6/9/2019
Csibi had to travel to Atlanta for a project.
If he has to go to a place that can be reached relatively quickly by car, I usually go along as well.
In such cases, we always try to take advantage of the afternoons after work.
Before the trip, we always try to note the local attractions; most of the time, we think about what we will see in advance.
Unfortunately, things often affect the opening hours. After working hours, don't always fit everything in.
That's why we left on Sunday, June 9, to have time for different programs.
In Atlanta, we have only been to the airport. So for us, everything was new and exciting.
The World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the CNN building, and the Olympic Park are near downtown. We were curious about those.
On Sunday, the World of Coca-Cola and Olympic Park was on the agenda.
The Coca-Cola ticket was $17 per person in 2019 ($19 in 2023). Parking was complicated as the parking garage was full, and there were also traffic restrictions. Officially, the first 4 hours cost $10, but if you stay longer, it's $15 total.
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink made by The Coca-Cola Company, available in almost every country. It is the top-selling cola brand. Pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton made a drink from wine and cocaine in 1884 (by 1903, a glass of Coke contained about 9 mg of cocaine). The non-alcoholic, carbonated version came about due to the prohibition of alcohol introduced in 1885. It was first sold in an Atlanta drugstore in 1886 for 5 cents a glass, of which an average of 9 glasses were sold daily for the first 8 months. After 2 years, it was the number-one soft drink in the world.
Today, it sells an estimated 1.9 trillion glasses per day.
During the guided tour at the beginning of the program, among other things, the history of Coca-Cola is told. Then you can walk around the whole place.
What we didn't know, for example, and was particularly interesting to us, was that not only did the Coke glass change over time, but different glasses were in circulation in America depending on the state.
There are also many relics from around the world on display: posters, badges, vending machines, calendars, etc. We found these very amusing, as we've only seen this kind of thing in movies before.
It's amazing how many brands are sold: 500+ brands worldwide, 800+ drink variations just in the US. We haven't even heard of many brands.
As everyone probably knows, Coca-Cola's recipe is still a secret. Supposedly, the giant safe here holds the secret. It may be just for fun, but it's closely guarded, and if you get too close, the alarm even sounds. Who knows! Maybe the recipe really is here.
There's also a 3D cinema, interactive games and lots of fun. If you are thirsty, no worries because you can try countless soft drinks of the continents. If you can't stop, a tummy ache is guaranteed!
Anyway, there were surprisingly good (e.g., Africa - Sunfill) and strange flavors (e.g., Asia - Fanta Apple Kiwi).
Even though we didn't try it here, our new favorite is the Orange-Vanilla Zero Cola.
It was good to learn a little more about this iconic brand.
It was a great program.
From there, we walked to the Olympic Park commemorating the 1996 Summer Olympics. At the Five Ring Monument, many are taking pictures. People take a walk or picnic in the grass, and children paddle jauntily in the fountain.
That was enough for this day. We had a great time!
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