When in Atlanta

two brands are right up there.  Both begin with C.  We began with the first. CNN.

Mary had booked us a tour for this morning, so we were there, ready to go in good time.

We waited in the lobby, by the eight-storey high escalator and watched the news.

Well, what else would you do in a news organisation?

Having met our guide, Daniel, we got to ride that escalator: still the longest free standing escalator in the world, even though it’s been there since 1976.

At the top, we were able to get an overview of the process of putting the TV news together.  Here were two sets of screens; one was for the domestic CNN here in USA, the other for international CNN.  As you can seen, whilst we were there, it was reporting live from London where Parliament had been recalled to pay tribute to Jo Cox, the murdered MP. Daniel explained the series of screens; the preview screens and the cues and of course, the main live feed to each of the two channels.

The next stop was a mock up of a newsroom, where someone could pretend to read the news and appear live on TV.  Had we been in a large group, this could have been fun, but with only the three of us and Daniel, we left it to my hero to sit and read the autocue.  No, of course I’m not going to embarrass him by posting the photo I took!

We’d arrived in between live TV shows, so there was not much going on in the studio but Daniel was able to explain about the cameras, most of which are now remote control and the lights – notice the colour, a blueish pink.

From there we went into a no photo, high security area: the news room.  Here, rows of journalists and news gatherers were sitting in front of banks of screens, reading a variety of news feeds and monitoring stories from around the world.  Here too were the banks of Nielsen screens, constantly monitoring audience response and reaction alongside the social media monitors and online feeds.  It was here where we realised what a huge operation news reporting is these days and how quickly it’s still changing.  Blink and you could miss the big story and yes, it’s all live.

We were able to see into the controllers’ room where live CNN was being broadcast as we watched – exhausting?  You bet!  Daniel likened it to Air Traffic Control – 100% attention required of everyone 100% of the time in there.

Remember the cool blueish pink lighting in the studio across the way?  We followed Daniel over to CNN Espanol, the Spanish language service, where the lighting was anything but cool!  Here, it was noticeably warmer yellow – interesting, n’est-ce pas?

Our CNN tour concluded, we made our way across the Centennial Park (sweet of them to fly the Union flag, wasn’t it?) towards our afternoon location.  The second C  (and the third!)

There were rather more folks here than at CNN and we hadn’t planned ahead by buying tickets in advance.  Hopefully, we weren’t going to have a long wait.

Hah!  straight in.  Tickets bought, no queue and in we went.

The first thing to do was to visit the counter and choose our preferred variety (and a map).  I quite liked the cute aluminium bottle and have been trying how to wrangle it into my journal

The first “show” was a broad introduction to the brand, narrated by the excellent (and ever so enthusiastic) Auzhanae.

Isn’t she great?

For the next couple of hours, we made our way through a succession of themed displays.  The first had a collection of historical artefacts and advertising material.

Another told the history of the product and the ways of protecting the concept from copycat products.

The spelling mistake might be a clue!

This display focused on the secret formula and the precautions taken to safeguard it.  Do you believe it’s really behind that door (bearing in mind that we’d just been reading that one of the security measures was to ensure it was never written down)?

More advertising material and promotional items were on display here too. 

Upstairs was a Disney-style show with moving seats, water splashes and fun.  It was a little basic and far from subtle but the group of summer school youngsters behind us loved it (and were probably nearer the target audience!)

After watching a few Coke TV ads from around the world (yes, including “I’d like to teach the world to sing”), we spent a short time in the last room, where we sampled Coke products from around the world.  Here was the good old Thums Up cola we remembered from India and Inca Kola from Peru amongst other strangely familiar products.  There was also the full range of Coca Colas – Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Coke Classic, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Caffeine-free Coke and the new green Coke, so if we hadn’t been totally bubbled out with Coke already, we could have engineered our sugar-rush here.

We decided it was time to go and exited through the gift shop, helping ourselves to another free sample bottle as we went (glass, this time, so no chance to squashing it into my journal…I’m thinking of maybe driving over the aluminium bottle, btw!)

