"Georgia on My Mind"- Ray Charles
You could never know and see everything there is to know and see so when an opportunity presents itself to travel, take it. The best part is getting a chance to experience something different and maybe even liking it. A lot. Surprisingly, this is what a small town did for me.
I knew I landed on new grounds the minute my plane hit a runway filled with scattered green patches. After almost 5 hours of being trapped in a confined space, I was more than ready to get off for a breath of fresh air. Sadly, I was warned that this time of year may slap me in the face with a wet towel the minute I leave the artificial breeze, but fortunately the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport doesn't exactly have an easy way out. I had to walk down an
extended hallway to another extended hallway to the tram that lead to the end of the baggage claim area. Once there, I climbed two escalators to another tram that lead to the rental car center. I picked up a little red car and felt at home inside its cozy interior and once again found myself driving across a highway surrounded by trees. There I was with a full week ahead of me stuck in the outskirts of Georgia during what should of been the most humid of all seasons, but luckily I was armed with AC.
I was welcomed with a warm smile and an even warmer chocolate chip cookie. Instantly, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. 
My bedroom overlooked a bar lounge.
The windows were large, the bed spacious, and the coffee-striped walls and maroon-colored sheets, comforting. There were marble counter tops, a flat screen TV, and more cookies. I took a quick shower and stretched out trying to adjust to the 3-hour ahead time frame. The clock read 1A, but my mind thought 10P. It was going to be an interesting first night.
The next few days en route consisted of less than 10 cars on the road at a time, drivers who didn't like to use their turn signals, sporadic rain that came down as if the whole sky was coming down with it, white steeples and churches built purely out of bricks.
Strangers talked to strangers and forests separated the houses from businesses so that you could truly go home without taking the work back with you. The food was like the people: Thick, good and fulfilling.
I fell in love with the thought of being considered "petite" in a community where eating more than you could eat meant being embraced with open arms by a genuine dose of Southern hospitality. I ate when I was hungry and I ate when I was full because lunchtime meant more than consuming a meal in the time allotted. It meant gathering around a table to get to know other people you probably wouldn't have known at all if you didn't take the time to lunch. It's never rushed and never lonely and having a good time is a must. No exceptions.
The greatest part of the whole trip was getting lost and taking a wrong turn down a dirt road only to find the rarest and biggest vintage shop I'd ever seen! Aisles of antiques and amazingly, the same exact red-headed Cabbage Patch Kid I had when I was
a kid! Sadly, her lips were painted in the brightest shade of red so the cost of $45 just didn't seem worth it to reunite just yet, but it was nice to at least give her one last hug. I left the old in search for a new and continued down this path passed a Farmer's Market and plenty of doll-like houses along the way. It was there that I found a quaint town of mom and pop shops full of art from local artists. I snagged a few unique souvenirs of upside down turtles and a pair of skull earrings and made a pit stop at a local slide bar to spend some quality time with a co-worker turned friend. An outspoken, ginger-haired bartender threw a raspberry-lime cider my way and we struck up a conversation about a few great places to get lost in.
One day I tried to return to the city life by cruising through downtown Atlanta, but it was too disappointingly similar to LA: One-way streets, unusual people and the dirtiest alley ways imaginable. It's kind of amusing how quickly my preference changed at that moment. Suddenly, the city didn't seem so interesting after all and I yearned for a lack of direction in hopes to get lost again. I wanted to meet more friendly faces, blend in with the locals, purchase items you just can't buy anywhere else and just appreciate the things that gave this place its ambiance and history.
Lyrics:
Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through (the whole day through)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
I'm say Georgia, Georgia
A song of you (a song of you)
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
I said Georgia, oh Georgia
No peace I find (peace I find)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Woah, Georgia, Georgia
No peace, no peace I find
Just an old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
I said just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/raycharles/georgiaonmymind.html
You could never know and see everything there is to know and see so when an opportunity presents itself to travel, take it. The best part is getting a chance to experience something different and maybe even liking it. A lot. Surprisingly, this is what a small town did for me.
I knew I landed on new grounds the minute my plane hit a runway filled with scattered green patches. After almost 5 hours of being trapped in a confined space, I was more than ready to get off for a breath of fresh air. Sadly, I was warned that this time of year may slap me in the face with a wet towel the minute I leave the artificial breeze, but fortunately the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport doesn't exactly have an easy way out. I had to walk down an
extended hallway to another extended hallway to the tram that lead to the end of the baggage claim area. Once there, I climbed two escalators to another tram that lead to the rental car center. I picked up a little red car and felt at home inside its cozy interior and once again found myself driving across a highway surrounded by trees. There I was with a full week ahead of me stuck in the outskirts of Georgia during what should of been the most humid of all seasons, but luckily I was armed with AC.
I was welcomed with a warm smile and an even warmer chocolate chip cookie. Instantly, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. 
My bedroom overlooked a bar lounge.
The windows were large, the bed spacious, and the coffee-striped walls and maroon-colored sheets, comforting. There were marble counter tops, a flat screen TV, and more cookies. I took a quick shower and stretched out trying to adjust to the 3-hour ahead time frame. The clock read 1A, but my mind thought 10P. It was going to be an interesting first night.The next few days en route consisted of less than 10 cars on the road at a time, drivers who didn't like to use their turn signals, sporadic rain that came down as if the whole sky was coming down with it, white steeples and churches built purely out of bricks.
Strangers talked to strangers and forests separated the houses from businesses so that you could truly go home without taking the work back with you. The food was like the people: Thick, good and fulfilling.
I fell in love with the thought of being considered "petite" in a community where eating more than you could eat meant being embraced with open arms by a genuine dose of Southern hospitality. I ate when I was hungry and I ate when I was full because lunchtime meant more than consuming a meal in the time allotted. It meant gathering around a table to get to know other people you probably wouldn't have known at all if you didn't take the time to lunch. It's never rushed and never lonely and having a good time is a must. No exceptions.
The greatest part of the whole trip was getting lost and taking a wrong turn down a dirt road only to find the rarest and biggest vintage shop I'd ever seen! Aisles of antiques and amazingly, the same exact red-headed Cabbage Patch Kid I had when I was
a kid! Sadly, her lips were painted in the brightest shade of red so the cost of $45 just didn't seem worth it to reunite just yet, but it was nice to at least give her one last hug. I left the old in search for a new and continued down this path passed a Farmer's Market and plenty of doll-like houses along the way. It was there that I found a quaint town of mom and pop shops full of art from local artists. I snagged a few unique souvenirs of upside down turtles and a pair of skull earrings and made a pit stop at a local slide bar to spend some quality time with a co-worker turned friend. An outspoken, ginger-haired bartender threw a raspberry-lime cider my way and we struck up a conversation about a few great places to get lost in.One day I tried to return to the city life by cruising through downtown Atlanta, but it was too disappointingly similar to LA: One-way streets, unusual people and the dirtiest alley ways imaginable. It's kind of amusing how quickly my preference changed at that moment. Suddenly, the city didn't seem so interesting after all and I yearned for a lack of direction in hopes to get lost again. I wanted to meet more friendly faces, blend in with the locals, purchase items you just can't buy anywhere else and just appreciate the things that gave this place its ambiance and history.
Lyrics:
Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through (the whole day through)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
I'm say Georgia, Georgia
A song of you (a song of you)
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
I said Georgia, oh Georgia
No peace I find (peace I find)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Woah, Georgia, Georgia
No peace, no peace I find
Just an old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
I said just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/raycharles/georgiaonmymind.html
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