For the 85th time: Back to the USA!

 

Got up at 4 am on Tuesday morning, rain pooring down and under 40 deg F! We took the first streetcar to the main train station at 5 am, then by regular train and fast train on to MUC, in total about 2:20 hours - and, no disturbances or delays! Check-in and security went quickly as well. Our plane to Newark/NY - a B747-400 - departed about half an hour delayed - but, fortunately, it was only about 50 % full and we had plenty of space to spread out. Food was bad as usual, mushy and dull in taste, but in total this UA flight from MUC to EWR was smooth and uneventful.

Arrived almost on time and flashed through immigration to baggage pick-up and re-check through security and by bus to Terminal A. Below a photo of our approach to New York and of EWR Airport.

Back to the roots! Haven't been back to Atlanta since 2015, but, it was much earlier when we started our "careers" as travelwriters exactly here: Before the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, we secured commissions for our two very first travel guide books: one, a city guide on Atlanta and New Orleans ("New and Old South") at Reise Know-How Verlag, the other a regional guide on the U.S. South, part of a nicely designed series in the formerly fantastic Swiss Artemis Publishing House.Visited the city several times for research then.

Then, in the 1990s, we proudly hold a Ph.D. in archeology in hands, but no real jobs. We were only able to secure a short career as archeologists at our city department. For a short period Peter worked as a lecturer in a Munich publishing house, and, in addition, we were the editors of an American Sports Magazine, which alltogether provided the money to make a modest living. But, we needed to expand and therefore started to get in contact with guidebook publishers. 

Atlanta, the future Olympic city, was, at that time, a completely unknown U.S. destination, a fly-over city, which especially Delta used as their main hub. First, we planned to cover Atlanta exclusively, but our publisher wasn't convinced and so, New Orleans became the other half of the book. First impression of Atlanta: Even in the 90s, they had "MARTA" (above photo), a convenient and cheap public transportation system from/to the airport. Second, they had their specific people, with a "Southern Drawl", and, predominantly "black" people, all of them very talkative, friendly and helpful. 

 

Staying in Edgewood this time, an Eastern suburb of Atlanta, conveniently connected to downtown and other neighborhoods by MARTA. Below right, "our" house, where we stay in the second floor apartment with the balcony. Really nice, quiet neighborhood. 

 

We dropped our luggage in the apartment at around 7:20 pm (touchdown of the plane in ATL was at 6 pm, luggage pick-up and train to our AirBnB was easy-peasy!) and out we were again to catch another train to Decatur, where lots of craftbreweries are located. Called it a day at "Inner Voice" with a beer and a slice of pizza.

 

View towards downtown from the MARTA station on our way home,,,

More photos of Atlanta tomorrow,,, it's been a long first day in town.