If You Haven't Seen Downtown Atlanta, Georgia lately, You Don't Know Atlanta, Georgia

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I can remember a time while I was younger and downtown Atlanta, Georgia, was deserted on nights and weekends. As a photographer, I would go down there on a Sunday, and it looked like the set of a post-apocalypse movie. Deserted sidewalks and empty streets.

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But that slowly changed over the years, and especially in the time leading up to and beyond the 1996 Olympics, downtown Atlanta, Georgia, came alive. Now, downtown Atlanta has plenty to do 24/7.

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I worked security during the '96 Olympic games and spent a lot of time near the new Centennial Park area. It was really starting to come to life then, and now it is a vibrant and fun location with more stuff coming every year.

It all starts at the heart of Centennial Park, with the Olympic fountain. For several years, that was pretty much it, along with a few food vendors, but things have grown outward and mostly northward. After the Olympics, the rest of the 'park' was a swath of half-dead grass and a few spindly trees for several blocks. But that has changed.

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The heart of the park is still the fountain, but it is now surrounded by food and souvenir vendors and is crowded almost all the time. Right across the street is the giant SkyView Atlanta, a 20-story Ferris wheel.

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However, unlike the Ferris wheel in many other cities, this one is surrounded by buildings much taller than 20 stories, but the view to the north up the park is still spectacular, especially at night.

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Walking north, the grass can still be sparse in the summer, and there aren't many trees, but the Centennial Tree, planted just after the '96 games, can now provide some much-needed shade. You then walk past some pretty new displays, the Quilt of Dreams, Quilt of Remembrance, Quilt of Origins, Quilt of Olympic Spirit, and the Quilt of Nations.

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As you cross Baker Street at what used to be the northern end of the park, you get to an exciting area full of local attractions. The World of Coca-Cola moved here a few years back from its old home near Underground Atlanta. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a new exhibit with a focus on human rights.

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And of course, the anchor of this section of the park is the Atlanta Aquarium. This is a great place to spend a few hours out of the heat. The Atlanta Aquarium is split up into different sections, mostly on the same level. Be sure and catch the fascinating Beluga Whales.

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If you're not tired yet, or have more than one day, head southeast out of Centennial Park on Marietta Street toward downtown Atlanta, Georgia. You will see a lot of old and new mixed together as the city is constantly evolving.

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You will pass the old Baptist Tabernacle, built-in 1910 and now a site for music and entertainment. As history buffs will know, the city goes back to 1836 when "Terminus," later renamed "Marthasville" and finally Atlanta, was the start of the railroad that went out west. But few buildings are older than 1864, when Sherman burned the city to the ground.

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Continuing down Marietta, on the right, you will pass what was once the very modern-looking Federal Reserve bank. When that bank moved to a much larger and more secure location a few miles north, it became part of Georgia State University and houses the law school and the State Bar of Georgia.

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As you pass what is known locally as Five Points, turn right on famous Peachtree Street and go a few blocks past the old Coca-Cola sign. Just past that, you will come to the entrance of Underground Atlanta. This was part of the original 'railroad gulch' in downtown. The city was later built on top of it, but the underground remained. It has lost much of its historic look and feel when they modernized before the Olympics but is still worth a visit.

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Finally, head north up Peachtree Street as far as you feel like walking. There is plenty of new and old to see, and you can always take MARTA to get back downtown if you've had enough. The northern end of what I consider the downtown area is the famous Fox Theater which has movies, music, and plays year-round.

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If you find yourself in Atlanta, Georgia, spend some time in the downtown area. And even if, like me, you are a native of the city, you probably don't know the modern version of the city. I get down there at least once a year for a 'walkabout' and to take a day's worth of pictures like a tourist.

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