The GPS is set, and I’m ready to drive

The GPS was set. The music was blaring – the Black Crowes’ rendition of “God’s Got It.” There was a driving rain outside the window, but I had a destination in mind.

Finally, the interstate unceremoniously gives way to a state highway. Before long, the relatively flat landscape yields to the mountainous North Georgia terrain, but the rain and the fog obscure any splendid views that these hills promise on a clear day.

Flea markets replace strip malls on the side of the highway.

Winding country highways, rain or shine, always make a journey a little more interesting. Highway 246, north of Dillard, Ga., snakes back and forth as it climbs the mountain. The speed limit drops to 25 m.p.h., and the map on my GPS makes the route look more terrifying than it is.

We stop at a scenic outlook, but there is nothing to see today – just a fog-obscured day. The Black Crowes give way to Bob Dylan.

“City’s just a jungle, more games to play,” the poet sings. That’s why we need country highways like this.

On a leisurely Saturday morning when the only destination is the BBQ joint ahead, I don’t care if the going is a little bit slow. Just let me enjoy this long and winding road and the songs that accompany this drive.

On a side note, given the rain and the fog, this was one of the scariest undertakings of my life. One wrong turn and I was off the side of the mountain.

The GPS is set, and I’m ready to drive

The GPS was set. The music was blaring – the Black Crowes’ rendition of “God’s Got It.” There was a driving rain outside the window, but I had a destination in mind.

Finally, the interstate unceremoniously gives way to a state highway. Before long, the relatively flat landscape yields to the mountainous North Georgia terrain, but the rain and the fog obscure any splendid views that these hills promise on a clear day.

Flea markets replace strip malls on the side of the highway.

Winding country highways, rain or shine, always make a journey a little more interesting. Highway 246, north of Dillard, Ga., snakes back and forth as it climbs the mountain. The speed limit drops to 25 m.p.h., and the map on my GPS makes the route look more terrifying than it is.

We stop at a scenic outlook, but there is nothing to see today – just a fog-obscured day. The Black Crowes give way to Bob Dylan.

“City’s just a jungle, more games to play,” the poet sings. That’s why we need country highways like this.

On a leisurely Saturday morning when the only destination is the BBQ joint ahead, I don’t care if the going is a little bit slow. Just let me enjoy this long and winding road and the songs that accompany this drive.

On a side note, given the rain and the fog, this was one of the scariest undertakings of my life. One wrong turn and I was off the side of the mountain.

Upload your picture, win a GPS

ATLANTA – Travelers, load your camera with film or a new memory card and start snapping.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development is sponsoring the “Great GPS Giveaway sweepstakes.” Between now and October, photographers can submit their photos to www.ExploreGeorgia.org for a chance to win a GPS.

Submitted pictures will also be considered for use in state publications, such as the state’s official 2010 Travel Guide.

For more information, including rules and regulations, log onto www.ExploreGeorgia.org.

Georgia Aquarium exhibit allows guests to visit famous ship

ATLANTA – The Titanic exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium offers visitors a unique glimpse at one of the most intriguing events in history: the sinking of this famous ship on April 14, 1912.

Titanic: Aquatic includes a collection of more than 190 items recovered from Titanic’s debris field. The collection includes 40 objects never before displayed for public viewing. Interestingly, the Titanic has been lost for more years on the bottom of the ocean than it has been discovered.

“Georgia Aquarium tells the stories of our oceans, not just the aquatic life that teems within, but the incredible journeys we as people have taken across our seas,” said Carey Rountree, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “No aquatic story is more compelling than that of the ‘unsinkable’ ship, Titanic.”

The Titanic: Aquatic exhibit will be at the aquarium through the spring. The exhibit requires an additional ticket. For more information, log onto: http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/visitUs/TitanicAquatic.aspx.

