Thangs Ta Do

On Thursday after work I visited Emory's Autism Center, an internationally-known facility that helps both kids and adults with autism and/or Asperger's syndrome to function successfully in society. The center relies greatly on volunteers, and I'm more than sorely tempted to make time, despite the fact all I have to offer is a willing heart and virtually nil skill. I chatted with the front desk staffmember, a nice gal who immediately set me up with another volunteer and a 45-minute volunteer orientation. Lesson to me and all other travelers: you can learn so much just by asking! She also informed me of the basic qualities associated with autism, as I'm regrettably ignorant of everything but the fact it is a disorder. The center organizes a number of helpful events for the autistic in the community, including going to luau night, bowling, and ice cream parties for 18-30 yrs of age; plays and intellectual discussions over coffee for 30 yrs and older; and classes and field trips to the zoo for kids.

Anyhow...Thursday evening Kiley, Kelsey, Lauren, Toni and myself experienced Atlanta's "Screen on the Green," a weekly showing of a movie in Piedmont Park. This week featured Ferris Bueller's Day Off, an 80s movie starring the suavely hilarious Matthew Broderick. It was incredible! What I had expected to be a smaller, family-populated activity was a gigantic liquor fest of mostly young adults. The event was definitely built on community-camaraderie, however; everyone cheered at the same parts and chanted "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?" together--quite fun, even for someone who hadn't previously seen the film.

Today the gals and I explored "Little Five Points," a nouveau shopping center primarily for the "more spiritual, not as religious," "hippie," "New Age," "counterculture" crowd. Very, very new to me. Here's a picture of the performing drum band and a very enthusiastic individual. We also, of course, have been touring Atlanta's vast network of shopping locations. Some ridiculously large sunglasses pictures: We also decided before arriving at Little Five Points that we would eat a new, "abnormal" dinner--hooray for intellectual and gustatory curiosity! We sampled an "authentic Tandoori" restaurant, ordering heavily spice-laden chicken bhuna and delicious pasawari nan (fresh flat bread containing nuts and dried fruit! my favorite).

To do tomorrow: the rest of Atlanta?

Back to the abbreviated Idiot's Guide to Atlanta