mkay

Atlanta is a city of contrasts: polished and upscale; sleazy and rundown; down-to-earth people and pretentious people. Lots to see and do. Lots of history. Lots of interesting architecture and neighborhoods. Lots of traffic. Lots of crazy drivers.

Atlanta can be challenging. I like challenging.

More than a week there, with a rental car. I covered some ground: South Beach, Little Havana, Coconut Grove, the Keys, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wolfsonian museum, airboat tour of the Everglades, Cuban food at Versailles, the slummy downtown and more. I also saw immense wealth and sickening poverty. I like to travel, but Miami is one of the few cities I wouldn’t return to, even for free.

The Alamo gives you a sense of history and sacrifice. The Tower of the Americas gives you a good look over and around. River Walk gives you a relaxing afternoon and a romantic evening. The people are welcoming and warm. The architecture is retro and well-preserved. The food is tasty and varied. The downtown trolley is handy and cheap. San Antonio—a great place to spend some time.

Not impressed. Too small, too much traffic, too overrated. The state Capitol was the standout. It’s open for tour seven days a week—friendly folks, lots of history, gorgeous building and visitors’ center.

Three words: Iowa State Fair. Go with fun people. Slather on sunscreen. Pace yourselves. See everything. Eat everything.

Consume: Dutch letter. Fresh lemonade. Homemade potato chips. Root beer float. Pork chop on a stick. Elephant ear. Potato skins. Ice cream. Chicken on a stick. Margarita. Deep-fried everything on a stick.

Check out: Chilled Butter Cow. Gleaming tractors. Beribboned produce. Prize-winning baked goods. Purposely hideous cakes. Eye-catching photographs. Invigorating live music. Huge cattle. Beautiful horses. Fancy chickens. Cuddly bunnies. Phony and authentic antiques. Gussied-up mobile homes. Scary rides. Not-so-scary rides. Lots of happy people enjoying life.

End of day: Drag your tired, stuffed, sweaty, sun-blotched body toward the shuttle buses. Buy a memento or two. Vow to return and do it all over again.

Stroll through the beautiful parks. Have afternoon tea at the historic Brown Palace Hotel. Visit the inviting Tattered Cover Book Store. Time well-spent. A city with a friendly, laid-back small-town feel. A short drive away, and you’re in the breathtaking nature of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Wow. As you drive out of the city, it’s easy to picture the untouched landscape that settlers first saw. Whoa. Denver has a real sense of place. Denver is the West.

I find it funny that many people say they couldn’t live in Vegas when all they’ve seen is the Strip. It’s like saying you can’t live in S. California after all you’ve seen is Disneyland. You might be surprised to learn that many locals never go to the Strip.

There’s fun to be had in winter or summer. Ski, hike, enjoy water sports or take in the beautiful scenery by day. Gamble and see a show at night.

If you can afford Vegas and wanna play tourist, go there instead. If you really wanna gamble, go to Atlantic City. It’s small, sleazy and worn around the edges, but that shouldn’t matter if you just wanna play the odds.

Too small, too run-down, too sleazy for my tastes. Nice architecture here and there. But not enough to make the trip worthwhile.