1,328 Miles and Everything in Between

HELLO! I know its been a long time. I do sincerely apologize for neglecting you for so long. Unfortunately, the Buftravels website isn't gunna pay my bills so I have to prioritize my military career first. Pictured above is a gorgeous picture of me sporting dog face. Unfortunately, I have been receiving hate mail from dogs across the country saying its racist. Anyway, as promised we have a lot of catching up to do. Basically covering my great adventure from NC to OK and the stops in between. If you want to see first stop in my journey click the "read more", I be waiting on the other side....

THE FIRST STOP- ATLANTA, GA

Its been in every rap video for the past 10 years but the city of Atlanta was directly on the way to Oklahoma so I figured lets give it a shot. I'll fit in great. And more than my perfect compatibility with the town (sarcasm) was the Sister Louisa's Bar. I had featured this place last year in my "Best & Worst Places to get Drunk in the World" entry. Being in the area, I wasn't going to pass that up. I met the owner as well, although it was a bit of a disappointment but we'll get to that.

So after about 4hrs of driving from NC I found myself sitting in ATL, GA. After checking in to the hotel downtown I made my way to my room. Ironically, I found a business card someone had left in the silverware drawer with a crucifix that read "your fucked. drink beer". Sure enough it was for Sister Louisa's Bar and Ping Pong Emporium which I had written about last year. I was ecstatic and made my way to the bar that evening. It was a bit out of center city but wasn't excessively dangerous to get to. Did I feel uncomfortable?...yes. Was I feeling confident and armed?...yes. So as long as you have the stomach for it you can get yourself there. And it was a pretty cool bar, small but fit the bill as advertised. I give it a Buftravels star. If you are in ATL and want to have an interesting night out I suggest this place.

Even more enjoyable than the bar was the walk to and from. This city is an interesting one. It has a number of public squares with benches and trees right in center city/downtown. They are very small, not to be considered a park, however it was refreshing to find the small patches of foliage mixed into the hustle and bustle of the cityscape.

speaking of the cityscape...

Overall I was most impressed by the unique identity that Atlanta has. I couldn't tell you what it is but its there. The farmers markets in the city outskirts were also a very novel experience to be had. And how can I forget the food. We're talking pulled pork, homemade pastries, etc. I'm sweating like a fat kid on Halloween just thinking about it.

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Another colorful anecdote was the graffiti. Sure some may say that it is a stain, a black mark, a nuisance to the aesthetic. I tend to be of another opinion because it reflects the subcultures of an environment. People are trying to say something through it. I have no idea what but I find it fascinating that people take the time and energy to do it. These are a few of the pieces I found strewn along my walk to Sister Louisa's Bar. 

Commercial Tourist Attractions

Centennial Park was a very impressive place. It was created when ATL hosted the Olympics in the 1990s but the park remains as a testament. It stands as a focal point in the urban landscape and all of the large commercial tourist attractions anchor it.The three largest are the CNN News Studios, Coke Museum, and the Atlanta Aquarium. I have never had much enthusiasm for large commercial tourist attractions so out of these I reluctantly chose the aquarium because it had enough positive reviews to convince me.

If you are an animal enthusiast/ free willy/ hippie type then you might have a few reservations about the place. For all the less radical people out there I must say it was awing to see the sheer size of a whale larger than a bus glide over your head. Although tickets were obnoxious, $35 a pop for adults and I think $30 with military discount. If it isn't crowded when you go then I would say its worth your time and money.

Still 900+ Miles of stuff to go...

So those are the highlights for ATL however stay tuned as I still have a return visit to Memphis, TN and the Barber Sports Museum in AL (largest collection of motorcycles in the world) to go. Look for future posts. And as always, Great Travels, Larry.