WHEN: October 8-10, 2011
WHERE: Atlanta, Georgia
What kind of sick casserole is that??
And a post about food, from a guy who knows little to nothing about cooking?
And a post about food, from a guy who knows little to nothing about cooking?
Hardly.
In fact, this post has nothing to do with food.
Stacie and I attended our first NFL game in Atlanta last weekend. We bought the tickets in August as an early (or late, depending on how you look at it) present for Stacie's birthday. We chose the Atlanta venue (rather than the Charlotte game in September) and were able to stay with my aunt and uncle in Atlanta over the 3-day holiday weekend. It was a trip of firsts and many memories we will not soon forget. And with a Packers victory to boot, it was a recipe for a good time.
(Don't worry, that's not my last pathetic pun in this post).
(Don't worry, that's not my last pathetic pun in this post).
THE PEACHES
Even after 3+ years of living in states that border the Peach State, this was our first time traveling through or to Georgia together (other than flying through Atlanta).
Even after 3+ years of living in states that border the Peach State, this was our first time traveling through or to Georgia together (other than flying through Atlanta).
Due to my previous post, this rainbow (halo) around the sun caught my attention on the drive over to Atlanta.
(Perhaps you have heard of a halo before, but have you heard of glories, fog bows, or other atmospheric optical phenomenon? Do you even care? Fine, stare at the ground!)
(Perhaps you have heard of a halo before, but have you heard of glories, fog bows, or other atmospheric optical phenomenon? Do you even care? Fine, stare at the ground!)
We met my uncle at a local sports pub (Mazzy's) he recommended because it is where all the local Hawkeye fans gather every Saturday to watch the football games.
It seemed so out of place to see so much Hawkeye paraphernalia in a single parking lot...in Georgia.
Every Saturday, the owner (who has no connection to Iowa) reserves half of the pub for the Hawkeye game and its fans (most of who are locals but have roots in Iowa). We were approached by the gentleman with the yellow hat in the foreground. He and his son (left) are originally from Dubuque, Iowa and are also Packers fans. Mr. Yellow Hat spotted us early on as newcomers and talked with us most of the game, about all things Hawkeyes and Packers.
While I have been able to see my Uncle Greg a few times over the past 5 years, I have not seen my Aunt Jeanne or cousin Mary since June 1997 (over 14 years). It was great to see all of them again and we were very thankful to them for opening up their home for us.
THE CHEESE
Sunday we took the metro rail system to downtown Atlanta to take in the sights and mingle with hundreds of other cheeseheads. One couple, who we asked to take our picture here, told us they had flown down with the Packers team the day before on their chartered jet and were staying at the same hotel as VIP guests with the team. They told us the team was staying at the Ritz-Carlton downtown and would be boarding the buses at 3pm if we wanted to see the team. You can bet we put that covert operation in our mental calendars with bold, black ink!
Sunday we took the metro rail system to downtown Atlanta to take in the sights and mingle with hundreds of other cheeseheads. One couple, who we asked to take our picture here, told us they had flown down with the Packers team the day before on their chartered jet and were staying at the same hotel as VIP guests with the team. They told us the team was staying at the Ritz-Carlton downtown and would be boarding the buses at 3pm if we wanted to see the team. You can bet we put that covert operation in our mental calendars with bold, black ink!
(Coke was formulated in Georgia in 1886 and has been brewed in Atlanta since 1944)
We bought tickets to the Georgia Aquarium (at 1:30), planning on leaving a little before 3:00 to go catch the Packers at their hotel, and then return to the aquarium afterwards.
The atrium inside the Georgia Aquarium
The poisonous lion fish tank
I got to pet my first hammerhead shark here, at the shark and ray touch tank. A minute later, the worker overseeing the tank began again her cylical instructions on how to pet the sharks and rays. (We clearly missed the previous round of instructions, as I had done everything the wrong way just a few seconds before.)
A well-camouflaged tree frog
And his slithery roommate
The underwater tunnel that cuts through the largest aquarium in the world (6.3 million gallons). This single aquarium is larger than the next three largest aquariums in the world...combined!
The main exhibit at the aquarium is the Ocean Voyager, which offers several viewing windows of the 6.3 million gallon aquarium.
