Travel apprehension for attending your spouse's 20 year High School reunion would seem apparent... but no... my wife Melanie is a good salesperson. "Oh come on honey, we can go eat hot dogs at the Varsity, have a fancy dinner with my cousins, see big fish at the Aquarium &... you can do one of your Bloggy things about it." A couples weekend escape to former stomping-grounds?... I'm in.
Atlanta has grown immensely since these North Springs HS graduates threw their caps in 1990. The home of the 1996 Olympics has almost doubled in size since the summer games & all attendees commented on how "this place is not the same." Atlanta is now a World City, with our nation's busiest airport facilitating travelers all over the world. Mel & I were happy to de-plane & enjoy the city in ways we hadn't in the past. We divided our time visiting old standbys like the Varsity & big beers at El Azteca, while trying new experiences like confit duck leg at CRAFT & whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium. A mix of old & new provided the feeling of home & vacation.
The former classmate posturing & positioning at a 10 year reunion is absent during a 20. We're all in the same boat paddling with equal effort... therefore, heartfelt interest in today almost beats the joy of recalling tales of yesterday. Hearing stories of what took place in Atlanta 20 years ago made me appreciate the City for what it was... but traveling within it's growth gave me a new appreciation for how far it's come.
Ted's Top 5 Things He Learned About Travel on This Trip:
1. Atlanta has over 100 streets in the metro area called "Peachtree". (Definitely get GPS or Neverlost in your rental car.)
2. 25% attend their 20 year reunions & of those... about 22% travel to attend the festivities. (Back those #s into your own graduating class)
3. The Georgia Aquarium is the world's largest with over 8,000,000 gallons of water
4. If your wife forgets to bring pictures of your child to your reunion... it's totally YOUR fault for not reminding her.
5. Nostalgic High School Drinking can be fun... but Bartles & James Wine Coolers taste terrible. (see pic below)
Naturally... all of us will have upcoming reunions in the near future. Some will travel and some will walk to the event but we all should attend. The people & stories are priceless... and if you fear you don't have any "locker-room" stories to share... you should go see the people who helped shape you and create one.
Trip Quote:
"Teddy, I want to introduce you to my good friend Stephen."... Melanie
"My name is Charlie"... Charlie/Stephen
"I knew that."... Melanie
Addtional photos from this journey can be here FlckrTravelWithTed
