“The 4 1 1 on the ATL”. That Means “The Details On Atlanta” For Those Less Hip Like Me.

Over spring break, our little family got to go south to visit my parents.
They live in Chattanooga and that area is lovely but since we have done the whole Chattanooga thing before, my mom thought it would be fun to explore the Atlanta area which is only two hours from their home.
And apparently, always 10 degrees warmer.
Good to know.

 

This picture was taken just south of Nashville.
People of the Midwest understand the reasoning for a picture like this.
The last week of March and do you notice anything….. different?
Green to the grass.

Get used to the grass pictures.
This is my foot on my parents’ lawn.
By the way, my dad has already mowed his lawn.
Twice.

OK, so I called out Atlanta on Facebook about this sign.
I know this winter was rough in most of the country.
Except for California.
And Arizona.
And maybe Nevada.
But the rest of the country experienced the result of the said polar vortex.
But can we in the upper Midwest get a gold medal for the MOST of all the POLAR VORTICES??
Or VORTEXES??
Because 10  degrees up here isn’t “polar”.
It’s called “February”.

Mom suggested we visit the Varsity restaurant while in Atlanta.
There are several locations and we were going to do the original location but ended up at the Kennesaw location.
OMG.
This is what I have learned in life.
When there is a restaurant that has been around for generations, order what they are famous for.
What put them on the map?
For The Varsity, it is the chili slaw dog.
Or a chili dog.
Or a slaw dog with no chili.
Basically, the dog.
And the onion rings.
The fries were OK, but the onion rings were Omazing.
See what I did there?

This you need to know.
I am not a chili dog kind of gal.
This is what I like on my dog: mustard and onion.
A pickle on a good day.
I dislike the “Chicago dog”.
I HATE poppy seeds.
So I like a very simplistic hot dog.
But I wanted to try what they are famous for because of the whole “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality.
So I ordered the chili slaw dog with mustard.
I don’t remember ordering the mustard or if it comes that way.

The first bite?
Hmmm.
Different.
Ummm.

Second bite?
Yes.
YESSS.

Third bite?
HOLY CRAP THIS IS GOOD.
I MUST ALWAYS HAVE COLESLAW AND CHILI ON MY HOT DOGS!!

This was the best dog I have ever had.
I wished I had ordered two, they even had that option but I only ordered one.
ORDER TWO.

Beautiful Atlanta.
And the weather?
This day was actually colder than normal.
It was 65.

Look at the trees!
They have those strange flowery things on the ends of the branches!
Wow…..

 

When I get excited about the weather, I take body pictures.
Like my bare arm.
End of March.
WHAT?
YOU SO CRAZY!!!?!?!

I wanted to soak every single moment in.
I kept inhaling like I was smoking something the whole time I was outside
I smelled all the smells…..fresh cut grass, cedar mulch……oh my sweet tarts…..it was so special.
So. so special.
I go back to that whenever Paul Konrad tells us it’s gonna be colder than normal in April.
WHEN THE HELL ISN’T IT A COLDER THAN NORMAL APRIL IN CHICAGO, PAUL?

 

The World of Coca-Cola.
I don’t want to say anything bad about this place.
Because a year ago, Coca-Cola paid for this amazing blogging experience in Chicago.
I feel a little loyalty to them.
But I also feel the need to be real.
Because I feel more loyal to YOU.

The people are exceptional.
Well, I have a feeling that might be a south thing rather than just a Coca-Cola thing, but the staff was really nice and helpful.
The place is really nice, but the exhibits were overwhelmingly claustrophobia-inducing.
It was overpriced, as most museums are, but it was a fun experience.
The most favorite part was the end where you can taste test different coca-cola products from around the world.

This is where they keep the “secret recipe” of Coca-Cola.
I think it is holding “the secret infrastructure traffic plan” for Atlanta.
Really.
There needs to be something done.

Atlanta, your traffic sucks. It really does.

Picture of the beautiful Tennessee mountains.
That took me down.
Apparently having root canal surgery a week before heading to higher altitudes isn’t advisable,
I was in excruciating pain for three days while here.
But it was worth it.

For seeing my parents.
And the smell of fresh-cut grass alone.
WORTH. IT.