'Big Shanty, 20 minutes for breakfast'

KENNESAW, Ga. – The General steam locomotive pulled the morning passenger train, winding its way through the rural Georgia countryside. Shortly before 6 a.m. on a rainy morning, Engineer Jeff Cain blew the locomotive’s whistle to signal that Big Shanty was approaching.

“Big Shanty, 20 minutes for breakfast,” Conductor William A. Fuller said. The train pulled into the station, and passengers, along with the crew, exited the train and made their way into the Lacy Hotel for breakfast. The General and its cars sat idle, some passengers still on board the train.

Before too long a group of 20 men – Union spies – made their way to the front of the train and uncoupled the locomotive and three boxcars. The group – led by James J. Andrews – planned to steal the train at Kennesaw – then known as Big Shanty – and destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn.

Four of them climbed into the locomotive; the rest hopped into the boxcars. Without warning, The General steamed off, marking the official start to The Great Locomotive Chase. They succeeded in commandeering the locomotive, but the plan ultimately failed.

The raid lives on in present day Kennesaw. In addition to a number of monuments dedicated to the raid located in downtown Kennesaw, The General itself is on display.

The locomotive is the centerpiece of The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, which is located less than 100 yards from where Andrews and his men stole the steam engine 145 years ago. In addition to its extensive raid-related collection, the museum is home to many war and railroad exhibits.

The 40,000-square-foot museum also features a display about Glover Machine Works, a local engine builder. The Glover exhibit gives museum goers a look at how steam locomotives were built and how a locomotive factory would have looked. Restored Glover locomotives and wood patterns used in designing the steam engines are also on display, as is a restored belt-driven locomotive assembly line – the only one of its kind in the country.

The company built at least 200 steam locomotives during a 30-year run of production. The company started out building steam driven machinery and its first steam locomotive was shipped to the Stratton Brick Company of Macon, Georgia on May 6, 1902. The last steam locomotive was shipped on April 19, 1930, but through the 1950s, the works continued to repair the engines they built.

'Big Shanty, 20 minutes for breakfast'

By Todd DeFeo

KENNESAW, Ga. – The General steam locomotive pulled the morning passenger train, winding its way through the rural Georgia countryside. Shortly before 6 a.m. on a rainy morning, Engineer Jeff Cain blew the locomotive’s whistle to signal that Big Shanty was approaching.

“Big Shanty, 20 minutes for breakfast,” Conductor William A. Fuller said. The train pulled into the station, and passengers, along with the crew, exited the train and made their way into the Lacy Hotel for breakfast. The General and its cars sat idle, some passengers still on board the train.

Before too long a group of 20 men – Union spies – made their way to the front of the train and uncoupled the locomotive and three boxcars. The group – led by James J. Andrews – planned to steal the train at Kennesaw – then known as Big Shanty – and destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn.

Four of them climbed into the locomotive; the rest hopped into the boxcars. Without warning, The General steamed off, marking the official start to The Great Locomotive Chase. They succeeded in commandeering the locomotive, but the plan ultimately failed.

The raid lives on in present day Kennesaw. In addition to a number of monuments dedicated to the raid located in downtown Kennesaw, The General itself is on display.

The locomotive is the centerpiece of The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, which is located less than 100 yards from where Andrews and his men stole the steam engine 145 years ago. In addition to its extensive raid-related collection, the museum is home to many war and railroad exhibits.

The 40,000-square-foot museum also features a display about Glover Machine Works, a local engine builder. The Glover exhibit gives museum goers a look at how steam locomotives were built and how a locomotive factory would have looked. Restored Glover locomotives and wood patterns used in designing the steam engines are also on display, as is a restored belt-driven locomotive assembly line – the only one of its kind in the country.

The company built at least 200 steam locomotives during a 30-year run of production. The company started out building steam driven machinery and its first steam locomotive was shipped to the Stratton Brick Company of Macon, Georgia on May 6, 1902. The last steam locomotive was shipped on April 19, 1930, but through the 1950s, the works continued to repair the engines they built.

