The ATL

Our high school senior convinced me we should stay in an Airbnb in midtown Atlanta for the three day president's weekend. We traveled up there so she could hang out with her boyfriend (a student at Auburn) while the husband and I chaperoned. What can I say... I'm a sucker for young love. When we arrived at the bungalow on Friday afternoon around 4 pm, the inside temp was 60 since the downstairs heat wasn't working. Cue the layering. We ended up sitting around for 3 hrs waiting for the repair dude to show up and get it going again. After contemplating all sorts of dining options for Friday night in the ATL in advance of our arrival, we ended up ordering delivery pizza. I was so hungry, I'd swear it was the tastiest meal I've eaten in a month of Sundays. 

Thanks to our one clear day on Saturday, I dragged the husband along for a tour of historic Oakland Cemetery. I didn't realize until I started downloading my pics that I got a shot of the same mausoleum I posted in advance of our trip - just from the opposite side, and taken in the sunlight. Cool coincidence!

We kicked off our first full day in Atlanta with a walk over to Mary Mac's for some good ol' southern cooking. It was waaaaaay too much food, but it was oh so good. 

I was tempted by the coconut cake even though I was so full I was about to pop. Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed. The cake was dense and a bit dry, when my preference is for light and moist. The icing was tasty, as you can tell, since it appears a large critter decided to munch on it.

Our tour guide at the cemetery treated us to an almost 2 hr tour that hit the high points of notable burials, interesting statuary and special sections like the Civil War, Jewish, African American and potters field. We chatted with our guide a bit before the tour started and he's a cemetery nut like me, having toured through cemeteries around the world in his own travels. 

When you're so wealthy and important that your mausoleum 

has GARGOYLES on the corners (see below)!

The pic above is a lion monument commemorating the fall of the Confederacy. Below, my better half is strolling up to one of the many beautiful magnolia trees dotted across the 48 acre cemetery. This one was located in the section for soldiers who died during the Civil War.

The statuary both above and two below are three of the four recognized by the Smithsonian. The top one is a monument to a mother and daughter who died within a few years of each other. The one below is of a local businessman that was placed atop his mausoleum. It was considered a bit scandalous back in the day when it was created because the man isn't wearing a necktie. He didn't like wearing them while alive, and stipulated his shouldn't be depicted in one on his grave, either.

Every good southerner of a certain age will recognize the final resting place of Gone with the Wind's author, Margaret Mitchell. I was surprised to learn she was killed on the streets of Atlanta by a taxi when she was about two years younger than my current age. 

The monument above is equal parts creepy due to the weathering, and sad because someone lost a beloved baby. It reads "Fell asleep Aug't 10th 1869, Aged 9 months & 1 day". 

Last but not least, and on a lighter note... get a load of the appropriately named bar across the street from the cemetery!