Day 17. Atlanta: Krog Street Market. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. Centennial Olympic Park. Waffle House. State Farm Arena (Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks). [Airbnb: Kahmiah’s Place]
It was 1:30 pm when I finally left my room and ubered to Krog Street Market. Sharing the ride with a girl going to State Farm Arena, it took me about 30 minutes to get to the market.
Market Food
I always liked to visit markets, may they be traditional ones or food courts. Krog Street Market is a food court, bustling with people on a Sunday early afternoon. It was weirdly hot and sunny in Atlanta in January, though locals seemed to regard it as ‘nice weather’. Personally, I thought it was too warm, but my Uber driver said that Atlanta doesn’t have seasons. It could be warm one day and snow another. That doesn’t sound like fun.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is a must-visit for many cities, so when I saw one at Krog Street Market, I went in line and got dark chocolate and brambleberry crisp flavours in a waffle cone ($5.00 for 2 half scoops + $1.25 waffle cone, excluding taxes). Both flavours were great, rich in ingredients, and not too sweet. The waffle cone had a salty tint to it, and though I wasn’t sure it was worth the extra 5 quarters, it was good, too. One of the cool things about this parlour was that if you ask for samples, they use metal, washable spoons instead of those plastic ones you’d find at most other ice cream places. Also, they sell boxed water. I guess they are an environmentally friendly brand.
As good as the ice cream was, it still wasn’t going to pass as a meal. After seeing all the stalls, I decided to have some beef phô ($12.50 excluding taxes & tips) at Pho Nam. It was great, and made me miss how convenient it was to get Southeast Asian food back in Taiwan. I accidentally bit on a slice of jalapeño, and everything went fiery for a while. They provide water, so that was very thoughtful. Also, I think the beef were thicker than usual, or maybe it had just been too long since I last had beef phô.
I got on a scooter, ready to leave the market sometime after 3 pm, when I saw a King of Pops stall outside of the market. Since it was sunny, and the popsicles were supposed to be very famous in Atlanta, I gave it a try and got a strawberry lemonade one ($3.00). It was thirst-quenching with its sweet and slightly sour taste, but as something that is basically frozen juice, 3 bucks were a bit too much for it. Street food gone fancy.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Scootering to Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home ($3.85 for 19 minutes and 0.5 miles; I rested too long to eat the popsicle) only to realise that it was closed due to shutdown, I only got to see the shop nearby and the exterior of the house. Then, I walked across the street for more attractions of Martin Luther King Jr., and since The King Center was open, I went and saw some historical pictures and items. It was interesting, but a shame that the National Park Services were down, and I couldn’t see more of King’s legacy stories.
Killing Time
It was nearly 4:30 pm when I got on a scooter again, and headed for Centennial Olympic Park ($5.80 for 32 minutes and 2.8 miles). Apart from the fact that it was for the 1996 Olympic Games, I couldn’t see what was so awesome about this rather small park.
There was a Waffle House right across the street, and since it made multiple cameos in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (always referred to as WaHo), I figured I just might get a waffle from there, too. It wasn’t a very clean place, but as a fast food chain, you cannot ask for too much. The some employees were having meals as it wasn’t a popular dining time at nearly 5 pm, but they were all very nice and all.
I got a waffle (I think it was $4.50 excluding taxes & tips) and orange juice ($2.00 excluding taxes & tips; refillable), and it was good. The waffle was freshly made, so it took some time, but when I ate it, it was hot with nice WaHo spread and maple syrup that I added.
JLin7
By the time I finished my snack, it was well over 5 pm. Time for me to get to State Farm Arena for the big game tonight: Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks. I walked about two blocks to get there, and it was exciting to just see the basketball court.
This was my first time ever to any professional sports games in the States. Though I always thought my first would be an MLB game, here I was at an Atlanta Hawks’ NBA game. If I said I wasn’t here for Jeremy Lin, I would be lying. The game just happened to fit perfectly into my schedule, so I had to go.
I got an affordable ticket as I wasn’t that big of a fan, getting front row seats would be a real waste. My seat was in row E, second floor, and I believe it was the second cheapest one, only $41.80 including fees and taxes. The view was way better than I had anticipated, and I could clearly see everyone on the court without any visual aid.
And the game was bomb! I got to see not only Jeremy Lin (Hawks #7), but also Vince Carter (Hawks #15), Dwyane Wade (Heat #3). Also, Jesse Eisenberg was somewhere in the crowd! Oh, and Hawks won 106:82, which was not very often, so that was a plus for the awesome game. I think I got addicted to live sports game just by going to this one match. Looks like I will need more tickets in the future.
Lin showing off his skills. 
Lin being cute. 
I don’t know what’s happening here. 
Lin getting into his shirt. 
Dwyane Wade.
I was tempted to buy a Lin or Carter shirt or a hat pin after the game, but the team shop was so crowded I just walked a block to avoid the traffic, and called an Uber to leave. Guess who was sharing my ride? Yup, the same girl in the morning. She worked at the arena, and the moment I got into the car, she was like, ‘we gotta be friends!’ We chatted more than we did in the morning, and after reaching my Airbnb, both of she and the driver told me to be careful in the neighbourhood. So my gut feeling was correct. The driver was nice enough to see me get into the house before pulling off again ($6.27 excluding tips). It was 9 pm.
Summary
Today was great, with yummy food at the market and an incredible Hawks’ game at night. But time to pack again for my next city tomorrow!