Standing where the raiders once stood

By Todd DeFeo

MARIETTA, Ga. – The Kennesaw House is an impressive building, even by today’s standards. But its role in one of the most fascinating events of the Civil War is what makes it truly unique.

Built in 1845 as a cotton warehouse, it is one of the oldest buildings in Marietta, and it has witnessed a lot over the years. After serving as a warehouse for some time, the building was converted into the Fletcher House Hotel, and on April 11, 1862, with the Civil War in Full Swing, the Fletcher House unknowingly played host to a group of Union spies hoping to bring the war to a quick end.

The group – led by James J. Andrews – spent the night here before they boarded a northbound train on the morning of April 12, 1862, marking what turned into a wild day for the state of Georgia and the Confederacy. The raiders planned to steal a train at Kennesaw (then known as Big Shanty) and destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn. They succeeded in stealing the locomotive, but the plan failed.

Interestingly, Dix Fletcher, the owner of the hotel during the Civil War, was a Mason and his son-in-law, Henry Cole, was a Union spy. Some have suggested that connection saved the Fletcher House from total destruction during Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to Atlanta in 1864, though that theory is tenuous at best. Sherman did use the hotel as a headquarters during his march.

While the hotel was spared from destruction, its top floor was destroyed in the burning of the city. During the Civil War, the hotel was used as a hospital and a morgue, leading many people to believe the building is haunted. In the 1920s, the hotel was used for shops, and decades later, it was turned into office space. In 1996, the top floor was taken over by the Marietta Museum of History.

Today, the Kennesaw House is the starting point for anyone who wants to retrace the Andrews Raid. There is a historic marker on the outside, but inside, the museum offers a series of exhibits dedicated to the city's history and a general look back at years past. There is considerable memorabilia, including photographs and artifacts, related not only to the Andrews Raid, but also to the war in general.

One room overlooking the railroad tracks, the very room Andrews stayed in April 1862, is dedicated to the Civil War and the Great Locomotive Chase. It was here on the morning of April 12, 1862, that Andrews addressed his men, saying in part, “Boys, I tried this once before and failed; now, I will succeed or leave my bones in Dixie.”

The raid failed. Andrews was later hanged near what is today the intersection of 3rd and Juniper Streets in downtown Atlanta.

‘A needless effusion of blood’

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – As William T. Sherman rode through the North Georgia countryside in the 1840s, he took note of one particular engineering feat.

The year was 1844, and the Western & Atlantic Railroad was under construction between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn. As the railroad – known as the “Crookedest Railroad in the World” – made its way north, Allatoona Mountain stood in its path. Engineers cut a pass through the mountain. The result was a narrow, 360-foot-long ravine with walls as tall as 170 feet.

With a fort on top of the mountain, it would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an Army to advance south along the railroad and take the pass. Twenty years later, during his March to Atlanta, Sherman knew that any fight at the pass would be a bloody one and opted to take a roundabout path from Kingston to Marietta in order to bypass the area.

“I … knew that the Allatoona Pass was very strong, would be hard to force, and resolved not even to attempt it, but to turn the position, by moving from Kingston to Marietta via Dallas,” Sherman wrote in his memoirs.

Ultimately, the Confederates abandoned Allatoona Pass as Sherman moved south, and it fell into Union control. By September 1864, Sherman captured the city of Atlanta.

But, after the fall of Atlanta, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood began marching north toward Nashville, Tenn. Hoping to break Sherman’s supply line, Hood attacked at Union troops positioned at Allatoona Pass on Oct. 5, 1864. The battle that ensured is considered by many historians to be one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles.

Before the battle began, Confederate Gen. Samuel G. French demanded that Union troops surrender “in order to avoid a needless effusion of blood.” French gave his Union counterpart, Gen. John M. Corse, five minutes to decide. Corse declined, saying: “We are prepared for the ‘needless effusion of blood’ whenever it is agreeable to you.”

