make use of it.
- the skyview (+BLT): this is the ferris wheel that took us on five rounds. There was a guy outside who even kept track for us on his large fingers. In our little capsule we laughed and shouted and said some really sentimental things. It’s easy to be like that when you’ve got the entire Centennial Olympic Park below you, with the sun setting over it (this is where the picture is from). Afterward I ate a BLT sandwich from Waffle House because they didn’t have waffles because it was dinnertime.
- sunset bowl and border collies: Ani and I were waiting outside a Poke Bowl place when a border collie and I kind of made eye contact and the owner said she just wanted to say hi if it was okay, and I said of course it’s okay, so the dog came over and said hi. It was one of my favorite memories the entire trip because the dog was polite without being stiff, and was enthusiastic enough for both of us. Afterward Ani and I both got something called “sunset salmon bowl” which really did look like the sunset.
Final verdict: visit Atlanta to see lots of tulips and eat lots of delicious rice. Better when you’re well-caffeinated. Don’t take an eight-hour bus there. Bring an umbrella just in case–for us it rained one day and sunshined three.
