Atlanta Trip - Day Two

Georgia Aquarium and the High Museum of Art.

After a good night's sleep and the cook to order breakfast buffet at the Embassy Suites, we headed out for our first attraction. We took the short walk through Centennial Park to the entrance of the Georgia Aquarium. Since we got there shortly after opening, we were able to avoid any lines and bought our City Passes at the ticket window. Besides the City Pass providing a huge discount for multiple attractions, it also came with a few free bonuses.

As we entered the aquarium, we immediately headed for our first bonus: The 4D Theater and Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow. The next bonus was the behind the scenes Quick Dip Tour. Both these parts of the aquarium require reservations so be sure to stop by the Customer Service desk early to reserve the times you want. While we waited for our tour, we spent some time petting stingrays, sharks, sea anemones, horseshoe crabs, and even shrimp!

The Quick Dip Tour was a worthwhile bonus. The tour takes you behind the scenes of a few of the aquarium's exhibits, but the highlight was getting to view the large main aquarium from above. It really was awesome to see its size and get a view that most people don't see. When the tour was over we went on to enjoy the rest of the exhibits. You can walk through a tunnel and see the large aquarium from below and then sit in a room looking through a 2 foot thick clear wall to enjoy all the views of the fish and marine life.

While my wife enjoyed sitting in the tunnel and watching the hammerhead and whale sharks, my daughter really liked the jellyfish, and my favorite part was sitting in front of the large tropical fish aquarium. After lunch at the aquarium and a few re-visits to our favorite exhibits, it was time to head back to the hotel for some rest. We noticed that the High Museum of Art was open till 8:00 pm on Thursdays so we got back into sight seeing mode and headed out again.

The High Museum is easily traveled to via public transportation. We walked to the 5 Points transportation center and took the MARTA northbound train to the N5 Arts Station. Once you get off the train, make sure you go upstairs and exit the station on the east side. The museum is right there. The map on the City Pass tickets was a little confusing and we ended up exiting the wrong side, thus having to walk all the way around. It wasn't far, but when it is hot, having to walk anymore than needed isn't fun for the family.

The museum is quite large so give yourself plenty of time to wander the various exhibits and floors. As much as we appreciate art, the Modern and Contemporary Art section gave us some pretty good entertainment. The creativeness behind the art piece consisting of a large cut up piece of carpet pad hanging on the wall left us pondering. They have something for everyone and our collective favorite was the Monet Water Lilies exhibit.

Well, it was a long day for the family so we walked back to the train station and headed back downtown. We got off at the Peachtree Center Station in search of some dinner. At the recommendation of one of the tourist ambassadors on the street we tried some Mexican food at Mama Ninfa's. After a good, filling meal, we walked back to our hotel and called it a day. A great day!

Atlanta Trip - Day One

The Flight Up

After deciding the week before that we needed to get "out of town" for awhile, we decided to make a trip to downtown Atlanta. We hopped on the computer do do a little research and found there was quite a bit to do there. It looked like the City Pass was the perfect ticket and we could reach most things by walking and using public transportation. We left Jacksonville on June 17 and headed north. As usual my daughter fell asleep after playing her Leapster for a few minutes. My wife read and tried to relax as she continues to find her comfort zone when flying in and out of clouds.

Due to it's close proximity to downtown, I chose to fly into Fulton County Airport (KFTY). I filed and flew an IFR flight plan & clearance. We flew around and through some cumulus build-ups at 6000', but thankfully there were no thunderstorms anywhere near our route. Initially we were cleared direct, but as expected we were vectored east of town to TUCKR intersection and then on for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 26 approach. You can see our track here. The approach afforded us a few sights before landing:

Startup to shutdown was 2.5 hours. There was a 15-20 knot headwind all the way up. We left the plane with Hill Aircraft & Leasing, one of two FBOs on the field. Within 20 minutes, we had the plane secured, our taxi loaded up, and were headed downtown. The taxi fare seemed a little steep at $45, but given we weren't renting a car and having to pay the required $29/day hotel parking, it was still worth the convenience. We checked into our room at the Embassy Suites Centennial Park, unpacked, and hit the pool. After a good dinner at the Park Avenue Deli & Market, we got a good night's rest for our first full day of adventure in Atlanta.

Starting Off

With the help of my Mom, who is a travel writer for About.com and Examiner.com, I am starting this blog to share the flying adventures of my family. My wife, daughter, and I travel in our 1969 Piper Arrow 200. In the year and a half of ownership, our Arrow has afforded us some pretty cool trips.

We have made "$100 hamburger" runs and day trips around Florida and Georgia, but have really stretched our legs with some more interesting trips. We have visited family in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, but the most fun adventures have been to Key West and Treasure Cay Bahamas.

I look forward to sharing our past and future adventures through this blog.

Keep General Aviation flying!!!!