A Thousand Country Roads

We Had a Hot Time in “Hot ‘Lanta”: Part 1

November 4, 2014 in Destination, History, Travel, Vacation

What is it about big cities that fascinate us? The hustle and bustle and the teeming masses of people, scurrying around in a constant rush to get from Point A to Point B  to accomplish whatever mission they need to accomplish? Or is it the huge, towering buildings, rising like stalagmites to touch the clouds? Whatever it is, for the many of us who come from small towns it’s most likely the adventure of experiencing something different, broadening our horizons beyond the small community Our Town mentality many of us have been surrounded by during our life.

I grew up and still live in such a community, Woodfin, NC, part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of my small burg is 6,000 plus, and is right across the city limit line of Asheville which has a population of 87,000 plus. Technically, I don’t really come from a small town because we’ve always considered ourselves a part of Asheville; my mailing address is actually an Asheville Zip Code. Still…Woodfin was incorporated as a Township in 1970 which truly makes me a Woodfinite, if there’s such a denizen by name.

Arrival in the Peach State

And it was to here that four years ago this month, I brought from the Philippines my then fiancée Lynndee and her son Yogi to create a new American family. What a change of pace that was for them seeing that they came from a city of over 500,000 people. But, I haven’t limited them to being stuck in small-town life. I’ve made it a point to go on many road trips and introduce them to their new country. So far we’ve been to eight states as well as Washington, DC. Not too bad, yet there’s still so much more to do and see and so many more places to go.

“…towering buildings, rising like stalagmites to touch the clouds.”

One of our most memorable trips was back in 2012 when we went to Atlanta, GA. Atlanta acquired its nickname from the Allman Brothers Band instrumental hit Hot ‘Lanta, their tribute to the city. And the famous live recording by Lynyrd Skynyrd of Free Bird was done at the Fox Theatre in 1976. Ironically, it was in Atlanta that Lynndee and Yogi first set foot on American soil when we arrived there on the trip to bring them to the US. But I have a history with Atlanta that goes even further back, back to the time before I was even born, at that.

From our hotel room, the famous Fox Theatre where Lynrd Skynrd recorded Free Bird live.

My parents made their honeymoon trip to Atlanta. And on their tenth anniversary, they went back, except this time they took two little boys with them. Some anniversary celebration, huh? I’ve often wondered about that, taking your kids to celebrate your anniversary. But that’s one of my most vivid early memories. Even at that early age I was into history, and one of the things that Mom made sure I got to see was the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum.

Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, known for his famous quote, “War is Hell,” began his infamous March to the Sea on May 6, 1864 from Chattanooga, TN and put his words into actions, using a scorched-earth strategy to destroy the Confederacy’s ability to make war against the Union. In doing so, the Union Army destroyed railroads and any infrastructure the Confederates could use against them, and to supply his army since they were so far away from the supply lines, they raided farms and stores to forage for their needs. It truly was brutal and gave life to the quote that war is hell.

The main Battle of Atlanta took place on July 22, 1864 but he city itself did not fall so it was then put under siege, finally surrendering on September 2. Sherman established his headquarters there on September 7, ordering all civilians to be evacuated. He stayed for two months before beginning his push to Savannah and the sea, ordering that the city be put to the torch, a scene made famous and memorialized in the classic movie Gone With the Wind.

Inside the Cyclorama is a cylindrical panoramic painting of the battle with a three-dimensional diorama in front of the painting. You sit in the middle and rotate 360 degrees seeing the entire painting, with an accompanying narration by of one of the staff. It’s an awesome, awe-inspiring experience, a reliving of history. And inside the building is a fantastic museum of Civil War artifacts and paintings. There’s even a steam locomotive, the Texas, which was involved in a famous event known as the Great Locomotive Chase. As legend has it ,when the cast of Gone With the Wind visited the Cyclorama during the film’s opening, Clark Gable said that the only way the painting could be any more magnificent was if he were in it, whereupon the management added Gable’s face to one of  the sculptures in the diorama, a dying soldier, no less. How’s that for immortality?

The Cyclorama
Lynndee and Yogi with the famous locomotive Texas
This was my fourth time visiting the Cyclorama but my joy was in sharing it with Lynndee and Yogi. Yogi was especially fascinated for he, too, is a lover of history, and even though this is his new homeland, America and the Philippines have a united history going back to 1898 and he knows as much US military history as he does of his home county’s history. And before he even come here, he knew how to speak English for it is taught to all students in schools there, their version of ESL.
Though Southerners, my ancestors fought on the Union side, therefore, I’m a Yankee!

This was an exciting day for our family, and a very busy one because this wasn’t the only stop of the day. But more on that later because this is just Part 1 of our weekend trip to Hot ‘Lanta. And if you think this was hot, just wait!

