Southern Heat

Atlanta. Capital of the old south. Birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr, peaceful civil rights battlefield, stomping ground of General Sherman, hangout of Scarlet O'Hara. Hotlanta. Capital of the new south. Home of Elton John, Ted Turner and the Atlanta Braves, the 1996 Olympic games and the CNN studios, awash in Coca Cola, and bouncing with positive energy. If you've never been to Atlanta, it's not what you expect. Forget images of southern plantation owners wearing white suits and turning up their noses at Yankees. Ignore John Rocker (he's from Macon). And don't even think about saying this city is trapped in the past. Atlanta is young, fast, and cheap. Interpret that however you like. Atlanta is brimming over with reasons to visit, boasting more restaurants, entertainment venues and cultural attractions than any other city in the Southeast. Not to mention history, sports and the world class Zoo Atlanta. Visitors to Atlanta can relax their way through their time here while they soak up all that the city has to offer at a leisurely southern pace. Spend a long afternoon picnicking on the grassy hills and expansive lawns of Piedmont Park in the center of town. Or a day exploring the vast waters at Lake Lanier Islands (less than an hour north of the city, on I85) on any manner of boat. Or exploring the lake's beach and its inhabitants in your skivvies. You could even wile away the hot evening hours of summer sitting on a rickety front porch sipping a mint julep and eating peanuts as you shell them. You're in the south, so relax. But you're also in Hotlanta. This city can turn up the volume as loud as you can stand to hear it. Get ready to take the city by storm (note historical General Sherman reference.) Fly into Hartsfield International Airport (ATL). It's not a tourist destination in itself, but it's close. Hartsfield is the busiest passenger airport in the world, yet also one of the most modern and efficient. The employees are friendly, the (short term) parking is cheap, the food is surprisingly tasty and every nationality is represented. A lot like Atlanta itself. Atlanta is a city for cars. If you can get one, more power to you. Just remember: rush hour traffic is worse than almost any other city, speed limits are merely suggestions and 14 different streets bear the name "Peachtree," so be careful. For those of you not blessed with you own wheels, fear not. MARTA, Atlanta's mass transit system, can take you nearly anywhere you want to go. You'll avoid driving in traffic, and the people watching possibilities are spectacular. Hartsfield has a MARTA rail station, as do most major destinations in the center of the city. When it's time to grab breakfast, indulge yourself and do it southern style with a heaping plate of greasy treats to power you through the rest of your day. The Atlanta Diner (2071 North Druid Hills Road) serves up a mean plate of pancakes, and easily accommodates the budget traveler. The coffee leaves something to be desired, but at least the refills are free. Another solid breakfast pick is Beautiful Restaurant (397 Auburn Avenue). This is southern cooking at its finest. Grits are probably an acquired taste, but they deserve a sampling, just so you can say you've eaten the quintessential southern food. Last but hardly least, there is The Flying Biscuit (1655 McLendon Avenue), a veritable mother's kitchen of comfort food, just a hop, skip and a jump from Atlanta's best people watching destination, Little Five Points. Atlanta's answer to New York's East Village or San Francisco's HaightAshbury isn't quite the wild, libertine center some tourists expect. L5P is quirky in a quiet, friendly, manageable way. Whether you want to thumb through stacks of vinyl in the record stores, push the limits of good fashion sense at the retro clothing stores, or just sit on a bench and listen to local hippies play guitar, L5P has what you need. If you have time for a little culture, take your pick. The obvious choice is the High Museum (1280 Peachtree Street). Designed by architectural genius Richard Meier, the High is itself a work of art. Special exhibits are constantly passing through the museum, including recent collections of Picasso and Norman Rockwell, so check ahead. Fans of Folk art and Abstract Expressionism, however, need not bother checking. The High includes works by Howard Finster, Robert