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USA (OOO-SAH)

May - June 2023
Hop and a skip down south. Atlanta and Birmingham! Read more
  • 22footprints
  • 2countries
  • 14days
  • 222photos
  • 10videos
  • 6.4kkilometers
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  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 1

    Hitting the less smokie skies

    May 20, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After a couple weeks back home we're back at it. A lot of preparation went into getting ready. We packed as light as we could. One checked bag, a carry on, plus a motorcycle helmet!

    We were able to help a friend who was out of town and kept his car for him so he did not have to pay for parking at the airport. He flew back the same day we were leaving, so we returned it for him to be able to drive himself home.

    The air quality has been horrible from the wildfires, so we were very happy to leave! Additionally it was great the airline we were flying with resolved a contract agreement with their pilots. We had prepared to forego the first week of this trip to ensure we weren't missing out on unused hotel nights if reassigned flights happened. So I quickly cancelled Plan B(made 3pm Thursday) on Friday morning!

    We were pleased that our flight wasn't very full. Our seats in the second row came with an invite to spread out and use a pair of seats each! I suppose that is premium-extra?

    Yahoo!    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 1

    Smoked Calgary Afternoon 🔥

    May 20, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We saw clear skies on the flight over! Then we decended into a smokie city.

    As we exited the airport to make use of our 12hr layover we chuckled spotting 3 pine cones dropped (by a kid?) in the baggage arrival over a 80 ft distance. Or was it a squirrel?

    Stop one was a pair of International Driving Permits, which we'll need in Europe. It was a warm 26c day, and the transit train was not operational downtown due to maintenance, during a long weekend?! Why? This added some extra time and mental gymnastics to the journey.

    We also shopped for light summer jackets. Ironically a hot day isn't ideal when your toting luggage across town, but what the hey! We got it done and will probably be glad in a month or so when in cooler areas of Europe.

    Refreshments and a snack at Leopold’s Tavern. The pints arrived fast, but 30min later no food! I asked the server if our food got lost? Yes! The Printer rang out of paper, so the kitchen never got it 🤣. They covered our meal cost, so that was a win!

    Transit back to the airport to make great use of our $11 day passes. I recalled that I had free airport lounge passes from my credit card. It was a bit convoluted getting to the Domestic area for the lounge even though we were flying international. Everyone I asked said it was ok.

    The lounge was amazing! We lucked into getting right into a shower to freshen up after the smokie, sweaty afternoon! The food and drink order in goon the app was incredibly fast. It was delicious! For the small cost of the tip, it was a another deal for the wallet! We stayed until closing, as our flight wasn't until midnight.

    Turns out nobody on our flight was precreened by American customs. But we did get cute stickers on our passports from some security people.

    Boarding first made us feel like rock stars! We looked forward to the extra service in our Premium Seats.    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 2

    Bubblegum pain

    May 21, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We landed 20 min early in Atlanta. But, the baggage was unloaded before the passenger bridge installed! Once they opened the bridge we had to wait another 2 min for boarder control to decide if we needed to be screened. Yes, we did! Another 15 min wait in line as there was either a coffee break or shift change: "agents cease processing," they instructed on the PA.

    Super easy screening with boarder agent thankfully! Maybe they're wide open for all tourist dollars? The bags were waiting on carousel. A friendly helpdesk lady pointed us in the direction of the transit. It was another 10 min wait for shuttle to the domestic terminal where the train to the city starts.

    Omg, it was like being in a bubble gum factory! I believe it was the deoderizer in the AC system, but geezus. The 15 minute ride felt like an eternity. My eyes were burning 😭

    A guy was eager to assist us to the correct location for the train. We didn't have any spare change and politely excused ourselves. Another 5 minutes figuring out that we couldn't pay for transit (MARTA) at kiosk with our Canadian credit cards as it wanted a zip code. So, we downloaded the phone app and ended up saving a couple bucks by not needing to buy a physical card. Next a 15 minute wait for the train to arrive.

