Amy's America

Scarlett: Atlanta!
Mammy: Savannah would be better for ya. You’d just get in trouble in Atlanta.

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We all have an inner Scarlett. Just some of us show it more than others. For some it’s the ‘fiddle-dee-dee’ side, while for others it’s the ‘With God as my witness, I’ll never go hungry again.’ Then there are those ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow’ people and the ‘I must have loved you for years, only I was such a stupid fool, I didn’t know it’ types. I’m all of them rolled into one. Scarlett O’Hara has been one of my role models since I was 11 years old and my mom and Mark introduced me to the feisty heroine. I sat up transfixed, through every second of the nearly four-hour movie, while they fell asleep on either side of me. I quickly went on to read the book (very different, but just as good) and began collecting everything Gone With the Wind (GWTW from here on) I could get my hands on.

Come to think of it, it’s rather surprising I haven’t done this pilgrimage before now. I still love GWTW, although my obsession has calmed over the years. It doesn’t jump out at you when you walk into my house – there’s no GWTW room, just a couple of framed pictures here and there, and the collectors plates from my Grandmama. In fact, there’s just as much Wicked Witch (from the Wizard of Oz – she’s another kindred spirit – and 1939 was the BEST year for movies) as there is Scarlett in my collection. (Uh oh, reading that, someone who doesn’t know me may get the impression that I’m a Grade A B*$@… I like them because they are strong, independent women!)

My cousin Tara shares my love of GWTW so I begged her to meet me down here. We’re cramming in the GWTW stuff before her friend Delanie joins us, although we’ll probably visit a plantation or something like that with her, too. So I went from Montgomery, Alabama (where all I did was sleep and drive through – have to say it has the most colorful, vibrant fall foliage) to the Atlanta airport. After grabbing a quick lunch (Mullberry St. Pizza; it was delicious), we went to our first GWTW stop.

The Gone With the Wind Museum in Scarlett on the Square, Marietta, is actually one person’s collection. Dr. Chris Sullivan used his personal collection to create the museum which is housed in a former cotton warehouse. It’s a fun little place with an extensive collection of various foreign movie posters and versions of the books, along with everything from actors’ versions of the script and chairs from the set to the actual honeymoon gown Vivien Leigh wore in the movie. They have the film playing when you first walk in and the soundtrack filtered throughout, adding to the ambiance. It’s a great place for every true GWTW fan. It actually annoyed us that there were teenage girls asking silly questions that any real GWTW fan would know – but I guess everyone learns sometime.

Over dinner at Oceanaire restaurant (delicious seafood), Tara and I came up with a fabulous idea for a GWTW theme park, which we want to develop and pitch to Turner, who own the rights to GWTW. They’ll love it so much, they’ll hire us to make it happen. Hope y’all come to visit!

That was the end of GWTW for the evening – we blew the theme by going to see Megamind (yes, again. I love it and Tara hadn’t seen it). I even talked people in the ticket line into seeing it. I wasn’t at all surprised that all seemed to love it. If you haven’t seen it yet, go! We’ll continue our quest for all things GWTW on Day 67…

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Since I skipped Vegas this time around, I figured the saying could certainly apply just as well here. I love New Orleans. Always have, ever since my Dad and Maggie took Steven and I on a road trip before Steven went into the Navy. I was 16 and New Orleans was one of the stops. A magical place that combined drama, music and history – all things I love. I’ve always wanted to go back but didn’t have the chance until now.

It hasn’t lost any of its charm. Of course, I didn’t really notice the ‘adult playland’ aspect back then as we mainly walked around in the day, but it’s certainly hard to miss! It reminded me a bit of Amsterdam, though, in how things that might stand out and shock elsewhere, just seem to blend in and seem normal here.

