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Atlanta 1996


barrack

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Hello Friends:

I randomly decided to spend NYE in Atlanta to see the Peach drop. I will be spending a few days in town and thought I'd try to hit up some of the remnants of the Centennial Games, should there be any. Any ideas of where I should go? I won't have a car, but I'll be near a MARTA station.

Also any suggestions of anything to do while I'm in town will also be good. I've never been past the airport.

Thanks!

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The official 1996 Centennial Games exhibit is part of the Atlanta History Center in Fernbank, just off of Buckhead.

http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/cms/Ce...Museum/103.html

I don't know the closest MARTA station. But also being near the holidays, check out the schedule so you don't miss out. Why don't you connect with Roux?

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When I went last year the Centennial Olympic Park is well worth a visit. Taking in a baseball game at the Turner Field (Olympic Stadium) was also fun and I was able to get right up to the bottom of the torch tower.

I hear that Stone Mountain Park is worth a visit - but the Tennis Centre is now closed and the Archery/Cycling venues were temporary.

Not really connected to the Olympics but GEorgia Aquarium - just off Centennial Olympic Park - is stunning.

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Its a shame that Atlanta does not have more of its Olympic heritage left over, although Centenial Park is a very good place.

Atlanta didnt have to keep all the venues and things, as they were used for their purpose and then changed so that they could be used for other things. not like Athens and Beijing where stadia are left unused for most of the year.

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Hello Friends:

I randomly decided to spend NYE in Atlanta to see the Peach drop. I will be spending a few days in town and thought I'd try to hit up some of the remnants of the Centennial Games, should there be any. Any ideas of where I should go? I won't have a car, but I'll be near a MARTA station.

Also any suggestions of anything to do while I'm in town will also be good. I've never been past the airport.

Thanks!

MARTA is frikin useless!!! There's two lines, one goes up & down, the other goes left & right. The former has a little branch that goes north-east, which is very simple but confuses the heck out of all the idiots that ride it (except for me of course ;) ) As Lewis Black put it when he did a show down here a while ago, it's the "subway to no where!" Oh, and don't even bother with the busses, unless you don't mind pan-handlers or being late.

With all the problems MARTA has, you think our state legislature would allow them more money, or at least its access to its own reserves, but no! Unfortunately, MARTA is yet another victim in the struggle between progressive-minded Atlanta and the good-ole boy politics that basically run the state of Georgia. You'll have state senator Bubba Joe Dumb-f*&@ from hickville with his argument "My constituents' tax dollars should not have to fund something they's not never gonna use." Well gee, first you should be surprised he knows a big word like "constituent," second why should my tax dollars fund some brand new 4-lane highway that only 4 cars are going to use out on Mt. Redneck?!

Sorry, rant over. Anywho, if you want to catch any ramnents of our city's Olympic glory, the only thing really worth seeing is Cenntennial Park. It's very nice, especially this time of year with the Christmas light displays they do. You'll want to get off MARTA at either Peachtree Center or the Georgia Dome (be prepared to walk a significant distance though.) Conveniently located around the park are the other major tourist attractions: Georgia Aquairum, CNN Center, and World of Coca-Cola (and the Tabernacle is like a block away. There's good shows there...sometimes.) It's a nice little area for tourists so they don't have to wonder around the city, which you don't want to do unless you know where you're going. One of the exhibits in the Coke museum has some Olympic memorobilia you might like to check out as well. There's a case with Olympic torches from each recent edition of the Olympics since Lillehammer. Sergei Bubka was on hand at a special little ceremony there (which I missed :( ) where he donated a torch from the Beijing torch relay to Coca-Cola.

Aside from that, the Olympic cauldron is still around. It's not in the original spot, but it's errected down the street from Turner Field, the former Olympic stadium. MARTA doesn't go anywhere near there. Well, the busses might (idk, I don't ride them) but the closest train station is Georgia State station, but again be prepared to walk a long way. You can see it from the interstate, or you can drive right past it on Fulton Street en route to Turner Field or the zoo. It's not really something you visit; it's just kinda there, along with the bridge that connected the Olympic stadium with Fulton County Stadium (which is now a parking lot, btw. You can see the spot where the ball from Hank Aaron's historic home run landed in the stands...which is now a parking lot. Gotta love how Atlanta history is preserved.)

As baron mentioned, there was a special exhibit about the Atlanta Olympics that opened for the 10th anniversary over at the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead, but I didn't know it was still there. :P

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Oh, and you're going to the Peach Drop? Lame. It's a just a huge piece of plastic, and they usually have some local celebrity push the button to make it drop, and when I say celebrity I mean like the weather girl on channel 11. I watched it on TV once, years ago (I think that was the first year they had it, but I don't remember) and have ignored it ever since.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As an Atlanta resident since January 1996, I have to agree with Roux's comments regarding MARTA and the Peach Drop! Your best bet would be to scan the local free press (www.creativeloafing.com) and see if you can find a good hotel party or something along those lines to attend New Years Eve. The Peach Drop is just too boring to waste your whole night - trust Roux's advice on that!