    So, 2.5 hours after landing we were moving on the transit train to downtown!

    Early check in possible thanks to Shelly and Imani at the hotel. A quick two hour nap.

    Walked to the grocery store for some food for our suite. Then an amazing view on the treadmills, whilst listening to happy squeals of the kids in the pool on the other side of the glass.    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    1
    1
    Day 3

    Private swim

    May 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    We recovered well from the Red eye flight with close to 11hrs of sleep! 😴

    We popped up a bit north in town to Atlantic Station shopping area. My walking shoes were needing replacement as they no longer had any tread and I was slipping on the Granite curbs around town. The Nike store had a nice selection of discount options. I tried on everything and settled on a trail runner. The shopping complex was pretty, but too much of a big box feel.

    We tried Happy Hour at a nearby pub. They had some food specials, but none of their large draft selections 😕. The service was lacking even with the automated touch screen at our table. Very dirty bathrooms were the tipping point. Sigh.

    With the intermittent rain that afternoon we headed back to the hotel. The roof top pool the day before was very busy. My guess that it would be empty was correct! A private quiet swim was lovely!    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 4

    Deep Fried avocado

    May 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The day started off with a transit ride to an unpaved section of the Beltline trail near Glenwood. Again, some friendly folks on the bus chatting us up. We learned about the famous people in Oakland cemetery: Margaret Mitchell who wrote Gone With The Wind. Glenwood is a neat planned neighbourhood which won awards for its focus on pedestrians/bikes and less cars.

    The 4 miles of trail (to-and-fro) were prefect for the run! We grabbed a smoothie on the way back and took the Beltline paved trail north through Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown. The neighbourhoods have a good feel. Then we looped back to the Peachtree area to get back to the hotel.

    The afternoon Happy Hour was calling us. J found Tom Dick and Hank, a short bus ride south of us. The facade wasn't very inviting, but a friendly staff member saw us through the window and invited us in. My instinct was to veto the visit. Their patio was on the roof, along with their Hookah bar 🚬. Guests were also enjoying their cigars, so we opted to change seats after a bit to get less in us. No beers on tap 🍺😕, but ok bottle selection. The happy hour rib tips and fish bites were delicious! The server commented that we got a whole rack, but there was lots bone🍖! It was an experience, but we didn't stay longer than needed🏃

    We ended up walking north to the Garnett train station. There's a fair bit of homelessness in the area, likely due to support services in the vicinity . Everyone is friendly, but it can be a bit challenging determining who's stable...

    We explored Midtown area. WOW, it has a great vibe like Vancouver's West End! Including a very eccentric street person laying on the sidewalk laughing hysterically! Piedmont park is being set up for the upcoming Jazz weekend.

    Next we tried to find Taco Tuesday, but its passe. Rreal Tacos for a snack and a maragita tasting flight (to share) 🍹

    To continue the theme we grabbed a can of mixed Maragita (Canadian of all origins!) and created home made tacos a-la-condo!

    Wowzers, 33k steps (28.6km) is a long day 😊

    A great movie on Netflix to wrap up: Colette.    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    1
    Day 5

    Botanical Gardens

    May 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    A quick transit ride to the Botanical Gardens in Piedmont park.

    Wow! It's impressive 👍

    We wandered around for almost 4 hours! I've never seen or smelled orchids like they have in the greenhouse 😍

    Their multitude of other areas, displays, and presentations are awesome! The suggested 1.5-2hrs wouldn't allow enough time to get a sense of it all. If we lived closer I'm sure we could enjoy visiting every month 😎

    Trolls. Bringing new life from pallets
    https://atlantabg.org/trolls/    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 5

    smoked jerk cauliflower egg rolls

    May 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The afternoon was more fun! Ponce Street Market, the old Sears and Robuck building. Beltline south. Weather was great. Lots of people watching. Some folks kept going back and forth on short seconds of the trail, biking, running or skating. Bikes and wheeled folks zipped closely past us walkers at crazy speeds!

