Trip to Atlanta: Visiting the birthplace of MLK, Jr.

I know so little about the East Coast. I have traveled periodically but spent most of my time where I grew up on the West Coast. In fact, I visited one of my aunts in Atlanta in 1995. All I can remember from that trip was the rainy weather on the drive to the airport. Quite a bit has changed within the span of 22 years. After finishing my final exams during my winter trimester of PT school, I traveled to Atlanta to visit my friend who works at the CDC.

When I landed at the airport, I enjoyed walking through the underground museum instead of taking the train directly to the pickup location. The atmosphere was very calming after stressing so much about grades and passing courses that incorporated material from previous coursework.

It was nice being able to catch up and just hang out. My friend and I met during freshman year of college in a meeting for Circle K, which is the college branch of Key Club and the Kiwanis family of community service organizations. We stayed in touch after college despite going separate ways and doing different things that aligned with our career goals.

When we visited the Olympic Centennial Park, I was awestruck by the fact that this city hosted the Olympics were in 1996, which was the first international event I watched intently as a kid. The most memorable moment was watching Kerri Strug clinch an Olympic Gold medal for Team USA despite her ankle injury. Also, Michael Johnson, the fastest man ever during that era, set amazing WRs on the track. Personally, I could not remember the 1992 Olympics… mainly due to the fact that I was still developing as a two year old infant.

The greatest joy and pleasant surprise was when my friend took me to a National Park, the home of MLK’s birthplace. I enjoyed hearing how Martin Luther King, Jr. was such a naughty kid getting into trouble with his brother. The wildest story was how he crashed a Ford car into the garage. Most of all, I admired the atmosphere, learning the history, and how open and free people were as opposed to strict curators who don’t allow photos.

On a final note, coke and soda in general is not a great source of nutrition but… I loved that I had the opportunity to take a picture with the Olympic torch (see above photo) at the Coca Cola Factory.