Rent a car if at all possible - 90% of Atlanta is inaccessible via MARTA and what you can see will be wasted because you spent 2 hours on a bus or waiting for the bus in the friggin' cold..... rent the car, driving in this city is not THAT bad especially this week when so many are on vacation.

My advice for Olympics "history" - go to the permanant exhibit at the History Center and do a walking tour of Centennial Olympic Park. Aside from that, most of the venues are either not here any longer or have been so altered that no "legacy" remains from 1996.

If you're looking for some great neighborhoods, I'd suggest Midtown, Buckhead (for shopping), Little 5 Points, Virginia-Highlands, Decatur - these areas are where I spend 99% of my free time - believe me, the rest of Atlanta isn't worth seeing. Check out Creative Loafing though and see their "best of" listings for some hot spots to check out.

I hope you have a good time here in the ATL - there are some nice little gems around if you can get past the tourist traps!

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  • 3 weeks later...

If MARTA is so damn bad, makes one wonder how in the world was it ever suitable as part of an Olympic bid.

Apparently, Delta, Coca-cola, Home Depot, Ted Turner, Hometown of MLK (African American Olympics) & the afterglow of Los Angeles 1984, Athens just wasn't ready & was quite arrogant anyway, etc, overshadowed anything else.

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If MARTA is so damn bad, makes one wonder how in the world was it ever suitable as part of an Olympic bid.

Apparently, Delta, Coca-cola, Home Depot, Ted Turner, Hometown of MLK (African American Olympics) & the afterglow of Los Angeles 1984, Athens just wasn't ready & was quite arrogant anyway, etc, overshadowed anything else.

Bingo! :)

Remember, sub-par transportation was a gripe of many who visited the city during the Olympics. The political cartoonist for our local newspaper did a nice cartoon where there's angry people on a bus ranting stuff like "THis is the worst Olympics ever!!" and "What a shame for the world to see!!" and the poor bus driver, "but I said I was sorry I missed that turn." I know that's a little over-simplified, but it's still funny and true. :lol:

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If MARTA is so damn bad, makes one wonder how in the world was it ever suitable as part of an Olympic bid.

Apparently, Delta, Coca-cola, Home Depot, Ted Turner, Hometown of MLK (African American Olympics) & the afterglow of Los Angeles 1984, Athens just wasn't ready & was quite arrogant anyway, etc, overshadowed anything else.

Roux and BStout, correct me if i'm wrong but weren't a large majority of the venues near the MARTA line? I know busses were used for venues that were not on MARTA. Also, wasn't the north-south line the one that was overly congested during the games. I have heard from some that the east-west line was nearly empty on some nights during the Olympics.

MARTA isn't terribly bad if you live right near the station or are using it to go downtown or to an event like the Braves game but I do agree that it is inefficient when compared to Washington DC, NYC, Chicago, etc. I've never had a problem with MARTA but as I always joke "it's fun to take, you just have to drive to the MARTA station to catch the train" LOL :lol:

I went to DC instead. I got to drunkenly ride the Metro everywhere and eat great Asian food. DC should host the SOG someday.

I LOVE Washington DC!!!! Metro is just wonderul to get around the city, what part of town were you in mostly? I have spent alot of time in the DuPont Circle area, hoping to go visit some friends there in April! And yes DC would make a great SOG host some day :)

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I LOVE Washington DC!!!! Metro is just wonderul to get around the city, what part of town were you in mostly? I have spent alot of time in the DuPont Circle area, hoping to go visit some friends there in April! And yes DC would make a great SOG host some day :)

I stayed w/ my fam in Falls Church one night, then with a friend at GWU. I hit up Arlington, DuPont, Foggy Bottom and Chinatown mostly. It was a blast.

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MARTA isn't terribly bad if you live right near the station

True, but most people don't, and therein lies the problem. lol.

Yes, ACOG was smart enough to put a lot of the venues near MARTA, such as at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University (my alma mater) and the made great use out of the Georgia Dome/World Congress Center complex. As far as how crowded each line was during the games, I have no idea, but it would make sense for the north/south line to be more crowded since there are lots of hotels along that line. The east/west line, well, aside from the part that goes from Five Points to the Georgia Dome (which is only 3 stops) no one really likes it. It's just.....yeah. I don't know how to explain it. Remember the crazy "Soulja girl"? I'm pretty sure that was some where on the east/west line.

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True, but most people don't, and therein lies the problem. lol.

Yes, ACOG was smart enough to put a lot of the venues near MARTA, such as at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University (my alma mater) and the made great use out of the Georgia Dome/World Congress Center complex. As far as how crowded each line was during the games, I have no idea, but it would make sense for the north/south line to be more crowded since there are lots of hotels along that line. The east/west line, well, aside from the part that goes from Five Points to the Georgia Dome (which is only 3 stops) no one really likes it. It's just.....yeah. I don't know how to explain it. Remember the crazy "Soulja girl"? I'm pretty sure that was some where on the east/west line.

I think the north-south line overall is just more crowded since you get people from Midtown, Buckhead, NE Atlanta, and the suburbs going into Gwinett County and Alpharetta - basically the North part of the North-South line goes through and serves the nicer parts of Atlanta, and then you have the airport to the south which I hear is one good use of MARTA....many people i've talked to there say its easier to just park your car at the MARTA station and then take the train to ATL.

