My Brief Adventures in downtown Atlanta by Myself

Here is Zealand.

So

stinkin'

cute!When I went to visit my sister and beautiful new nephew in Georgia, I didn't want to leave without some sightseeing. There was a small window where Mandy wanted to be out and about with my mom and so my mom said she'd drop me off at the place of my choice and pick me up a few hours later. Since I'd forgotten my camera, I used my mom's and just got the files from her this week so...
First (and only scheduled) Stop: The Margaret Mitchell House

Only it wasn't a 'house' in her day. It was a bunch of tiny apartments. She moved here shortly after her marriage to John Marsh into apartment number one, just to the left of the main door. This lion banister cap faced their door and it is said that she rubbed its nose each day for luck. Nothing in the actual apartment, which you'll pay $15 to enter, is authentically hers (though there are photos of her and her relatives). What you get for your money is to actually be in the place where Gone with the Wind was born and honestly, that was cool enough for me. They're even pretty sure where she wrote (believe me, there weren't a lot of options): the corner with the best windows and right under the radiator. You can see photos of the place here. Across the courtyard there is a space dedicated to the movie Gone with the Wind. There are two authentic props from the movie here. They have the painting of Scarlett that featured in Rhett's study in the Atlanta house.

They also have the door to Tara. The problem with going on tours such as this by yourself is that you have to take unflattering photos of yourself to prove you were there. Can you name the actress/character who wore this dress design and in what scene in Gone with the Wind?

The nice thing, the great thing about going solo is that you can take your own sweet time.
Since I had literal hours to kill til my mom came to find me somewhere in this city, population of approximately 4,917,717 people, I started walking north. I was not totally blind though, there were incredibly helpful visitor maps.

I ended up here. There was a special Leonardo da Vinci exhibit here, but honestly, could I justify the entrance fee when this museum and hey, this whole vacation were not budgeted for one week before Christmas? I patted myself on my thrifty back and hung in the cool giftshop and bought myself a Munch postcard and headed outside again.

This is Leo's horse. It is HUGE. I'm bad at estimating, but I'd guess it was 40 feet tall.

Luckily for me, there was a library right across the street from the museum, right on Peachtree street which I was trying to stick with so I didn't get lost. I am always home at a library. I sat down at a table and wrote while waiting for the call from Mom that she was almost back at Ms. Mitchell's place.

I walked swiftly back to meet her, catching this cool sign on the way. I passed the actual intersection where Margaret Mitchell was struck by a speeding car at the age of 48 while crossing Peachtree. She died days later.

Nothing like a solo adventure.