After arriving in Tempe AZ the day before, we were up at o'dark thirty to catch the first plane out of Phoenix to Atlanta GA. At this time of the morning there isn't any traffic, no crowds on the shuttle, and no lines at the security check-in .... all went smoothly and we were waiting at the gate with plenty of time to spare.
Settled in our seats on the aircraft and ready for take off - the dawn/sunrise is beautiful as we leave Phoenix for the East.
Arriving in Atlanta GA for the first leg of this adventure.
One of the highlights of our time in Atlanta was our visit to the top of the Westin Peachtree. If I remember correctly, the bar is up on the 80th floor - give or take a few floors .... in any case it is way up there at the top!
Seems like you could see forever from the top. We got there before the sun set so we could see the town. The top floors consist of a restaurant and a bar with observation area. These floors revolve, so you stay in one place and the floor makes a revolution. Before it gets dark you can observe Atlanta from all angles. Once the sun sets the inside lights kind of obscure the lights outside - making the taking of photos difficult.
Here we are enjoying a refreshment while checking out all the lights below. Pictured are Grand Daughter Camille, Andy, Linda, Son AJ, Daughter Dianna and Martin.
After drinks, we headed back down to the ground to enjoy dinner at a very popular restaurant, the Juke Joint. We were lucky to be able to enjoy live music during our dinner. The music was wonderful and the food was excellent!
Our last day in Atlanta was a day-trip to Nashville Tennessee to visit Grandson Sam at Vanderbilt University.
The first order of business was to get Breakfast at the local Pancake Pantry. This is a very popular place - we had to stand outside in line for almost 30 minutes to get inside ... as you can see, space was limited. You can see the line of people outside the window waiting their turn. Pictured are Sam, Andy, Linda, AJ and Pete.
After a very yummy breakfast, we head out for a tour of Vanderbilt. First stop is Sam's dorm room - no pictures (you will thank me later). Just kidding.......
Grand Dad Andy and Grand Son Sam
AJ, Linda, Andy and Sam - the campus was beautiful
Sam had a class, so we headed back toward Atlanta. Of course, being so close to Lynchburg, we just had to stop at the Jack Daniel's Distillery on the way!
It's the water, of course! The main reason the distillery was built on this site was because of the water. It filters down thru the mountain and is retained naturally in this underground aquifer - they say they will never run out of the water ... we are quite glad of that!
Our big chance to enjoy "Jack on the Rock"! At least that is what our guide said.
Past this point on the tour we were not allowed to take any pictures - then we went into the tasting room and I forgot to take pictures! The county that the distillery is located in is a "dry county" - no liquor sales...period! Several years ago, the distillery got a special rule that they could do tastings - for a nominal fee of course. We got to sample Gentleman Jack, Old No. 7, and Single Barrel - Single Barrel is the best by far, but a little too expensive - Old No. 7 is just fine with us!
The distillery is also allowed to sell very pretty bottles, but no booze. So... they sell you the pretty bottle and then fill it with booze FOR FREE!!!!
Time to return to Atlanta to prepare for Part Two of our adventure.
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