Guess what was to be found in the gift shop?

Well, actually, there was all manner of T shirts, soft toys, glasses, homeware and anything (and everything) you can think of, as long as it can be made in red).

We resisted the temptation but many families left bearing numerous carrier bags reminding us of those leaving the American Girl Doll stores!

This evening, we visited Gus’s Fried Chicken, where Red served us a tray full of the most delicious things; more than we could eat, but declined to serve me a Blue Moon beer because I did not have appropriate id to show her   The lemonade was fine

We’ve had a great day here, then and still have a few things on our list to see.  But as they say around here, tomorrow is another day…

Through Georgia’s treasures

Whilst in the Augusta museum, I asked the young woman at the information desk if she could suggest any must-sees along the road between Augusta and Atlanta.  Clearly, I wasn’t the first to ask that question because she pointed out the leaflet with the list and giggled.

OK, so here’s the challenge! 

Rather than take the Interstate as suggested by the leaflet, however, we stuck to the local road.  We had all day to explore the area and we in no particular hurry.  For most of the way, the road ran parallel to the railroad, but there were no trains today, sadly.

There wasn’t a great deal of traffic.

Our first stop was in Greensboro where we pulled up outside the Town Hall and decided we needed to stretch our legs a while.

When we first came to the USA, we fell immediately in love with the wide open spaces and the big cities.  It took us rather longer to get to grips with small-town America though but gradually, we’ve become attracted to the charms of some of these quaint places.

Greensboro was closed.  It’s Sunday and here in Georgia, Sunday is a day for church and family, not for commerce. 

We didn’t mind.  We rather enjoyed a short wander around, admiring the small-town vibe which was apparent from the minute we got out of the car.

From Greensboro, we continued along the suggested route but chose not to stop at Lake Oconee, so my photograph was snapped as we crossed the bridge.  Yes, we missed the opportunity to visit the Ritz-Carlton there!

Our next stop was going to be Madison, described as Georgia’s Antebellum Showcase.  As we approached the town, I asked if we might possibly have been here before, because some things looked awfully familiar.

My Hero gave it some thought before looking at the map again.  Sure enough, when we were last in Georgia in 2001, we drove from Washington DC to Hilton Head and yes, our route took us through Madison on that occasion.  So here we were once again!

It is indeed a grand town, set around an elegant and leafy square.  It has less of a “small-town” feel to it and appears prosperous and well heeled.  We spotted a small crowd of people standing around a few outdoor tables and headed that way with a snack in mind.  The Chop House delivered more than a mere snack though, in the form of freshly prepared and totally yummy sandwiches which kept us going for the rest of the day.  Cheerful staff waited on a lively clientele of all ages: it was only when my Hero received a text message with greetings from home that we realised that of course, it’s Fathers Day.

We returned to the car and drove on further, past Heritage Hall, where I remembered visiting on that road trip in 2001.  When we are home, I must take another look at that road trip journal and see what we did and where we went!

We came upon Rutledge next, but feeling full and a little less energetic than earlier in the day, we simply stopped, took a quick look around, reset the satnav and moved right along.

I was more curious about Social Circle.  After all, somewhere with such an unusual name must be interesting, wouldn’t you think?  (Well, I did.)  But it wasn’t to be.  Social Circle didn’t have the immediate charm of Madison, nor the small-town vibe of Greensboro though it did have a line of beautiful lilac trees!

 

There remained just two further stops on the route and the afternoon was passing.

Downtown Covington was grand.  Set around an elegant square with the Town Hall standing prominently in place, this was another example of from our imaginary images of “small town America”.

We were glad we’d stopped here and admired the neatly tended flower beds and well maintained buildings.  Still, we scooted out of town and over the county line before Boss Hogg caught us!

As we left, there was another well maintained building by the side of the road which caught my hero’s eye!   A stop here means a break from driving, of course, and a peaceful half hour with his Kindle whilst Mary and I take a look around.