French was right – it was a “needless effusion of blood,” and about 1,600 soldiers on both sides died in the battle. Though the Confederates experienced some initial success and overtook some of the outer entrenchments, they could not drive Union troops from Star Fort atop the mountain. With their ammunition running low and reports of Union reinforcements, the Confederates retreated; Union forces regained control of the pass.

Union forces lost 35 percent of their troops while the confederates lost 27 percent – numbers that rival the number of casualties suffered at the Battle of Gettysburg. Interestingly, Sherman first learned about the plan to attack Allatoona Pass by reading southern newspapers, which published a speech Confederate President Jefferson Davis gave in September 1864 in which he detailed his plans.

Today, the pass is as impressive as it was 160 years ago. The railroad has long been rerouted, but the sound of nearby passing freights still echoes in the pass. The remnants of Star Fort sit atop Allatoona Mountain. The site of this bloody battle now sits on the edge of Lake Allatoona and is part of Red Top Mountain State Park. In addition to the pass and the fort, there are a number of monuments dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the battle.

The slow train to Atami

ATAMI, Japan – The regular commuter train from Tokyo to Japan is slow, to say the least – especially compared to the high-speed bullet trains that speed across the countryside. The local train stops at town after town, and the crowd of people aboard the train as we pulled out of Tokyo thins out more and more with each stop.

The world outside the train’s window turns from cityscape to countryside with each mile of the Japanese countryside we traverse. At some of the stations, I stick my head out the door as the train idles, waiting for the precise moment of scheduled departure. I snap a few pictures during the one hour and 45 minute ride, trying to capture the moment. Finally, the train arrives in the city – the end of the line, I believe.

Located on the Izu Peninsula that juts into the Pacific Ocean, Atami has long been a getaway for the Japanese. Best known for its hot-spring spas, Atami – which means “hot sea” in Japanese – doesn’t top the list of most travel guides. There may be no history here, but there are a number of hostels and a red-light district, according to the travel guides that do include a write-up about the city.

For the visitor, the city is home to a number of onsen or traditional Japanese bathhouses, which are usually located on hot springs.

The streets around the city center are steep, not surprising given the fact that the city is built on top of the remains of a volcano that long ago partially fell into the sea. The landscape seemingly comes to an abrupt end, giving way to the Pacific Ocean. For a tourist destination, the streets are eerily quiet. There are shopkeepers tending to their stores. Fresh fish are on display in front of a few stores.

The juxtaposition between Atami and Tokyo is amazing. There are no neon lights here. Overall, the pace seems much slower. Frankly, it’s funny to observe the difference between the city and the country of a faraway place like Japan. It’s no different, I suppose, from starting out in New York City and heading to rural New Jersey – the landscape changes.

Outside the train station in Atami a small steam locomotive is on display. The Atami Railway S.L. No. 7 (presumably S.L. means Steam Locomotive) once ran between Atami and nearby Odawara from 1907 until 1923. Traveling at a top speed of roughly 6 mph, the locomotive made the 16-mile trip in two hours and forty minutes.

Imagine taking the No. 7 from Tokyo to Japan. You’d spend your entire vacation making the trek. Now, that’s a slow train to Atami.

AA: Don’t waste time navigating automated menus

Press “1” for English. No more.

Here’s a program frequent flyers can get behind: American Airlines will now allow customers to register their phone number so when they call about flights, they no longer have to navigate through frustrating menu options.

“The system recognizes customers’ phone numbers, instantaneously pulls up their reservations, and even greets customers by name,” the airline said in a press release. “For example, if a customer calls American and is traveling that day, the new enhanced system proactively offers gate and flight information, all in about 25 seconds – less than one-fourth the time it takes those who are not registered for this time-saving service.”

“American continuously works to develop products and services that will enhance our customers’ experiences and deliver the features they value,” Bella Goren, American’s Senior Vice President – Customer Relationship Marketing and Reservations, said in a news release. “With the enhancement to the ‘Remember Me’ technology, and the streamlined process to register, we offer an easy-to-use, time-saving convenience that recognizes the needs of today’s travelers.”

