Atlanta – Atlanta has little left in common with the bodice- ripping romance
of, for example, a Scarlett O’Hara – the first sight to greet visitors is
the vision of shining office blocks and business people dressed in grey
suits even in the sweltering heat of summer in this metropolis of the
southern States.
Atlanta has recreated itself as “Business City”.
The residents’ self-confidence stems from the turnover figures published by
local businesses, not from its old southern inheritance. Coca-Cola, CNN and
Delta Airlines – these are now the big names, and the source of the big
numbers.
But then again, Atlanta is not only worth a visit for those travelling
business class. A trip to Georgia’s state capital – at least for one day –
is part of the holiday programme of most tourists who land at Hartsfield
International Airport before they set off to the west or north.
Atlanta’s airport has become one of the major hubs for American air traffic
and, with its 73.5 million passengers per year, it has overtaken even
Chicago O’Hare as the busiest airport in the world.
Although Atlanta is no dwarf city – it has 3.4 million people – all the
major sights can easily be visited on foot and the local public transport
network MARTA helps out when any kind of distance has to be covered.
The political centre of Atlanta is the Georgia State Capitol in the Downtown
district – its crowning, golden dome can be seen shining in the southern sun
for miles around. It was completed in the 1880s and is open for guided tours
covering not only the state rooms and meeting chambers but also exhibitions
on flags and science.
Diagonally across from the Capitol, a massive red logo turns gently
reminding everyone who is responsible for bubbling refreshment the world
over – Coca-Cola.
An entire museum on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is dedicated to the
astounding success story of the fizzy, brown drink – it was originally meant
by its inventor, the chemist John Stith Pemberton, as a cure for headaches
when he came up with the idea in 1886.
The museum is open every day and will jog even the most reluctant of
memories with its collection of classic posters and television adverts while
the souvenir shop on the ground floor can supply T- shirts, teddy bears and
dish towels amongst many other things. The gag here is the drinks bar where
you can try glass after glass of the many regional variations on the theme
of Coca-Cola – a real round the world trip with the whole Coca-Cola extended
family.
A few steps from the entrance to the soft drink museum lies the portal to
the underworld and Atlanta’s underground system – fully air-conditioned and
wonderfully clean. Chic boutiques and small cafes now rule the scenic roost,
the filthy train depots which once dominated now serve purely as a polished
backdrop.
Even Brady O’Quinn of the Atlanta Travel Office complains that Atlanta has
never been squeamish when it comes to its past – anything which stands in
the way of its new image of a successful metropolis is simply pulled down.
The arrival of the Olympic Games in 1996 also gave the city’s renovation
fever added impetus.
One of the few inner city districts which has retained its original charm is
Sweet Auburn. Its Victorian houses once belonged to the city’s black middle
class, something which no other southern city can boast. Following its major
overhaul, even the “white establishment” now appreciate the district’s
elegance.
The story of black and white has always been less awkward in Atlanta than
elsewhere. The city was spared most of the race riots of the 1960s, possibly
explained by a common phrase here: “Atlanta is too busy to hate.”
During the American civil war in the middle of the 19th Century, Atlanta was
caught between the two warring fronts. The city was originally founded as a
meeting point for several major railways and as it reached its twentieth
birthday, the Union’s General William T. Sherman and his troops laid siege
to the city for 117 days.
It ended in 1864 when the general ordered the city to be burned. The
traumatic vision of their city in ashes was one which the proud southern
citizens only recovered from very gradually.
The great fire of Atlanta is portrayed in one of the pivotal scenes in the
film, “Gone With The Wind” while the book – allegedly the most read book in
the world after the Bible – was written by Margaret Mitchell, one of the
city’s daughters. The strange, little Tudor house in which she wrote a large
portion of the book is open to visitors on the corner of 10th and
Peachtree.
Martin Luther King Jr. was another local hero. He was born the son of a
southern preacher in 1929 and, at the age of 17, started to follow in his
father’s footsteps. He was given a final resting place after his
assassination in 1968 in the grounds of the house in which he was born, at
450 Auburn Avenue. A small museum now exhibits some keepsakes in memory of
the famous civil rights activist.
The idolisation of its many successful businesses may be the reason the city
of millions has a limited appeal as a centre of culture, although it has a
symphony orchestra which any city would be proud to call its own.
The city also has a great deal to offer in terms of food, fun and nightlife.
Apparently, people have been known to fly in from as far afield as New York
simply to go out on the town in the Georgian capital, dancing their way from
Midtown’s Peachtree Street to the Virginia-Highland quarter of the city.
Elton John, bespectacled king of the modern-day croon, is only one of the
stars who have made a second home of Atlanta and can regularly be seen on
the party scene. There is plenty to satisfy the hunger of even the most
die-hard party animal, after all, Atlanta has more single people than almost
any other city in the United States.
The “Beverly Hills of the South” – the Buckhead district – connects to
Midtown and is home to Atlanta’s rich and beautiful (as are the mighty
villas along the district’s tree-lined streets).
Among the most beautiful of the houses in the area are Swan House belonging
to the historical centre of the city (130 West Paces Ferry Road NW) and the
residence of the governor of Georgia, the Governor’s Mansion (391 West Paces
Ferry Road NW).
The mansions in Atlanta, as opposed to those in venerable Charleston or New
Orleans, do not pre-date the American civil war but are faithful modern
reconstructions barely 80 years old. Atlanta is still one of the youngest
cities in the United States.
