Tag: Atlanta

Under the Sea

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the ocean. It has more moods than most humans and although it is eons old, it can drown you with vigor.

This is why I spent my recent birthday (December 21st) at the Georgia Aquarium. Admission is free on your birthday, and while I didn’t attend any shows, I did see several denizens of the deep, including the Aquarium’s most famous resident, a whale shark that has resided in Atlanta for 18 years.

(Shark swimming, photo by me)

(seals)

Whale sharks are the largest extant fish species and, fittingly, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere with over 11 million gallons of fresh and salt water tanks and over 500 species of fish and aquatic mammals, including hammerhead sharks, beluga whales, and manta rays.

(Japanese sea nettle)

(reef fishes near a fake shipwreck)

The Aquarium is located near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, near the World of Coca-Cola. Its main purpose is to encourage marine literacy (if that’s a thing) and conservation efforts. It’s also open 365 days a year.

(Whale shark in the background)

The views here remind me of Captain Nemo’s words in the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: “See how peaceful it is here.”

(Leopard shark)

There are presentations involving sea lions (see picture above) and bottlenose dolphins in addition to a touch tank with quiet, gliding stingrays that feel like velvet when you pet them.

(bottlenose dolphin)

(beluga whale watching)

Admission is normally $59 and parking nearby is around $20, but spending the afternoon in the company of such beautiful creatures is priceless. 


Look at all these nerds

Dragon Con in Atlanta

I had never attended any kind of anime, science fiction, or comic convention before, and when presented with the chance to go to Dragon Con over Labor Day weekend in 2016, I jumped. And I loved every minute of it. I met a few actors whom I loved (Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff from Mystery Science Theater 3000 (currently touring and writing as The Mads (https://www.themadsareback.com/), as well as enjoying the incredible cosplay from nearly everyone, and doing some shopping.

Dragon Con is held in Atlanta every Labor Day weekend for four days and it’s a nerd paradise. There are multiple venues from which to buy t-shirts, journals, sketch books, comics, fanzines, or accessories. There are celebrity panels and photo ops, and discussion tracks for nearly everyone. One of my favorites from 2019 was a panel which included a nuclear scientist discussing HBO’s magnificent Chernobyl miniseries.

Information regarding tickets, hotels, and guests can be found here: https://www.dragoncon.org/. I’m finishing this post with a metric ton of pics that I took in 2016 and 2019. Hope to see you there in 2022!

(I was cosplaying as Donna Noble from Doctor Who, 2019)
Awesome “Witches” cosplay, 2019
(Found K-9 among many other Doctor Who cosplayers!)
Pyramid head, 2019
Even the Batmobile gets stuck on the Downtown Connector, 2019
We all float down here, 2019
Say his name three times…
I hear he’s got a new Book out…

Java Cats Cafe

Located near Grant Park on Memorial Drive in Atlanta, you’ll find this gem of a coffee shop which features hot (or iced) coffee, pastries, and adoptable cats.  It’s called Java Cats Cafe, and it’s definitely worth a look.  Admission is $12, and that gets you a cup of coffee and a chance to play with some adorable felines.  One side of the cafe is the restaurant portion, and the other side (pictured above) is the cats’ home with shelving and lots of places to climb and explore.

On their website, you can make reservations–which are now required due to COVID-19, or sign up for their “mewsletter” for upcoming specials and discounts.