We welcome Rachel Houghton to the “At the Summit” fold. Rachel is one of our unofficial Summit photographers, and she’s linked to a couple of photos below, so enjoy!
Although this is my second time in Atlanta attending the STC Summit, this is my first time taking advantage of the tourist offerings around town. On Saturday, I met up with Jackie Damrau and Karen Mardahl at the Sway restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency hotel. Once we got a look at the weather (rainy, windy, and thunderstormy), it was clear that staying indoors was a good plan.
We used the MARTA train system to go from the Peachtree Center stop to the Lenox stop, where we walked around the large Lenox Square mall. Karen and I made our purchases, but not without some communication difficulties. The mall had not updated their store directories or signage to indicate that one of the stores was under remodel and in a totally different mall location. We walked to the opposite end of the mall from where we entered to find out that the store was two floors down from where we came in. This is where clear communication is key: if we hadn’t been determined to find the store, the store would have lost a sale to bad communication.
On Saturday night, Nathaniel Lim joined Jackie and me to go for our traditional visit to the Hard Rock Cafe. If there’s a Hard Rock Cafe in the city where an STC Summit is being held, we find a way to get there. Fortunately for us, the Atlanta cafe is literally two blocks from the Hyatt Regency hotel, making it an easy walk (even in the rain). Loud music, good food, and great friends. A great way to end the evening,
On Sunday, Jackie and I met up with a local friend and visited the World of Coca Cola. Even though it was rainy in the morning, by the time we exited the gift shop, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Phew! I was beginning to think that Oregon’s rainy weather had followed me to Atlanta! After a brief rest stop for lunch at the Pemberton Cafe, we used our World of Coca Cola tickets to get a discount at the Georgia Aquarium. Luckily for us, the price of admission also included a ticket to the AT&T Dolphin Tales performance.