Atlanta: The Georgia Aquarium

It's a good thing The Canadian and I decided to act like tourists over our holiday in Atlanta because I have a confession - after five years of its existence I had never been to the Georgia Aquarium. I know, I know, it's the biggest aquarium in the world. And it has beluga whales. And it has a tank that is also a tunnel. I need to get out more.

We waited for two hours to get in. Granted we spent those hours checking out the Coke store and playing in the park, but I could have sat on a bench all by my lonesome and it would have still been totally worth the wait. Someone, whoever's brainchild this was, did the aquarium the right way. It was amazing. It had six major exhibits, an IMAX, a fantastic ballroom, and enough fish to make all the world's cats happy.

Of the thousands of species there, I could name maybe four. But that is beside the point. I was too busy drooling and cursing myself for not becoming a marine biologist. It would have been so much more productive than my microbiologist status. It's that whole dislike of salt water thing that deterred me. And that whole fear of fish phenomenon. I can't help it! In 5th grade my gold fish bit me. I swear its true. It left a welt on my thumb.

Anywhoo...the creatures were amazing. If only they could talk...

 Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea...

Swim so wild and they swim so free... (sing along!)

Pass me the tanning oil, honey.

Can you get me out of here, man? I'm a good guy, I swear.

Get a room! For crying out loud, there are children here! 

Okay, I'm sure that's not what they would say, but that's what I said!

 Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Huh? What? What happened? What's going on? Where am I? Who are you?!

Keep movin', lady. Don't make me give you the stink eye.

Hey. Come on over, little girl. I won't bite. I'll just stick a huge barb through your chest. It won't hurt a bit. Promise.

Alright, who wants to be dessert?

Move. Punk.

Let's play hide and go seek. I'll hide.

Hey, doc. I'm having a rough day. You got some Zoloft for me?

Pale is in. Don't you read US Weekly? Haven't you people ever heard of melanoma? For God's sake.

Why can't I catch a break?

Insert: The Little Mermaid theme song with Ariel...

Whoa, dude...wanna come to a party? It's going to be groovy, man.


I'm telling you, they spoke to me.

Atlanta: BlaBla

I. Am. Obsessed.

I know the trip to Atlanta was about exploring and seeing family. And I know that's what I've been telling you about...but I have to get this out of my system. We took a side trip to the most amazing store ever - BlaBla.

I was introduced to these amazing dolls by some little girls I met last summer. I immediately got online and tracked down a BlaBla for my my close friend, Amy, who was pregnant with her sweet baby boy. Turns out, as usual, I live under a rock. I thought I had made some amazing discovery but, alas, BlaBla has been around for a while now. I'm just slow on the uptake. Don't judge.

BlaBla dolls are the cutest things ever. The company is based in a trendy part of Atlanta but the dolls are made down in Peru. Man, those Peruvians can knit! The dolls are super soft and lovable and the best part is they are washable. Perfect for little kids. I want to buy them all. My poor niece is going to have a collection whether she likes it or not.

The designs are so adorable but my favorite part are the names of each "character."

This is Anenome the Mermaid. She has a sister, Coral the Mermaid, that has a pink tail. Or are they legs? I'm not sure what that part of the mermaid body is called really.

This is Pumpkin Girl and mini Pumpkin Girl. Did I mention that every doll comes in two sizes? I prefer the bigger size, but I understand how the mini is more manageable for small hands to carry around.

Oh my Lord, Sandwich the Cat, you're my fave.

That was a lie. Lulu the Flower, you're my true fave.

Maybe that's because my first baby sitter was Aunt Lulu. I loved her.

Roar! Leonardo the Lion. See? Unisex appeal.

Hi, Chloe the Butterfly. You are hysterical. I wish you could see her wings. They're pinky redish.

How do you choose? Basil the Bunny or Lemonade the Dog or Andiamo the Dog?

The Canadian and I have already given our niece Lulu the Flower (I chose her). This time The Canadian got to choose her BlaBla. Can you tell? Not an ounce of pink...

