day 2

Wow, what a day! I ate a stale bagel from the continental breakfast in the lobby of the hotel--oops, I mean apartment building. Yes, they serve a continental breakfast every morning...but, obviously, not many people partake. I think they've had the same bagels and cream cheese out for the past 3 weeks...Then, I took a cab ride from John. He moved from Ghana to NYC to ATL and loves it. He didn't know where he was supposed to go, though, so it was comical getting to the Portfolio Center. We stopped in the middle of a busy street as he looked around and said "is dat dee way?" I did get there, though. An hour early! So, I walked around the neighborhood, which is quite nice. It actually made me feel like I was in a big city. (Finally.)

My meeting with Catherine, the adviser, last for 2 hours. We talked about everything that I could think of to talk about: internships (we compete in the 5th quarter), scholarships (few and far between), connections (vast and invaluable), classes (challenging, exciting, and thorough), and more that I can't remember right now. We took a "tour" of the school/building. It's basic, not embellished. It fits its purpose well. There were some students getting projects (amazing projects) ready for critiques tomorrow. It's just an amazing, amazing school, and I'm quite impressed with it. Catherine then took me out to lunch and dropped me off at the High Museum.

The High was closed, though, so I went to the Georgia Aquarium. Alright, folks, I was skeptical about the aquarium, b/c I thought "how interesting can fish be?" Boy, was I wrong! It was soooo cool to see these animals that you only see on tv or in a book swimming overhead!! There were saw-toothed fish and sharks and whales and sea otters and penguins and sea horses and so much more!! Some of you know how cool I thought it was, b/c I called you and told you! If you get to Atlanta, you must go to the aquarium. Period.

I actually managed to ride on a bus tonight. Amazing. Although, the driver didn't know where I was supposed to be dropped, even though I WAS on the right bus. He took a different route. I did finally get to the apartment. Then, Melissa and I went out and had chicken and waffles at Gladys Knight's and Jon Winan's Chicken and Waffles! Yay! She'd never had it, and I hadn't either. And...actually...neither of us had waffles with our chicken; she didn't even have chicken! I had chicken smothered in gravy and served over a bed of rice with collard greens and a squash casserole. She had a vegetable plate (collard greens, lima beans, yams, and squash casserole). Yum yum! We had a really fun time and got to talk and get to know each other. :) Afterwards, she drove me around some of her favorite parts of Atlanta, and I started to like the city a little more. When we were driving back through downtown, the lights were on the skyscrapers against the black night and it was sooo beautiful. I love it. I could actually imagine living here at that moment.

Tomorrow, I am meeting with an apartment locater to see what's available in the next 3 weeks.

I'm really curious to see how Chicago and the Chicago Portfolio School compare to Atlanta and the Atlanta Portfolio Center.