Atlanta

Hi all. Made great time to Atlanta today. Left Largo at 8 am and got here by 4 pm! I'm staying with my "Couchsurfing" host, Mike. Mike is a Naval Academy graduate who was an engineer, but just got his MBA and is now job hunting.

Pretty laid back night. We went to an area called "Little Five Points" near his house which has lots of bars and restaurants. Had dinner and went out for a couple of beers afterwards. We finshed early cause I was tired from a lack of sleep last night (up late packing, and up early to travel) and he was still suffering from jet lag since he just got back from Europe yesterday.

Only took one picture tonight, so I'll upload that later this weekend when I have more to share.

BTW - for those who are interested (I think one person) here is my schedule:

·        Fri 18 Jul - 7.5 hrs from Largo to Atlanta and Buckhead? Couchsurf (already set)

·        Sat 19 Jul - Aquarium and Braves game (night)

·        Sun 20 Jul - Carter Library

·        Mon 21 Jul - 8.5 hrs from Atlanta to St Louis, Couchsurf (already set)

·        Tues 22 Jul - Cardinals game (night)

·        Wed 23 Jul - 4 hrs from St Louis to KC, Couchsurf with Amy

·        Thu 24 Jul - Royals game (night), Couchsurf

·        Fri 25 Jul - 6.5 hrs from KC to Minneapolis, MN, stay at John and Dawna’s (already set)

·        Sat �" Mon spend with John and Dawna in Minneapolis; Twins game on Monday 28^th!

·        Tues 29 Jul - 7.75 hrs from Minneapolis, MN to Badlands, SD; get there by dusk; camp that night at Cedar Pass Campground (no reservation needed)

·        Wed 30 Jul - up for dawn; day at Badlands; drive 1.5 hrs to Keystone, SD (Rushmore View Inn & Conference Center, 1-800-888-2603 �" 48 hrs CNX notice �" Conf # 13904 - $95/night); Go see 9 pm lighting show at Mt Rushmore

·        Thu 31 Jul - Rushmore in morning then Crazy Horse Monument (near Berne, SW of Mt Rushmore on way to Custer); Check in hotel Keystone again and go see and Mammoth Hot Springs

·        Fri 1 Aug - Custer State Park; stay in Keystone again hotel again

·        Sat 2 Aug - Drive 2 hrs to Sundance, check in hotel or Couchsurf, then .5 to Devil’s Tower, WY, back to Sundance for night

·        Sun 3 Aug - 5 hrs from Sundance, WY to Cody, WY �" made reservation at Uptown Motel (307-587-4245, cnx with 24 hrs notice)

·        Mon 4 Aug �" go into campground at Yellowstone; stay 4 nights

·        Fri 8 Aug �" drive 2.5 hrs to Jackson, WY, stay in hotel or Couchsurf

·        Sat 9 Aug �" drive into Grand Teton campground (first come, first serve), spend one night

·        Mon 11 Aug �" 5.5 hrs from Jackson, WY to SLC, UT, Couchsurf?

·        Tues 12 Aug - 7 hrs from SLC, UT to Reno, NV, Couchsurf?

·        Wed 13 Aug - 4 hrs from Reno, NV to Sunnyvale, CA and Rays game in Oakland that night

Hi all,
     This will probably be a quick and dirty entry since it's late at night and I'm pretty tired.
     I arrived in Atlanta on Friday afternoon, 18 July 2008. It took a while to find my "Couchsurfing" host Mike since he had never called me or given me his phone number (he thought he had) and his apartment had a code lock and no way to call the tenant. Finally he came out to take out the trash and I recognized him from his picture!
     That night was tame as we just had dinner and had a couple of beers in an area named Little Five Points which is near his apartment.
     Saturday the 19th started with brunch with Mike and another couch surfer named Candice. I spent the rest of the day doing touristy stuff near the Olympic Park: Coke World (lame), the Georgia Aquarium (cool), the CNN Center (not bad), and an Atlanta Braves game (yaaaaaaaaay!). Unfortunately, they got their butts kicked 8 -2. But no matter - at least I got to attend a game at a stadium I'd never been to before. Very nice stadium. Went out for drinks with his friends after the game at a bar called Six Feet Under.
     Today (Sunday the 19th) Mike and I went for a jog in the morning, during which he left me in the dust. I spent most of the day with another CSer named Kim who took me to lunch at an apparently well known southern restaurant named Mary Mac's Tea Room, then to the MLK center and birthplace, as well as the Carter Presidential Library/Museum. Not bad, but it was all a bit rushed.
     That night, I had dinner and played pool with Mike and two more CSers named Michelle and Ryan at an area called Midtown Plaza.
     I love this Couch Surfing thing. Sure I slept on an air mattress, but it was free and I got to meet a lot of cool people! Unfortunately, I won't be meeting as many in my next couple of cities. Since I'll only be in each place for a couple of days, I didn't bother posting a message to the groups in those cities. I only contacted the people I wanted to "surf" with (stay at their place).
     So tomorrow it's another fairly long drive, from Atlanta to St Louis. Wish me luck!

Thanx,
Roger