Previous A Man is as Good as His Word
Next We Had a Hot Time in “Hot ‘Lanta”: Part 2

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About Harry

There's really nothing special to share about me. I'm a simple man who leads a simple life, still in search of knowledge and the enlightenment it gives to my still-growing mind. And I do believe in magic, for it is out there, waiting to be discovered by those whose hearts and minds are open to the possibility, and whose eyes are willing to look past the obvious and seek the realm of the mystical. As I once read in a description of my traits based on my birthdate, I'm a dreamer of dreams, a teller of tales whose mystic mind knows that truth prevails. And as the great poet Robert Frost said:
"...I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Harry says

      We had a blast. I’ve been there many times but it was a first for my new wife and son. And you should make it a first too. It’s a fun place to experience.

    • Harry says

      For sure, don’t forget to do it. The location is in Grant Park and within two years it will be moved to Buckhead so you need to see it in the location it’s been in for decades.

  5. Leon Bailey says

    Atlanta! Home of my Braves! It used to be like a second home to me as I was there all of the time. I haven’t been back in some years. I need to change that. I have yet to visit the Cyclorama, so I definitely will have to change that one day.

    • Harry says

      And they’re my Braves too; have been since 1966 and I’ve seen many games down there. Though I wanted to share the entire experience of the city with my new family, my #1 share was to take them to a Braves game and we actually went to two while there. But they already knew all about the Braves since they had to sit through so many TV games with me since I had got them here from the Philippines. And you need to get to the Cyclorama ASAP; they’re moving it to Buckhead in the next couple of years and it will never be the same as it is in the Grant Park location. It’s a classic where it stands.

    • Harry says

      That airports a nightmare! Thankfully, I’ve only had to go through there one time. But it was a fun time. If ya ever get a chance, check the city out.

  9. nova hedges says

    I guess no matter how many times you come and visit the place as long as you are interested to learn about everything isn’t a boring at all. Thanks for sharing, this looks absolutely amazing.

    • Harry says

      It truly was an amazing trip for my new family. I’d been there many times before but I wanted to share it with them, just as Lynndee shared her world with me when I visited her in Gen San.

  13. Rochkirstin Santos says

    The idea of going back to the country where they had their honeymoon with their kids seemed awesome. I think I would also want to do that. 🙂 There’s a long and rich history between the Philippines and the US. That’s interesting to know.

    • Harry says

      Yes, a very long and storied history between us. I love the Philippines and hope to retire there with my wifey, which of course she’ll love, getting to go home.

  16. Sherrie Bama says

    Georgia is pretty in some places. I hate I-85 bypass in Atlanta though. Crazy. I have traveled through Georgia a few times. Very rude drivers there like Detroit Mich.

    • Harry says

      Yeah, the traffic’s crazy there, but I ain’t got a prob with it. I just put the pedal to the metal and roll with ’em.

    • Harry says

      My wifey loves taking pics and, yeah, that pic was so perfect and inspired me to use the metaphor of the buildings reaching to touch the clouds like stalagmites.

    • Harry says

      And hopefully you’ll be able to visit some day. I checked your blog out and see you’re in the Netherlands and mentioned Rotterdam. One of my great great-great great, not sure how many greats, grandfathers immigrated from the Netherlands back the 1700’s. His surname was Kuykedahl, the first ever to come to the US. He was from near Arnhem, not far from Rotterdam. Small world, huh? I’d love to visit your country some day and maybe trace my roots.

  22. Miranda Myrabev says

    Never been to Atlanta but would definitely love, I am a small town kind of girl and bustling towns like London here in the UK are not my kind of this but I do enjoy an occasional visit now and again.

    • Harry says

      And thanks for checking my post out. I love to share my love of history in hopes of inspiring others to check things out too.

    • Harry says

      Sounds like you experienced the Atlanta that prompted the nickname Hot ‘Lanta. Yes, it can be hot there in the summer but as for me, the hotter, the better…(“,) We were there in July, the hottest time of the year, but no prob. The average daily temp in my wife’s home town in the Philippines is 85-90 and it’s summer every day there on a year-round basis. So that was nothing new to her.

  27. Nile Flores says

    I’ve been to Atlanta to speak at conferences, but haven’t gotten to see some of the historical things. I live in a small town of 12,000, but have lived in cities of 500K, 8million, and have visited cities that were 23 million outside of the US. Definitely a huge difference.

    Someone mentioned in the comment about driving. I didn’t think the drivers were rude, but I drive like a big city driver, like Chicago, New York City, or the insanely huge Mexico City.

  32. Risa B says

    It looks like you had a great time with your family. I think I went to Atlanta when I was a kid, but I don’t remember it at all.

  34. Sharon Ruggieri says

    That is fantastic! We totally love history here too! And I can’t imagine living in a small town. I mean, I sort of wish I did, or will someday, but I’ve always been in huge cities and the excitement of them was lost a long time ago.

    • Harry says

      Yeah, I can see how you’d lose the excitement. As the old cliché saying goes, a nice place to visit but I sure wouldn’t want to live there…(“,)

  36. Fiona says

    Atlanta always sounds like a fun place to visit, sadly I’ve never been. Looks like you guys had a fantastic trip! Great photos 🙂