I’ll admit that we were just too lazy to get out of the car in Conyers.

Or at least, I thought we had been, until I saw this photograph.  Of course, I jumped out to take a picture of the main street! 

That was all, though…

As we left, we spotted an engine in a shed, though, not that we had any idea what it was.  My hero decided he’d investigate later, once he had chance to do a bit of googling.

That was made easier by the signpost on the next junction – it was The Dinky.

Onto Atlanta, then.  Arriving late Sunday afternoon with very few folks about was a good idea and made finding our hotel relatively straightforward.   The city isn’t laid out in the grid pattern that makes finding places easy, but with the help of our trusty satnav, we were soon there.

We now have a couple of days to explore the city.  Stick with us and see what’s what!

Georgia, Georgia…

The soundtrack in my mind has changed, of course.

We left Charleston this morning, driving through the suburbs past “tires for hire” and the Piggly Wiggly supermarket.

We passed so many churches we lost count, but the church we spotted when we stopped in Summerville won the prize for the most original setting.

We’d read about Summerville and its reputation as the home of “Sweet Tea”, a southern speciality.

Enjoying a walk around this cute small town with a cup of sweet tea in hand, Mary spotted a sign worth pursuing.

People, Places and Quilts is a charming store with several rooms full of fabric and gorgeous samples.  My hero found a comfy sofa with a book of Gary Larsson cartoons to entertain him, so we were all happy.

I rather liked the pinboard with paper patterns displayed – how things used to be done pre-technology.

We were heading for Augusta today though, so rather than linger longer in Summerville, we hit the road again.

These long straight roads are a great opportunity for me to set up the “studio” in the back of the van and catch up on some of my journal.

Today was a page about the ice cream in Charleston and another with the plantations on.  I managed to complete most of the cutting and sticking, leaving the writing until I have a steady table to sit at.

Thankfully, I’d more or less cleared away before we had to screech to a halt.

I managed a decent photo of the sign for Denmark, South Carolina.

We’re in Coca-Cola country here and some vintage signs are starting to appear.

The Heritage Corridor was signposted all the way, but we had no idea what it was about until now.  I took a photo to remind me to look it up later!

By now we were heading into Georgia and my hero had instructions to give me plenty of notice so I could have my camera ready to take a photo of the “Welcome to Georgia” sign.

The border was the Savannah River.  I sat with camera in hand, at the ready.

And the silly auto focus decided I wanted a clear shot of those blips on the windscreen.  Bleh.

Hey ho.  Here were were in no time, downtown Augusta, Georgia.

We’re only here overnight, so wanted to make the most of our time and headed straight for the History Museum.

We’re in cotton country here, and with Diana, our guide, pointing out the highlights, we spent a happy hour learning a little about the area.

There were displays to tell the story of Augusta from the very first people until the present day.  Our favourite?

This old fire engine with its highly polished detail and those two “armchairs” up front.

Of course, golf featured quite large in the story.

As did the Godfather of Soul.  (change of soundtrack!)

Augusta was not exactly busy on this Saturday afternoon and we had the museum more or less to ourselves and really appreciated the 1:1 attention from Diana, too.

It was pretty empty outside too!  I can’t imagine many places where downtown on a Saturday afternoon looks like this, can you?

Though there are interesting buildings here and there, sadly we won’t have time to explore further.  We’ll just have to read a little more and find out what we missed.

We soon found out where everyone was this afternoon, though – at the Mall!

We were headed for our hotel though; another Hilton brand but one which is new to us.  We have a spacious bedroom…

a bathroom, of course,

and an enormous sitting room

and kitchen/work area.  It’s a little excessive for just one night, but it’s good to stretch our legs a bit!  Mary has almost the same set up too – we ought to have arranged a party!!

Instead, we did what everyone else was doing this evening

The Plantations

We couldn’t spend time in Charleston without visiting at least one plantation so it was time to crank up the Chrysler and head on out of town.

It was another sizzler – warmer than yesterday in fact, and as we drove out on the highway it was already registering 88F.  It was good to be leaving the built environment behind.

