Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

The drive from Charlotte to Atlanta wasn't too bad, about 3.5 hours. I was sufficiently full after a huge breakfast with Cindy and was on the road by 10am.

By 4, I was in Atlanta and on my way to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the world. As soon as I walked into the darkness, I was greeted by a bright wall of fish.



"Oh my God."

I stopped in my path and was just amazed. But I hadn't seen anything yet.

In the Ocean Voyager exhibit there is a 2 story wall of glass where you can peer into the deepest depths. Huge grouper, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and whale sharks glide by, sometimes taking an interest in us strange creatures on the other side of the glass.

There is also a viewing tunnel where you can stand mesmerized underneath such wonders.

From there I went over to the Coldwater Quest exhibit to see the lovely beluga whales. They were so silly, swimming upside down against the glass to watch the kids standing open-mouthed in amazement.

I was a kid myself as I sat in the darkness. I felt so small -- in size especially when compared with those whale sharks. But also when I think about my place in this world. The ocean holds so many secrets and those creatures just go about their lives paying no attention to the lines of people waiting for the new iPhone 3Gs (which is awesome, by the way), or the lines of people signing up for unemployment (which is not that awesome).

So if you are in Atlanta, GO TO THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM! The facility is really beautiful and I'm sure you will find yourself speechless. And on Friday nights this summer the aquarium stays open until 10pm to host Jazz Journeys, where you can enjoy a drink and a meal and listen to wonderful music within sight of all the fish.

Charlotte, NC

I woke up this morning looking at a strange ceiling, in a strange bed and for a brief moment I thought "Oh no, not again."

But then I remembered that I was in North Carolina spending the night at my sorority sister's place and not reliving some escapade of my early twenties.

I drove 10 hours from NJ to Charlotte yesterday. It was pretty much a straight drive through. One lunch/gas stop another snack & stretch stop. The outside thermometer stayed at around 88 degrees but I was nice and cool in my air condition. It wasn't until I came into Charlotte and I watched crazy lightning clouds roll in when the temperature dropped 15 degrees right away. It made for a comfortable evening sitting outdoors at Ballantyne Village drinking cold beers on a warm night.

If this first night sets the stage for the rest of my trip, then I am in for a lovely time. It was nice to catch up with Cindy after being out of college for 14 years. We laughed about the days in Alpha Xi Delta, our New Orleans trip, and about our lives now.

This is what I'm looking forward to on my trip: seeing new places and reconnecting with friends. The internet can only do so much to expose you to new places or maintain connection via email, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc. It the being there, the face to face, sipping the perfect margarita in a Texas driveway, shreading guitar on Rock Band in California, getting sunburned in the Utah canyon, that makes the life you live so much richer.

I intend to hit the jackpot.

Next stop, Atlanta.