Within the first hour of entering the city, we’d explored Cemetery #1, where people go to pay tribute to famous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and others who are buried in tombs there. Scenes from a few films have been made there, including Easy Rider, and Nicolas Cage already has a resting place in the cemetery – the giant pyramid you’ll see in the pictures above. It’s a fascinating place to explore – I had to hold Shannon back, as she discovered an open tomb and could see a bag and bones. “I want to reach down and snatch a bone to bring home as a souvenir. Do you think that would be rude?” she asked. Uh, yeah. I think it’s time to go….

We didn’t get far before we stopped at Priestess Miriam’s Voodoo Spiritual Temple and Store. We had a great talk with Priestess Miriam and a local woman, but then as we were getting in the car, a clearly evil woman looked at our car and seemed to be casting a spell on us. Shannon said she’s seen her before and is a local witch. Not good. We got out of there as fast as we could.

The rest of the day was comparably tame, spent exploring the French Quarter and shopping before our evening tour. There are a zillion to choose from but we went with the one that’s supposed to be the most historically accurate, not just a sensational ghost tour. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of ghost stories, but they’re all based on research rather than made up to please an audience. Being New Orleans, of course there was an intermission at a local pub to refill our drinks.

Before tackling Bourbon Street, Shannon and I treated ourselves to beignets (similar to fried dough – my favorite) at the famous 24-hour Cafe Du Monde. Mmmmmmm – a definite must stop for anyone visiting the area! But probably not the best thing to eat just before riding a mechanical bull. Yup, I did it. We ended up spending most of the evening in Bourbon Cowboy with some new friends and after a few drinks, the bull looked pretty easy to ride. It’s not. And I’m still feeling it in my muscles. That’s all I’ll say about the evening as ‘what happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans…”

Shannon and I had all sorts of plans for Day 65 but those all disappeared when we woke up hurting. It was all we could do to check out, get back to her house and get me on the road. I can’t be late – I have to pick my cousin up at the Atlanta airport (eight hours away) at noon on Day 66. So following the recommendation of several friends, we drank lots of water, took ibuprofen and vitamin B, had some carbs and I was functioning enough to leave Louisiana. Time for some Gone With the Wind adventures in Atlanta…

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Obviously I didn’t get swallowed by an alligator. I survived the swamp tour! And it was a blast. But before we began our adventure, I had to take care of Holly. She was due for her (believe it or not) 22,500 mile maintenance. We went to the Baton Rouge Volvo dealer and they not only got her right in, but even gave her a bath. It was desperately needed, thanks to all the bugs and birds we’ve encountered recently (ick).

While Holly was being serviced, I tried in vain to find a place with wifi. I have to say, it’s harder in the south than anywhere else in the country. Hence yesterday’s posting without pictures. Everywhere should have wifi these days! I am paying to make my phone a modem, but it’s not good enough for the heavy uploading of photos. Shannon and I did manage to track down a coffeehouse this morning (Day 64) so I can upload the Day 63 pictures (way better than Day 62 pictures which is why I’m taking the time uploading these and not those) before we pursue today’s adventure.

I loved the swamp tour. Shannon was disappointed as she’s been on much better ones with bigger, more active alligators, but I thought it was fabulous. When you look for through the pictures, some of them are like “Where’s Waldo” where you need to spot the snake (eek – but I did take a picture), turtle (I love turtles), raccoon (so cute eating marshmellows), bird or alligator. It was through Honey Island Swamp, with Cajun Encounters Tour Co. The guide (Rob or Roy) was great – Shannon at least conceded that it was the most informative swamp tour she’d been on. Please don’t quiz me, but we did learn the definitions of swamp and bayou, that there are rice plants throughout the swamp and how the Cajuns were able to get all they needed from around the swamp. I’m so glad Shannon suggested this – a true Louisiana experience!

Shannon then treated me to another Louisiana tradition: lunch at Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant. We had this giant platter of (cringe) fried food including calamari, catfish, shrimp, crab, hush puppies and more that Shannon and I can’t remember. It was interesting that instead of rolls at the beginning of the meal, they gave you boiled potatoes. Strange, but good – had a bit of a Cajun kick to them, too. We were able to bring home more than we ate for the rest of the family to enjoy.

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