Atlanta, Georgia Trip

July 3-8, 2006
Atlanta was our main destination during the entire trip. I can say this is the only place most widely visited by me and my husband. One thing that got me excited during this trip was the July 4th big event...fireworks! It would be my first July 4th to witness the big fireworks only to be disappointed at the end because there was a big thunderstorm that night, and so it was cancelled!
On the other side of it, we had 4 itineraries four our trip:

July 4, 2006 - Our visit to Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Main Entrance

Among the special highlights of the garden that we went to visit is "Niki in the Garden" which are mostly large exhibits of a renowned international artist Niki de Saint Phalle's outdoor sculptures. The Garden was the ideal place for Saint Phalle's work to be displayed because of her love of nature. Saint Phalle's imaginative, monumental artworks are beautifully displayed throughout the Garden. To me, they are captivating and very catchy that makes them unique too.

The Nepenthes Chandelier

The Nepenthes Chandelier is a one-of-a-kind creation by Dale Chihuly and was a favorite of visitors during the 2004 Chihuly in the Garden exhibit. A captivating assemblage of brightly colored glass in hues of yellow, chartreuse, and gold with touches of red, the chandelier sparkles in the Special Exhibitions space in the Fuqua Conservatory. The Nepenthes Chandelier was donated by David Jost Tufts in memory of Jeff Lewis.

Then we went to visit the garden's huge collections of plants, both indoor and outdoor. Of course, if you are a person who loves flowers and plants, this is worth it. I only got a few flower photos since I got more interested in the sculptures ;)

July 5, 2006 - CNN Studio Tour

Good thing is CNN was just a walking distance from our hotel, so we didn't have to take a cab to go there. This is CNN's global headquarters. Our tour was for 55 minutes, no photography allowed inside the studio, but photos are allowed on the lobby area.

Our tour started at the bottom of the world's largest freestanding escalator. Some shots of me were taken on the escalator, behind me were our tour group. Of course somebody was still ahead of me, who else...my husband! He was the one taking the photos :))

Once inside, it is pretty much tight in security, equipped with Xray machine. You have to pass the machine before you go inside the main studio.

Studio 7E - No photos were allowed, but lucky me...my husband was able to get 2 shots inside the studio :).

Studio 7E is a blackbox studio where it gives you an up-close look at the technology used at CNN everyday while delivering the news and the weather. This is where they do the actual reporting of the weather.

Other Tour sites (strictly no photos):

CNN Control Room - here, we witnessed the taste of the fast paced environment of live television news.

The CNN Overlook - this is the bird's eye view of the news room in action. Here they showed how news flows in from their sources and then out to their viewers.

July 3, 2006 - The World of Coca-Cola Tour

This tour was the only chance for me to know that Coca-cola originally came from Atlanta...the home of my most favorite drink..Coke! lol!
It's the only place where you can explore the complete story past, present, and future of the world's best-known brand!

July 8, 2006 - Atlanta Zoo