You don't have to explain the East-West line, other than Five points and Decatur what good part of Atlanta does it actually serve? LOL

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  • 5 months later...

Sports venues that have existed at the time Atlanta was chosen as the host city of the 1996 Olympics in 1990:

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

Georgia World Congress Centre (Building A and the southern half of Building B)

Omni Coliseum

Panther Stadium, Clark Atlanta University

Herndon Stadium, Morris Brown College

Georgia State University Sports Arena

Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Georgia Institute of Technology

And the Stone Mountain Tennis Center had closed in 2007 and there is talk of its demolition. There is a fight to prevent this. I support that fight because demolition of the tennis centre means that a legacy is ruined.

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  • 2 weeks later...

WHAT??? Whakindda statement is that?? :blink:

Well, the venues are not used anymore for international sport events. Has there been any world champ after the Games? Atlanta isn't in the worlds sport picture anymore.

But there is also an other important part of the Olympics. Have it brought Atlanta more welfare? Is sport a way of life for the people in Atlanta? Have the children the opportunity to sport more?

What was the goal of Atlanta organizing the Games? Barcelona for example, used the Games to give the city a face-lift, show themselves to the sport world and the tourists and they give sports in Spain a boost. Nowadays Barcelona organize a lot of world-class sport events, is one of the most beloved cities and Spain is one of the best sport nations in the world. The Olympic legacy of Barcelona is huge. What is the legacy of Atlanta?

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Well, the venues are not used anymore for international sport events. Has there been any world champ after the Games? Atlanta isn't in the worlds sport picture anymore.

But there is also an other important part of the Olympics. Have it brought Atlanta more welfare? Is sport a way of life for the people in Atlanta? Have the children the opportunity to sport more?

What was the goal of Atlanta organizing the Games? Barcelona for example, used the Games to give the city a face-lift, show themselves to the sport world and the tourists and they give sports in Spain a boost. Nowadays Barcelona organize a lot of world-class sport events, is one of the most beloved cities and Spain is one of the best sport nations in the world. The Olympic legacy of Barcelona is huge. What is the legacy of Atlanta?

Atlanta gained a whole new set of sports installations which, while they may not host international events, do provide the people of Atlanta and Georgia with upgraded sports facilities.

Just one of the legacies of 1996, which regardless of the Centennial Games, was planned anyway, is the Georgia Dome...home to many major American football matches. That facility, together with the Georgia World Congress, is a major convention venue. Georgia Tech got a new swim center, and along with GSU, dorm space for an additional 3,500 students.

Remember, Atlanta is like #10 or #12 in size of U.S. cities, but it is the premier city of its region, the US Southeast, and as such, is a hub for major conventions in the US. It is one of the top 3 convention centers in the US (along with Las Vegas and Orlando).

What's your point? Belittling Atlanta just because they got the Centennial Games when so-called frontrunner Athens didn't? Look at most of the 2004 installations of Athens...all rotting and locked up. The surviving ones of 1996 are in use.

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Belittling Atlanta just because they got the Centennial Games when so-called frontrunner Athens didn't? Look at most of the 2004 installations of Athens...all rotting and locked up. The surviving ones of 1996 are in use.

Ha. I belittle Atlanta because they were one of the worst, most embarrassing, tacky, garbage, piece of crap Olympic Games ever. If it wasn't for Atlanta, the U.S. would have had a better chance hosting a summer games again now, rather than later.

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Ha. I belittle Atlanta because they were one of the worst, most embarrassing, tacky, garbage, piece of crap Olympic Games ever. If it wasn't for Atlanta, the U.S. would have had a better chance hosting a summer games again now, rather than later.

get off that dildo, OTO. It's done with; history, in the record books...nothing you or anyone can do about it. Really kinda silly.

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Atlanta gained a whole new set of sports installations which, while they may not host international events, do provide the people of Atlanta and Georgia with upgraded sports facilities.

Just one of the legacies of 1996, which regardless of the Centennial Games, was planned anyway, is the Georgia Dome...home to many major American football matches. That facility, together with the Georgia World Congress, is a major convention venue. Georgia Tech got a new swim center, and along with GSU, dorm space for an additional 3,500 students.

Remember, Atlanta is like #10 or #12 in size of U.S. cities, but it is the premier city of its region, the US Southeast, and as such, is a hub for major conventions in the US. It is one of the top 3 convention centers in the US (along with Las Vegas and Orlando).

What's your point? Belittling Atlanta just because they got the Centennial Games when so-called frontrunner Athens didn't? Look at most of the 2004 installations of Athens...all rotting and locked up. The surviving ones of 1996 are in use.

i miss the feeling that the Games made Atlanta a better place to live. I have that feeling with Barcelona and Sydney. I miss the feeling also with Athens. The Games were ok, but not with passion, like Barcelona and Sydney. What was the goal of Atlanta with organizing the Games? What was the passion and how does it changed the city.

And don't be afraid I'm burning down Atlanta. They are still special for me: the Dutch won the volleyball title by beating the rivals from Italy in 5 memorable sets!

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