Rauchenberg, Ashile Gorky and Julien Schnabel in its permanent collection. Keep an eye out for jazz concerts and film screenings too. On the other side of the city, at the other end of the culture spectrum, lies the Fernbank Museum of Natural History (767 Clifton Road Northeast). Go there for 150millionyear old fossils, dazzling shell displays, a Coral Reef Aquarium and a replica Okeefenokee Swamp landscape. An added bonus is the museum's IMAX theater, which hosts "Martini and IMAX night" every Friday. It's exactly what the name implies, and not to be missed. If you're hungry, by all means, eat lunch. Where to start? Fellini's (923 Ponce de Leon Avenue) is oozing with atmosphere. And the pizza's good too, just beware the no credit cards policy. Fishbone's (1875 Peachtree Street) is great for the seafood lover. The famed Varsity (61 North Avenue) is a great place to grab a chili dog or a cheeseburger, so long as you're not concerned with the cleanliness of the floor, or the condition of your arteries. And not to worry, none of these picks will do much to set your budget back. Atlanta virgins might want to check out Underground Atlanta and the World of Coca Cola (55 Martin Luther King Drive). Both are Atlanta institutions. Located in the center of the city, Underground is little more than a glorified mall, but it's a damn good glorified mall. And it's underground. Can your mall say that? Less than a shaken can's spray from Underground sits the greatest monument to American culinary hegemony in the world the World of Coca Cola. Offering frequent tours ($6 for adults) throughout the 9:005:00 day, the World of Coke will inform as well as entertain its visitors. Discover Coke's connection to Atlanta. View the evolution of the Coke commercial. Learn the history of Coke. And if you still haven't gotten your Coke fix by then, you can sample different Cokes from around the world. When it's dinner time, one restaurant stands above the rest. Ru San's (1529 Piedmont Avenue) is the hippest of hip Americansushi restaurants in Atlanta. You can find everything but the kitchen sink on the vast menu, including fried ice cream and sushi rolled up with just about anything. Good sake too. Not the best sushi in the world, but a worthwhile dining experience. During baseball season, catch a Braves home game. Thankfully for tourists, the baseball team of the '90s is underappreciated by its hometown. That means that you can show up right before game time and get a decent seat on most nights. Fill up beforehand, because a beer and a pretzel at Turner Field (755 Hank Aaron Drive (get it?)) will cost you more than a meal for two at many of the previously mentioned restaurants. Ironically, some same day tickets sell for only $1. If baseball's not your bag, Atlanta is also home to the Hawks (basketball), Falcons (football), Thrashers (hockey) and plenty of Nascar. When you're ready to hit the town, you'll learn they don't call it Hotlanta for nothing. Nightlife is plentiful in the "city that sleeps more than New York, but still not all that much." If you like over the top, drunken and trendy partygoers, check out Buckhead, Atlanta's smorgasbord of hip bars. Some standouts include Tongue and Groove (3055 Peachtree Street) and Bar (250 East Paces Ferry Road), although you'll get pretty much the same experience at any of them. If you're the type that likes to dance to get lost in the music, instead of to pick up members of the opposite sex, try one of Atlanta's many intense techno clubs. Crescent Room (1136 Crescent Avenue) is a bit pretentious, but always features danceable tunes spun by live DJs. MJQ (736 Ponce de Leon Avenue) is a bit more hardcore. That means the music is better, and the drinks are worse. Check out the flyers at the Little Five Points record stores for specific events and DJ lineups. You have to sleep somewhere. If your budget is unlimited, don't look further than the SwissOtel in Buckhead. Unfortunately, the kind of decadence offered here is beyond the means of most student travelers. Opt instead for the comfortable and centrally located Studio Plus Vinings (474 Cumberland Avenue) or the Atlanta Midtown (870 Peachtree Street Northeast). Neither offers any rooms for more than $100. For those on a serious budget, try Atlanta's wide assortment of youth hostels, which vary in quality. Mark Kawar had been known to frequent the Waffle House and Braves games.