First, it was simply awesome to use a vacation day and take Friday off from work. It was great to stay up late on Thursday, sleep in Friday, and eventually pack into the car for the couple-hour road trip to our neighboring state. The commute was shortly interrupted by a lunch at everyone's favorite hot dog restaurant, Phat Dogs! If you've never heard of it, you are likely a stranger to me. Once you have tasted and seen that the Phat Dog is good, you may even become evangelical about it. Just sayin'. All jokes aside, they were exceptionally busy and we had a fantastic lunch. It was nice to see the dining room so full, and more coming in to order at the bar, but it is nice when I can visit when there are no guests and I have time to sit and talk with them. Matt & Lauren both bought Phat Dogs t-shirts too, which was extra cool.
Our journey continues down I-85S shortly after getting phattened (heh, see what I did there?). Baker and I sat in the back seat playing with our electronic devices and listening to tunes as they streamed from our iDevices to the bluetooth-enabled stereo in Matt's car. Other than that, there weren't really any other notable events to write about during the drive.
We arrived at the hotel, the Hyatt Place, around 3:30 PM. Unloaded our stuffs and took a few minutes to sit and rest.
I'm not exactly sure what is on the television, but going by their expressions, it must have been...interesting.
After taking a moment to rest from the car ride, we packed back in and made our way towards downtown Atlanta to find the World of Coca-Cola. They have built a new location since the last time I visited it near Underground Atlanta many years ago. It was much fun. A couple of pics below...
Chillin' with the Polar Bear.
Chillin with Mike.
Chillin' with the gang, outside of the World of Coke.
After this, we walked a good couple miles around downtown trying to find a place to eat that were both reasonably priced, and had vacancy. We failed to find a place that matched both and instead headed back towards the hotel in hopes of finding something along the way. We did, and settled upon Longhorn Steakhouse. Our meals were fantastic. I had Red Rock Grilled Shrimp on a bed of rice with a side of mashed potatoes. Very, very good.
Saturday came, and we...well...I'll have to finish this later. My laptop battery is dying. Brb.
Aaaaand, we're back! Batteries are juiced and ready for the rest of this blog story.
Aaaaand, we're back! Batteries are juiced and ready for the rest of this blog story.
Saturday came, and after enjoying a tasty continental breakfast consisting of cereals, fruits, and various breads, Matt took Lauren to the Hilton Marquis where she would spend her day in the conference. Mike and I stayed behind to get ready, because in about an hour we would be making our way to Six Flags over Georgia! It had been about six or seven years since the last time I visited Six Flags, but it was always a blast so I was sure to enjoy it. My only concern was wondering if I could I keep up as well as years past, with all the hurrying up to wait in lines and standing in the heat all day.
It is strange to think back to when you were a kid and remember the times when you had to go to bed right before a big vacation or trip somewhere, and remember how you couldn't sleep because the excitement was so great that you couldn't take your mind off of it. I remember having those magical feelings about amusement parks when I was a child. Something happens when we grow older though and that magic seems to fade. I hadn't really thought of Six Flags once before I went to bed on Friday night. But as we pulled into the parking lot, that excitement crept back in as I saw the trains already rushing around the twists and turns of the tracks, and hearing the screams of the scared riders.
The three of us were only interested in the roller coasters, so that's what we set out to do. We stopped to get a map and chart out our plan to attack as many coasters as we could. First up: The Georgia Cyclone. It is a classic wooden coaster that has been a favorite of many Six Flags patrons for a long time. Matt learned quickly, however, that he wasn't a big fan of wooden coasters as the ride seemed to jar him a bit too hard. It wasn't a big roller coaster, but it was enough to get us acclimated again to the feeling of G-forces stretching the skin on our faces and jumbling the insides of our bodies around.
After this, we made a bee line for the Georgia Scorcher which was just a few feet away. This time we decided to wait in line for the front row on the train, and it was worth it! This ride was one of the best on the day for sure, and getting to do it in the front row with complete visibility of everything around you is definitely the way to experience it. It's like the difference between having a window seat vs. an aisle seat while flying in a plane. Window seat (to me) is always better. This set the trend for the rest of our visit. On all the other coasters we rode, we waited the little bit extra to get into the front row. Other rides ridden include: Mind Bender, Batman, The Great American Scream Machine, and Superman.
Notables about Batman: We waited in line nearly two hours to get to the front. We were the next people to get on, but then it "shut down for technical difficulties". We were told that we could exit the way we came in, or wait in line if we wanted, but they couldn't tell us how long it would be before they fixed it. We opted to wait, and about 30 minutes later, we were able to ride it.
Notables about Superman: This one was the favorite of all on the day. It's just so different than any other coaster, getting to lay down on your stomach and whip through the air like Superman. It even incited some double rainbow-esque moments in a couple of us :).
Saturday evening concluded with delivered Papa John's pizza, the Carolina / Auburn football game, and a seemingly endless game of Skip-Bo in the hotel room. It was certainly good times.
That was pretty much everything notable from this weekend. It was definitely worth it and nice to get out and do something a little different for a change. I have a ton more pictures that may go up on facebook soon. I'll likely link this post to them at that time.
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