Atlanta: #TBT HOTlanta

A little over two years ago, my friend Julia got married. (Sound familiar? That's because her D.C. bachelorette party was featured in last week's #TBT!) When she told me she was having the wedding in Atlanta, I was excited. When she told me it would be in August, I was less so. August in Atlanta is exactly as hot as you think it is. But that's nothing a few "World Famous" Jack & Coke Slushies from Victory won't solve.

Even though we experienced a downpour every day we were there, we still managed to explore the city and take in some sights. First stop was the MLK Historic Site including the Historic Ebenezer Church, Dr. Martin Luther King's birth home, and Freedom Hall. Unfortunately due to poor planning, we weren't able to see the reenactment of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. If I ever find myself back in Atlanta, I'm definitely making sure to see it. I caught the reenactor walking around the sight a few times and it gave me chills.

Besides Dr. King, CNN, Olympic Park and of course, Ludacris, Atlanta is also home to the Coke-a-Cola Factory, a.k.a. - a waste of $25. Do yourself a favor and go to a vending machine instead if you're in the mood for Coke. The "tour" of the factory was just some intern telling people how great sugar-water is. I should have known.

The morning of Julia's wedding, she and I went for a 5K run around my hotel (in Decatur) because she's a baller. It's a nice little neighborhood a few minutes outside of downtown with small shops and awesome restaurants. The wedding (at the historic Trolley Barn) was beautiful and fun and totally Julia -- right down to the whole wedding hopping on the subway together to the after party. It was one of the more memorable moments in a wedding that I've ever been to.

I can't say I fell in love with Atlanta, but it has some cool stuff going for it, including an expanding greenway for bikes, great southern cooking, and obviously some fantastic music.

-Jen