Argentina Bound... Awaiting in Atlanta

What better way to celebrate our independence than to hop around a few friends houses in Huntington Beach before catching an LAX bound shuttle and beginning our voyage down to the South American nation of Argentina. With baby Teah fired up for the 3+ week journey, we are excited to share our love for adventure and hope that although she may not remember the journey, it will instill the power of wonder in her rapidly developing little noggin. 

Although we were a little nervous about Teah’s first flight and bringing her abroad, she has been a “little angel” so far and we are optimistic that all will go well.  Step one is making it up to 20,000+ feet without keeping fellow red-eye passengers awake with Teah’s screeching cries for relief from popping ear drums.  

Fortunately all went well and Teah didn’t make a peep as she slept from gate to gate. As for Mom & Dad, there was little sleep to be had as we were so excited for the adventure we had in store. After arriving in Atlanta we had a spirited debate on whether to grab a hotel and catch some zzzz’s or make our way into downtown Atlanta for a day of exploring the City. We had nearly 15 hours to burn and decided to just dig in and tour the city as zombies since we didn’t have Atlanta on either of our “bucket lists” and couldn’t foresee returning anytime soon. 

Teah was stoked for her first train ride and mom and dad couldn’t wait to grab a bite to eat. A bike cop recommended visiting “Weekday” where we grabbed a breaky burrito that didn’t compare to Nick’s in Seal Beach or the ‘Shack, but was still tasty. While we scarfed our burritos, Teah kept busy reading up on her current events and the daily happenings in Atlanta. 

After getting some energy from our breakfast, we found our way to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Along the way we ran into a couple questionable characters and only a few urine stenched underpasses that had us swiveling our heads as a precautionary instinct.

The grounds of MLK memorial site are relatively large and a commonly visited tourist attraction open to the public free of charge. We found our visit quite educational and we were pleased we made time to visit this historic landmark. After utilizing a make-shift changing room in the corner of one of the exhibit halls paying tribute to Dr. King and showcasing some of his personal belongings, we visited the birth home of MLK Jr.  

During the house tour we learned about MLK Jr.’s upbringing by his parents as well as the influences he was surrounded by in his well-educated and motivated black neighborhood. Much of King's success as an adult can be attributed to the emphasis his parents agressively stressed towards education, responsibility, and accountability for one's actions. It was this foundation and the inspiration he gained from people such as Ghandi that gave MLK Jr. the opportunity to make a difference in his neighborhood, nation and eventually all mankind. 

After the King home tour, we visited the neighboring Fire Station that MLK Sr. helped racially integrate and become the first fire station in Atlanta where black and white firemen worked together. We then visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church that Jr. attended as a child and where both men preached from the pulpit.  

Taking a much needed rest from touring exhibits.

After leaving the MLK Site we strolled around Atlanta checking out the sites of downtown while doing our best to tolerate the heat and humidity of the Georgia sun.  

While walking around the Georgia State University campus we saw the state Capital in the background with its impressive gold-clad domed roof.
Towards the end of our walk Teah awoke and as you can see, she enjoyed seeing the highrises that scatter the skies of Atlanta.

After strolling the streets all afternoon we made our way back to the train station excited to board our flight for Buenos Aires and get the sleep that was absent from our lives for the past 40 hours.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned as the flight was overbooked and we couldn't catch a seat. We kept our spirits high by mentally allocating the five-hours we spent at the airport as a dry run and an opportunity to further familiarize us with what it takes to successfully navigate the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Soooo… we found a hotel and hopped back aboard the train for the downtown Hilton Atlanta. We were pleased to find our hotel with the aid of another one of those “questionable” characters that escorted us to the lobby merely seeking a couple bucks to feed his family (or… who really knows what he would spend the money on but we pray it will go towards food, water, shelter,  or maybe just a shower). Seeing that it was nearly midnight and we were navigating uncharted waters, we were very pleased to make it to our hotel unscathed but for a little anxiety. 

We checked into our room and cleaned up while Teah enjoyed some tummy time on her giant King Size bed. It definitely beat the crib they provided her for the remainder of the evening, but she didn't mind as the day had worn her out.

Before calling it a night, Mom and Dad were definitely in need for a few drinks seeing that we had been up for the past 48 hours with about one hour of sleep the night before during the red-eye to Atlanta. The wine was quite tasty and as you can see, Teah was looking forward to tasting it in an hour or so when Mommy was nourishing her with a midnight snack.

After a solid nights sleep and lounging around our room until 1:00 p.m., we spent our second day in Atlanta walking through Centennial park and grabbing a bite to eat at a cool bistro in a historic Atlanta building. The food was good and the beers were even better.

We further explored Atlanta and walked more of the sights before heading back to the airport for our second attempt at catching the one daily flight that makes its way to Argentina.  Below you can see where Jennifer forced me to give two thumbs up to the CNN network.  While I'm not as politically minded as I should be, I would have preferred to visit the FOX news headquarters.   

Our time in Atlanta was quite enjoyable and we were impressed with the kindness we found in the locals who were often looking out for our well being. This includes the folks that at first made us stand on guard, but who we soon realized were good-hearted but probably just a little less fortunate.

We are optimistically awaiting our names being called as passengers on tonight's flight and hope that the next time we sit down to blog we will be sitting in a cafe outside a vibrant Buenos Aires plaza.