CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK VISIT

At the end of my last post we were just finishing up our delicious breakfast at Waffle House. This meal gave us the nourishment to begin our walk back towards the Georgia Aquarium, made longer due to the fact we ended up at a different Waffle House than intended. But we persevered through the ever-increasing heat of that August morning. During our walk, we were pleased to discover we could walk through Centennial Olympic Park on our way to the aquarium.

Walking through the park now it's hard to imagine it was built on vacant land that had several abandoned and rundown buildings on it. The park was the main gathering site for both athletes and spectators during the 1996 Olympics; now it is a lasting legacy as a popular gathering place for both the citizens of Atlanta and thousands of visitors to Atlanta. Many of the sites surrounding the park were built after the Olympics Games, including the aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Center for Human and Civic Rights, Imagine It! Children's Museum and a ferris wheel, Skyview Atlanta. Many new hotels and restaurants were built to accommodate all of the visitors coming to see the new sites. 

To help pay for the cost of building the park (completely paid for by private donations), an Adopt-a-Brick program was launched. For $35, anyone could purchase commemorative bricks and personalize them. Over 500,000 bricks were purchased. To coincide with the park's 20th anniversary a new Adopt-a-Brick campaign to install another 40,000+ personalized bricks has been started. If you are interested in purchasing a personalized brick, click here.

To help donors find their bricks, the sections are numbered...

When you enter the park the first thing you see is the bronze, fan-shaped sculpture titled appropriately Tribute, by Greek sulpture Peter Calaboyias.

There are so many water features in the park. Here is a beautiful garden with water falling over large rock boulders.

More beautiful cascading water architecture...

Husband sits on the edge of the reflecting pool of Centennial Plaza. To the left in the background is the Skyview Atlanta ferris wheel.  One of the eight 65-foot light towers reminiscent of classic Greek columns is right behind him.

The Fountain of Rings: the most popular fountain in the park has 251 synchronized jets of water and computered-controlled lights in the design of the 5 Olympic interlocking rings. As the photo shows it is a popular play area for children.

  
In my next post, I will continue with our weekend adventure to Atlanta with our Atlanta streetcar ride and finally our visit to the aquarium.

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by my husband and me in August, 2016. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

THE CITY OF FOUNTAINS

Kansas City, Missouri is nicknamed The City of Fountains.  And it is...there are over 168 fountains located through the city.  

When we traveled to Kansas City to visit the previously mentioned art exhibition: Manet to Matisse: Impressionist Masters from the Marion and Henry Bloch Collection at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, we stayed at the Hampton Inn located in the area of Kansas City known as the Country Club Plaza area.  This area, just a few blocks west of the museum, is located between 45th Street and 51st Street to the north and south and Broadway and Madison to the east and west (see map).  It has a myriad of upscale shopping and dining possibilities.  The architecture is based on the Moorish style of Seville, Spain (one of the city's sister cities) with buildings decorated with arches and beautiful mosaic tiles.

Some of the beautiful architecture...

And the colorful tiles decorating the buildings...

We walked from the hotel down West 47th Street to the museum. (In hindsight this wasn't such a great idea since it was mid-August with temperatures in the mid 90s.)  But our walk allowed us to see many of the city's beautiful fountains:

Located on 47th Street in front of the American Eagle Outfitters store, the fountain above shows Neptune in his chariot pulled by the trident, dolphin and sea horse.  A city favorite, the 1911 original lead cast was purchased just for its scrap metal.  In the 1950s, it was found on top of a train car full of scrap metal by workmen at a salvage company.

One block east on 47th Street located in front of the Cheesecake Factory is this fountain showing the Greek god Bacchus holding court, surrounded by nymphs and satyrs.  Another 1911 original lead statue, weighing 5 tons, it was purchased in England and installed in 1969 in its present location.

Just one block further east on the opposite side of 47th Street is the beautifully-designed Seville Light fountain.  Carved from several types of marble, this fountain is an exact replica of the Plaza de Los Reyes fountain in Seville, Spain.

Located just across the street from the Seville Light fountain is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, the most-popular and most-photographed of all the city's fountains.  The 1910 figures originally adorned a mansion on Long Island, New York.  In 1958 they were brought to Kansas City.  The four horsemen are said to represent the four major rivers: Mississippi River (the Indian riding the horse and beating off an alligator), the Volga River (with the bear), the Seine and the Rhine.  Over the years several figures have been stolen. J. C. Nichols was a prominent developer of commercial and residential real estate in Kansas City.

Located in a plaza located at the corner of Broadway and Ward Parkway is a statue of Pomona, the Roman goddess and protector of vineyards and orchards.  This fountain was imported from Italy and installed in 1969. 

For more information on the many other fountains in Kansas City you can visit the website: www.kcfountains.com.