Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: September 30th, 2004
Atlanta International Airport, 1963
Two businessmen toting briefcases have just arrived. From the bias-cut control tower down, this is a perfect ultra-modern mid-century scene. A T L A N T A marks the spot; a boxy building dressed in stripes; streetlights with dinosaur necks, giant lasagna noodle roofline, elevated streets and covered sidewalks. The turquoise and white color scheme is perfectly coordinated. Even the sky matches
Last week I visited the fine city of Atlanta for the first time. The premiere of the new musical, The Color Purple, was the occasion. My dear friend, Allee Willis, co-wrote the songs. The show is AMAZING and will be a mega hit on Broadway!
While in town I ate at nearly every vintage eatery beginning with a 3am in-the-morning trip to The Majestic, a genuine diner serving since 1928. The pink neon signage was just about as exciting as the cockroaches were friendly. At The Silver Skillet, a greasy spoon diner serving since 1956, delicious banana pudding is a specialty. It’s the only place I’ve ever been where the customers write up the order on the check themselves and hand it to the waitress. At Mary Mac’s serving since 1945, heaping portions of traditional southern dishes like fried chicken are served up family style.
I got a buzz drinking namesake beverage at the museum of world’s most famous and promoted product and Georgia’s greatest claim to fame - Coca Cola. As if I wasn’t high enough already I then downed a tiki-licious rum and Coke at the 1967 Trader Vic’s in the Hilton. Then off to the grave of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind. She died tragically in 1949 after being hit by a taxi. That was followed by an outing to suburban Atlanta, to drive by the 41-year old big chicken towering five stories tall over a KFC.
My final hour in Atlanta was spent at the world’s largest drive-in restaurant, the Varsity, serving since 1928. During peak hours it takes a hundred carhops to serve the customers.
But Mother Nature provided the most surprising and unexpected experience of the journey. While on my little side-road trip to Tennessee I took a boat ride on the Lost Sea, the largest underground lake in the USA. I kept thinking to myself “this reminds me of a ride at Disneyland!”
Cheers to Atlanta, the Lost Sea and YOU
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
September 2004
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Space-Age Style & Transportation
4 Comments on “Atlanta International Airport, 1963 ”
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February 4th, 2006 at 8:01 am
Great photo and a brilliant description: “a boxy building dressed in stripes; streetlights with dinosaur necks, giant lasagna noodle roofline, elevated streets and covered sidewalks.”
January 13th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Great shot and what andrew said! This airport is part of what I thought it was going to mean to be grown up. Some of my earliest memories are from inside of those lasagna windows; the interior of this bldg was just like the movie Catch me if you Can. From the blue upholstered, sunlit waiting area we’d watch for the enormous, noisy, airplane that would disgorge my aunt. We were dressed in out Saturday-best (new, neat, but not quite as reverent as our Sunday best) and of course Aunt was certainly in her Sunday best. Flying was glamorous and adult, including the airport. We didn’t have to dress ‘comfortable’- it was THEIR job to make us so! I can just imagine the scene that would have insued had anyone made the mistake of asking either of my aunts to remove their shoes! Please let me know next time you’re coming to ATL.
March 8th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
This photo was taken during the period when the airport had an observation deck where you could go and watch airplanes take off and land. Which we did. It was so exciting every time an airplane would angle the nose off and actually become airborne. Now the airport is so big all you can see is construction cranes building new runways and buildings.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:25 am
That was a great place! Have you seen the Atlanta Time Machine? Lots of photos of the old airport. There are a few interior shots there too. http://www.atlantatimemachine.com/misc/airport.htm