    We stumbled upon the perfect patio at Biggerstaff ❤️ yummy egg rolls too! My Conflict Management – Vanilla Chai Blonde Ale- 5.5% ABV, delicious! One was enough to feel great 😝    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    1
    Day 6

    Revolution Dognuts

    May 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Hopped on the Street Car. It's a cute idea but it's such a small route, and ridership is low. It's a big money loss for the transit system. It was fun to pop over to the Market to see it, though smaller than expected.

    Walked through the Sweet Auburn area past Atlanta history.

    Keeping J under control https://www.wabe.org/inman-park-lock-box/

    A quick map search revealed amazing donuts!

    Transit back to the hotel for a relax at the pool. Thankfully the bar opened at 5pm so we enjoyed a drink.

    Another great day, and our last big exploration of Atlanta.    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 7

    Managers Special EV

    May 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I found a great deal with Hertz for the rental we needed for the week: The Managers Special EV! I signed up(for free) as a Gold Member to get J as a second driver without a fee! Ironically they didn't want to see his license 🧐

    The shuttle train from the airport was packed. We got to skip the Hertz queue of 60 people and go to the Gold queue, of 2 people. She directed us to go pick any EV! Turns out taking the 30% discount for the special was worth it. Tesla or Chev Bolt 🤔? I checked the battery charge levels. I wanted something below 75% so I wouldn't have to return it full 👍. As we waited in the car line to checkout we needed to play with the system to understand it.

    We thought we'd top up the battery and headed for the nearest supercharger which had open spots. By the time we got there it was full and a queue! Plan B, drive north to drop off our sun shade (from home) at the factory which needs warranty work. They will mail it back for us.

    OMG! Freeway construction detours were impacting traffic flow and the GPS didn't quite get it either. Needless to say it challenged our patients and relationship too! 🫨Thankfully we weren't in a rush. 😵‍💫

    After the drop-off we found a supercharger. We didn't feel like hanging out in the car like most people were doing. A few blocks away was a thrift shop which we walked to. In this car nation, we were the only ones walking in this suburb! 🚶🤣 The selection was impressive, but not exactly what I was looking for. I settled on a new running outfit 🏃👍.

    Charging was complete and it was back to the airport to pick up Dad. Ironically the quickest route was right through downtown, sigh.

    Upon arrival at the airport, we learned how unorganized the vehicle flow is. One sign says something, and 50ft ahead the info changes! People kept changing lanes 🤯, which explained why it was going so slow. When we finally got closer to the building J got out and walked to get Dad. I spotted them at the curb when I finally got there and we loaded up quickly. My new walking shoes are not driving shoes, as they were hurting my Achilles after a few hours. Time for driving thongs 🩲, er, I mean flip flops 🩴 😅.

    Birmingham here we come!    Read more

  • USA (OOO-SAH)
    Day 7

    Not as advertised 😭

    May 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Well, the Birmingham Airbnb was not what the photos showed, nor the description 😵‍💫. The host knew of my request for no air fresheners, but it wreaked! Probably trying to cover up mold smells like the cabinet under the kitchen sink 🤢. It was not a two bedroom, but a repurposed flex space without a door. The smoke alarm was churping from the moment we enteted. On top of the condo unit issues, the building was unclean and stinky urine in parkade doorway... 😵

    It was 7pm so we left for a delicious pizza dinner on the corner.

    I immediately got in touch with the host. She said that the cleaners removed the air fresheners, and that's just how things were. Next it was time to contact Airbnb support! They promptly answered and heard my issues. They wanted a video and photos.

    Long story short, the host was ok with cancelling the reservation if we departed without staying. I found a hotel nearby for the night and we went over there! Phewf! Unnecessary stress 😮‍💨

     Time to sleep 😴    Read more

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