Travel cuts raise concern

Meetings and travel are vital to the economy. That’s the upshot of a new message from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Given the current economic conditions, it’s no surprise businesses are looking to cut costs. And that will directly impact cities like Vegas that heavily rely on the business travel dollar.

“We are extremely concerned about the unintended consequences of restricting corporate meetings, events and incentive travel programs. Business-related travel creates 2.4 million jobs, $244 billion in spending and $39 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state and local level,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in a news release.

Each year, Sin City hosts 22,000 conventions, which brings in 6 million visitors and an $8.5 billion economic impact for the city. On top of that, the tourism industry also supports tens of thousands of employees in Vegas.

“The meeting industry is one of the most vital parts of travel and tourism in Las Vegas, and the destination has committed innumerable resources to ensuring the success of these events,” Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “The perception that Las Vegas is merely a gaming and leisure destination is antiquated and uneducated. The meeting facilities in Las Vegas are among the best in the world, and the resorts represent major international companies, many of whom are publicly traded on Wall Street.”

A fish market, sushi and beer for breakfast

TOKYO – The aroma was quite apparent from the moment I stepped off the subway. With each step, the smell of fresh fish grew stronger.

Just a few steps away from the station is the Tsukiji Fish Market, a place like no other in Japan or the world. Located in central Tokyo’s Tsukiji district, the market is the world’s largest wholesale fish and seafood market.

On any given morning, the market is a flurry of activity, people hustling in every direction. It’s chaos, or so it seems to an outsider. Stacked on piles of ice one row after the next is every kind of sea creature imaginable — from salmon to swordfish to sea urchin. This food is fresh in every sense of the word, having been pulled from the sea only hours earlier.

While Tsukiji Fish Market is a popular tourist attraction, it’s important to keep in mind that the market is a place of business. While folks in the market are friendly, their sole purpose in life is not to pose for a picture with fresh tuna so you can put it in your photo album. And, if you stand in one place for too long, you’ll likely find yourself on the wrong end of an oncoming forklift.

“We understand that the sight of hundreds of frozen tuna looks unique and interesting for foreign tourists,” The Associated Press recently quoted Yoshiaki Takagi, the market’s deputy director, as saying. “But they have to understand the Tsukiji market is a professional place, not an amusement park.”

In any given year, at least 700,000 metric tons of seafood passes through Tsukiji Fish Market, selling for a combined $5.5 billion. While it’s a one-of-a-kind attraction, be warned, the Tsukiji Fish Market offers up some potentially unsettling sights as it is a working market where fish are cut apart and sold. It’s all a part of the business. Besides, your sushi has to come from somewhere.

Perhaps that’s part of the reason that the market is moving to a new location in 2012.

The market’s day begins early with the fish arriving about 3 a.m. Fish auctions begin at 5:20 a.m. and last for nearly two hours, though they are not intended for public viewing, and only licensed buyers can bid on fish. By about 8 a.m., the activity begins to slow, and the market closes at 1 p.m.

Outside, there are a number of businesses, some selling kitchen wares and others offering some of the freshest sushi around. It’s a nice way to wrap up the morning and enjoy some of the fish you saw on the cutting board a few minutes earlier. Like the market itself, these “outer” shops close early.

After spending about 30-45 minutes walking through the market, I stepped into a local sushi bar – a small eatery with a long counter and about a dozen seats. As I took a seat at the counter, I watched intently as an older man prepared the sushi. He made it look so easy, his right hand constantly in a bowl of rice and his left repeatedly reaching for the sushi — squid, shrimp, tuna and much more. He placed the fish on top of the rice and kept repeating the process.

Judging by the ease with which he prepared sushi, I imagine he’s been doing this for some time.

It was quite an introduction to the country. The menu for my breakfast comprised of beer and the freshest sushi I’ve ever tasted.

