Weekender in Atlanta
Last month I had the pleasure of exploring Atlanta, Georgia over two weekends and here are my highlights.
Atlanta Museum of Contemporary Art
The Atlanta Museum of Contemporary Art was a small space but a gem where the staff was very friendly and informative, and the art was incredible. In the room shown below, and strings piece played as you explored the art, and as you approached the walls at the far end, two pieces of video art were shown, all to be experienced with the music.
Atlanta Aquarium
The aquarium was massive and sublime. In fact, it is the largest aquarium in the U.S. and in the Western Hemisphere! They even have whales there, which were beautiful to watch but made me wonder if this was enough space for them. Different aquatic environments were broken out into different sections, and each one was an enchanting experience.
Cafe Lucia & Atlanta Botanical Garden
I spent a Sunday morning walking around the cool, empty streets of Midtown Atlanta and stopped into Cafe Lucia for coffee and a breakfast wrap. The place was cute and inviting, and I loved the “Free Palestine” message on the door. The coffee and food were great, the service friendly, and the vibe was chill.
After breakfast I walked to the gorgeous Atlanta Botanical Garden where I practically had the place to myself at opening time. It was beautifully designed and even though it was February, it was full of life. Outdoors, local woodland plants were pushing through the soil while indoors, lush tropical beauties including the flowers of an expansive orchid house were thriving. It was such a glorious Sunday morning!
Margaret Mitchell House
When I visit different places, two things that I really like to do is to try the local food and to see the historical buildings. Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell’s house was one of the most prominent historical buildings of Atlanta, so I went to visit it. While I walked there from my downtown hotel, I was concerned that the museum would sugarcoat the book and ignore the problematic racial issues. But I was relieved to discover that the museum covered every facet of the book, from its creative accolades to its faults.
Not having read the book or seen all of the movie (and frankly, I’m not interested), I was shocked to learn the exact reasons why it is so problematic. Although it was the writer’s understanding of the time and place, this influential work of historical fiction misrepresented the period of the Civil War and Reconstruction. For example, the museum highlighted one part of the book where Scarlett O’Hara is attacked while traveling and she is rescued from the attack by her former slave, Big Sam. Later, the KKK, led by Ashley Wilkes and Frank Kennedy, sets out to lynch the attackers. This is a scene that plays into a ploy that a purpose of the clan was to rescue white purity from vicious black people. The scene was kept in the movie, but in the movie no affiliation with the KKK is mentioned. In the book, one attacker is described as a black man “with shoulders and chest like a gorilla,” as penned by Mitchell. The story also has Big Sam describing the attacker as “dat black baboon,” more egregious language and representation from Mitchell.
A letter displayed in the museum from Mitchell to KKK proponent Thomas Dixon (author of the racist novel The Clansman, 1905, which was made into the lauded film The Birth of a Nation in 1915) suggests that the scene was inspired by Dixon’s writing, and sadly, Mitchell mentions in the letter that she was influenced by Dixon as she grew up reading his books. The malicious ploy is still used today, as we watch the current administration demonize all Mexican immigrants because of the actions of a few. Let us not forget that there are dangerous white Americans in our newsfeeds every day.
The story also promotes the idea that the slaves stayed on their plantations after slavery because they were bound by affection, and not because it was the only choice they had. As an aside, this is also one of the reasons that the Disney movie Song of the South was banned, as explicitly heard in the lyrics of the song “Let the Rain Pour Down,” in which black people sing:
Let the rain pour down,
let the cold wind blow
Gonna stay right here
in the home I know
When, in fact, the life of a slave was far from a “home.”
The black actors in the movie were also condemned for participating in the film, but as Gone With the Wind actress Hattie McDaniel says, “I’d rather play a maid than be one. Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making $7 a week being one”. For her portrayal of Mammy in the film, McDaniel was the first African American actress to win an Academy Award.
South City Kitchen
The food of Atlanta was inspiring, and my favorite was a proper southern meal of fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and collard greens at South City Kitchen. This place was recommended to me by several locals and the food and friendly staff did not disappoint!
High Museum of Art
The High museum was also massive and held a large amount of art from different time periods, including classic works of Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Edgar Degas. I spent hours exploring the different floors and still felt like I didn’t get a good look at everything. Here are some of my favorites.
Another museum that I was hoping to see was the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, however when I got there it was closed for renovations. I also wanted to see Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home, but it, too, was closed for “an extensive rehabilitation project.”
Zoo Atlanta
My last stop in Atlanta was the zoo. The weather was perfect, making a stroll around the zoo absolutely delightful.
They have this wonderful treehouse area that I really liked with birds flying and singing all around you.
From the wonderful southern food to the wealth of museums and attractions to the warm culture, being a weekender in Atlanta was a great experience. After all, here I am weeks later and yes, Georgia is still on my mind.
