Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

No vacation to Atlanta would be complete without a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site, so that was the first stop of the day.  (http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm)  Susan and Natalie browsed the museum’s poignant and moving displays while still on the lookout for Final Four attendees.  (This was their last day to find and photograph tickets to the final game.  Their efforts were futile.)

 

They made their way on foot to the birth home of Dr. King and waited for the park ranger to open the door and give them a tour.  While waiting, they noticed a family of six young boys leaving one of the row houses across the street on their way to church.  The adorable boys were all dressed in their Sunday best attire (suits, white shirts and ties), and each carried a set of scriptures.  Natalie couldn’t resist the opportunity to dash across the street and ask the mother if she could photograph her boys.  The boys all lined up for a photograph even though the mother seemed a bit wary of the attention.

The ranger appeared, opened the door, gave some brief instructions (i.e. no photographs of the interior), and they began their tour.  The “tour” was limited to the main floor and lasted approximately 1 minute, and then the guests were ushered out the back door. 

 

The next stop of the day was the Historical Oakland Cemetery (http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/), final resting place of Margaret Mitchell.  Founded in 1850, it is the burial ground for many of Atlanta’s famous citizens and builders.  The architecture was lovely to behold. 

The GPS system had a bit of trouble directing the ladies to the next stop:  the Cyclorama in Grant Park.  (http://atlantacyclorama.org/)  Unfortunately, the Civil War museum was closed, so the ladies spent a bit of time walking around Grant Park.  (Zoo Atlanta also occupies the park.)  The grounds were lovely and tranquil and were the perfect setting for an outdoor church meeting of some sort.  The historic homes surrounding the park were unique and lovely, and most of the house numbers were displayed on a half-sun-shaped yellow marker. 

 

Susan and Natalie arrived at their next destination, the Margaret Mitchell House, ahead of schedule, so they parked and set off to find a place to eat lunch.  Peachtree Street offered many options, and the ladies chose Lime Fresh, a Mexican fast-food type place.  Southern hospitality was at its finest, and they were greeted very warmly by a smiling and very attentive young male employee who catered to their every need.  They were served more food than they ordered, and they ordered plenty.  They could have fed all of the restaurant patrons with the food they received.

After eating, they waddled back to tour the Margaret Mitchell House (http://www.margaretmitchellhouse.com/) and talk to more people about basketball tickets.  The tour guide was quite perky in her scripted delivery as she led the tourists through the museum area and Margaret Mitchell’s small apartment, The Dump.  Again, no photographs were allowed inside the apartment, but that didn’t prevent Susan from taking photographs through the windows from the outside.  The Dump, affectionately termed by Ms. Mitchell, is where GONE WITH THE WIND was written.  The cousins explored other areas of the apartment building.  There they met two Slovenian men who were also fans of the book.  (They didn’t have basketball tickets either.)  Adjacent to the home was another small museum that contained GWTW memorabilia.

When they were satisfied that they had seen everything they could possibly see relating to GONE WITH THE WIND and Margaret Mitchell, they realized they still had several hours left to fill in the Atlanta area.  What to do with their time was the question they asked themselves.  That is when they came up with the plan to visit Stone Mountain.  The GPS lady helped them with directions, and they took a very scenic drive.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain) 

 

 

Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of the bas relief Stone Mountain carving, is related to Susan.  A grist mill, covered bridge, granite quarry, tram ride to the top of the mountain, and plantation were all part of their experience which was capped off with dinner at the lakeside golf course restaurant.  Susan was particularly delighted to eat the “best” macaroni and cheese of her life.  The wait staff appeared to be a bit disorganized, and sent at least 4 servers to their table.  While touring the plantation grounds, they bought T.O.E. jam and met a family with 3 young boys.  Natalie asked the boys if they’d taken the tram ride, and one answered that he was too scared to do that.  She told them that it was fun and not too scary.  With a concerned look on his face, the same little guy asked, “How’d y’all get down?”  It’s a question the cousins repeated throughout the rest of their trip.

The hotel beds never looked as welcoming as when the cousins plopped into them that night.  It had been a full, full day!