Outside the Hedges: Begin by downloading a podcast

ATHENS, Ga. – With its relatively compact downtown, Athens is easily navigated on foot. So, last year, the Athens Welcome Center announced the addition of the new Downtown Athens Podtour.

This series of tours are the perfect starting off point to learn about The Classic City.

There are 10 stops on this self-guided tour, and the beauty of the tour is that there is no order, so travelers can take on Athens at their own pace and in their own order.

The stops on the tour include the Athens Welcome Center, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athena Statue, the Classic Center, City Hall + Double-Barreled Cannon, Morton Theatre, 40 Watt Club + Athens Music, College Square, UGA’s North Campus and the Oconee Rivers Greenway.

The podtours feature local musicians and local experts as narrators. The podtours are available for free on the Athens Welcome Center’s Web page.

In addition to the podtours, Classic City Tours offers a number of tours, including a guided historic tour of the Classic City. The tours are operated out of the Athens Welcome Center.

Unlike many other cities in Georgia, the so-called Classic City boasts a number of Antebellum houses that are open to the public. Among the houses worth visiting:

• The Taylor-Grady House, on Prince Avenue, an example of Greek Revival architecture, built circa 1844. Robert Taylor, a Brigadier General in the Georgia Militia, built the house as a summer retreat for his family.


• The Ware-Lyndon House, an Italianate-designed house built in 1856 by the first mayor, served as the city’s first recreation center. Dr. Edward R. Ware, the first mayor of Athens, built the house, which is the only house that remains from the city’s once-prominent Lickskillet neighborhood. A secret passage under the house is rumored to exist.


• The Wray-Nicholson House on Hull Street, built circa 1825. Since September 2000, the house has been home to the UGA Alumni Association.


• The T.R.R. Cobb house, built in the 1830s, reopened to the public in August 2007. The house was moved to Stone Mountain in 1985 and returned in 2004. Today, it sits about two blocks from where it was originally built.

Following any tour, Athens’ Victorian-era downtown offers a number of local shops and eateries.

Outside the Hedges: Begin by downloading a podcast

By Todd DeFeo

ATHENS, Ga. – With its relatively compact downtown, Athens is easily navigated on foot. So, last year, the Athens Welcome Center announced the addition of the new Downtown Athens Podtour.

This series of tours are the perfect starting off point to learn about The Classic City.

There are 10 stops on this self-guided tour, and the beauty of the tour is that there is no order, so travelers can take on Athens at their own pace and in their own order.

The stops on the tour include the Athens Welcome Center, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athena Statue, the Classic Center, City Hall + Double-Barreled Cannon, Morton Theatre, 40 Watt Club + Athens Music, College Square, UGA’s North Campus and the Oconee Rivers Greenway.

The podtours feature local musicians and local experts as narrators. The podtours are available for free on the Athens Welcome Center’s Web page.

In addition to the podtours, Classic City Tours offers a number of tours, including a guided historic tour of the Classic City. The tours are operated out of the Athens Welcome Center.

Unlike many other cities in Georgia, the so-called Classic City boasts a number of Antebellum houses that are open to the public. Among the houses worth visiting:

• The Taylor-Grady House, on Prince Avenue, an example of Greek Revival architecture, built circa 1844. Robert Taylor, a Brigadier General in the Georgia Militia, built the house as a summer retreat for his family.
• The Ware-Lyndon House, an Italianate-designed house built in 1856 by the first mayor, served as the city’s first recreation center. Dr. Edward R. Ware, the first mayor of Athens, built the house, which is the only house that remains from the city’s once-prominent Lickskillet neighborhood. A secret passage under the house is rumored to exist.
• The Wray-Nicholson House on Hull Street, built circa 1825. Since September 2000, the house has been home to the UGA Alumni Association.
• The T.R.R. Cobb house, built in the 1830s, reopened to the public in August 2007. The house was moved to Stone Mountain in 1985 and returned in 2004. Today, it sits about two blocks from where it was originally built.

Following any tour, Athens’ Victorian-era downtown offers a number of local shops and eateries.