This is the main and largest viewing window of the aquarium. It measures 23' tall by 61' long and is two feet thick!
The Ocean Voyager aquarium is home to four whale sharks, the largest fish in the world.
A glimpse into the world's largest aquarium
I tried to convince Stace yet again that we needed an aquarium in our house. I think she was almost sold on the idea after visiting the Georgia Aquarium. I'll keep trying! :)
Waiting for The Packers outside the Ritz-Carlton
We were right in the middle of the action. There was only one other fan there (that somehow knew what we knew) when we got to the hotel. By the time the first players started coming out, there were about 20 people behind us that had caught on to what was going on once the buses showed up. It took the players almost 2 hours to all board the buses and Stacie and I stood in place for over 2:30 hours waiting for them. (True fans, I know.) Unfortunately, the aquarium requires you to come back within 1-hour in order to be granted readmission . Needless to say we did not return.
We had a front row seat to the pre-pre-game festivities
Clay Matthews (#52)
Charles Woodson (#21)
Coach Mike McCarthy
Aaron Rodgers (#12)
Donald Driver (#80)
Ready to go to our first NFL game
"International Deck", outside the Georgia Dome
Entering the Georgia Dome (east side, upper concourse)
I did the rounds with my camera around the Georgia Dome (capacity 71,250). After 2:30 hours waiting for the team outside their hotel, I was running out of batteries for the actual game - the highlight of our trip.
Excited for the game and ready for the battle!
Clay Matthews warming up
Aaron Rodgers warming up
The Pack Attack!
Let's huddle and jump around, fellas!
Chris Collinsworth and Al Harris in front of the Sunday Night Football screen
I didn't take any pictures until well into the 2nd half. The first half was painful to watch and I was way too nervous/mad to even think of my camera. As much as Stacie gets in to sports, I am usually the more animated one at live events. I suppose it's part of the atmosphere and the other fans screaming around you (and probably because I want my money's worth, to be honest). :) During a 3rd quarter touchdown (after an entire game of screaming) I stood up and cheered so hard that I had to immediately sit down because I got light-headed. I already had a hoarse voice from a week-long sinus & throat ailment, and after 3 hours of screaming I was giving The Voice of Kraft a run for his money.
I never did get a picture of the final score (25-14)
One of the few videos (or pictures) I got during regulation
Exhausted (but victorious) after an intense game and long day. Now we had a 2-hour commute back to my aunt and uncle's house (and it was already 11:30).
Waiting at our final train station (at 1:00am).
When we got on the first train at the Georgia Dome after the game, we followed a couple of old guys (Atlanta fans) who were heading to the same suburb as us. They offered to help us find our way back, "if you can keep up". When we got on that first train at the dome, the white-bearded, outspoken, baritone voice of the duo commanded everyone boarding the train to "Keep pushing! Keep pushing!" (he knew the routine). I thought someone was in labor. Not the case, but it wasn't far from a scene of labor. We were pushed in so tight it was borderline "death by crowd stampede". Including Stacie, I counted 7 adults pressed against my body...7 people!! And I'm not a big person with a lot of body to be pressed against! I stood with one arm holding the bar on the ceiling for support and holding Stacie with my other arm. I pressed a little harder against the people behind me, just to give Stacie (a self-proclaimed claustrophobic) an extra inch of breathing room (literally). You couldn't have moved your arm above or below your waist even if you wanted to. If you're arm was up when you entered the train, it was staying up. If it was down when you entered...keep it to yourself!
We were a bunch of sardines in this particular train (this also could have constituted the "fish" theme of this post). One person stated, "There's no need to hold on, no one's moving anywhere!" That wasn't far from the truth. Later I announced to my intimately close neighbors, "This is the weirdest $12 I ever spent!" It was just part of the memories we will not soon forget from our first NFL game. It was a fun experience and one we've already talked about doing again. We've taken the bait and now we're hooked!
OK, I'm done with the fish analogies. Enjoy the casserole!
1 comments:
Just now getting to this post and I loved it Jesse!! So glad you guys went and made a whole weekend out of it :) Love that you stood for 2.5 hours waiting to see them board the buses, great pics!! And of course, hearing it from your perspective is always worth it. Go again before you have kids!!
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