Hey, I'm Dutch! » travel

Carolina Woods

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:13:37 +0000

Charlotte was a beautiful, modern city, with a lot of bars and restaurants; but it seemed eerily…empty. Not sure if it was because it was a Tuesday or a recession, but the city did not feel complete. These trees were a grand sight as we were driving through North Carolina.

Jurassic Park…Sort Of

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:08:06 +0000

Atlanta is also home to Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Here is one of its inhabitants attacking P. Run, P, run!

Damn, that thing was huge! Its femur alone was taller than P.

Smile and say “cheese!”

Always Coca-Cola

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:37:41 +0000

Right next to the Georgia Aquarium is the Coca-Cola Experience. I didn’t have high expectations, though I was curious to see what the company of master marketing and branding had in store. It actually turned out to be pretty cool learning about the history behind Coca-Cola and it is really staggering to see how global and powerful this brand is. The whole approach they used to franchise the bottling of their product was revolutionary at the time and today drives the model for the rest of the industry.

One of the other cool things about the tour was being able to taste the whole line of Coca-Cola products, which number 64 all around the world. If you ever find yourself in Atlanta or in Italy, give “Beverly” a try. It’s an acquired taste, to say the least. My favorite was Smart Apple from China and Simba from Paraguay.

Georgia Aquarium

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:12:49 +0000

Got $250M? Bernard Marcus did and with it he built the world’s largest aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. The place is huge and houses many specimens, the largest of which are four whale sharks and three beluga whales. The Georgia Aquarium was not conceived merely as a tourist attraction, but Mr. Marcus wanted it to promote the conservation of our oceans and to develop one of the greatest marine research and conservation facilities in the world. It seems they are well on their way.

Hotlanta

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:24:24 +0000

The A-T-L. Atlanta. Hotlanta. By any other name, Atlanta is a happening city. A focal point for urban culture and entertainment, Atlanta has the energy of a new Harlem Renaissance. For me, it means family and all the great things about southern hospitality. Yep, I get to visit some family while in town, eat good food, and do some touristy things with P. But more on that later.

Sweet Home Alabama

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:51:18 +0000

We didn’t spend much time in Alabama aside from driving through, but it Alabama has a beautiful countryside with some really nice folks. I always enjoy talking to locals and fellow travels at stops like this one called The Smokehouse. Alabama has a really deep and significant history and I’d recommend anyone interested to learn more.

NOLA Music

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:43:03 +0000

Jazz, blues, funk, soul, and good ol’ rock n’ roll. New Orleans is great for live music and you can hop from bar to bar checking out some really great acts. My favorite was the Big Soul Band featuring Darren Murphy at The Old Opera House. They had this badass sanga’. Yeah, I said sanga. Sista’ could sang. Even better, she brought her real sister on stage and she could blow too. You know she was serious if she could take on Aretha and Chaka. Ooweee! Unfortunately, everyone I asked at the bar didn’t know either of the sisters’ names ’cause it was the first time they had performed there. I’ll have to try calling the bar to find out.

Here are some of the other groups we checked out:

Hurricanes, Hand Grenades, and Big Ass Beers

admin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:24:57 +0000

You gotta’ love Naw’lins. Ordering drinks called hurricanes and hand grenades and getting “big ass beers”? Where else could you bring 8 of your closest friends or total strangers to do a beer bong?

It was really hot and humid in New Orleans, y’all. See me sweatin’? So why am I standing right next to that torch? Hey, let the good times roll. Why no pictures of the famous beads? Those are for private viewing only, heheheheh.

Cajun Cooking

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:21:18 +0000

Been looking forward to some Cajun cooking all trip. Wasn’t sure what to start but finally settled on the jambalaya.

Delicious. Over the next few days I’ll stuff myself with etouffee, jambalaya, po’ boys, and shrimp ya-ya.

P seemed to enjoy his muffuletta sandwich.

Swamps and Bayous

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:12:00 +0000

After so much driving through farmlands, it was a bit strange–and wonderful–to see the swamps and bayous of Louisiana on our way to New Orleans.