World of Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented by a local Atlanta Pharmacist and Atlanta is proud of that. The company still maintained its headquarters in the City. And the much-talked about secret recipe is purportedly kept in a box inside a vault at the headquarter building in the outskirts of town. Only two people have access to the secret, and each of them only knew half of the formula. Or, that was what the legend said.

In the middle of town, the Company set up a museum. They called it The World of Coca-Cola. Attempt had been made to have similar displays in Las Vegas and Tokyo in the past, but those exhibit were closed due to lack of support. But the chapter here had been going strong.

Even the polar bear was thereThe old delivery methodThe original museum was located in a different part of town and the current purpose-built complex was only opened last year.

The first part of the exhibit was a gentle introduction into the celebrated history of Coca-Cola by way of multimedia presentation and as well as direct introduction. The next part was a mini museum with displays of Coca-Cola memorabilia from throughout the world.

Memorabilia galoreAnd a fair bit of reading as wellThe torches from the recent Olympics on displayNow came the favourite part, the tasting areaEverybody get to carry a bottle homeNext came the trip to the vault - not the real one of course. The final part was the about the product. We were taken through a mini-factory which bottled the drink in a limited edition bottle to be taken home as memento. While waiting for the drinks to be ready, we could also sample 60 plus flavours of Coca-Cola products from around the world. Guaranteed to get you high on sugar by the time you were done. Imagine if I were to take Mu children along with me. It should be a fun ride home .....

I bought some fridge magnet to take home at the exit. The museum was quite fun, since it was not often one get to see it coming from Malaysia and all. Well worth a visit I thought. More on the Atlanta trip here.

How was Atlanta?

I must confess that Atlanta did not offer me with much insight about the US. Maybe because my schedule was packed. Maybe it was the winter weather. And also maybe because I did not have the chance to explore more than just the downtown area.

The food was alright. Hotel was a typical fare which you would expect from a global chain. An a very 70s building to boot. Apart from the Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, there was nothing much that I missed. My schedule was full enough that I didn't even had the chance to do the CNN tour. By the time the lectures were done, I was too tired to do much else but to sleep. On a few occasion, I actually had a snooze at the room while waiting for dinner.

Lenox Mall provided a slight reprieve even though it wasn't great. Anita got what she ordered off me, so she should be happy with what I got for her. Even the Apple Store there was not inspirational. Not like then one in London, where I felt the urge to shop when I entered the store. Atlanta was pretty mk much all business I'm afraid.

And then there was the small matter of security. I felt comfortable walking around in London in the evenings. Not so much in Atlanta. Even walking from the Congress Center, I was approached by the locals on a couple of occasion. I felt intimidated and from then on, I didn't bring my camera out and always travel with company. And this was during a conference with more than 20000 delegates. I didn't feel safe. I was fine in a group though.

So, I only went out to enjoy the sights on the first day, and on the Saturday evening. Shopping opportunity was also rather limited. I didn't catch any movie, or venture into cafes as I didn't feel the freedom. I could only enjoy taking my camera out of I feel carefree. It was not something that in Atlanta during my 5 nights stay there.

Would I bring my family here in the future? Don't think so. I had been blessed before to be able to travel to various parts of the world. The first trip to America however was rather anticlimactic. The Congress was great however and it was well organised. I will blog about the Congress proper on a later entry. At the end of the stay, I was glad to be flying home .......

More about the Atlanta trip here.

In Atlanta

The day went on like a blur as soon as I reached Atlanta. I didn't get into any trouble at the Immigrations when I arrived. In fact, it was more straight forward than I expected also I got news that my old friend who I would be meeting tomorrow - Specky - was taken for extra questioning. He flew via Detroit though. He was already in Atlanta when he SMS me just now. No damage done.

As for me, I had a driver waiting for me at the airport, driving me straight to the hotel. It took 25 minutes in the middle of the afternoon. I checked myself in, took my conference badge and registered. I then hit the shower before taking a can to one of the malls.

Anita had given me strict instructions about what to get her. I went to the store as planned, but the item was not available. I had to order it to be picked up in a couple of days time. Payment sorted out, so off I went for some coffee.

The mall - Lenox Square - was about 6 miles from my hotel, a 20 minutes can ride in the heavy traffic. It was not too big, but it had an Apple Store and many designer boutiques. A comfortable space. I got two items - a Nexus 4 and an Ecco pair of shoes - which were not available back home.

I will blog more about the Nexus 4 and the mall after I have some rest. As for tonight, I will hit the shower again soon, order room service and off to bed. At least the day doesn't start until midday tomorrow as far as the conference was concerned.

More about this Atlanta trip here.