All The Way To Atlanta – Day One Part One

Oct 7

This post will be a little different, format wise, compared to most of my previous entries. Rather than write out one incredibly longwinded story with a few galleries thrown in, I am opting to break up my trip recap into multiple posts and various segments that will either include a photo and a caption, or multiple photos with possibly a paragraph or two thrown in. The reason being is that even though my trip to Atlanta spanned roughly three days, I managed to come back with far more content than I anticipated.

Sunday / Day One
I was awake, out the door, and on the road to the airport by 03:45AM. I managed to go to bed early the night before, and somehow managed to sleep well, so I honestly was not phased by the earlier than normal wakeup time. The flight to Atlanta was scheduled to depart before 06:00AM and given that I live roughly an hour from the San Antonio airport, I wanted to give myself plenty of cushion in the event that traffic was bad, parking was a pain, or the check-in and screening lines happened to be backed up. Thankfully, outside of it taking longer than I wanted to navigate the parking garage at the airport, everything went rather smooth. Clearing TSA was a breeze, as there were maybe 6 people in front of me, and I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. The flight itself was uneventful, for the most part. I did come to discover that I am not a fan of flying while every window, and I mean every window, in the jet is closed. There was not an empty seat on the flight, and apparently everyone occupying a window seat decided it was in the best interest of everyone else to deprive us of having any semblance of time and space. I am not joking when I say that the windows stayed closed the whole flight, and did not open up until we touched down in Atlanta.

Waiting to board the tram at the *Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Once on the tram, I may or may not have forgotten to grab on to something, and subsequently plowed into another passenger. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.*

Parking lots, grocery stores, and plane flights seem to break most individuals of their common sense and critical thinking skills. I swear that most people forget how to function once a plane lands and forget that they are not the only ones on board. It took far too long to get off the aircraft thanks to so many individuals standing up, attempting to get their luggage, and then just blocking the aisle for others. Once I was actually able to get my things, and off of the jet, I linked up with my co-workers and we began our quest to find the airport exit and a spot where we could wait for our Uber.

*A flight departs while waiting on an Uber outside of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.*

It did not take too long for the Uber to arrive, and for our work trip to more or less officially kick off. I cannot remember my last visit to Atlanta, as it was a long time ago, and honestly did not know what to expect. There was a small part of me that expected to see elements that resembled those shown on The Walking Dead. However, that was certainly not the case, as during the ride to the hotel it was evident that Atlanta seemed to be thriving. Oddly enough, one of the things that stood out to me the most, especially upon leaving the airport, was just how abundant and green the plant life was. It was completely opposite of what I left in Texas, where most of the vegetation was brown or dead. Hooray for droughts, not!

*Following the signs to get checked in. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.*

By the time we reached our hotel to check-in and drop our bags, the clock had just struck 10:30AM. So, we decided to hit the pavement in hopes of finding a good spot for breakfast. After walking a little bit, we set our sights on the Atlanta Breakfast Club, as the number of positive reviews caught our attention, and it sounded great. However, it also sounded great to everyone else in the area, as upon walking up it was announced that the wait was well over two hours. After hearing that, and being too hungry to wait, we scuttled that idea and stumbled upon a nearby place called Apache XLR. Truth be told, I am glad that our first pick did not pan out, as the entire experience at Apache XLR was great. The atmosphere was super chill and laidback. The walls featured various artwork of local artists, there was live jazz music which really helped to elevate the experience, and the food was so incredibly well done. I decided on the chicken and waffles, which was exceptional. The waffles were not overly sweet, were surprisingly light rather than super dense, and paired perfectly with the chicken. The drizzle of maple syrup and powdered sugar really set the dish off. I left full, but not feeling overly stuffed.