Half an hour later we were driving through swampy woodland, discussing the term “bayou” – was that a bayou we just passed, I asked?  Who knows…we need to research!  (Just did…the answer is yes, it probably was)

Our first destination was Magnolia Gardens, widely advertised as the best plantation gardens in the area and the oldest, by far, but more importantly, recommended to us as a “must see” by our friends Bill and Wendy. 

Unfortunately, we’d missed the magnolias, the camellias and the azaleas but the hyacinths were looking great!

We got tickets for the house tour starting shortly, so made our way over there as instructed.

When we got there, we had a surprise.  We’d been expecting a “Gone with the Wind” style mansion set in some kind of plantation though hadn’t thought much about it until now.  But here was a rather simpler home and there was no plantation in sight – or at least, nothing we could recognise as such. 

But before we gave it much further thought, our guide arrived and we learned more about what we were to see.  There had been a grander “mansion” on the site – two previous incarnations, in fact.  But both had burned down and when it came to rebuilding, the family chose to create a rather simpler affair, because it seems, they were hardly ever here.  We learned that many years before it became commonplace to do such a thing, Magnolia Gardens were opened to the public and the owner, John Grimke Drayton actually made a reasonable living from the proceeds.

No photos were allowed throughout the house but believe me, it was no Calhoun Mansion inside but a simple home built and decorated in a modest style.  What was really interesting though was not the house itself but the story of the Drayton family which can be read here too.  Wandering through these rooms on a sticky hot Charleston day, it was easy to imagine why several family members didn’t like being here at all.  The idea of the mosquitoes was bad enough but we learned too that the plumbing had been done in such a way that the phosphates in the ground leeched into the water, leading to kidney problems in those who lived here until the connection was made and the problem corrected.

More recently, the house had been used for entertaining and the guest list included people such as Eleanor Roosevelt, the Gershwin brothers and Orson Welles.  Oh, and we learned about the plantation as well: this was an area where rice was grown until the Civil War, after which time a labour shortage led landowners to seek a different means of making a living.  They’d discovered phosphates in the soil around here, which could be strip mined but in doing so, the land was ruined (poisoned) forever.

We were fascinated by all of this and delighted to find such a contrasting story to that at the Calhoun Mansion yesterday.  There were links to the Charleston families we’d heard about yesterday too and we were able to piece some of the history together, making it all the more interesting.

As we left to explore the gardens,  Mary asked about the “Grimke” name, for she’d recognised it from her knowledge of two sisters who feature strongly in the quest for equality and women’s suffrage.  Sure enough, they were related to the family here, though their Southern upbringing motivated them to move north and devote their lives to working as abolitionists and political activists.  Ed, our guide, told us of a recent novel based on their lives: The Invention of Wings , now on both our reading lists!

Wandering around the garden – well, not exactly wandering but actually, following the suggested route, we chatted about what we’d seen and learned.  We’d really enjoyed the tour and the wild, uncomplicated garden was the perfect location to reflect on the story.

We’d learned that what we’d regarded as the front of the house hadn’t really been the front at all, since most people had arrived by boat from Charleston and would have approached the building from the side facing the river.

Before long, we too were standing by the river, imagining how it had been when this was the main route to and from the estate.

Actually, we didn’t have to imagine too much, for there was a reproduction of a photograph taken at the time, with a steamship offloading a party of people coming to visit the gardens just as we were doing.

The gardens were lovely, not in the conventional planting, but in the natural abundance and the seemingly untended and relaxed style.  Clearly, much work is done here, for otherwise the garden would surely soon be overgrown and totally wild, but the gardeners are successful in knowing when to stop!

Oh, and the light and shade was magnificent.  I have no idea what these flowers are but they were looking stunning in the sunshine, overhanging a deep, reflective pool.

Soon, we were back at the house and, of course, we exited through the gift shop!

