ATLANTA IS DREAM DESTINATION FOR TEAMS, FANS ALIKE: As a former longtime North Georgia resident and proud alumnus of the University of Georgia, I’d like to offer up my congratulations to the fans of the Final Four participants - and wish a warm welcome to the crown jewel of the Confederacy South, Atlanta.
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Atlanta’s selection as Final Four host is a no-brainer, considering the city’s past success with the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the 1978 NBA first round playoff series between the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Bullets.
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Speaking of Atlanta hoops, the astonishing success of the local pro and college basketball teams, combined with Georgians unceasing willingness to embrace basketball as a specatator sport, also justifies the NCAA’s well-reasoned decision to host basketball’s biggest annual event there.
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And I’m here to tell revved-up basketball fans, you’re going to love Atlanta not only because of the city’s unbridled passion for roundball. There are also countless sights to satisfy your Fulton County wanderlust:
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As you would expect, the town has all the amenities you could dream about, including world-class dining:
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And shopping that’ll make you forget Rodeo Drive and Madison Avenue:
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Like most jet-setting cities, Atlanta boasts its share of beautiful people, and celebrity-spotting is commonplace - like internationally known Anderson Cooper, the well respected CNN journalist:
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But you don’t have to be famous or handsome to fit right into Atlanta’s cityscape. This is a place where everyone is made to feel welcome. And I do mean everyone:
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The best news about Atlanta is that since there’s so much to see and do right in the middle of downtown, you won’t have to worry about renting a car. Plus, the safe, friendly and clean public transit system MARTA is always available to serve your transportation needs:
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But if for some strange reason you want to venture outside of downtown (but why would you?), you can count on a perfectly-simple, traffic-free, highway system.
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So welcome to the ATL, Mr. and Ms. basketball fan (and gender-neutral university official!), a city where fervent hoops fans, modern appeal and Old World charm collide!
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