Antionette the Queen....bow down, people. I love her. Although I do also love her friend, Clochette the Fairy. I can't believe I don't have her photo. I could have sworn...I swear I'm loosing my mind. Please let me know if you find it...

Maybe not the most creative name - Coco Girl. She's like the BlaBla version of the American Girl doll. She has a whole wardrobe - an outfit for every occasion.

Hercule the Elephant is one of the many manly dolls. He hangs around with Buzz the Bee and Hootie the Owl. All very manly, of course.

Oh goodness, the monkeys make me laugh. The best is Clementine the Monkey. Guess which one he is. I'll give you a hint. It's my favorite color.

And these are the boogaloos. They're just weird, random creatures that make you smile.

And look how cute this little backpack is!

And the booties and matching hat! Every baby needs these, I'm telling you.

Oh, the sweaters and t-shirts are so soft and sweet...I want them in my size.

Basically, I want the whole store. I would sleep in a bed of BlaBlas if someone would buy them for me.

Go on now. You know you've got a friend with a baby, or a baby of your own, or a grandbaby, or a niece or nephew or someone who needs a BlaBla in their life. I mean, my mother bought one "just in case of an emergency." Like someone is going to have a baby unexpectedly or something. News flash: babies take nine months to cook, mom. You'd think she would know these things, being a nurse and all...

Go forth and conquer the BlaBla!

Atlanta: The Varsity and Coca-Cola

Atlanta is my home(town).

It is also the home of:
Coca-Cola
CNN
The Hawks, the Braves and the Falcons (name that 90's rap song...)
The Varsity
Delta
Elton John
and the 1996 Olympics.

It's a busy place.

Determined to act like tourists over the holiday, The Canadian and I set out for a little field trip downtown. The mission? The Georgia Aquarium.

We went with my wonderful friend, Sally, and her son, Conner. The plan was to hit up a well known restaurant for lunch then cruise through the Aquarium and head home in the afternoon.

The first stop was the Varsity.

The Varsity is an Atlanta tradition. The place is packed all the time. Non-stop. This is only about one third of the registers, if you can believe it.

The food is quick, cheap and exceptionally greasy. And delicious. It's a heart attack on a plate and I didn't care.

And you have to wear a hat, just like the employees. It really adds to the experience, I think.

When we were done stuffing our faces and had wiped all the grease off our chins, we headed even further down town to the Aquarium.

Traffic was light.

Parking wasn't a problem.

Then we walked up a side street just to turn the corner and find a two hour wait.

Well, this was just not going to work. Not when you've got a very excitable 12 year old with you. Not to mention the 32 year old. They needed to be entertained.

Thank goodness for the Olympics over a decade ago. For the Olympics the city built Centennial park right next to the Coca-Cola building and store. Then the Aquarium people were smart enough to build right next door. Crisis averted. We could play and shop.

We wandered over to the Coke store (not the tour, that was a two hour wait also). I didn't know what could possibly entertain us in the Coke store, but I figured we could stretch it out for at least 15 minutes or so.

I was right. The Coke store has everything.

Did you need a new t-shirt? Perhaps one that smells like root  beer? How about Fanta Grape? Take your pick.

Here. Have a seat. These chairs are made of 111 recycled bottle each. And they're only $200!

How about a new clutch? You might even be able to pass it as a wallet.

You could decorate 80 Christmas trees with all the ornaments.

Need a baseball? A football? Frisbee? Soccer ball? Golf ball? They've got them.

In the end we each bought a glass bottle of original Coca-Cola.

Note: These empty bottles made the trip back to Canada with me where they will be making guest appearances as vases and centerpieces.

 

Then the overactive boys played with their new toys and serenaded us ladies. Okay, fine. Maybe we all played a little.

When we were finally done entertaining ourselves with Coke products the hour and half wait was over. We headed over to the Aquarium...that I'll tell you all about tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is Friday and we're going skiing...so maybe I'll tell you about it on Saturday. Brace yourself.