I was interested to see cards inspired by the gates we admired yesterday in there

though my purchase was actually a pack of praline pecans, a local speciality we’d intended to try yesterday but missed out on.

(Thanks Bill and Wendy – your recommendation was spot on!)

After a spot of light refreshment we drove back through the swampy landscape, past a bayou or two (!) heading for the second plantation of the day: The Charleston Tea Plantation.

Whilst stopped at a junction, I had time to take a photograph and look more closely at the trunks of the palmetto trees here.  Since we arrived, I’ve been intrigued by that regular interwoven pattern on every one.  Isn’t nature wonderful?

The tea plantation is on an island and as we crossed the waterway, we spotted a bit of fun going on there.

This is a flat, open landscape with as much water as there is land.  Interesting.

The tea plantation visit began and ended in the gift shop!  A welcome sample of iced tea made a good start to the factory tour.

Not that there was a lot going on today. All was empty and silent so we simply followed the story as told in overhead video presentations.  Ten minutes later, we stepped out to join the trolley tour of the plantation itself.

This was a long established tea plantation and it’s changed ownership a few times.  Now, it’s operated by the Bigelow family and produces the only US grown tea.

We joined the trolley tour driven and guided by Beau, who spoke with an accent uncannily like Francis Underwood from House of Cards!

 

He drove us out into the original plantation, where there was a wide range of long-established tea bushes growing.

Here, comparisons could be made regarding which species grows well under these conditions and those species can be selected for propagation and replanting in greater numbers.  Blends are then created to suit the tastes of the largely American customer base, most of whom drink tea iced.

The tea is harvested from the new shoots, dried, shredded and oxidised to create the end product.

Next stop was the propagation depot.

We saw where new bushes are grown from cuttings and how the whole process is managed using automatic climate control.

Not much was going on in the plantation either, but a little light maintenance was being done here.

A little more back breaking work was going on in the neighbouring area too and having seen what there was to see, Beau left us with a little South Carolina philosophy: start the day slowly and then taper off from there”.  Quite honestly, in this heat, it’s hard to imagine being able to do much else – unless of course, you are a worker in a tea plantation and have work to do!

Returning to Charleston over the bridge again, we consulted the weather forecast.  The temperature had crept up to the high 90s by now and the promise of thunderstorms seemed fairly reasonable.  No sooner had we got in than the sky darkened, a breeze blew up out of nowhere and sure enough, a clap of thunder heralded a heavy rainstorm.

It didn’t stop us heading out for dinner and then on to our favourite Jeni’s ice cream afterwards though.  After all, what are umbrellas for?

A car-free day in Charleston

What’s this?  Aren’t we supposed to be on a road trip?  So far, we’ve only driven from the airport to the hotel and the car has remained stationary in the car park ever since!

With the free trolley stop right outside the hotel, though, why bother with the car?  We stepped outside and onto the trolley downtown, unsure at first where we’d get off but making a snap decision to leave at the same time as everyone else: at the market.

I was unsure what to expect at the market but imagined it to be mostly produce and in particular, looked forward to some juicy South Carolina peaches.

Except it wasn’t that kind of market at all!  Full of souvenir-type shops, this was clearly targeted at the visitor and not the local population and though it was interesting to walk through, it didn’t keep us for long.

We chatted to a few of the sweetgrass basketmakers who were creating this Charleston speciality.  The first maker we spoke to, Kathleen, had made some really fabulous baskets, beautifully shaped and exquisitely finished.  Other baskets we saw, like those in the picture above, paled in comparison and we agreed that if we wanted a basket to take home, then we’d return to Kathleen and choose some of her work.  Except that we didn’t really want to spend $200+ on a basket, however beautiful it happened to be…

A large heap of dried okra caught our eye and as we wondered why, my hero snagged a sample.  I can report that I am none too keen on okra in any form, thank you!

Done with the market and ready to move on, we decided to continue into the old town.  It was a beautiful day and Charleston was looking lovely, though by now the heat was beginning to build.

Walking along Meeting Street, we came upon this sign, commemorating a rather significant event.  It’s fun to stumble upon such things and Charleston is full of them!

 

The buildings here are grand and there are the most beautiful examples of wrought ironwork here and there..

It’s not the easiest of things to photograph sadly and there wasn’t long enough to get my sketchbook out.  Never mind.

Just after I’d recorded my presence with the very decorative watermeter cover, an elderly gentleman stopped to chat with us.  Originally from Hamburg, Germany, he was in search of his jacket, he told us, having left it behind at a hospital appointment earlier.  We seized his recommendation to spend some time in the building to our left, the air-conditioned headquarters and store of the Historic Charleston Foundation, where my eye was caught by a rather smart quilt in the corner.

Thinking it was an Hawaiian style applique design, I went to take a closer look.

It was printed and not appliqued at all – and sometimes, things do look better from a distance!

Feeling a little cooler, we continued on our progress towards The Battery, admiring the beautifully preserved homes on both sides of the street and thinking that owning such a treasure must be quite a responsibility.

I posted pictures of the wonderful window boxes previously, because there really were some beauties along the way.  Planted to colour coordinate with the soft historic colours of the buildings themselves, these were my favourites.

I enjoyed noticing small architectural details, elegant entrances and historic markers too.

Not all of the homes were grand and some were small and simpler in style.  I’ll bet that, just like London Mews houses, they still cost an arm and a leg, though!

I’ve no idea what this little feature is for, but I liked the shape!

I could imagine sitting on the verandah of this huge home, admiring the colours of the small maple tree in the sunshine.

Though my patience might be tried by the neighbours who appear to be renovating an identical home next door. My goodness, that’s a huge project, isn’t it?

Actually, there are homes tucked in small spaces all over the place, which results in some cute addresses.

Oooo, wrought iron alert – look at those gates!

Gorgeous, aren’t they?  (Actually, when I first qualified as a Craft Judge, one of the first exhibits I was given to judge was a pair of wrought iron gates – though they were not in the same league as these!)

Another small detail we spotted, though by the time you’d worked it out, I think that you might have missed the point?

We decided to make a stop at this next home, the Calhoun Mansion, one of Charleston’s finest houses.  Reading in our guide, we couldn’t resist joining a guided tour and taking a look inside, though sadly, there are no photographs beyond the lobby.

Nathan, our guide, referred to the house as the “ooooh” house, or the “OMG” Mansion.  We began uttering those words as soon as we walked through the garden, wondering if we could recreate those beautifully manicured box bushes?!

There were other clever details – eight jets of water which met perfectly in the centre of the pool to create a fantastic effect.  Love it.

The doorbell was interesting, with what looked like a glass marble as the push button.

And as we stood listening to Nathan tell us a little about the background of the house, I couldn’t resist a picture of the door hinge!  Looking around the house, every door hinge was similarly decorative – wow.

The porch was tiled with stunning encaustic tiles with a dogwood blossom design.

And with the advice to look for the nautical “rope” design throughout the house, the front door opened and our tour of the mansion began.

To get a flavour of what lies behind that door, have a look here and here.  Suffice to say that we too oooohed and aaaaahed over every room.  What a treasure!

Next stop was The Battery which was exactly as we remembered from our previous visit.  Super hot hot hot by now: a high of 94F we read, so we didn’t linger but returned to shady streets and a cool deli for some lunch.

 

The wrought iron spotting continued and look what was next door:

A new build in this area of historic Charleston must be a rarity.  I’d love to have details of this one.

Before too long, we were back in the commercial district.  We pottered a little in the Charleston Makers store, the Brackish Feather Bow Ties catching my hero’s eye (until he saw the price, that is)  and finally, caught the trolley back to the hotel.

This evening, we enjoyed yet more Low Country seafood at Coast and crawled back to the hotel feeling full, weary and ready for a couple of hours in front of the TV in an air conditioned room.  Outside, it’s still 86F, even though it’s gone 9pm and the forecast tomorrow is for a max 97F.

That’s warm.  Isn’t it?